Chapter 200: Unspoken Wounds
Vivian’s POV
I expected seeing my old alphas again would feel... strange. Maybe even intimidating. And it was definitely strange, but not at all in the way I thought it would be. The heavy weight I once felt under their authority just was not there anymore. I did not feel small or beneath them in any way. If anything, I felt completely detached.
Alpha Daniel stumbled over his words, his eyes wide with pure disbelief. "B-but how? When? You were... wha "
I gave a small shrug, not really in the mood to explain everything to him.
"It’s kind of a long story," I said coolly. "How are my parents doing?"
Luna Holly answered softly, her voice gentle like she was not quite sure how to approach me. "They are safe. I can sense that much. But... I imagine you can too."
I gave her a faint smile, genuinely appreciating her sudden calmness.
Alpha Daniel opened his mouth again to speak. "Do they know "
I cut him off quickly before he could finish the sentence. "No. And I would really prefer to keep it that way, at least for now." My voice was polite, but strictly firm.
He nodded his head, though the tight set of his jaw said he was not thrilled with my request.
After chatting with them a bit longer mostly just basic small talk I slowly drifted away. I could feel Zahliver’s warm gaze tracking me every now and then, checking in on me without hovering. Once he seemed assured that I was perfectly fine on my own, he let me be.
I mingled with a few lunas who turned out to be genuinely funny and surprisingly down to earth. They shared sweet stories about how they supported their packs everything from organizing large events to being emotional anchors for their stressed-out mates. I actually learned a lot from them.
Every now and then, I would get pulled into a quick conversation with an alpha or beta, but I naturally gravitated toward their kids. Being much closer in age made things far easier, and the conversations flowed much more smoothly. I even collected a few phone numbers.
Zahliver was definitely not going to get it when I told him later that they were just friends.
I was reaching for a mini sandwich at the long snack table when I spotted Melly nearby, standing stiffly with Theo right at her side. He was piling food carefully onto her plate, avoiding anything with nuts he had probably memorized all her allergies by now.
"The fruit yogurt salad is really good," I said casually, stepping right beside her. "I haven’t tried those mini pastries yet, though. Are they any good?"
Melly’s knuckles turned white around her plate, and her hands began to tremble. She looked like she might bolt out of the room at any second. Theo’s gaze snapped straight to me, and he swallowed hard. Wordlessly, he pulled her a little closer to his side. Purely protective.
I raised an eyebrow at them. We had been making great progress earlier, and now they looked completely ready to run.
"One step forward, thirty-six steps back," my inner wolf muttered dryly in my mind.
I was about to say something else to ease their minds when something caught my eye four large, dark purple bruises on Melly’s upper arm, right near her shoulder. The low neckline of her dress had shifted slightly, just enough for me to glimpse the distinct outline of fingers. My breath caught in my throat.
She was so painfully thin.
No. Theo would never do that to her. I knew that instinctively.
I looked at him really looked at his body. That was when I saw it. A similar ugly bruise was creeping right up his throat, just barely hidden by his shirt collar. His skin was badly discolored, fading from an angry red to a dull, sickly blue.
The horror must have shown clearly on my face because Theo looked thoroughly confused, like he could not figure out what I was reacting to so strongly.
They both had terrible bruises.
And they were not the kind of marks you got from basic sparring or daily training. These marks were deliberate. Controlled.
They were a beta couple. Melly was constantly anxious, flinching at shadows in the room. Theo’s entire world clearly revolved around making her feel safe and loved. I had seen how he only relaxed when she smiled. He would never hurt her. He would never let anyone else hurt her either.
Unless...
Unless the person who did this was much higher in rank than them.
A sickening chill ran straight through my veins. They were not sitting with their alpha tonight. They flinched every single time someone even mentioned their home pack.
The only person who could land that kind of heavy blow on a beta... was their own alpha.
My entire body went completely rigid, and pure rage surged through me like a wild brushfire. The intense kind of anger that made your vision go white and your hands tremble. I stared at the two of them, my chest rising and falling far too fast.
Theo shifted directly in front of Melly like a human shield, and I realized she had dropped her food plate onto the floor.
I could not confront them right here in the open. Not right now. Not like this. I did not want to scare them any further, not when they were already this fragile.
I turned away quickly and scanned the wide crowd until I found him Zahliver. He was currently talking with a group of visiting wolves, laughter on their lips, but the very moment their eyes landed on me, the air around them shifted instantly. Everyone went completely still.
They had clearly seen the lethal look on my face. Good.
Zahliver turned around to face me, his brow creased in deep concern. He did not even get the chance to speak a word before I asked him directly, "You said you can change pack ranks promote or completely remove someone. Can you do it without killing them?"
To his absolute credit, he did not hesitate for even a second.
"Place your hand over their heart. You will know exactly what to do. Then place your hand on the one you want to promote... and release the energy."
I nodded my head once, the intense heat in my blood still burning hot. I turned right on my heel and walked away, completely ignoring him calling out after me. I thought he might try to stop me or demand quick answers.
But he did not.
"Be careful, love," was all he said softly.
And that was honestly all I needed to hear.
He trusted me completely. That single, simple, quiet truth steadied something deep inside me. It was not everything, but it was more than enough to carry me forward.