MasukVIVICA'S POV"Vivica, you've always been a spoiled brat, but now you're acting like a cold-hearted bitch," Rachel hissed, her voice shaking with rage. “Don’t joke around like that.”"That Vivica died six years ago, honey. Get used to the new one, plus, I’m not joking," I hissed back, leaning in even closer. "I didn’t even like you two back then, and I sure as fuck don't like you two now. I'd prefer it if you stayed the hell out of my face when we're alone. We can put on the best friends act around our men, but when they are not here? You're nothing to me.""What happened to you?" Rachel whispered. "You don't deserve Tormund. Not after what you've become.""And you deserve Leroy?" I laughed, the sound sharp and mean. "I wonder what the Gamma would say if he finds out you're sleeping with Lester, one of his oldest and dearest friends?" Rachel staggered back like I'd slapped her. Her face went from red to white in three seconds flat."No, she's not!" Michelle raved, looking between us.
VIVICA'S POV"Oh, babe, you're absolutely glowing," Michelle said the second I stepped into the kitchen."Pregnancy really looks good on you, Vi," Rachel added, nodding like a bobblehead.I rolled my eyes so hard I almost saw my own brain. These two bitches were even bigger liars than I was, and that was saying something. There was no baby. There was no glow. All I did was drink a nasty-ass potion I got from a shady old witch so that I would smell like a pregnant she-wolf, but of course, I wasn't going to look any different because this was all a giant trick. I just needed Tormund wrapped around my finger, and a fake pup was the only way to seal the deal before he realized I wasn't the girl he remembered.They both ran over like excited puppies to touch my stomach, but I was so done with everyone wanting to paw at my middle."Keep your paws off me, ladies. I'm not in the mood for being treated like a petting zoo," I snapped, pulling back."Give my daughter some space, girls... she mus
TORMUND'S POVVivica was dead silent on the ride to my parents' house, and her attitude was making the air inside the car absolutely unbearable. It was thick with her silent resentment, and every time the tires hit a bump, the tension seemed to vibrate through the leather seats. I could feel my wolf pacing inside me, irritated by the cloying scent of her anger."Vivica, don't tell me you're still mad at me!" I snapped, the silence finally grating on my last nerve.She whipped her head around to look at me, her eyes narrow and feline. "You hurt me, Tormund. You talked down to me like I was some servant, and you bruised my wrists! Of course I'm angry. What did you expect—a medal?" she snarled. She turned her head back to the window, watching the trees zoom by in a blur of dark green as we sped toward my parents’ estate.I shifted over, moving closer until I had her trapped in the corner of the car, my large frame looming over her. I softened my voice, trying to regain control of the sit
TORMUND'S POVIt was the middle of the afternoon, only a few hours after I had gone to see Kyla at Dr. Mendez's house. I still didn't know how I felt about that. She should be in the dungeons for all the shit she did. I was still angry for some reason, and the rage was simmering just beneath my skin like a live wire. At least the deed was done, Kyla now knew that Vivica and I were expecting a pup of our own, and she knew her time as anything important in this pack was officially over. I was currently getting ready to have dinner with my parents and Vivica's parents to celebrate our engagement, and I wasn't looking forward to the performance. Jason and Leroy would be there too, along with their annoying mates, and I knew I had to act like the happiest man in the world.I was fidgeting with my silk necktie in front of the closet mirror, but my fingers felt thick and clumsy. I wasn't up to going to this type of event, and the constricting fabric around my throat only made my Alpha temp
THIRD PERSON POVKyla began to talk, and once she started, it was like a dam had broken. She told him about her past and how her mother had been killed by bandits while they were traveling. She described the terror of living off the land as a child and the pain of being alone until she was rescued by a witch named Wynona. She told him how she eventually found her way back to her father's pack, hoping for a home, but instead found a man who had remarried and had a stepdaughter whom he had made his heir, completely discarding Kyla."That's messed up," Lowell said, his jaw tightening."I know. And you wanna know the worst part? My father told me he wished I had died with my mother that day," she said, her voice trembling just a little.She told him about the fire that had ruined her face, admitting that she suspected her stepmother or her stepsister had started it out of pure jealousy. Lowell listened keenly, his heart breaking for the young girl who had been surrounded by so much cruel
THIRD PERSON POVThe heavy curtains of the suite were drawn tight, but the distant rumble of thunder rolled through the room like a warning. Inside, the atmosphere was thick with the scent of sex and the lingering heat of their bodies. Kyla clutched the black silk duvet to her chest, feeling the smooth fabric against her sensitive skin. She looked over at the man she knew only as Atlas, and she felt a wave of shyness wash over her that she hadn't felt while they were tangled together in the dark."I've never done this before," Kyla spoke with a hint of shyness to her tone, her eyes darting to the floor.Lowell let out a soft breath and reached over, brushing a stray lock of hair away from her scarred cheek with a tenderness that made her heart skip. "You said that already," he reminded her, his voice a low, soothing rumble. "I know that I'm your first one-night stand, Kyla. But can we really call it a one-night stand yet? What time is it?"She checked the glowing red numbers of the







