Chapter 266: The Morning After

Vivian’s POV

Zahliver’s laugh burst out of him, deep and rich, making something warm flutter happily in my chest. It was so rare to hear him let go like that so unguarded, so genuinely happy. I wanted more of it. Preferably with a lot less clothing involved between the two of us.

Instead of closing the small distance between us, however, he chuckled softly and shook his head. "Oh no, you do not. You just said something about needing to take a hot shower. Go on." He waved me playfully toward the bathroom door like some amused Alpha trying to herd a stubborn little pup.

I raised a dark brow and started walking slowly toward him. "It is my birthday today, in case you forgot," I reminded him in a sweet, syrupy tone, taking deliberate, slow steps his way. "Does that not mean I get to have whatever I want today?"

He surprised me by suddenly vaulting backward over the edge of the bed in one smooth, ridiculous athletic move, putting plenty of safe space between us. I narrowed my eyes at him, but then I noticed something interesting... his gaze was now much darker, edged with a deep midnight blue, and it kept darting repeatedly between my face and my chest. I smirked softly, my fingers idly toying with my bra strap.

His eyes widened in panic, and he instantly held up both of his hands in full surrender.

"I give you whatever you want every single day of the year," he said quickly, stumbling over his words a little bit. "Besides, all of your guests are already downstairs eating the huge breakfast I personally cooked, by the way... and if you do not get dressed and move down there soon, they are going to devour every last bite of it."

I tilted my head to the side, letting my long hair fall gracefully away from my shoulder so I could bare his mating mark on my neck fully. I knew the intense, hypnotic effect that simple sight always had on him. His strong jaw instantly flexed as if he was trying desperately to keep himself in check.

"They can eat all they want," I whispered back, my voice turning husky and low as my fingers moved to unclasp my bra.

He moved with lightning speed.

"How about this " he started to say, then abruptly cut himself off as I paused in my movements, giving him a deeply suspicious look. I was halfway to dragging him right back down into bed with me, but his sudden change in tone made me curious.

Why in the world was Zahliver the exact same man who had practically tackled me to the mattress over much less suddenly avoiding sex like it was a plague?

I narrowed my eyes at him. There was definitely something fishy going on here.

"I am listening," I muttered, dropping my hands slowly to my sides with heavy, reluctant surrender.

Zahliver’s intense eyes stayed locked directly on mine, but his tone shifted into something painfully practical, as if he were trying to reason with a hungry wolf. "While you might be perfectly fine skipping breakfast, I am not. I cannot let my mate miss a meal especially not today, and especially not here in our own home. And as much as I would love to toss aside every single plan and just give in to what you clearly want right now, doing that would completely ruin the strict schedule I spent hours putting together for today. So " he smirked, flashing a full, handsome, and utterly smug grin, " how about we save all of this wonderful excitement... for tonight?"

His deep voice dipped even lower, the teasing edge completely replaced by something much huskier and more deliberate. "And when the sun goes down and night falls, you can finally unleash all of that pent-up desire on me. I promise I will be all yours no holding back whatsoever."

Gods above, he was dangerously tempting. That crooked grin. That gravelly voice. That maddening, perfect promise.

I bit down hard on my lower lip, considering his words. I knew for a fact that I had the power to break his resolve right now. One single tug and my bra would hit the bedroom floor, and he would instantly forget all about breakfast, schedules, and plans. But he looked so impossibly proud of himself, clearly wanting this special day to unfold in a very specific way. It felt a little unfair to throw all of that heavy effort away, no matter how desperate I was right now to straddle his lap and wipe that smug grin off his face.

While I stood there silently debating with myself, his eyes dropped downward for the briefest fraction of a second to my chest. His pupils dilated heavily. That bright dark blue shade turned almost pitch black.

Fine. If he wanted to play the game by his strict rules, so be it.

"Ugh, fine. You win this round," I huffed out loud, pushing out my bottom lip in an exaggerated pout while folding my arms just under my chest to push them up a little higher. For scientific research purposes, of course.

He did not take the bait. Not entirely, anyway. He stepped closer slowly, moving like a predator practicing incredible patience, and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to my forehead.

"Good girl," he murmured, his voice laced with thick amusement and something much darker lurking underneath.

Then he gently spun me around by my shoulders and nudged me forward toward the bathroom door. "Now go take a quick shower before everything downstairs gets eaten off that table."

"You are still mine tonight, mister," I muttered over my shoulder, already walking away.

"Forever and always, my love," he replied from behind me, and I did not even have to turn around to hear the heavy smile in his voice.

As I stepped into the bright bathroom, I rolled my eyes playfully at the ceiling and shut the door behind me, only to hear his voice call out faintly through the wooden panel.

"You had better make it a cold shower!"

His rich laughter followed me right into the tiled room like a teasing challenge.

The shower water was brisk, cool, and fast I had zero intention of giving him the satisfaction of knowing he was right about needing to cool down. I washed up quickly, brushed my teeth until my mouth felt minty fresh, and wrapped a fluffy towel securely around my body. Emerging from the billowing steam into the bedroom, I found the space completely empty.

Smart man. He definitely knew better than to tempt fate a second time this morning.

I rummaged through my large wardrobe, finally opting for an outfit that felt light, fun, and playful: a soft lavender dress featuring delicate fabric layers that floated just above my knees. The sleeves were short, and the color gradient darkened slowly into richer purples down toward the hemline. It was wonderfully feminine, airy, and just daring enough that I could skip wearing leggings underneath. The fabric was light and breezy, so I made sure to put on the lightest matching undergarments I owned, just in case a cheeky morning breeze decided to blow through today.

To finish off the look, I stepped into my favorite knee-high black heeled boots the ones that instantly made me feel a little dangerous and unstoppable.

I blow-dried my hair until it was sleek, then pulled back the front sections neatly, letting the rest of my dark hair fall in soft, effortless waves all the way down my back. A quick swipe of dark eyeliner and a rich, bold plum lipstick gave my face just enough dramatic flair without looking overdone. I added a pair of small diamond stud earrings, two sleek black metal bracelets, and deliberately left my usual rings behind because they simply did not match the vibe, and today, I wanted to look polished from head to toe.

When I finally turned to look at my reflection in the full-length mirror, I actually did a double take. I looked... grown up. Stronger. Much happier. And yeah, I am going to say it I looked downright sexy.

So Zahliver wanted to play the waiting game until tonight, did he?

Fine.

If I was not allowed to jump him right now, I was going to make damn sure he was the one who was too distracted to focus on anything else by the time the sun finally went down.