Chapter 183: Unspoken Truths
Vivian’s POV
He didn’t argue right away. Instead, he watched me carefully, and then offered in that low, patient tone he used when he was trying to soothe my nerves. "If you really want them there, I can make sure everyone knows to leave them alone. They’ll be safe."
His voice was warm, reassuring, and just a little hopeful.
But I shook my head softly. "I appreciate that. I do. But I think it’s safer for everyone if they come the day after. By then, things should be... calmer."
He nodded slowly, but then his expression shifted, like he was only now bringing up the real thing on his mind.
"What I actually meant was... if you want, I can restore their memory."
I froze right where I sat.
"No," I said immediately, shaking my head violently. "I know it’s not fair, but I don’t want them to hate you for that. We’ve moved past it, and dragging it back up won’t help anyone." The words spilled out faster than I intended, but I meant every single one. "They don’t need to know. What they don’t remember won’t hurt them."
They’d once met him, sure. But that version of him the one who’d appeared out of nowhere and basically kidnapped me wasn’t the one they’d be meeting now. Still... there was no need to stir all that up again. Not if it meant family dinners filled with unbearable tension and wild accusations.
Zaliver’s dark gaze hardened, just slightly, catching me off guard.
"What?" I asked, defensively. "You don’t agree? I figured you of all people would be happy they don’t remember."
He sighed heavily, took my hand, and lifted it to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss to my knuckles. His thumb grazed over my skin like he was trying to soothe away some invisible wound.
"It doesn’t matter whether I agree or not. What matters is that you won’t regret this choice later. You might think that forgetting how they first met me makes it easier, but let’s not pretend, love my reputation isn’t something most parents are eager to welcome into their family."
He spoke slowly, as if explaining something simple to a child refusing to see the obvious.
I narrowed my eyes up at him. "I know. I’ve heard. But I also believe that if they meet you now, the version of you who doesn’t go off the rails at every single comment, who doesn’t pull his whole ’Zaliver’s master plan to lock Vivian away forever’ routine, then we might actually be okay."
He blinked at me, his lips twitching slightly. "Zaliver’s master plan to keep Vivian all to himself," he repeated, clearly entertained by my words.
I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly gave myself a sudden headache. "Yes. The one where you don’t communicate with me and then go full psycho when something triggers you, which leads to massive fights because I didn’t read your mind fast enough. That exact plan."
He huffed a quiet laugh and shook his head softly. "So, as long as I don’t panic, everything’s completely fine?"
"Exactly. Should be a walk in the park for someone like you," I teased with a sharp smile.
"Well then," he said with a playful smirk, "guess we have nothing to worry about."
"Yup."
"Why you lyin’? Why you always lyin’? Stop f "
I groaned inwardly and cut my wolf off before she could even finish singing that ridiculous old song in my head. Not right now.
Zaliver, thankfully, pretended not to hear the crazy inner chaos erupting inside me.
"Stop. Just stop," I muttered internally.
"Then stop lying," she shot back instantly. "We both know something is going to explode. You don’t just stick alphas, lunas, betas, and their hormone-driven offspring in a room with you and Zaliver and expect it to end in group hugs. You just don’t."
I clenched my jaw tight.
Gods, how I absolutely hated when she was right.
"Do you want to invite your parents to the ball?" Zaliver asked softly, the heavy question dropping into the space between us like a live wire.
I froze once again.
Every muscle in my body went stiff, my head whipping toward him as if he’d just suggested we hold the entire ball inside an erupting volcano. A spike of cold dread twisted hard through my chest, making it hard to breathe. My parents? At that chaotic ball? Surrounded by territorial, status-obsessed wolves? I hadn’t even thought about them lately far too much had happened and now the mere idea of seeing them there... gods, no.
The small curve at the corner of Zaliver’s mouth told me he caught every single ounce of panic written across my expression.
"I’ll take that look as a firm no," he murmured softly, amusement lacing his deep voice.
"Yeah. No. Definitely not," I exhaled loudly, still trying to slow my hammering heartbeat. "Thanks for the gentle reminder, though." I rubbed my arms instinctively, trying to shake off the cold tension crawling up my spine. "Putting them in a room full of alphas and lunas with short tempers and sharper claws? They’d either faint or run straight for the exit. And even if they stayed... they wouldn’t understand a single thing. They don’t know who I am anymore. Not really."
He didn’t speak right away. Just studied me quietly, his expression completely unreadable. Then he softened his tone, the way he always did when trying to keep me grounded.
"If you do want them there," he said gently, "I can make sure they’re left alone. They’ll be completely safe."
There was genuine warmth in his voice, a quiet reassurance. And something else... a faint flicker of hope.
But I shook my head firmly. "I appreciate that. Really. But I think it’s better if they come after the ball. When things have settled down. When the heavy pressure’s off. It’ll be safer for everyone involved."
He nodded once, slowly, but his sharp gaze shifted. There was clearly something else brewing behind those stormy blue eyes.
"What I actually meant," he said carefully, "was... if you want, I could restore their memories."
I went completely still.
"No," I said quickly, almost too quickly. I shook my head before the scary thought could fully form. "I know it’s not fair, but I don’t want them resenting you for it. We’ve worked far too hard to move past all that. Bringing it back now? It’ll only reopen old wounds that don’t need to heal again. They don’t need to remember. They’re much better off not knowing."
The words came out fast, a little frantic, but I truly meant every single syllable.