Chapter 34 CHAPTER 34

Chapter 34 CHAPTER 34
Vivienne's POV
I couldn't stop crying.

My whole body was shaking, and I felt like I couldn't breathe properly. Everything that just happened in Principal Morrison's office—Uncle Martin showing up, Rafael admitting to everything, the thought that he could lose his scholarship because of me—it was all too much.

"Hey, hey," Rafael said softly, his hands steady on my shoulders. "It's okay. We're okay."

"But you could've gotten expelled," I choked out, wiping at my face with shaky hands. "You could've lost everything because of me. Your scholarship, your future—"

"Vivienne." He said my name firmly but gently. "I'm a werewolf. Remember?"

I blinked at him through my tears.

"These things don't matter to me the way they matter to humans," he continued. "I could get expelled right now and I wouldn't care. The scholarship? It's just... it's nothing. It doesn't mean anything to me."

"But—"

"You're more important." His gold eyes held mine. "You understand that, right? You're more important than school, than hockey, than any of it. None of those things matter if you're not safe."

My chest felt too tight. I couldn't process what he was saying—that I was more important than everything he'd worked for, everything people thought defined him.

"Vivienne? Raf?"

I looked up to see Emma hurrying toward us, a bag from the vending machine in one hand and a concerned look on her face. When she saw my tears, she immediately rushed forward.

"Oh my god, what happened in there?" She dropped the bag and wrapped her arms around me before I could answer. "Are you okay? What did the principal say?”

I tried to speak, but only more tears came out.

"I thought you were at hockey practice," Emma said, pulling back to look at her brother. "Why are you here? What's going on?"

Rafael's jaw tightened. "Martin Chen showed up at the school."

Emma's eyes went wide. "What?"

"He went to Principal Morrison's office. Told him I assaulted him without provocation. Said he was going to press charges."

"That lying piece of—" Emma cut herself off, her face going red with anger. "Are you serious?"

"The principal called us both in," Rafael continued. "Wanted to hear my side."

"And?" Emma looked between us. "What did he say?"

"I told him the truth." Rafael's voice was flat. "That I broke down the door and pulled Martin off Vivienne. That I'd do it again."

Emma stared at him. "You just... admitted it? Just like that?"

"Yeah."

"Rafael, you could've—" She shook her head, looking panicked. "The scholarship. Your future. Why would you—"

"Because Vivienne's life is more important than any of that."

"But still—" I started, my voice breaking. "You worked so hard for that scholarship. And now because of me—"

"Vivienne, I'm only here for the experience," Rafael said, almost exasperated. "School is... it's whatever. It doesn't actually matter to me."

Emma let out a short laugh despite the tension. "He's not kidding. Trust me, he literally sees all of this as just something to do. Like a hobby or whatever."

"It's true," Rafael said. "I'm going through the motions because that's what werewolves do in human society. We blend in. We pretend this stuff is important. But it's not—not to me. Not compared to you."

The way he said it so casually, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, made my heart twist.

"See?" Emma said gently, squeezing my shoulder. "You're not ruining anything. If anything, you probably made his week more interesting than usual."

"Emma," Rafael warned.

"What? I'm just saying. You were literally complaining last week about how boring practice was getting."

I couldn't help it—a watery laugh escaped despite the tears still running down my face.

Emma grinned. "There we go. Now, what else happened? Did Morrison believe you about what Martin did?"

I nodded, trying to get my breathing under control. "He... he was really nice about it, actually. He said he's calling CPS and everything."

"But Uncle Martin was there first," I added, my voice small. "Before Rafael came. He walked into the office acting like—like he was the victim. Like I was some troubled kid who ran away for no reason."

Emma's expression darkened. "What did he say?"

"That I was lying." My hands clenched into fists. "That Rafael manipulated me or brainwashed me or something. That I needed to come home with him right away."

"Jesus," Emma muttered.

"Principal Morrison didn't buy it though," Rafael said. "He shut Martin down pretty fast. Told him he'd already heard Vivienne's side and that CPS was getting involved. Threatened to call the police if he didn't leave."

"Good." Emma's voice was fierce. "He should've called them anyway. Had him arrested right there."

I swallowed hard. "Uncle Martin was so angry when he left. He kept looking at me like... like he was going to make me pay for this later."

The thought made me feel sick.

"He's not going to touch you again," Rafael said firmly. "Morrison made that clear. If Martin comes near you or the school, he's getting arrested."

"But what if he finds another way?" My voice cracked. "What if he—"

"He won't." Emma grabbed my hands. "You're staying with us. Mom and Dad aren't going to let anything happen to you."

"But CPS has to approve it," I said miserably. "And until then, Uncle Martin is still legally my guardian. What if they make me go back with him?"

"That's not going to happen," Rafael said, his voice leaving no room for argument.

"You don't know that." More tears spilled down my cheeks. "You don't know what he's capable of. He's really good at lying. Really good at making people believe him."

Emma squeezed my hands tighter. "But Principal Morrison didn't believe him. He believed you. That has to count for something, right?"

I wanted to agree. But I'd seen Uncle Martin talk his way out of things before. Seen him convince teachers and neighbors and social workers that everything was fine, that I was just a difficult kid acting out.

"He tried to kill me," I whispered. "And now he's walking around free like nothing happened. How is that fair?"

Neither of them had an answer for that.

Emma bent down and picked up the bag she'd dropped. "Here. I got you some stuff from the vending machine. Thought it might help."

I looked inside. Chocolate bars, chips, a bottle of water. Small things, but the gesture made my throat tight.

"Thanks," I managed.

"Come on." Emma looped her arm through mine. "Let's get you home. You need to rest."

"Principal Morrison gave us passes for the rest of the day," Rafael added. "And he wants Mom and Dad to call him this afternoon."

Emma nodded. "Okay. We'll figure this out. All of it."

I leaned against her as we started walking toward the parking lot, Rafael on my other side. My whole body felt heavy, exhausted from crying and fear and everything else.

But having them both there, protecting me, believing me—it helped. Even if just a little.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "For all of this. For making everything so complicated."

"Don't apologize," Emma said immediately. "None of this is your fault."

"But your family is getting dragged into this whole mess, and—"

"Vivienne." Rafael's voice made me look up at him. "Stop. You didn't ask for any of this. You didn't choose to have an abusive uncle. You didn't choose to almost die. None of this is on you."

"He's right," Emma said. "The only person who should be apologizing is Martin. And honestly, apologizing isn't enough. He should be in jail."

I knew they were right. Logically, I knew it.

But it was hard to believe it when I'd spent three years being told that everything was my fault. That I was the problem. That I deserved what happened to me.

"Hey." Emma bumped her shoulder against mine gently. "You know what we're gonna do when we get home?"

"What?"

"Make you the biggest ice cream sundae you've ever seen. With all the toppings. Even the gross ones Raf likes."

"They're not gross," Rafael protested.

"Gummy bears do not belong on ice cream, weirdo."

Despite everything, I felt a tiny smile tug at my lips.

"See?" Emma grinned. "That's what I'm talking about. Now come on. Ice cream therapy awaits.”

We were walking through the hallway, and somehow Emma had managed to get both Rafael and me arguing about whether gummy bears belonged on ice cream. It was stupid, but it felt normal. Good, even.

"I'm just saying," Emma was saying, "if you want gummy bears, eat them separately. Don't contaminate perfectly good ice cream."

"They get chewy when they're cold," Rafael argued. "It adds texture."

"It adds weirdness."

I felt myself smile a little. My chest didn't feel quite as tight anymore.

"Vivienne, back me up here," Emma said. "Gummy bears on ice cream—yes or no?"

Before I could answer, someone called out from behind us.

"Yoo. Raf, wait up."

I turned to see Mathias walking toward us, that easy smile on his face that he always seemed to have. He looked completely relaxed, hands in his pockets, like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Hey, Emma," he said warmly, then turned to me. "Vivienne. Good to see you're doing okay."

"Hi," I said quietly.

There was something comforting about Mathias. He had this lightness to him that made everything feel less heavy, even now.

"Skipping class?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't take you  for rebels."

"We have passes," Emma said, holding hers up like proof.

"Ah, the legal kind of ditching. Smart." He grinned, but then his eyes shifted to Rafael, and something changed in his expression. The smile stayed, but his eyes got serious. "Raf, we need to talk. Privately."

Rafael's posture shifted immediately. I felt it—the way he went from relaxed to alert in half a second.

"Now?" Rafael asked.

"Yeah. It's important."

They looked at each other for a long moment, and I realized they were having some kind of silent conversation. Whatever Mathias needed to talk about, it wasn't good.

Rafael nodded once, then turned to Emma. "Take Vivienne home. I'll meet you there."

"What's going on?" Emma asked, frowning.

"Just pack business," Mathias said easily, but his tone had an edge to it now. "Nothing to worry about."

Emma didn't look convinced, but she nodded anyway. "Okay. But don't take forever."

"I won't." Rafael looked at me, his expression softening. "You okay?"

I wanted to say yes. Wanted to be brave and not need constant reassurance.

But honestly? I wasn't okay. The thought of being away from him right now, even for a little while, made my stomach twist with anxiety.

Still, I nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine."

He didn't look like he believed me, but he didn't argue. "Emma will take care of you. I'll be home soon."

"Promise?" The word came out smaller than I meant it to.

"Promise."

Mathias clapped Rafael on the shoulder. "Come on. We should go."

I watched as they walked away together, heading toward the back exit. Whatever they needed to talk about, it was serious enough that Mathias had come to find Rafael for a private chat. 

That couldn't be good.

"Hey." Emma's voice pulled my attention back. "Don't worry about them. Mathias probably just needs help with something stupid. You know how guys are."

I wanted to believe her. But the look in Mathias's eyes had been too serious, too urgent.

"What kind of pack business do you think it is?" I asked quietly.

Emma shrugged, looping her arm through mine again. "Could be anything. Border patrol stuff, maybe. Or maybe someone saw something weird in the woods. It's usually nothing major."

"But what if it's about Uncle Martin? What if he—"

"Then Raf will handle it," Emma said firmly. "That's what the pack does. They handle things. And right now, your job is to not stress yourself out imagining worst-case scenarios."

Easy for her to say.

We started walking toward the parking lot, but I couldn't stop glancing back over my shoulder, like Rafael might reappear at any moment.

He didn't.

"Come on," Emma said gently, tugging me forward. "Ice cream awaits. And I'm thinking we should also add cookie dough to the sundae. Really go all out."

"Okay," I said, but my voice sounded distant even to my own ears.

Because I couldn't shake the feeling that something else was about to go wrong.

Something always did.