26. Vivianna
VIVIANNA
“So…” I started in an attempt to come up with something clever to say, but I had nothing, so the word hung in the air awkwardly.
Jesus, take the wheel.
Thankfully I was saved as the servers came to the table and started to dish out all the food for us. My mouth watered at the sight of all the deliciousness put before me. When they filled my wine glass, I grabbed it and gulped down half, trying to get myself to relax.
“I’m glad to see you like the wine I picked out for tonight,” Rik said with a knowing smirk.
I blushed, having been caught chugging the wine that probably cost as much as my dress.
“Are we sure this one over here can drink?” Koit asked, gesturing to Orion.
Tristan chuckled at that. “Orion is older than I am.”
“What.” I blurted, just as shocked at the rest of the table.
“That can’t be. I traced his history, he definitely isn’t anywhere near that age,” Darius interjected.
Orion just observed us all with a slight smile on his blush pink lips.
“We all know that werewolves age differently, and even more so if they are a different breed. Tristan is a Dire wolf, so he won’t show his age for another hundred years,” Bentley shared.
There was so much information flying around the table that my brain was starting to hurt. This was not what I had in mind when we all gathered for dinner. Where were the first date questions? Why were we talking about genetics and background checks?
“Guys,” I cut in, raising my voice. Everyone stopped talking and looked at me expectantly. “Orion, it’s nice to meet you. Tristan, Bentley, thank you for joining us all for dinner. We are delighted to get to know you guys better.”
“I am delighted to make your acquaintance Vivianna, I’ve been waiting for you about four hundred years,” Orion said, giving me a brilliant smile.
Caught off guard, I blinked at him before I could even think about how to unpack that statement. “You’ve been waiting for a mate for four hundred years?”
“No, no, no. You specifically, Viv. I saw you in one of my dreams when I was ten years old. I just didn’t know when I was going to meet you,” Orion said.
Okay, so he might be pretty to look at, but he is one crayon short of a rainbow.
“Do not be so quick to judge what you do not understand, dearest,” Orion’s voice said in my head.
I frowned at him, giving my head a slight shake. “Did you just talk to my wolf?”
“Yes, dearest. Unlike these other men in your life, my wolf talks to me as well. He is very shy and not nearly as vocal as yours is, although I like a woman who can speak her mind,” Orion answered.
“How are you able to talk to me if we aren’t mated?”
Now it was his turn to blink at me. “Dearest, we are mated, at least on my end.”
“What the FUCK did you just say.” Darius roared, shooting to his feet.
Orion just smiled up at him, unfazed by the whole situation. “I waited four hundred years for my mate. Did you think I was just going to let her slip through my fingers? No, my friend. I took the opportunity where it presented itself.”
My heart sunk to the pit of my stomach. “You took the choice away from me?”
Orion was up and around the table, pulling my chair back in a flash. Seconds later, I was sitting there with Orion’s head on my lap and his body curled around my legs.
“Please don’t see it that way, dearest. We have been fated to be together since your birth.
My people see premonitions about things in our own lives and the lives of our mates.
When I tell you that I saw you in my dream, it was wearing this dress, standing in this hall, waiting to greet me.
How could I even think about losing you?
” Orion said, his violet eyes glassy with tears.
How do I even deal with this?
I’m not saying shit if he’s going to be listening in all the time. Our conversations are only meant for us… unless I speak directly to one of them, that is.
For not saying much, that sure was a whole lot to share.
FINE, let’s just do what he said. Let’s not judge him until we know the whole story… but I have a feeling he’s going to keep things interesting.
I reached down and cupped Orion’s face in my hands, pulling him off of my lap so I could see his eyes. “What’s done is done, but from now on, don’t ever do something like that to me again. I’m not sure I will be as forgiving about it.”
“As my dearest wishes, I submit to you,” Orion said, giving me a smile.
Why do I feel like we just got played?
Guess we will find out eventually.
Orion went back to his seat, and we kept the dinner conversation to safer topics.
I could feel myself beginning to tire, and the wine was not helping the situation.
There was something else that was off with my body, and the itching sensation came back stronger than it had this morning.
Feeling that I’d made a long enough appearance, I decided it was time to go to bed.
“Guys, I’m going to take a walk around the room and then head up for the night,” I said as I rose from my seat.
Darius grabbed my wrist gently. “One of us should really go with you, just to be safe.”
Smiling down at him, I pulled my hand out of his hold and cupped his cheek. “I will be in your sight while I’m in the room, and I won’t leave without one of you. Promise.”
I knew someone out there was gunning for me, but I didn’t want to show that I was afraid in my own home.
Alphas don’t hide from danger, but they also don’t run towards it.
Slowly I was learning that being protected wasn’t making me weak, it was the smart way to handle things.
This wasn’t about just me anymore—I had all these people under my care to think about.
“Fine, but call out if you need us.” Darius sighed, leaning into my hand.
“Or if you just miss us, babe,” Koit said with a grin and a wink.
Smiling, I started towards the first table.
“Hello again, how are you enjoying the evening?” I asked as they all turned to look at me.
A young woman spoke first. “It is so lovely to see the castle being used again. I’m part of the crew that maintains the grounds, restores the stone from all the wear and tear it gets from having the sea so close by.”
“Growing up in a city like London, there are lots of historic places that were meticulously maintained. I am so pleased to know that we have people like you living here, keeping history alive,” I said, a broad smile on my lips.
The woman blushed a little at my praise and dipped her head. “Thank you for your kind words, Dama.”
I chatted a little longer with the other people at the table until they were fully relaxed, then moved on to the next.
Halfway through the room, I was shocked by how many talented craftsmen and women we had living on our island.
Not wanting to forget or lose the old ways and customs led to skills that weren’t present in the modern world as much.
“Oh, I love glass blowing. Would it be possible to come and see your work?” I asked excitedly.
The older man with the ruddy face beamed at me. “It would be my honor to have you come by the store. My workshop is out back, and I would be happy to show you around. I could even show you how I make some of the items we sell.”
“Deal.” I grinned, causing the man to puff out his chest further.
“You’re not at all like they said you would be,” murmured a teenage boy sitting at the table.
My eyebrows shot up as his mother hissed at him to be quiet.
“Do you mind if I ask what you thought I would be like?” I questioned, turning my full attention on the boy.
He squirmed under my gaze, his eyes flicking up to his mother, then back to me. “Never mind, forget I said anything.”
“What’s your name?” I asked gently, changing tactics.
I wasn’t sure he was going to answer, but then he took a deep breath and met my gaze. “Cody, Dama.”
“Cody, can I let you in on a secret?”
“Sure, I guess,” Cody answered.
I looked around the room and leaned in closer to the table so I could whisper to him.
“I was so scared that everyone here was going to hate me, or that I would trip on my dress and fall flat on my face. So if you, by chance, have any information that I could use to help me get in good with the pack, I would really appreciate it.”
Cody’s eyes widened. “You were scared of us?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Everyone wants to be liked. I’m an outsider who doesn’t know the old ways and didn’t even know she was a werewolf until a few weeks ago. Hell yeah, I’m scared of you guys.”
Cody smirked at me, finally at ease with my confession.
“Juris holds a weekly group for all of us teenage boys, helping us with problems we have shifting. He’s like a counselor of sorts, a safe person we can come to talk to about pack stuff or if we’re getting bullied.
One of the guys in our group went to his house to talk to him about something, and he heard him and Sarma fighting.
Saying really mean stuff about you and how you wanted to change everything and would ruin us as a pack. ”
“I see. Is that all they said?” I pushed, feeling he was holding something back.
Cody dropped his eyes and chewed on his thumbnail. “Like I said, I didn’t hear this myself, Davey did. He said that Sarma was going to take care of the problem and the original plan for the next leader of Kursar would still happen.”
Oh, someone has been a very bad girl. I think it’s time we dealt with our problem child.
Couldn’t agree more.
“Thank you, Cody. I really appreciate you helping me out,” I said, reaching over and giving his arm a squeeze. “If you ever need anything, let me or my mates know. We have your back.”
Cody nodded his head, blushing a little at my touch.
Rising from the table, I noticed all the adults present looked uneasy, but no one spoke up as I left them for the evening.
“Rik, Orion, gather the guys and meet me in our rooms. We have some work to do,” I instructed, not wanting to let on to how much information Cody had just given me.
Stopping by two more tables at random, I made my excuses and headed back up, two of the guards trailing after me. I smiled, knowing that Darius was behind, making sure I was never alone.