Chapter 260: The Office Shadows

Vivian’s POV

Not wanting to lose any of the little ones in the crowded temple or, even worse, have to deal with a frantic pack parent hunting for their kid, I quickly gave out clear instructions: everyone needed to grab a buddy and hold hands right away. I took the two smallest children by the hand myself, their tiny fingers barely curling around mine.

And just like that, for the next three agonizing days, I found myself in charge of my very own little wolf pack.

My inner wolf had the absolute nerve to call them ’the cute squad’ while we walked. I almost rolled my eyes right there in the middle of the sacred temple, but I managed to refrain. Just in case some higher power decided to smite me right then and there for having a sense of humor during such a solemn, sacred moment.

I was never really the religious type, but I was definitely not reckless enough to anger the gods.

Somewhere in the background of all this heavy mourning, Joshula had more or less completely disappeared from sight. He stayed out of plain view, though he was not entirely invisible. I caught brief glimpses of him here and there throughout the days, often accompanied by the exact same man a tall, sharply dressed guy with his sleeves always rolled up, a clipboard clutched tightly in his hand, and an air of quiet, professional authority. I made a mental note to eventually ask who he was, but between managing the endless ceremonies and my ever-growing group of tiny followers, I kept completely forgetting.

Besides, Joshula mostly kept to his own room for most of the time.

So much for building family bonds. I knew deep down that this was not the warm, cheerful family reunion he had originally imagined when he decided to come here. And a small, empathetic part of my heart genuinely ached for him because of it.

It was also during this difficult stretch of heavy days that I witnessed something in Zahliver that I had never seen before in all the time I had known him.

He was drinking.

It happened right after one of the particularly long and exhausting ceremonies. I had just walked back into the grand house, fully expecting him to greet me in the entryway like he always did with a warm kiss and a hand resting gently at the small of my back. But there was absolute silence. No sign of him anywhere. Just empty quiet.

I followed his familiar scent all the way to the back of the house, heading straight toward his private home office. The heavy wooden door was slightly ajar.

Inside, the entire room was dark and shadowy. Long, gloomy shapes stretched across the polished hardwood floor, lit only by the faint, gray light of the cloudy sky pouring through the tall glass windows.

Zahliver was sitting straight behind his large oak desk, his back turned entirely toward the door, slouched heavily in his leather chair like the massive weight of the world had finally landed squarely on his broad shoulders. His dark black tie was discarded carelessly on the tabletop, and the top buttons of his dress shirt were undone, revealing a rare glimpse of the vulnerable man hidden beneath his usual Alpha armor.

His dark hair looked even darker than usual in the dim, dreary light, and his entire outline was eerily still.

And right beside him on the polished desk sat a half-empty bottle of something strong and amber.

I stood frozen in the doorway for a long, quiet moment, taking it all in the heavy silence, the deep sorrow, and this hidden side of him that he never showed to anyone else. Not even to me.

But I was seeing it now.

And honestly, it hurt my chest to look at him like that.

The sharp, stinging scent of alcohol hit my nose the moment I finally stepped foot into the room, making me falter for just a second. But I forced myself to push forward, my stockinged feet moving quietly across the floor until I stood right beside his chair. Zahliver did not lift his gaze to look at me. The magical mate bond humming between our souls felt muted and dulled, like a thick, heavy wall muffling what was usually a constant, vibrant flow of shared emotion. It sent a sharp twist of unease straight through my stomach.

I did not know what to say to make it better. For once in my life, I had absolutely no idea how to comfort him. So I just did the only thing that felt completely natural in that moment I reached down and started threading my fingers softly through his thick hair, letting them glide gently through the dark, silky strands.

"Is there anything at all I can do to help?" I asked gently, my voice barely rising above a soft whisper.

He raised the heavy glass tumbler in his hand, which was full of melting ice and something clear, and took a long, deliberate sip. Then, without saying a single word, he reached up behind his back and grabbed my hands, which were still tangled in his hair. He tugged me forward gently until I had no other choice but to climb right onto his lap. I settled sideways against his broad chest, and he lowered his heavy head until my face was pressed snugly beneath his chin. His warm sigh brushed softly against the top of my head, feeling thoroughly exhausted and tired.

"No. Just stay right like this with me for a while," he said, his voice roughened by something much heavier and darker than simple physical exhaustion.

I melted completely into his embrace, resting my cheek against his chest so I could feel the slow, steady thud of his heart beneath my skin. It was during moments like this quiet, still, and filled with sorrow that the harsh reality of everything we had been through came crashing down around us. We were bonded mates. He was the ruling Alpha of the pack. And we had just buried dozens of our wolves in the cold earth. The cruel world kept spinning anyway, and the days kept moving forward as if they had not just shattered our lives into pieces. That simple fact alone made a quiet panic rise up inside my chest, my instincts screaming at me to move, to run, to fix something anything at all to make it better.

But Zahliver still needed me right here. So I stayed still.

His strong arms tightened protectively around my waist, as if he could somehow sense the current of chaotic thoughts swirling inside my head, and I responded by pressing even closer to him, grounding myself entirely in his familiar warmth and the steady rhythm of his breathing.

I honestly have no idea how long we sat like that in the dark, wrapped up in the stillness and the crushing weight of everything left unsaid. Eventually, the quiet began to stretch out too long, and I felt the words rising urgently in my throat before I could stop them from spilling over.

"Zahliver..." I said softly, not even entirely sure how I was going to finish the sentence.

The large hand that had been lazily tracing slow circles on my back paused for a second, then resumed its motion.

"Yes, my love?" he murmured against my hair, and I could hear the deep effort in his tone the forced calm he was trying so hard to maintain, the fragile peace he was desperately attempting to keep hold of.

I hesitated for a moment, a wave of sudden guilt biting at the back of my mind because I knew what I was about to ask was probably the last thing he wanted or needed to hear right now. But it was something I desperately needed.

"I need to go out for a run," I whispered.

The shift in his posture was instantaneous.

Every single muscle in his body tensed up hard beneath me like coiled steel, his arms tightening around my waist like iron bands. I could feel a low, threatening rumble start deep down in his chest. He did not even need to speak out loud for me to know what was coming I could practically feel the refusal vibrating right through his frame before the word finally left his lips.

"Absolutely not," he snarled, the protective Alpha in him instantly pushing his way straight to the surface.

I let out a heavy sigh and tried to pull my body back just a fraction, but his arms held me fast against him. I rolled my eyes up toward the dark ceiling, though my sudden frustration quickly melted down into deep understanding. I stopped fighting against his grip and instead laid one palm flat against his chest, right over the wild, heavy beat of his heart.

"I really need this, Zahliver, and you know it," I said quietly, keeping my tone steady. "I know the last time I went out alone was an absolute disaster, and I will gladly admit that. But that is precisely why I am sitting here telling you beforehand. So you can come along with me and watch my back. I do not want to sneak off behind your back and worry you sick. I want to do this the right way."

I gave him plenty of time to process my words, letting the thick silence stretch out between us again. Eventually, I felt his tight arms begin to loosen their grip slowly and carefully, as if the very act of releasing me might somehow completely undo him. I shifted backward just enough so I could lift my chin and look directly up into his face.

And what I saw in his eyes made my chest ache with a sudden, sharp pain.

It was not pure anger burning in his gaze. Not really. It was raw, naked fear. Vulnerable fear... mixed with deep, bone-weary pain.

Something fragile deep inside my heart cracked right down the middle.