Chapter 7

Marvel POV

We don’t speak, not for a while. Valentine releases my arm as soon as we cross the crust of dead leaves that marks the school grounds. For the last few yards, it’s just the sound of my breath. I keep expecting to turn and see the animal, my animal still tracking us. Instead there’s nothing, only the dusty orange glare of the playground and the glum outlines of school janitors sweeping the school litters into paper sacks.

Mom’s car is the first car I spot the moment I get in the near lot. She’s got the seatbelt slung across her chest but her hand is off the ignition. Valentine stops me with a squeeze to the elbow, his eyes on the car.

I watch my mom getting out of her car, smoothing her skirt before the door’s even shut. She looks at her phone, then scans the blacktop, the seam of anxiety running high in her shoulders. She doesn’t see me, or or any other kid, just keeps walking, flats squeaking. Ben appears from behind the staff lot fence, hands jammed in jacket pockets, looking like he’s just been caught smoking in the bathroom. My hearing was sharper and it amazed me i could perfectly here whatever anyone around me was saying.

“Vivian,” Ben calls, just loud enough for her and everyone else in the county to hear.

She turns, masking surprise with a quick smile. “Hey! Is Marvel..?”

“Just finishing up,” Ben says trying to cover for me and Valentine. How did he know when to do that. He’s got a way of sounding like he’s always apologizing for something, even when he isn’t. “Mrs. Yates held him after for some science work.”

Mom nods, like she expects this from me. “He loves science,” she says, then glances past Ben at the empty school doors, her jaw tense. “Did he… have a good day at school, you know, I've been thinking about him since i dropped him here?”

Ben shrugs, glances at his shoes. “Made a couple friends. Did the snake lesson. You know, kid stuff.”

"Oow, snake? You have snakes here?" She asks.

"Yeah, for science classes." Ben smiles.

I’m still a shadow behind the gym, but I can hear all of this. I see Ben’s eyes, how he keeps glancing over his shoulder like someone’s following him. Maybe it’s just me he’s nervous about, but he looks at Mom, and there’s a twitch in his cheek, the kind he gets right before he tells a lie.

“He said he was gonna walk home. Figured he’d take the shortcut past the water tower,” Ben says. His voice drops, softer, and Mom looks concerned for a second, then reboots her smile.

I take that as my cue and walk toward them, Valentine keeping his distance.

“Hey Mom,” I say, waving with a hand still scraped raw from the mud.

She looks at me scanning my body for any damage. For a second, I think she’s going to ask about my hands, but she just exhales and says, “There you are. God I was about to call the freak out.”

Ben laughs too loud, then punches my shoulder, friendly but not. “Your mom's beeen worried for almost an hour kid, you done with the work?” I smile and nod.

Mom smooths my hair, then wipes her palm on her skirt like she’s ashamed of the gesture. “We better get going baby?” she says, keeping her voice light.

I nod, and we walk together across the parking area. I look back once, and catch Valentine on the far side, hands in his coat, eyes on us like a lifeguard watching kids who don’t know how to swim, he seems so protective, mom needed to know about this. I couldn't keep her in the dark for long. I already was and it didn't feel cool at all. She's everything I have.

Inside the car, Mom buckles me in, even though she knows i hate it when she does it. She lets the silence sit for a while before she says, “Did you see Ben today?"

I shrug. “He was around.” I said acting like i wasn't shocked with that question.

Mom waits, then tries again. “How was school, everything good?”

“Yeah. I guess. Did some running.” I don’t want to say how I finished last, how the other kids seemed so fast and it looked so normal to them.

She nods, eyes straight ahead, the lines at the corners deepening. “You hungry? I thought we could pick up tacos, I'm starving.”

I glance back at the school. Valentine is gone, but the feeling of being watched doesn't leave me.

“Tacos are fine, would like some fries though,” I say, and look out the window.

The drive home is nothing like I remember from. The city’s busy and moms Mom keeps the radio tuned to some station that only plays hits from before I was born, but the static outnumbers the songs. We go through the basic traffic after a bunch of turns and grabbed some snacks from a nearby drive-by.

Mom notices my staring and says, “You okay, Marvel?”

"Yes mom." I say as i turn to look at her. We head back home and mom changes to her work outfit. She looked so beautiful in her red beautiful dress.

We head to the bar and i have to wait at the dressing rooms till mom is done with her presentations, meanwhile, I watch a movie from her phone.

Valentine POV

The bar is in its usual chaos the moment i step in, regulars were slumping over their beers, a couple of off-duty nurses trading stories, and a table of cocky tech bros already three drinks too deep for a Thursday night. I look around and spot a place before I could make a single step, I spot her. I sit where I can see everything, half-hidden in the corner, watching Vivian move through the crowd. She’s all sharp edges tonight wearing a beautiful red dress that drew my brains away, going through the motions, pouring, smiling when she has to, I really wish i could be her reason to smile but now that's not the case.She then retreats behind the bar whenever she can. I can tell she doesn’t want to be here from her stern expressions. 

I look at my phone. Her set starts at eight, right after karaoke. I was just right on time for the show.I know she hates the stage lights, hates pretending to enjoy the kind of songs people request—soft rock, old country ballads. Tonight, she looks even more raw, like every note costs her something. I feel it like a weight in my chest, but all I can do is sit back and let her carry it. 

By her third song, one of the tech bros stumbles up, glassy-eyed and smug. “Hey,” he slurs at Vivian, making some obscene gesture with his hands, asking for a song that doesn’t belong on her playlist. 

She shuts him down with a stare. I almost smile—Vivian’s always had that fire. But he doesn’t take the hint. Half an hour later, he’s drunker, heckling her from the table while Elsa watches nervously from the side, clearly waiting for something to happen. I stay put, jaw tight, until the idiot finally staggers forward, weaving his way toward Vivian like he owns the stage. 

“Sing for me, sweetheart. Something sexy,” he slurs, his grin wide and ugly. 

I see Vivian tense, her hand tightening around the mic. She shakes her head, firm, but I catch the flicker of panic beneath it. My wolf couldn't watch this happen.My blood heats instantly. 

The audience starts murmuring, everyone becoming restless. The guy laughs, harsh, taunting. He tries to climb onto the stage, reaching for her. "That’s enough!" 

I didn't know when i moved.The growl rips from my chest before I even think about it, low and sharp, cutting through the noise of the room. In seconds, I move between them, every muscle coiled. The drunk bastard freezes, his grin sliding off his face as he notices me approaching in. I don’t smile. I don’t need to. I was so pissed off. 

He hesitates a second too long. I shove him, nothing brutal, just enough to send him sprawling across the tiles like the pathetic fool he is. For a moment, I want to break him, for touching my girl, really break him, but I rein it in. Instead, I crouch down, stare him in the eye, and say, “Apologize.” My voice stern. 

His face crumples. “Sorry, sorry..shit, man, I didn’t mean to..” 

“Go home.” My voice leaves no room for argument. He scrambles to his feet, stumbles toward the door, and vanishes without a backward glance. 

When I turn back, Vivian’s shaking, adrenaline still coursing through her. The fury inside me drains, replaced by something else protective, steady, unwilling to let her break in front of this crowd. 

“You okay?” I ask quietly. 

She hesitates, her eyes darting away. “You didn’t have to do that,” she mutters. 

“Yes, I did.” It’s not up for debate. 

She exhales, shaky, like her knees might give out. “Thanks…” It’s barely a whisper, hoarse and fragile. 

I want to reach out, steady her, but I don’t. Not here. Not yet. Instead, I soften my tone, like none of this just happened. “Can we have a talk?” 

Her eyes flash with hesitation, the kind I know too well. She wants to retreat, to shut me out, but I can see the other part of her, the part that remembers what we were. After a long moment, she nods. 

“Okay,” she says finally.

"I'll just clear up with Elsa and I'll be out in a minute." She says leaving me speechless. I don't know what was going on in her mind but i needed to talk to her.

"Take your time." I say and turn heading back to my seat.