Chapter 196: A Shattering Statement
Vivian’s POV
I dried my hands off with a towel and headed straight toward the bathroom door. But just as I stepped out into the hallway, I spotted her.
The scarf-belt girl.
Gods above, up close it was so much worse. It was not a belt at all it was a full-blown, absolute assault on basic fashion. And she did not even have the decency to wear a proper mask like the rest of us. Bold, I guess. Or maybe she was just deeply desperate for attention.
Her dark brown eyes were lined heavily in black makeup, and her face was twisted into that all-too-familiar expression: a spoiled brat who genuinely thought the whole world owed her something. As soon as her eyes locked onto me, something deeply smug curled right at the corner of her lips.
Great. This was going to be real fun.
She strutted toward me with all the ridiculous self-importance of a queen, her chin up and her chest pushed out. I had no idea what she thought she was the queen of, but alright.
I did not back away from her. I walked straight toward her too, my chin held just as high in the air. We met right in the middle of the hallway, and thanks to her mile-high stripper heels, she ended up leaning slightly over me.
Nice smirk. It suited her like cheap jewelry on a fake necklace.
I could feel my inner wolf stir inside my chest, a soft, low growl curling in my throat.
"Hello," I said, keeping my tone perfectly polite. Not warm at all. Just enough to keep her guessing.
Her smug smirk grew even wider. "Yes, hello. Vivian, isn’t it?" she said, dragging out my name like it was a terrible taste in her mouth.
My inner wolf snarled violently. This bitch really does not want to live long, she growled in my mind.
Down, girl, I told her silently, calming her spirit.
"Yes. And you are...?" I asked, clasping my hands behind my back with a sweet, completely harmless smile.
She took her sweet time, inspecting her long nails like I was not worth a proper glance. Then she turned around dramatically, flashing another self-satisfied smile right over her shoulder.
"I’m the true Luna of all wolves. And I know your secret."
My brow arched high before I could even stop myself. Oh, this was going to be very good.
"Is that so?" I asked, genuine amusement lacing my words. "Do tell."
She leaned in then far too close for comfort. Her cheap perfume was thick, sugary, and almost offensive to my nose, and all the caked-on cosmetics did not help matters at all. I wrinkled my nose instinctively.
"I know you’ve been tricking my mate," she hissed out, her voice low and smug. "You made him believe you’re his true Luna. But I felt it the very second I walked in tonight... Oliver was always meant to be mine. I could sense our bond. Our shared power."
My jaw did not drop, though I desperately wanted to laugh right in her face. Instead, I smiled slowly, letting the silence stretch between us like a long, drawn-out breath.
Oh, honey.
She had absolutely no idea who she was dealing with right now.
A whole swirl of emotions stirred inside me at her sudden outburst confusion, deep irritation... and a bright spark of pure amusement that I did not even bother to hide.
"You mean Zahliver?" I asked dryly, biting back a very unladylike snort.
Bright red color rushed into her cheeks the second she realized what name she had just blurted out. Quick to recover herself, she threw her shoulders back and shifted her tactics, clearly trying to regain full control of the moment.
"Don’t laugh at me. You will respect me," she snapped, her tone sharp and completely brittle.
My eyes narrowed at her. Her heart was pounding hard enough for me to hear the panicked thud in her chest, but she stood tall, completely unwilling to back down.
"I’m not laughing at you... yet. And honestly, if anyone’s disrespecting you here, it’s you. Did you even take a single second to think about what you were putting on before you walked in here tonight?" I said, motioning down toward her barely-there outfit.
She glanced down at her tiny dress, then looked over at mine, and I caught a quick flash of pure envy before she swallowed it back down.
"At least I know how to wear something that gets my mate’s full attention. Zahliver hasn’t taken his eyes off me since I walked in." Her lips curled up into a smug little smile.
Hot rage surged up inside me, blinding and fast. I knew she was lying through her teeth Zahliver had barely acknowledged her presence in the room but the gross suggestion behind her words? That stung far more than it should have.
"Maybe that’s because he’s trying to decide whether to kick you out for dressing like a desperate groupie," I said, my voice calm but sharp as a steel blade. "But since my mate actually has decent manners, he’s probably just ignoring you, the exact same way he ignores every other attention-starved little girl who throws herself at him. Now be a good wolf and walk away. That trashy attitude, that outfit, and the way you’re disrespecting me and yourself none of it is welcome here."
Her eyes widened with every single word I said, her face turning a deep shade of red that almost made me feel bad for her. Almost.
I exhaled slowly, brushing right past her to leave the hallway, but she mirrored my step, blocking my path completely. I could practically feel her wild temper vibrating in the cool air between us. Mine was wearing very thin, too thinner than fresh ice on a bright, sunlit lake.
Zahliver’s heavy emotional presence brushed against my mind through our bond, checking in on me. I shut him out gently, not ready to let this go just yet.
"Move," I said coolly. "I don’t want to talk to you until you’ve fixed your terrible attitude and changed that awful outfit."
I could have easily used my raw Luna authority to compel her. But some stubborn part of me did not want to force it. I wanted her to realize it on her own. To choose better for herself.
Even though she clearly did not deserve the grace, the true Luna in me still wanted to guide her.
"No one talks to me like that " she growled out, her teeth bared.
"And gets away with it?" I finished the sentence for her, rolling my eyes up to the ceiling. "Please. Get a brand new line. That one’s completely worn out."
Something shifted in her expression something deeply dangerous and totally unhinged.
"I’m going to go get my man. I’m going to kiss him right in front of you, and then he’ll know I’m the only one he truly wants "
I really did not plan to slap her. I really didn’t.
Okay... maybe I did a little bit.
But the very second she said those words, my hand moved completely on its own.
The sharp, loud crack of my palm meeting her cheek echoed through the hall like a gunshot. Her head snapped violently to the side, and then her whole body went right with it, spinning through the air in a dramatic twirl that ended with her crashing straight through the large glass wall.
Sharp glass shards exploded in every single direction. The entire room went dead silent as her body hit the hard floor outside with a sound that was... oddly satisfying.
Every single head turned instantly toward me. I could feel all their shocked, wide-eyed stares burning directly into my skin.
Without saying a single word, I gathered the long folds of my red dress, stepped right through the jagged hole she had just made, and strode across the glass-strewn floor, my high heels crunching loudly like thunder in the total silence.
Zahliver appeared right at my side in a fast blink, drawing loud gasps from the crowd around us, but I did not even spare him a single glance.
I had someone else to deal with first.