Chapter 37
Thirty-Seven
Silas
"It's the first one. How do you think he'll take it?"
Vivian shuffles on her feet and peeks around the corner. It's been a few months since we started the rest of our lives, but we all have tough days. Today was Vivian's.
While she has been more consistent with her eating and gaining weight, sometimes it’s a struggle.
We couldn't get her to eat breakfast, and she wanted to spend the day in her living room nest. I kept watch over her while the other three got some work done, but nothing I suggested or said pulled her out of her funk.
Not even her friend, Max, blowing up her phone bothered her enough to get up.
Having a new pack mate like Riot has changed many things, like the idea that sometimes Vivie needs an extra push. But just because life has changed doesn't mean her depression disappeared. Some days are just harder than others no matter how much we wish that weren't the case anymore.
The one thing that got her to perk up today was playing a prank on Riot. Her blue eyes lit up, and she jumped up so fast she stumbled.
There's been one prank we've been wanting to try for a while, and Riot gave us the perfect opportunity to set it up.
When he left for his lunchtime jog around the property, Vivian and I snuck into the office, then hooked our wireless mouse up to his computer.
Jarek and Kade were told to keep their mouths shut lest they want no sex from us for a week.
We ignored their narrowed eyes, got it all set up, and are now hiding in the pantry. I'm hoping they don't tell Riot what we did because Vivie needs this. Hopefully they understand...
"What the fuck is happening?!"
Riot's annoyance comes muffled through the wall, but it still makes Vivie slap a hand over her mouth to hide her laughter. I continue wiggling the mouse on the ground, and up the chaos to making his cursor move in rapid squiggles.
"Get your ass over here and look at this! Is the Wi-Fi fucking glitching?!"
Unable to contain my snort, I bury my face in Vivian's shoulder to quiet myself. There's some deep rumbling through the wall, but what blows our cover is his next ridiculous statement.
"Am I tripping absolute balls right now?!"
That does it. Vivie and I throw our heads back and howl with laughter.
The humor bubbles and overflows until we're hitting each other with unrestrained joy. You know the happiness where you just slap each other’s arms because you can't control yourself and your bladders are barely hanging on? Yeah. This is that.
A high pitch squeak from Vivie has my attention snapping to the pantry door. Before I can defend us, Vivian bolts under Riot's arm with a squeal of adrenaline and happiness.
"Shit," I whisper, still laughing.
"It was just a joke!" Vivian screams farther away now. Her distance lights a fire in Riot's gaze. When he glances over his shoulder, I take the opportunity to dart past him.
"AH!" I shout when his arm bands around my waist. "Wait! It's a rite of passage!"
Riot rumbles and clamps his teeth around my neck near his mark. His jaw flexes like he wants to sink them in, and when he pulls back, I feel a pout rising in me.
"You're forgiven if you help me catch her," he offers, sounding a little unhinged.
I nod. He lets me go thinking I agree, but I was just pretending to think it through.
"That was a mistake," Kade notes, standing off to the side with Jarek. Both watch with shit eating grins and delight flows through the bonds.
"What?" Riot sounds confused, and I use the distraction to bolt.
Jarek and Kade laugh when Riot snarls. "Because he will always defend her," Jay explains with reverence.
Damn fucking straight. Now time to get my girl and find a good hiding spot. Not too good, because we want to be caught, obviously.