Chapter 64
I didn’t have the confidence to turn the tide in just two days.
Showing up at Hartley, always seen with Alpha Gideon, would only fan the flames of those rumors about
him.
“Oh, that’s what you’re worried about,” Alpha Gideon said. T
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hen he pivoted, sidestepping the topic.
“So, how’re you planning to handle this? Got a strategy?”
I paused for a full five seconds before answering, crisp and to the point:
“Fight dirty. Negotiate.”
Alpha Gideon let out a wry chuckle. “Vivian, you’re freaking me out.”
“I don’t usually play like this,” I explained,
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“but they’ve pushed me too far. I’ve got to hit back harder.”
“No, I mean your blind confidence is freaking me out,” he clarified.
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“You’re a smart she-wolf, so you’ve gotta know Evelyn’s move has the Quinns pulling the strings. What makes you think you can take on two of Cloud Pack’s biggest single-handedly?”
“I’ve got my ways,” .
“Vivian, courage is great, but it’s not a substitute for strength. That’s a sacrifice, not a strategy.”
“Even if it’s a sacrifice, I’m taking down the ringleader first. Worst case, we go down together!”
The words spilled out before I realized how reckless they sounded.
Alpha Gideon’s tone sharpened.
“Sorry, that was dumb,” I backtracked.
His expression softened. “You’re one of mine now, Vivian. You represent me. Show up on time, and I’ll figure
out a way to fix this. Deal?”
I didn’t doubt he could pull it off. This was Alpha Gideon, after all.
Alpha Gideon being too good to me?
Even if he was just generous, even if I’d earned some cred during the branch inspection, even if I was “one of
his”-wait, one of his?
My face flushed hot, heat creeping up my neck.
Cassie’s teasing, Alpha Gideon’s cryptic comments from last night-buzzed through my mind.
Alpha Gideon waited, but I didn’t respond.
“Still thinking it over?”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll handle my own mess. Thank you! Bye!” I blurted, panicking, and hung up.
Alpha Gideon at his phone.
Meanwhile, I clutched my phone for a full five minutes before my heartbeat settled.
Thinking it over, Alpha Gideon’s actions were kind, sure, but where was the sign he was into me?
I was reading way too much into it.
No way. Impossible.
He didn’t even like she-wolves!
Bang!
The front door slammed open, jolting me from my thoughts.
Cassie was back.
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She’d had a court case that morning, wrapping up past noon.
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It hadn’t gone well-new evidence from the other side forced her to request a recess. She’d grabbed lunch
with her client and found a nearby café to strategize.
“Is Evelyn’s brain stuck in a door or something?”
Cassie fumed, tossing her briefcase aside.
“Yeah, it’s weird as hell.”
Cassie crossed her arms, pacing in front of the couch.
“If she can make a statement, so can we. We’ve got dirt that’s even juicier than hers. But if we do this, you
and Alpha Adrian are done-no shred of dignity left between you.”
My eyes turned to ice.
“The Blackwoods didn’t leave me any to begin with.”
Cassie plopped onto the couch.
“I’m just saying, Alpha Adrian might not even know about today’s stunt. It doesn’t add up for him to be this
unhinged. You two shared nine good years, after all.”
“Maybe he didn’t do it,” I said, “but isn’t he the one who caused this whole mess? I tried to give him some grace. If he’d just let our bond break cleanly, we wouldn’t be dealing with this crap. What I’ve done, what Vanessa’s done, what Evelyn’s done-it’s all because of him. Doesn’t he deserve to own this?”
Cassie went quiet.
After a moment, she nodded.
“Fine. Let’s hit back. If we’re tearing things apart, let’s do it thoroughly. I’m your lawyer and your best friend.
I’ll speak for you.”
We got to work, listing evidence to back it up.
Just as we were ready to record a video from home, the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” Cassie said.
She peered through the peephole, and her jaw tightened.
Alpha Adrian.
The nerve of that wolf, showing up here!
She started to bristle but caught herself.
Coolly, she turned on her phone’s recorder, slipped it behind a couch cushion, and shot me a look-stay sharp
-before opening the door.
The door swung open, and before Cassie could get a word out, Alpha Adrian shoved past her, charging
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Chapter 64
inside.
“Vivian!”
He stormed into the living room, spotting me on the couch.
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The exhaustion in my eyes and the icy glare that hit him like a frost-covered dagger made his throat tighten,
his voice rough.
“I didn’t know about this morning’s mess.”
My face was a blank mask.
“And? What’re you here to say?”
Alpha Adrian sat down beside me.
I immediately stood and moved to the opposite couch.
He didn’t follow, just said, “Tomorrow, I’ll put out a statement myself. Clear up everything from today.”
My voice was flat.
“Clear it up? How? By denying your mom’s made-up stories? Or by admitting you cheated with Vanessa?”
All Alpha Adrian wanted to say was that he and Vanessa had no sacred bond, no relationship at all—that I
was his true mate, legally bound.
That photo of me with some wolf at a hotel? Pure fabrication.
“A half-assed explanation like that will just muddy the waters. People will see the contradictions and spin a dozen new rumors. Alpha Adrian, you’re still too spineless to own your mess.”
Alpha Adrian leaned forward.
“If we can patch things up, give it time, those rumors will fizzle out on their own.”
I let out a sharp, bitter laugh.
“Patch things up? You stepping out on me with Vanessa isn’t a rumor. The lies your mom slung at me? Those are the rumors. Either come clean about the whole damn thing or keep your mouth shut.”
Alpha Adrian was struck silent.
Cassie, who’d been listening from the side, chimed in casually.
“So, Alpha Adrian, you’re saying your mom’s accusations against Vivian this morning were all made-up, huh?”
Alpha Adrian shot her a glance.
His dark, narrow eyes were stormy, like a rain-soaked forest.
He seemed to sense something but wasn’t about to call it out.
With a resigned smile, he nodded. “Yeah.”
6
