~Vivianne~
"Vivianne…Vivianne, wait!" Lucas's voice carries down the hall, chasing after me.
My steps falter as I near the girls' bathroom. My lungs burn, my chest heaves, and I swipe at the hot tears streaking down my face before anyone can see.
"Viv," he says again, gentler this time, and gods…his voice is soft and sweet, like honey poured warm. "Look at me."
I want to. I want to throw myself into his arms, to kiss him, to let him wrap me up and promise that everything will be okay.
But I keep my back to him until his hand brushes lightly against my shoulder. The touch sends a shiver racing down my spine.
"Are you alright?" he asks, his tone tender. "Please… look at me."
I finally turn. And there they are, his eyes. Emerald green, impossible to ignore. My cheeks burn under the weight of his stare. It's too much. So I look away first. I have to.
"Can we go somewhere and talk?" Lucas asks, extending his hand toward me.
For a moment, I just stare at it…his palm open, waiting. My breath hitches, but before I can second-guess myself, I slide my hand into his. His grip is grounding. Dumbfounded, I let him lead me down the hallway, past the throng of curious eyes. I know being seen with him like this is reckless and will sprout rumors. But I can't bring myself to care.
He guides me outside, across the courtyard, and into the Love Garden.
Lucas lowers himself onto one of the benches and gestures for me to sit. My legs feel clumsy as I plop down beside him, wincing at how graceless I must look. I scold myself mentally, but he doesn't seem to notice…or if he does, he doesn't care.
He only leans back against the wood, folding his arms and tilting his chin, those unreadable eyes fixed on me.
The silence between us stretches taut. My throat tightens.
"So…" he begins, with a low, hesitant voice. "I didn't want you to find out this way."
"You knew?" The words crack as they leave me. I ask.
"That you're my mate?" He exhales, a short shrug. "Yeah. I found out last night." His voice softens.
"Why didn't you come find me?" The question bursts out before I can stop it, and the second it does, shame floods me. It sounds so needy.
Lucas looks away. "You do know I'm with Mirabelle, right?."
Of course he's with her. It's always Mirabelle.
"And you'll abandon me? You'll abandon your mate for her?" My voice cracks apart,
betraying me. "You shielded me from those bullies.
You were the first person who ever told me I was enough. You told me I was beautiful."
"And you are," he says quickly. "You're beautiful. You're perfect. I feel our bond…we both know it's real. But…" His voice drops. "I'm with Mirabelle."
It's a knife twisted into my chest.
"So…you're rejecting me?" The words taste like blood in my mouth.
His jaw tenses. "I don't want to. But I have to. He sighs. "Look, I'm so sorry. Mirabelle and I…we promised we'd stay together,"
My heart folds in on itself like wet paper.
"You won't even try?" I whisper in shame. "Not even pretend?"
He drags a hand through his perfect hair, not daring to look at me.
"Viv, you know how it looks. My friends, my parents, Mirabelle… I'm going to be Beta soon. I can't be with someone like you."
The world tilts. "I'm your mate, Lucas."
For a second…just a second…his emerald eyes meet mine. And what I see there isn't love. It's guilt. Relief.
"I know," he breathes. "And I hate that it's like this." It feels like the ground splitting open under me.
I crumble. My knees hit the dirt and I fold over myself, and began bawling. My wolf howls inside me. I've never felt pain this hollow. He taps my back calmly while I cry uncontrollably. By the time my sobs run dry, I'm empty. Shaking. Wrung out.
"Please…" My voice is hoarse, broken. "Can we not do it today? Just give me one day. I don't want to feel the rejection pain today, not on my birthday."
I know how pathetic I sound.
He sighs. "Fine. Just today. But tomorrow…We'll finish this."
He rises from the bench, and I swear I feel the world move with him.
"I'm sorry," he says again, before walking away.
I'm shattered. Whatever foolish hope I carried here dies with him. My chest is numb, my body heavy, my heart a dead weight.
I lift my face toward the sinking sun, its dying light spill across my skin.
Late. I was late for work!
Dragging myself to my feet, I frantically sprint out of the garden and cut through the woods, heading straight for Rust-Nails, the bar where I worked.
I knew I shouldn't have taken the shortcut.
The alley behind the bookstore always smelled like rotting leaves and sour beer, but it cut ten minutes off my walk to the bar. And after the way my father looked at me when I told him I'd bring home more money tonight, I couldn't afford to be late.
So I took the alley.
"Oi! Copper Witch!"
The nickname hits me like a stone to the chest. I freeze. My breath catches. I hear the giggles.
Venom dipped in sugar.
"You hear that, girls?" a voice calls out from the dark. "The little copper witch is out past bedtime."
A chill slices down my spine. I turn, slowly.
Mirabel's pack of loyal watchdogs steps out of the shadows, one by one.
Tessa, with her glossy black curls and eyes like chipped glass. Brynn, tall and sneering, already cracking her knuckles. And Lila, always the quiet one, which somehow makes her the cruelest.
"Oh, look at her," Brynn coos. "All alone on her birthday."
"Wait, wait," Tessa says, holding up a hand mockingly. "Didn't someone find their mate today?"
My stomach sinks.
"That's got nothing to do with you," I say as I stand straighter instead. Forcing my chin up.
Lila circles me like a predator. "Oh it's got everything to do with us! It was Lucas, wasn't it?" she hisses, her grin wide. "Poor thing. You actually thought he'd keep you?"
"Guess holding her hands in the hallway gave her ideas," Tessa laughs. "Delusional much?" She says, as she places her hand on my shoulder.
I push off her hand…"don't you have more important things to do? Why waste your time on me?" I ask.
I'm trying so hard to put on a brave front. But I fail, I'm shaking.
I hope they don't see my puffy eyes. I hope they don't notice I've been crying for a while.
Brynn's face twists. "Wrong answer, bitchy-witchy."
I don't wait.
I turn on my heel and run fast. My boots pound the pavement, but they're faster. Lila is faster.
I barely make it past the dumpsters when someone's boot slams into my back.
Pain explodes through me as I crash to the ground. My knees scrape open. My palms burn.
Lila stands over me, her eyes glittering. "Aww. Did the little freckle-faced freak fall down?"
Tessa kicks me in the ribs. Hard.
Don't cry, Vivianne, show no weakness.
Brynn grabs my hair and yanks my head back, forcing me to look at her. "Say it," she sneers. "Say you're not his mate. Say it out loud."
I clench my jaw.
Another blow. My cheek screams. My vision swims.
"Say it!"
I spit blood to the side. "You're nothing more than lapdogs," I whisper. "Mirabel's watchdogs. Every one of you."
Wrong thing to say.
The next kick catches me in the side of my face. Stars burst behind my eyes.
"Copper witch," Lila growls, "you ever go near Lucas again, we won't stop at your face. Got it?"
"Ginger freak," Brynn adds.
"Waste of a bond," Tessa snaps. "He probably puked when he scented you."
Lila crouches beside me, her nails digging into my chin as she tilts my head toward hers. Her breath smells like mint gum and smoke mixed together. "Next time we see you around him, you die."
Then they're gone.
I stay curled on the ground for a moment. My ribs hurt. My face is wet, and I'm not sure if it's blood or tears. I pull myself off the gravel. My uniform torn, with streak of dirt and blood. The cold night air stings where my skin is split. My lip is split too. I taste copper. I taste humiliation. I taste everything I wasn't supposed to feel today.
I blink against the sting in my eyes, but it's useless. The tears come anyway. I swipe at them with the sleeve of my uniform, but more spill free.
I walk into TheRust Nail with my arms wrapped tightly around myself. The light makes me flinch. The room smells like whiskey, sweat, and fried onions. It's loud. Warm. I hate it and need it at the same time.
Zeb spots me immediately.
"Hell's teeth," she mutters, storming toward me. Her brows knit together. "What the hell happened?"
"I… uh…I tripped," I say, too fast. "It's fine. I'm fine, I guess."
Zeb doesn't believe me. But she nods anyway. "Get in the back. Let me clean you up before someone reports us thinking you crawled out of a crime scene."
I nod. I don't tell her about the broken rib or the way my head's swimming. There's no point.
The ache in my bones dulls to a steady throb, after taking the pain killer Zeb gave me. I start handing out beers, dodging drunk hands, smiling when I'm supposed to. I'm getting good at pretending. That's the only kind of magic I know.
Then the door opens.
And everything changes.
The noise dips, like the room itself is holding its breath.
I see him.
I feel a pressure in my chest.
The man who steps in doesn't belong here. Not in this run-down bar.
He's Tall. Pale. Sharp-edged. He's dressed in black from coat to boots, his hair pitch black. And his eyes…when they finally sweep the room…are not human. Not just human.
They're too calm.
I can't stop staring.
"Who… who is that?" I whisper.
Zeb doesn't look up. "That's Prince Cardan of the North," she says quietly. "Ever heard of the cursed prince with the tail that never disappears?" Zeb mutters, still not looking.
"I thought that was just a myth," I reply, utterly clueless.
"It's not. He's Ironwood royalty. And if the stories are true, he's not here for anything good."
I swallow. My throat is dry. My skin prickles.
"Why is he here in the south?"
Zeb shrugs. "Rumor is, he's here to collect something one of the men in the Southern Council owes his father. He wasn't supposed to arrive until next week. The fact that he's early? That means someone's already bleeding."
I'm still staring.
Prince Cardan moves toward the corner booth, claiming it without a word. Everyone avoids eye contact. Everyone except me.
Zeb shoves a tray into my hands. "He's yours."
"No," I whisper.
She raises a brow. "You want me to do it?"
My heart hammers. I shake my head. "I'll go."
My legs feel unsteady as I walk toward him. Every step makes my ribs ache. I can feel the bruises blooming under my skin. My lip has reopened. My eye is starting to swell shut.
He doesn't look up until I'm right in front of him.
Then…slowly, his gaze rises.
And everything stops.
I forget how to breathe.
Because when Prince Cardan looks at me, it's not with disgust. Or vague disinterest.
He looks at me like I'm a person.
"I…uh…what can I get you?" I stammer.
His voice is quiet.
And then suddenly my back hits the ground, and all I see is black.