Chapter 299: Nicknames and New Beginnings

Vivian’s POV

Something invisible seemed to lift directly off her delicate shoulders. Her overall posture changed as if a heavy, suffocating cloak had been shrugged off, and I watched as a slightly warmer shade of soft brown bled into her dark gaze. There was still a quiet darkness clinging stubbornly to her aura, but for the very first time since we walked in, a visible crack appeared in her defenses. And from that small crack... something much softer peeked through.

She approached me slowly across the rug, her gait confident but carrying a strange, cautious gentleness, like someone who was still relearning how to move through the world after a long sleep. I couldn’t quite explain it to myself she seemed remarkably bold and hesitant all at once.

"It is really nice to meet you, Vivian. I have heard a lot about you," she said quietly, coming to a stop directly in front of me. "I just wish the timing of our meeting had been much better."

Her tall presence towered slightly over mine she was practically Albericus’s height, after all but somehow, she seemed like she was actively trying to shrink herself down, to come across as entirely non-threatening to me.

Were all powerful witches like this in person? Somehow, I strongly doubted it.

"It is good to finally meet you too," I replied honestly, giving her a warm look. "And yeah, I get it. Still, I think it is totally fine. Albericus has kind of been keeping you all to himself lately."

That specific name made her blink in complete confusion. "Who?"

Oh, right. I completely forgot that not everyone was in on my personal name games.

"That is my nickname for him," I explained, gesturing with my hand back toward where he stood. "Albericus is a bit of a mouthful to say every five seconds."

Then, like someone had flipped a sudden light switch inside her soul, a real smile wide, genuine, and almost goofy broke brightly across her face. It was nothing like the strained, polite smile from earlier. This one was entirely different. She even bounced lightly on her bare feet and clapped her hands together, barely holding back a burst of genuine laughter.

"Right?! Why would you pick a math term for a guy’s name?" she asked, her dark eyes sparkling with joy as she looked over to Albericus. Her visible excitement was delightfully contagious hopeful, eager, like she wanted my answer far more than she let on.

"Uh," I blinked, taken slightly off guard by the sudden burst of excitement in her voice, but I recovered quickly and let a smirk spread across my lips. "Because of Albericus, Algebraic... Algebra. He can’t stand it, but since he still reacts every single time I call him that, the name stuck. If he had just ignored me from the start, I might have dropped it eventually and used his actual name. But it is way too late now. I am his Luna, so that is his problem to deal with, not mine."

A strangled, horrified sound came from somewhere right behind us in the room.

"Wait... what?"

We both completely pretended we didn’t hear his outburst.

Aurora narrowed her eyes at me, assessing my face with a kind of lively curiosity that didn’t feel hostile for once. Then her smile broadened into a full grin. "Oh, I think I am going to really like you."

Behind us, I heard a faint, thoroughly defeated muttered, "Ahh, shit."

We completely ignored that comment too, walking over to the living room furniture and plopping down onto the plush couch together like old best friends just meeting for the first time.

This could be the start of something new

I immediately slammed the mental door shut on my internal wolf, who had started singing that movie line with far too much enthusiasm. Still, I could feel her sheer glee radiating through our mate bond, that smug satisfaction vibrating quietly at the back of my mind. She slowly retreated into a quiet silence, just watching the witch now, her overall mood shifting into a mix of guarded curiosity and the tiniest sliver of genuine approval.

Apparently, my wolf thought the witch might actually be sane enough for us to trust. Not entirely, of course, but just enough for today. I would definitely take it.

"Berry is kind of a cute nickname," I mused aloud after a moment, glancing sideways at Aurora on the cushion. "It honestly makes me wonder if I should give Zahliver a nickname of his own."

The sudden realization struck me right then I had never given Zahliver a real nickname before.

Was that weird for a couple?

I didn’t really think so. I just... really liked his actual name. Even if it was the dramatic name he had chosen for himself. That last part still annoyed me just a little bit. Zalvius, seriously?

"I will tell you one thing," Algebra er, Albericus chimed in from the large armchair across from us, flopping down into the cushions and immediately propping his heavy boots up on the low coffee table.

Aurora shot him an icy glare. He quickly dropped his feet straight back down to the wooden floor, looking like a pup who had been scolded a thousand times before for the exact same habit.

"He absolutely loathes it when you try to call him Z-ster, Count Zalcula, Zal, ZZ, Lil Z, Z-bag, or Alpha Z... Oh, and whatever you do, do not call him Zalvius the Great. Not even as a joke. He will pretend he is completely unbothered by it, but it is definitely not worth the physical pain that follows. Apparently, Alexander the Great wasn’t all that great in person according to him. His words, not mine."

I just stared at him, a sudden laugh bubbling up in my chest. "You actually said some of those ridiculous names out loud to his face? And you are somehow still alive to tell the tale?"

Aurora snorted out loud at my reaction.

I glanced back and forth between her and Algebra, who now looked mildly offended that I was actively doubting his basic survival skills.

"No, no," she said, shaking her head with a bright grin. "He didn’t simply survive those moments. He healed from them. Depending on what specific part of his body was limping or covered in dark bruises when he finally came home to me, I could usually guess what stupid nickname he had invented for Zahliver that day. Zahliver has this uncanny ability to know exactly where to hit to make Berry’s physical recovery take just a little bit longer."

That sounded... painfully accurate for the Alpha I knew.

"Yeah," I muttered, my voice turning almost fond. "That definitely sounds like something Zahliver would do."

Used to do, I added silently to myself. Something subtle passed between me and Albericus in that quiet second a brief flicker of deep, mutual understanding. He raised a single brow at me, looking like he had thought the exact same thing about his leader’s growth, and gave me a subtle nod of agreement.

As Aurora and I shifted our conversation to lighter, easier topics, the natural flow between us grew much smoother. I found myself liking her far more than I ever thought I would when we first drove up. She reminded me a lot of... well, me. A version of me that had been hardened by dark storms, but certainly not broken by them. She was wonderfully sharp-tongued, especially when talking to Algebra, and sometimes she even snapped sharply at me when her magic flared, but after every single pointed comment, she would pause, visibly rein herself back in, and offer a quiet, sincere apology.

Each time she apologized, I simply reassured her with a slight shrug or a small smile. I didn’t take any offense to her sharp edges at all.

Honestly? Sitting in that small cabin, I was really starting to feel like maybe, just maybe, this strange, scarred little trio of ours could actually work out in the end.