ANMELDENsansa or seth, who do you like more?
Vivian's POVI could tell Lucien was thinking exactly what I was.Alex being in the forest added more to our already complicated mix."Wendy, I need you to go out of sight for now, until we can find your brother and bring him home. Stay in your room and keep the door shut, okay?"She hiccuped, nodding her head.I forced my fingers to loosen around her shoulders so she could turn to leave.Watching her receding back only made me feel even more determined to save Alex and make things right."We can't let him get into the forest at all," I said, my mind racing for a way to make that possible."He'll be done with his meeting soon," Lucien mumbled.Even without having done anything, he still moved with a layer of guilt wrapped around him.I reached for his hand, wrapping mine around it and interlocking our fingers.He glanced down at our intertwined hands, then at me.I gave him a reassuring smile. The calm, breathtaking moment gave me an idea that had me clutching his hand tight."Oh! Oh!
Lucien's POV"He asked me to invite them... their council, at least, along with the shifter and Wendy. To see," I started, unsure of how to proceed.Vivian leaned forward, ignoring the impatient glances of the guards eager to escape the presence of my father. "See what?"The time stretched, and I could feel her growing disappointment when I didn't speak. Another secret, apparently, one that wasn't necessary."He wants me to behead Alex and serve his head at his banquet," I finally blurted out, turning my head away.I couldn't bear to see her expression at those words.Once again, the silence dawned on us, only I couldn't bring myself to actually break it.Even if he gave the order, I was the executioner. The barbarian who would serve a boy's head in a banquet his own sister would attend."But why... why would he do that?" she whispered, her voice shaky like she couldn't fathom anyone possessing that kind of cruelty.But this had always been my father. "To remind everyone that he's sti
Vivian's POVI pulled away from him instantly, my eyes widening.His grip around my palm tightened, pressing the small item he'd placed in it harder against my skin."You're asking me to poison the alpha of this pack!" I whispered, trying to make him see reason while also prying his fingers off.Both attempts seemed futile, since he didn't let me go or loosen his grip."It doesn't have to be permanent. Just put him to sleep long enough to get everything done and deal with Darius. You might want to deny it, but you and I both know this can only work if the alpha isn't active."I stopped struggling for a moment, glaring at nothing. "Why are you telling me? Lucien would do this gladly."He took in a breath, pursing his lips. "Lucien is already carrying a lot. I can't add this to his burdens.""But you can add it to mine.""You care less about the alpha than he does. I doubt you'll lose a night of sleep over this once he's knocked out."I couldn't bring myself to deny it, so I moved on to
Vivian's POV I darted after her without a second wasted, cursing under my breath at Lucien. Maybe making him loose-lipped wasn't such a great idea after all. It took a good amount of time to catch up to Wendy, and only because she stopped herself, already a sobbing mess. As soon as I reached her, she turned to me, wrapping her arms around my neck and staining my skin with her tears. "Tell me that isn't true. Alpha Lucien...does he actually plan to kill my brother?" I shook my head, unable to produce a verbal response for a long time, because even though he'd denied it, I still didn't know. "Alex will be fine. Lucien and I will sort this out. He doesn't even have to know yet, okay? But if this spreads, people could panic, and we can't have that with the alliance we just made." "You made an alliance? Is that why you were gone the whole night and most of today?" she asked, hiccuping, clearly still disturbed by the words she'd overheard. Lucien came to a halt next to us, his face
Lucien's POVI watched as my father finally drifted back into an uneasy sleep and slipped out of the room, shutting the door calmly behind me.Vivian was already approaching with Eric behind her.He didn't look very excited to examine my father but went in all the same, leaving me alone with her and the brooding shifter standing in the corner."You left her out here?" I asked. While it was a relief that my father hadn't spotted her, she could have taken the chance to run off."The pack's security has been heightened since the attack anyway. Besides, she's not a prisoner. She, like her people will, came here by choice." Vivian replied, frowning."Something wrong?" I asked, hoping to see the even growing tension between us.We hadn't gotten a good enough chance to speak since our arrival back because of my father and his crappy timing."What did he say?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Or is that another thing you can't tell me?"My mind raced, unsure of how to respond to
Lucien's POV My father stared back at me, his eyes narrowed, filled with confusion and clearly displeased. His shock only grew when the door flung open and Vivian stepped in, glancing between us. My eyes widened as I waited for the shifter to step in too, but she shut the door behind her, coming in alone. I let out a sigh of relief. Of course Vivian was smart enough to know better than to bring the shifter in here. "Father... how are you feeling?" I finally asked, treading carefully to avoid startling him. Knowing my father, he was fine before he saw me come in here alive. "Lucien... how long...?" "About a week. Not very long. I took over for you while you were unconscious." He frowned, clenching and unclenching his fists as if to check if they still worked. Then he frowned up at me. "That's good. That's very good. You stepped up when your pack needed you." Him being awake meant the power of being alpha automatically defaulted back to him, which meant every action I had take







