Chapter 62: Rejected by My Best Friend & Alpha

VIVIAN'S POV

"I'm so glad you're here with me."

Caleb was practically skipping, making me sick to my stomach. I forced a smile. "I'm glad to be here."

He stopped walking and looked at me seriously. "Do you mean that?”

"Of course I do. I told you before. I was playing the part back there. We're mates, Caleb. I'd always choose you over them."

He grinned at me. "I knew it."

He fist pumped the air. I caught myself almost physically cringing. Had he always been this obnoxious? Knowing what I knew now had all but withered the mate bond, I learned to be a hoax. I felt nothing. “So, tell me more about what you and Sarah talked about."

Caleb narrowed his eyes. "Her name is Sam now. She said Sarah is what she used to go by."

"Sam. I'm sorry. What did you and Sam talk about?"

He grabbed a stick and started flicking it around in the air. "She told me that if I brought your parents to you, you'd see me as a champion. And you'd fall in love with me. That'd I'd be your hero."

"And that's all?"

"Well, she said it was destined that we'd be mates. She saw it in the stars. Something like that. It was a lot of stuff, Vivian. I can't remember everything she said. It was a while ago. Why do you care?"

I narrowed my eyes. "You don't feel any weird kind of attachment to me? To her?"

"I feel our mate bond. Other than that, I feel completely normal. Right as rain. Come on, let's get moving."

He tossed the stick down and started walking again. Caleb wasn't under a spell. The only spell was the mate bond. I was just on a walk back to my doom with a psychopath. When I didn't move, Caleb stopped walking and turned back towards me. "Come on, Vivian, we want to get as far away from Blackmoon as possible."

"You know the mate bond is fake, don't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"We're not supposed to be mates."

He narrowed his eyes. "Stop talking like this, Vivian. You said you accepted me as a mate, remember?"

I took a step back. "Admit it, Caleb. Admit the truth."

He stepped closer, following my lead. "Don't be silly."

"Why do you look so nervous?"

"Fine. Do you want to know the truth? Sam fixed the whole thing for me. It doesn't mean we aren't meant to be together. Because we are, and I can still claim you. Then we'll be together forever."

I felt my hand itching. "I reject you."

He flinched. "Don't."

"I reject you, Caleb."

"I said don't."

"I reject you, Caleb!"

"Don't!" he screamed.

With that, he lunged at me, but I was too quick; I slammed a force of energy at him, shooting him backward into a tree. I turned, shifting immediately and taking off into the woods. I didn't even hesitate to see if he was okay. Old Vivian would have, but new Vivian? No way. I needed to get out of here and back to Blackmoon.

*****

KILLIAN'S POV

Chris joined us in the search. I knew he could scent her as well as I could. We knew where they were headed, but if we could cut them off before they reached their destination, we'd have an advantage.

Running, searching, but no signs of her. Until her scent filled my nostrils. She was nearby. And she was scared. To my right, Chris howled. He could smell her, too. We both came to a halt, sniffing the air. A gray wolf came barreling through the treeline and collapsed on the ground before us before shifting into the bloody form of Vivian.

Shifting, I ran to her, crouching down to her, the same as Chris. "Vivian!"

She was out cold. The blood that covered her smelled like her own. Deep gashes covered her body from an animal. Another wolf. She'd been in a fight. I looked where she'd come from, wondering if we should expect Caleb to run into the clearing next, but I heard nothing.

I leaned in, smelling that it wasn't just her blood that covered her. Good, she had done some damage to him as well. Her wounds were deep, but they were already starting to heal. But would they heal quickly enough before she began to bleed out? "We need to get back to Blackmoon quickly," Chris yelled.

I nodded, picking her up. "Let's go."

She moaned in my arms. We hadn't expected to find her wounded, so we hadn't been prepared. Now, we just needed to pray she'd make it back alive.

*****

Bursting through the gates with Vivian in my arms, I screamed for Divinity, who came running. One look at Vivian, she immediately put her hands on her, and her hands started glowing. "She lost a lot of blood."

"I know."

"She'll be weak."

"Will she make it?"

Divinity nodded. "Yes. But..."

"But what?"

"She lost a lot of blood. She'll need to rest for quite a while. She can't overdo it."

I tightened my grip on her. "I won't let her."

I watched as a bit of color came back to Vivian's face. It'd be challenging to keep her from doing anything, but I'd make sure of it. I wouldn't risk her life. Divinity pulled her hands from Vivian; the gashes finally closed, the blood still covering her. "There."

I looked at Divinity appreciatively. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Alpha."

I pulled Vivian close, heading to bring her to her room when I heard Chris speak up. "Where are you taking her?"

I turned my head towards him. "To her room."

"I'm coming with you."

I scoffed. "You're going back to your cell."

"You're crazy if you think you're just sending me back there. I helped you."

He had. We'd both saved her. "Have you decided to join Blackmoon?"

He gritted his teeth. "Is that your condition?"

"Vivian's a rogue."

"And I'd need to join Blackmoon to be around her?"

I shrugged. "Those are the conditions to walk freely among this pack."

He closed his eyes. "I'd like to join Blackmoon."

I gave him a curt nod. "You can begin training tomorrow. Zeke hasn't rejected you yet, but knowing your intent, you can begin joining."

"Isn't there a way to reject him without his permission?"

I paused. "There is. Are you that certain you wish to be removed from Greywood?"

Chris looked down at Vivian. "Greywood never accepted her. They turned their back on her when she needed them the most."

I felt a pang of jealousy at his devotion to her. "We'll speak to Divinity about your ceremony. Until then, I'll arrange a room for you in the main hall."

Chris gave me a curt nod. "Thank you."

"Don't think this pack will take it easy on you just because you're new. If anything, things will be harder for you. You'll earn your position here."

He squared his shoulders. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

With that, I turned with Vivian in my arms to take her to her room. Chris called out to me. "Don't get used to her in your arms."

I felt a bubble of hatred rising in my chest. We almost had a good moment, and then he had to ruin it. I shifted my hand so I could jerk my hand over my shoulder and flip him the bird. Fucking asshole.