Chapter 32: Protect Her
Vivian’s POV
I couldn’t help it, I was irritated. Not raging, not devastated, just tired of the awkward stares and the thick tension that clung to me like a second skin. I’d expected some friction, sure. I just didn’t think I’d feel this invisible and feared at the same time.
After being escorted to the island’s largest shopping mall, I quickly realized just how fast word traveled in a pack. Especially when it involved the Alpha snapping someone’s neck for me. That news had apparently reached every corner of the territory.
The weird part? The wolves were polite. Too polite. The kind of respectful that was less about admiration and more about fear. Every store I entered came with trembling hands, stammering apologies for things that didn’t even happen, and eyes that darted away the second I met them. It was like I was some cursed object no one wanted to touch. People either avoided me like I carried the plague or treated me like a ticking time bomb.
All I wanted was to meet pack members, talk to them, observe them, feel like I belonged to something here. But the way things were going, I had a better shot at wrangling information out of Zaliver himself. And we all knew how chatty he was. Spoiler: not at all.
"It’s fine, Luna. They’re just not sure how to approach you yet," Courtney said gently, standing beside me while I sifted through a rack of shirts. I must’ve looked like I’d just been told my puppy ran away. "The pack’s never had a female Alpha before. It’s just going to take some time."
I nodded, but the knot in my chest tightened. Courtney had a point, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. I mean, I wouldn’t want to hang around the girl who got someone in the pack killed either. No matter what her title was.
After picking out, okay, hoarding, around thirty shirts, Courtney helped me carry them while Mila and the others rotated around me like clockwork. They took turns walking beside me, trying to make conversation and keep things light. I appreciated it, even if my smile barely reached my eyes.
As we made our way to the register, I spotted the cashier, and the poor thing looked like she was about to pass out. Her eyes widened like I’d walked in covered in blood, and her pale skin went ghost-white.
I forced a friendly smile and approached with calm steps. "Hello!" I greeted, laying the stack of shirts down gently in front of her. Courtney stood quietly at my side, a silent wall of support.
"H-Hello. I-I hope you’re pleased with our store, L-Luna," she stammered, hands shaking as she scanned each tag with trembling fingers. She didn’t even look up.
"The store is lovely. You’re doing a good job," I said, smile still in place though it was beginning to feel like a mask.
She finally glanced up at me, just for a second, and I saw it clearly in that brief moment, not disrespect, not coldness, just fear. Pure, animal fear. Of me. Of what I represented, or maybe of what had happened to the last person who’d crossed me, even accidentally.
Her reaction wasn’t her fault. None of this was her fault. But it still settled in my chest like a stone dropped in still water. Deep in my chest, my wolf let out a low, unhappy sound. This was our pack. Weren’t we supposed to feel connected to them? Wasn’t the bond supposed to go both ways?
I kept smiling until we were outside, and then I let it drop.
Once the bags were packed, we left the store. I was mildly surprised when I learned everything I bought would be sent straight to the pack house. I didn’t even need to carry anything other than my credit chip. Efficient, and strange.
Mila, Johnson, and Luke were waiting just outside when we rejoined them. We’d only been out for a couple of hours, but no one seemed hungry or rushed. So we just kept walking, wandering really, from shop to shop, the others occasionally pointing something out that caught their eye, trying to keep things light.
Then Johnson’s phone rang, and that’s when the real day began.
"Sorry," he muttered, sheepishly pulling it out of his pocket. I gave him a small shrug. I wasn’t in a talking mood anyway.
He answered it with a tone that made Mila snort beside me. "Warning: if I get fired because of this call, I’m setting you on fire. What do you want?"
The voice on the other end was female, teasing, and familiar in that sibling sort of way. "Oh come on, bro! You love me. Besides, if you get fired, I’ll hire you myself. And Mark said if you even think of lighting a match near me, he’ll kill you. Thanks, babe! Anyway, I just need you for like two minutes—"
"Nope. Not happening." Johnson cut her off, clearly already fed up. "You pulled me out the other day. I’m lucky no one caught me ditching work on my first damn day."
"I know," she said, tone softening. "But this is important. Just one last favor. Please?"
"Why can’t Mark help you? Isn’t that what mates are for?"
"He’s busy." Her voice dropped lower, a mix of frustration and something sadder. "I’m sorry I’m bothering you. I just thought my big brother would still be around when I needed him, even for the little things."
Johnson’s shoulders relaxed a little. I could tell the guilt was sinking in.
"Like when I couldn’t reach Mom’s cookies because she always put them on the top shelf. You’d get them for me and split them, remember? I always knew you’d have my back. But I guess we’re grown now. I get it. You don’t care anymore. It’s fine. I’ll just do it myself."
Her words were soft but sharp, and Johnson looked at me, torn.
I gave him a small nod.
He sighed, dragging a hand through his loose blond curls. "Fine. I’ll be there in a few," he said, voice gentler now.
A squeal of delight erupted through the phone, making Mila flinch beside me. I laughed under my breath.
Maybe things weren’t so hopeless after all. The pack might be afraid of me right now, and that was going to take time to fix. But I had four people walking beside me who weren’t, and that was a start. That was enough to keep moving forward on.
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