MasukVivienneI looked at them and waited, but no one said anything, and that silence… it pressed down on me in a way I didn’t likeIt was heavy and steady, like they were all thinking the same thing but no one wanted to be the first to say it out loud. It wasn’t the loud, aggressive tension I was used to with them, not the kind filled with growls and sharp words, but something quieter, colder, more dangerous, and that scared me more than any fight ever could.I forced myself to stay still, even though my fingers were itching to move, to grab the file again, to tear it apart and find something, anything that made this less real, but there was nothing to find. Marcus had done exactly what he always did, twisted something old or forgotten, and turned it into a weapon.“What do you want to do?” Dante finally asked.The question landed directly on me, simple, calm, but heavy with responsibility, and for the first time in a long time… I had nothing.I shifted slightly in my seat, my shoulders
VivienneThe brush moved slowly across the canvas, dragging color into shape as I worked on the sky, soft blues blending into a dull orange that didn’t quite match anything real but felt right in my head. Painting had never been my thing before, but lately it was the only way to keep my thoughts from tearing me apart. When my hands were busy, my mind stayed quiet, and right now, quiet was the closest thing I had to peace.I leaned back slightly, tilting my head as I studied the mess in front of me, trying to decide if it looked like a sunset or just something broken pretending to be beautiful, and honestly, it felt a little too accurate. My fingers were stained with paint, my hair tied up carelessly, loose strands sticking to my face because I’d been at this for hours without noticing time passing, and for once, I wasn’t thinking about Zach, or the men, or the mess I’d created with my own stubbornness.Then the knock came.It was firm, controlled, not hesitant, and that alone told m
Vivienne The brush moved slowly across the canvas, dragging color into shape as I worked on the sky, soft blues blending into a dull orange that didn’t quite match anything real but felt right in my head. Painting had never been my thing before, but lately it was the only way to keep my thoughts from tearing me apart. When my hands were busy, my mind stayed quiet, and right now, quiet was the closest thing I had to peace. I leaned back slightly, tilting my head as I studied the mess in front of me, trying to decide if it looked like a sunset or just something broken pretending to be beautiful, and honestly, it felt a little too accurate. My fingers were stained with paint, my hair tied up carelessly, loose strands sticking to my face because I’d been at this for hours without noticing time passing, and for once, I wasn’t thinking about Zach, or the men, or the mess I’d created with my own stubbornness. Then the knock came. It was firm, controlled, not hesitant, and that a
VivienneHis lips pressed against mine and for a second the whole world just stopped. The kiss wasn’t rushed or demanding. It was slow and careful like Asher was giving me time to pull away if I wanted to but I didn’t want to. I leaned into it instead my hands still gripping the front of his shirt as something warm and terrifying spread through my chest. His mouth moved against mine soft at first then a little deeper and I felt the way he breathed me in like he had been holding his breath for weeks.My eyes slipped shut and for once my mind didn’t race with excuses or fears. It just let me feel him. The way his fingers brushed my jaw. The way his other hand rested on my lower back pulling me closer without forcing anything. It was Asher. My Asher. The one I had hurt the most and he was still kissing me like I hadn’t broken his trust.When we finally pulled apart I was breathing harder than I wanted to admit. My forehead rested against his chest for a moment because I couldn’t look a
Vivienne’s POVI woke up to a familiar scent and my eyes cleared faster than they had in days, like my body recognized something before my mind could catch up, and when I turned my head slowly, still heavy from sleep and whatever emotional mess I had drowned in the night before, I saw him sitting beside my bed.Asher.He wasn’t doing anything dramatic, just sitting there with one leg stretched out and the other bent, elbow resting on his knee while he stared off like he’d been lost in his own thoughts, but the moment he noticed I was awake, his head snapped toward me and something in his face shifted, it was quick and guarded but still there.“Morning,” he said, standing up immediately like he’d been waiting for that exact moment, and his voice was normal, like the weeks of tension between us hadn’t existed, like I hadn’t looked him in the eyes and doubted him and I hadn’t pushed him away over and over again.I swallowed slightly, my throat dry, my chest already tightening even though
Vivienne’s POVI paced my room slowly, barefoot against the cold floor, one step after another like I was trying to walk my thoughts into order, but nothing was lining up the way it should, everything felt tangled, messy, heavy in my chest, and no matter how many times I replayed dinner in my head, I couldn’t settle the feeling it left behind.It had been… good, too good actually and that was the problem.Because things weren’t supposed to feel like that anymore, not after everything I said, not after the way I pushed them away, not after the way I chose distance and pride over whatever it was they were trying to give me, yet sitting there, eating, arguing, listening to their stupid voices again, it felt like slipping into something familiar, something warm and something I had been pretending I didn’t need.And that scared me.I dragged a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly as I stopped by the window, staring out into the dark without really seeing anything, because my mind wasn’t o
VIVIENNEAs I walked towards the restaurant to have my fill, I didn’t know whether to be pissed or disappointed at those women who were supposed to be the leading females in this pack.Shadowcrest is one of the most powerful packs and empires in the entire realm, money, territory, military strength
VIVIENNE“I don’t care,” Dante’s voice cut through the fog in my skull. “Find whoever leaked our intel to outsiders. Arrest them. If they resist, kill them. No trials. No mercy. I want heads on spikes by dawn.”I woke to that. To the low, lethal growl in his tone, the kind he only used when he was
VIVIENNEThe office they’d carved out for me wasn’t half bad.High ceilings, dark walnut desk big enough to spread maps and ledgers across, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the training grounds still scarred from the Ironclaw attack. Floor lamps cast warm amber pools instead of the cold fluore
VIVIENNE“And it’s a wrap.”I said it out loud to the empty room, mostly for myself, mostly to hear something other than the low hum of my own thoughts. I stretched, arms high, spine cracking like gunfire and then slammed the laptop shut with more force than necessary.The screen went dark and the







