14. Vivianna #3
“Because of what happened with your father, we pulled together all the information that we knew, which led us to finding out about you. We had an informant notify us that your father was making a deal with Vadik, the leader of the Russian werewolves, that involved you. Once we figured out he was basically selling you to Vadik for some twisted deal, it was decided that we’d rescue you,” Darius said, setting me more at ease.
Everything they said made sense. It didn’t surprise me one bit that my father had turned his back on them, given his track record with his own daughter.
“My father and I have never been close, but I didn’t know that I needed to worry about being killed.
He must’ve known that what Vadik had planned might kill me, right?
Isn’t there some kind of rule between fathers and their children that you don’t get them killed? ”
Tavas stiffened under my hand. I looked up at him, but his face was shuttered against whatever he was feeling. “I wouldn’t know. My father, in many ways, is like yours.”
Feeling the need to comfort Tavas, I leaned my head on his shoulder and squeezed his hand.
Tavas leaned his head down, resting his on mine a moment, giving into the comfort before lifting it back up.
I could tell there was much more to that statement, but now wasn’t the time to pry into this man’s life.
Not feeling the need to move, I left my head where it was, soaking in the warmth that he seemed to radiate.
Not to mention, he also smelled like freshly-turned earth and wood shavings, a wonderfully calming scent.
“Could you tell us what the deal was that he made with Vadik?” Darius asked.
“My father had arranged a marriage between us. I was supposed to give up my life in London and move to St. Petersburg. They had a job and everything lined up.” I wasn’t sure what that really did for Vadik or my father, though.
Rik rubbed his knuckles along his jaw, while Darius sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. Tavas felt relaxed, but I had a feeling he was very skilled at hiding what he really felt from others.
Koit just watched the others with a smirk as he set a plate with a sandwich in front of me.
As he pulled his hand back, he let it brush up my arm before he went back to his seat.
“Oh, come on, guys, you really can’t see it?” Koit finally burst out.
Darius frowned, narrowing his eyes at Koit and letting out a warning growl.
Seems like you’re not the only one who isn’t a fan of Koit.
It’s because he doesn’t know his place. Rikkart shouldn’t allow him to be at this table and in these discussions. It makes him look weak, and I can tell he’s not.
Didn’t he say that he was his enforcer, his second? Why shouldn’t he be here?
Wolf packs are not a democracy, they are a dictatorship. Alpha’s word is law, end of story.
Okay, I’m still not seeing the problem.
Koit is not an alpha; he’s a beta, and he has no say in matters. His job is to follow and do what his alpha asks when he asks. Letting him sit in on the decision-making is allowing him to feel he has an opinion.
Is it so wrong for him to be able to have one? Just because he gives his opinion doesn’t mean it has to be followed.
You’re thinking like a human, not a wolf.
Well, I’m both, right? So why can’t they meet in the middle?
My wolf didn’t answer me; instead, she curled up into a ball and ignored me.
Fine, I don’t need your help. I have four other werewolves I can ask.
“What can’t we see?” I asked Koit, not feeling the need to let the pissing contest continue.
Koit looked at me in surprise, and Darius turned his frown on me. Feeling Darius’s vivid displeasure at my interruption, I lifted my head from Tavas’s shoulder. Releasing my hold on his hand, I met Darius’s look with my own.
“What?” I asked, my wolf awake and ready to meet his challenge. I could almost see Darius’s wolf behind his eyes as we contemplated each other. “You want to know what he has to say just as much as I do. Let the man speak.”
“Viv, there is no need to start a fight over this,” Rik cautioned.
Oh no, he didn’t. He may be attractive, but this is the second time he’s interrupted us. He needs to learn that is unacceptable.
I turned my gaze to Rik, deciding that my wolf was right. This was something we needed to nip in the bud. I was grateful for their rescue and keeping me safe and fed, but I’m my own person. I wasn’t one of their wolves; they couldn’t dictate what I did. I was ruled by no one.
“I believe I’m the one to make that choice for myself, Rikkart,” I said deliberately. Unbidden, my wolf sent out a strong energy towards him.
“Vivianna, are you challenging me?” Rik asked, his whole body tense and ready to pounce at a moment’s notice.
“Will that keep you from thinking you can control what I do?” I countered. “And it’s Viv; call me Vivianna once more, and you will not have a chance to ask me if I’m challenging you.”
Where is all this aggressiveness coming from? Is that you? I asked my wolf.
I was not one to back down from a fight, but I hardly started them. I kept that part of myself under control with boxing. I unleashed that part of myself when I was hitting the bag or had a friendly match. This was a whole new level, more than anything I’d felt before.
You’ve always had this in you. Now it’s unleashed. These alphas have no idea what you’re capable of.