Vivianna
Ishould have taken Astrid’s warning to heart. I figured I’d be fine managing a crazy schedule after being a doctor, but this was a whole other beast. After what felt like seconds, Tav was shaking my shoulder, telling me I needed to get up.
“Nope, come back later,” I grumbled, pulling my pillow over my face.
Tav chuckled as he lifted the pillow I was hiding under. “As much as I would love to let you sleep, Astrid is waiting for you in the living room, armed with a tablet that has a very long to-do list on it.”
Opening an eye, I glared up at him. “I thought I was queen. Can’t I just command her to come back later, maybe when the sun is up?”
Says the night-shift doctor. Clearly, a few weeks off has turned you into Oscar the Grouch.
Fuck. Off.
I thought having lots of sex was supposed to make people happier. Clearly not, in your case.
Oh, like you’re so innocent. You were the one giving me all the encouragement to try Koit’s new ideas in this big bed. What was it you kept saying?
So much room for activities.
Just as I was going to strangle my wolf, a mug of coffee was placed under my nose.
“I come bearing gifts,” Koit said, grinning down at me.
Heaving a sigh, I sat up and took the mug from him, letting the blankets pool around my waist. The chill morning air sent goosebumps running across my skin, making me shiver. I took a long sip from the incredibly large cup, which nearly required the use of both hands to hold.
“See, she’s sitting up and everything. I told you coffee was the way to go,” Koit said proudly, jumping onto the bed and rolling over to me like a puppy.
“How do you have so much energy right now?” I mumbled while taking another gulp.
Koit trailed a finger down my back, giving me shivers of another kind and making my body flare with heat. “Someone helped wear me out, so I slept like a baby. ”
“Don’t let him fool you—he’s had four espresso shots already this morning,” Rik said, entering the room.
Part of me wondered if I should pull the covers up, seeing as how we weren’t mated yet. Then I decided I didn’t care. It would happen sooner rather than later, and I liked seeing how hard it was for him, trying not to stare.
Tease… I like it.
“Good morning, Rik,” I said, forcing him to look at me.
His gaze went straight to my eyes and stayed there. “Morning.” He cleared his throat. “Sleep well?”
Damn, that is some self-discipline. Makes me want to mess with him even more.
“Yes, even with someone snoring like a chainsaw,” I said, my gaze flicking to Koit. “How did you manage? Room okay?” I asked, turning my attention back to Rik.
Rik shrugged his shoulders and looked around the room as if he was searching for something. “The room is fine—it’s a room—and the bed was comfortable.”
Apparently finding what he was looking for, he walked across the room to a door that led to the en suite bathroom and stepped inside, cutting off the conversation.
When ya gotta go, ya gotta go.
Moments later, he was back, holding something as he walked over to me.
When he was standing in front of me, he held up the item—a bathrobe.
I smiled as I stood and slipped my arms into the soft sleeves and wrapped it around myself.
Rik let out a long, relieved breath, then wrapped his arms around me so I was facing him as he cradled me against his chest. He looked down and smiled.
“Good morning, Viv,” Rik said as he pressed his lips to mine.
He pulled away much too soon for my liking, so I curled my fingers into his hair, pulling him back to me.
I took my time with him, enjoying his warmth and the faint lingering taste of coffee.
He let me have my way with him, encouraging my exploration.
This time, when I released him, his eyes shone with happiness.
I didn’t want him to feel neglected because he hadn’t shared my bed last night with the others.
“Damn, remind me to watch more often,” Koit said, whistling.
“Watch it, beta,” Rik growled as he stuck his nose into my hair behind my ear. He took a deep breath and then pulled back, letting his arms fall away. “We’ll leave you to get ready and meet you down in the living room.”
I picked up my coffee and headed for the bathroom to shower and get my day started.
Since we hadn’t really used the bathroom last night, I didn’t notice the huge walk-in closet connected and filled with all sorts of clothes, everything from ballgowns to sweatpants.
Slipping into the shower, I washed and thought about all the activities of last night.
I was sore in all the right ways, and my wolf was just as satisfied as I was.
Who would’ve guessed how good those two would be at sharing? What do you think Rik’s style will be in bed? If Darius ever gets his head out of his ass, I bet he’d be into BDSM. No way he could give up power in the bedroom.
I chuckled to myself, listening as she went on and on about her theories about the guys. This wolf was hornier than a college frat boy.
Um, are you going to tell me you don’t want a night like that every night? Girl, that was H-O-T hot.
Yes, it was, but like anything, too much of a good thing is never good.
Yeah, fuck that rule.
I laughed as I sorted through the clothes, settling on a pair of nice, dark-wash jeans and a silky emerald-green short-sleeve top with a deep V-neck. It was professional, but still comfortable. I wasn’t sure who I was going to be interacting with today, so I needed to be ready for any situation.
When I entered the living room, I noticed the coffee table was covered in bite-sized breakfast finger food.
The guys milled about, drinking coffee and munching on things until they noticed me.
Koit gave me a wink and a grin, waving me over to a spot by him.
I saw Astrid sitting in one of the armchairs, frowning and jabbing her finger at something on her tablet.
“Good morning, everyone,” I said, joining them.
Astrid immediately stood up and gave me a small bow.
“Please, there is no need to bow. I’m not really that kind of person,” I groaned.
“Nonsense, everyone must bow to their queen. I am no exception,” Astrid said, waiting for me to take my seat.
“I’m sorry we have to start so early, but there is much to be done before we have the call with The Collective tomorrow.
I asked them to give us a full twenty-four hours before talking to them so we could get our pack matters in order,” Astrid said, handing over the tablet.
“Somewhere on here is a list of things that I need you to read over. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to figure all this technology out.
Sarma insisted that we had to move digital…
I still use the paper documents, though.
She said something about being able to mark anything that you need more information on through that thing.
Apparently, it will send a message to Sarma, and she will get you the additional items. Today we will also be introducing you to the staff here at the castle.
It’s easier when you know who’s who and what they do around here. ”
I glanced down at the screen, opened the folder, and saw the long list of files for me to go over. It brought me back to my medical school days, having to push myself to learn new information as fast as possible. I could do this. This time around, I had the others to help me and see me succeed.
“You are more than welcome to work here, or I can take you to your office later if getting out of these rooms would help,” Astrid offered, reading something on my face.
I perked up at the idea of seeing more of the castle, since we only got the ten-second tour yesterday. “That would be great.”
“Very well. For now, I will let you get some breakfast and glance over what I’ve given you,” Astrid said, bowing to me again before she left the room.
Randomly, I grabbed whatever food was in front of me as I opened the first document. Glancing over it, I figured out it was a petition to do more trading with the outside packs to bring in diversity and more profit.
“Rik, how isolated has this pack been from the outside world?” I asked, shoving the rest of the egg bite in my mouth.
“Extremely. The only pack they sort of interact with would be mine, and that’s more of an information exchange,” Rik answered.
“I have a petition here to start importing and exporting goods with other packs. If that wasn’t happening, then how have they survived? What’s their source of income?” I questioned, passing the tablet to him as he sat next to me.
“I’m sure we can get a report on the pack’s financial situation from Astrid,” Rik said, looking over at Darius. “How was the technology side of things?”
“The castle itself is up to date in most areas. I have supplies coming in from my warehouse to beef up the security, though. When I asked about the rest of the island, they said that no one had internet in their houses, but they could use it at the library and the cafes in town,” Darius said, looking up from his laptop.
“It seems that the castle has kept up with the times because they used the vast treasury to pay for the expenses.”
“So is the treasury paying for everything on the island?” I asked. This still wasn’t making sense in my brain.
Why wouldn’t they want to be a part of society? This island could be so much more than it is now. The people here could expand their livelihoods if they traded with the other packs.
Seems like someone—or someones—is trying to keep this place blind to the world around them. How much you wanna bet this place goes North Korea on the internet, and the people only can see what they want them to?
“Oh my god, no,” I gasped.
The guys looked at me questioningly as I realized I’d answered my wolf out loud.
“Darius, can you tell me if they are controlling the internet? More specifically, what information the citizens are allowed to have access to?” I said as I stood, needing to move as my mind raced.
I could hear Darius’s fingers flying over the keyboard, and I knew that if they were hiding something, he would find it. When he stopped and looked up at me, his eyes told me all I needed to know.
“What are they telling them? What do they know? Better yet, what don’t they know?” I asked, continuing my pacing.
“They know nothing about The Collective, or that in some branches of the world, werewolves are known to the government. They believe we are still in the days of being hunted and killed like witches. They are told to fear all others and that the Dama rule is extinct. It seems that they were trying to move away from a monarchy, working towards a democracy… some were even vying for dictatorship,” Darius said, his voice tinged with a growl.
“How could Astrid let them do this?” Tav asked, voicing what we were all thinking.
“She is just one woman—an older woman, at that,” Koit pointed out. “If she tried to go against them, and they wanted to issue a challenge, I don’t know that she would be strong enough to fight.”
“Why wouldn’t she survive a challenge?” I asked. “What kind of challenge are we talking about?”
The guys fell silent and looked at each other, a look passing between them.
Tav sighed, then turned towards me. “A challenge is when wolves of any rank can fight in wolf form over a disagreement. The winner gets their way, and the loser, ninety percent of the time, dies.”
“That’s barbaric,” I gasped.
“We are werewolves—half human, half animal. ‘Barbaric’ is our middle name, Viv,” Darius snapped. “Time you accepted that part of yourself.”
I rounded on Darius, baring my teeth and letting out a deep warning growl.
That motherfucker better back his ass up before I tear it up. He wants to see barbaric? Fine. I’ll give him barbaric.
“Never mind. I stand corrected—you’re plenty barbaric naturally,” Darius said with a smirk.
“Just because being animalistic is a part of who we are doesn’t mean we need to be ruled by it. There are plenty of other ways to handle a matter besides a fight to the death,” I countered.
Darius met my gaze and held it, but it wasn’t a fight for power. He just wanted to have my full attention. “Sometimes it’s the only option left to us, and you need to understand that reality.”
Finished making his point, he turned back to his computer and ignored me. I shivered at his words, knowing the truth of them, but I brushed it off to deal with later. My plate was full of other problems, and this wasn’t even close to the top of the list.