LOGINVivienne POVIt had been two weeks since everything almost ended and it should have been enough time for life to calm down, but my life had never understood the meaning of calm. Things had been good in some ways, awkward in others and completely messy in the places nobody wanted to talk about directly. The men were always there, not suffocating me the way they used to or hovering like I was made of glass, but present in that steady way that made it hard to pretend I was alone. Dante kept the pack’s politics away from me unless it mattered, Kane made sure I ate even when he acted like he was only doing it because my stubbornness annoyed him, Asher kept showing up with jokes and stolen kisses whenever the air got too heavy, and Ryker watched me with that quiet patience that made lying to myself almost impossible. They were trying and goddess help me, I was trying too.In those two weeks, I had also made real progress with my empire. Not just soft progress or ceremonial little change
DanteThe office was quiet, but not peaceful.There was a difference.Papers were spread across the desk in front of me, reports stacked in neat piles that meant nothing on the surface but everything underneath, because every line, every number, every missing detail pointed back to the same thing.Zach’s death.Closed.That was what the heaf council called it.Resolved. Handled. Buried.I didn’t believe that for a second.My fingers tapped once against the file before going still, my eyes scanning the report again even though I already knew what it said, what it didn’t say, and more importantly, what it avoided saying completely.“No sign of forced entry, no external witnesses, no magical residue that couldn’t be explained,” Kane read from the chair across from me, his voice flat but edged with irritation as he flipped through another report like he was looking for something that refused to be found. “Convenient.”“Too convenient,” I replied, leaning back slightly in my chair, my gaze
Vivienne(Five days later)I stared at the documents spread across the desk and cussed under my breath, fingers tightening around the edge of the paper as irritation climbed up my spine. “Damn Marcus… that bastard is ruining my empire,” I muttered, not even bothering to hide the anger in my voice this time because honestly, what was the point, the damage was right there in front of me, black and white, line after line of reports showing just how much chaos he had left behind.I had asked one of my newly reinstated subordinates to compile everything, every shift in power, every loss, every internal conflict, every snake trying to rise now that Marcus was gone, and they had done exactly that, too well even, because now I was stuck looking at the mess he had created like it was some kind of twisted farewell gift.“He really went all out before he fell,” Ivy commented lazily in my head, sounding far too entertained for my liking. “I almost respect it. Almost.”“Don’t start,” I muttered,
VivienneThings had been… strange.Not bad or tense like before or that sharp, suffocating distance that made every room feel colder than it should. It was different now, softer in a way I didn’t quite trust yet, like something fragile had been placed between us and everyone was being careful not to break it again.And somehow… that made it harder.Because now they looked at me differently.Not like I was something they were trying to hold onto while I kept slipping away, but like I had already chosen to stay, like I was already part of something I hadn’t fully agreed to but also hadn’t rejected.And that was the problem.I hadn’t rejected it.I sat by the long table in the private dining room, lazily pushing food around my plate with my fork, not really eating this time, just thinking, while the men were scattered around me like they always seemed to be now. Kane leaned against the far wall with his arms crossed, watching me in that quiet, intense way of his, Ryker was seated beside
Vivienne“Easy… don’t choke.”Asher’s voice came from somewhere in front of me, calm and low, and a glass of water was suddenly pushed into my hand before I could even realize I needed it, but I barely acknowledged him because I was too busy shoveling food into my mouth like I hadn’t eaten in weeks, which honestly… wasn’t far from the truth.I didn’t even care how I looked.Dignity was long gone and my pride was not even in the room.I was sitting there, legs tucked under me on the bed, plate balanced on my lap, eating like a starved animal while four very powerful Alphas hovered around me like I might collapse again if I so much as blinked wrong, and it would have been embarrassing if I wasn’t too busy trying not to inhale my food.“Slow down,” Ryker added, his hand lightly steadying my wrist when I moved too fast, his touch gentle but firm like he didn’t trust me not to hurt myself even doing something as simple as eating.“I am slow,” I mumbled around a mouthful, which was a comple
Vivienne"Bitch, wake the fuck up, I'm hungry!"The voice snapped through my head, loud, sharp, and way too familiar. My eyes flew open, heart slamming against my ribs as I gasped for air. The room was dim, the sheets tangled around my naked body, and every muscle ached in the best and worst ways possible. But underneath the soreness, something felt… different. Energized. Like liquid fire was running through my veins instead of blood.Wait.Did I just hear Ivy’s voice?Or was I still hallucinating from the poison and the insane claiming that happened while I was unconscious?A low, sassy huff echoed inside my mind, followed by an eye-roll I could practically feel.“Oh please, you’re not hallucinating, dumbass. I’ve been trying to get your lazy ass to wake up for the last ten minutes. I’m starving and these idiots haven’t fed us yet. Also, your pussy is still leaking their cum. Classy.”I sat up so fast the room spun. My hand flew to my chest, pressing hard like I could touch her.“I







