Chapter 295: Flashy Accessories and Quiet Suspicions

Zahliver’s POV

In her slender hand, Vivian held up a golden bracelet that was delicate and feminine in its design, decorated with elegant swirls that immediately reminded me of curling wind dancing across the ocean. Etched deep in polished silver right across the smooth surface was a name that made something deeply primal in my chest purr with satisfaction: Mrs. Vivian Azrala.

I smirked, leaning back slightly against the doorway. My Beta knew me better than most people in this world. That thoughtful gift was entirely his clever doing, the sneaky bastard. He knew exactly how much seeing my last name on her wrist would appeal to my possessive Alpha nature.

"You cavemen and your overly dramatic declarations," Vivian teased gently, giving both of us a playful roll of her dark brown eyes. "I am only letting this slide because it is surprisingly cute, and it happens to look absolutely amazing with my outfit today."

She gave us both a look of faux disapproval, attempting to keep a straight face, but the soft smile tugging at her lips completely betrayed her internal amusement. Through our mate bond, I could feel her genuine happiness radiating off her skin.

Then, as if she had just remembered something important, her entire expression brightened up.

"Oh! Speaking of flashy accessories and protective magic, how is the ring doing? More importantly, how is your mate doing?" she asked Albericus casually, shifting her focus entirely onto him.

Albericus blinked several times in utter confusion at the sudden, unexpected shift in the conversation.

"Uh... she is doing a lot better now, actually. Thanks for asking," he said, his voice hesitant, clearly taken completely off guard by her sudden interest in Aurora’s well-being.

While the two of them spoke back and forth, I took advantage of her distraction to reach out and hook my fingers into the back loop of her jeans, gently pulling Vivian closer toward my chest until her back pressed firmly against me. Her body felt wonderfully warm and soft beneath my touch, molding effortlessly against mine as if she had been made specifically to fit in my arms. Holding her like this grounded my soul. Amid the crushing weight of my daily leadership responsibilities, and the endless pack matters clawing for my constant attention... she was my quiet stillness. My eternal reminder to simply pause and breathe.

But that peaceful moment between us did not last long at all.

"I really don’t think that is a good idea," Albericus said suddenly, a sharp strain of tension thickening his voice.

His nervous, strained tone instantly snapped my focus right back to their conversation. I glanced up from Vivian’s shoulder just in time to see his panicked green eyes flick nervously over toward mine.

From what little I had gathered from their brief exchange, it sounded like Vivian had somehow managed to maneuver herself right into his plans to visit Aurora today. I tilted my head slightly to the side, imagining the absolute, unhinged chaos that would inevitably explode from that meeting. Vivian, with her fierce headstrong sass and sharp sarcasm, locked in a room with Aurora, whose emotional moods swung wildly from warm sunshine to dark shadow in the blink of an eye. Would the two of them even survive each other’s presence for ten minutes?

"But didn’t you just say she was doing so much better now?" Vivian asked him, raising a dark brow as her voice dipped into pure skepticism.

"Well, yeah, she is, but "

"So why can’t I go see her?" she cut him off smoothly before he could even finish his full explanation.

Albericus turned his wide, terrified eyes directly to me, silently pleading for his Alpha to step in and rescue him from her. And of course, sensing his desperation, that made Vivian turn around in my arms to face me too. Her brown eyes locked tightly with mine, burning with fierce determination cleverly cloaked in sweet innocence. I let out a low sigh and looked back over at Albericus, the corners of my lips twitching with hidden amusement.

"Is she still trying to attack you without any warning?" I asked dryly.

His broad shoulders drooped instantly, making him look like a kicked wolf pup.

"No... but she is still mean as hell to me," he muttered under his breath, scrubbing both hands tiredly over his face.

"Just take her with you," I said with a light shrug of my shoulders, eyeing Vivian knowingly. "Before she starts secretly following your car down the highway anyway."

Vivian instantly stiffened in my arms, her eyes widening slightly. Bingo. That had been her exact backup plan all along.

Albericus peeked out through his fingers at me in absolute horror.

"Wait... you’re not coming with us?" he asked, his voice filled with utter dismay.

I shook my head firmly, already dreading the dramatic storm I was knowingly sending my Beta into.

Vivian twisted around in my embrace and cupped both sides of my face with her warm hands, dragging my head down for a deep, lingering kiss. Her lips felt soft and delightfully firm against mine, full of affection and clear intent. I was just reaching around her waist to pull her tighter against my body when she pulled away with a triumphant grin.

"Thank you, my love," she whispered softly against my mouth, then spun around on her heel and grabbed Albericus firmly by the wrist. "Come on, Algebra. We are going to go see your moody mate. Try not to look like you are heading straight to your execution."

Albericus shot me one last desperate, pleading look over his shoulder. I answered his silent plea with a broad smirk.

"Bye, Zahliver!" Vivian called out loudly, pulling open the heavy front door and stepping out onto the porch. "Take care of Frank for me while I am gone! I love you!"

"I love you too. Have fun," I called back, watching them go. Then I leveled a firm look at my Beta. "Take care of her."

"Forget her, who is taking care of me?" Albericus complained loudly, dragging his feet like a reluctant child as she forcefully pulled him through the doorway. "Those two women are going to tear me completely apart!"

"Oh, don’t be so dramatic, Algebra!" Vivian’s clear voice carried back across the yard as they stepped toward the driveway.

"Me, dramatic? She nearly murdered me last time she dragged me along, for the moon’s sake!" Albericus ranted loudly, his voice fading slightly as the heavy front door swung partially closed, then opened again briefly.

"I am sure she did," Vivian answered dryly, sounding entirely unconvinced by his tall tales.

I heard him mutter something else under his breath that I couldn’t quite catch from the porch, and then the sound of the car engine starting up echoed through the driveway before they pulled away.

A deep, blissful silence settled over the large house like a warm blanket. With a slow sigh, I crouched down in front of the small cage sitting near the living room and met the unblinking stare of two beady black eyes.

"You are staying right inside this cage," I told the spiky creature firmly, staring it down before standing back up to my full height. I could have sworn the little thing grumbled something softly in protest under its breath, but I was certainly not about to entertain a argument from a hedgehog.

With Albericus likely occupied for the rest of the day dealing with two fiery she-wolves, I figured I would head down into my pack office to catch up on an endless mountain of paperwork and administrative work. But first, I had a promise to keep.

In less than five minutes, I had personally gathered every single one of Vivian’s scattered birthday gifts from around the living room and arranged them neatly inside our master bedroom. I took care to place them in the exact same specific order she had arranged them in earlier, except now they were set up on her side of the walk-in closet. If I didn’t take care of it for her, she would never get around to it. She liked to pretend to the pack that she was not lazy about cleaning, but we both knew the real truth. I didn’t mind doing it for her at all, though. I liked knowing where everything was in our room, and I loved taking care of her space.

After setting Frank’s cage in a safe, quiet spot in the living room, I headed into the master bathroom to take a quick shower. Midway through washing up, the sharp sound of the heavy front door clicking shut downstairs caught my sensitive hearing. Joshua was leaving the house.

That sudden realization made me pause under the streaming water.

How on earth was he getting around the territory?

I had not provided him with a pack vehicle, and I strongly doubted he knew how to drive a car after everything he had missed out on. He had not shifted into his wolf form either, not a single time since he had arrived here. If he had shifted, I would have instinctively sensed his form through the Alpha bond. His distinctive silver lining would have flared brightly in my mind, strong and unmistakable.

But now that I was actually taking the time to think deeply about it... his silver lining in my mind felt unusually dim. It was faint. Almost like it was fading away entirely.

I shook my head, cutting off the dark train of thought before it could fully take root in my mind. No. That was simply not possible.

Still, a nagging, uncomfortable unease settled deep beneath my skin.

And I hated it when my Alpha instincts whispered quiet warnings that my mind couldn’t rationally explain.