Severe ties

Chapter 4

Draven's pov 

This can't be real. Is she messing with us? 

Her lips rolled into a smile yet it was disconnected from her eyes that were icy enough to send chills down my spine.

I released her, but didn't back away.

"Is this because of your room? Are you throwing a tantrum just for that?"

Of course that's all it was. This is Vivian I'm talking about here.

Ever since we were kids she has been infatuated with me.

All I ever need to do is ask her to jump and her only response is to whip her head at me excitedly and ask, "how high?"

Only last night, we had been looking at the starlit sky together, fingers intertwined, then she made my heart skip a beat when she said that she wanted to get off birth control. 

" We're going to win the war soon, isn't it about time we start planning for the kids?"

My mood had immediately soured. Kids? That was too much of a hassle for now.

But I couldn't just tell her that I didn't want to have kids because of that, instead I gave her the silent treatment first until she was practically begging me to say just a single word to her then I made up some poetic speech about needing more time. 

At the end of it she assured me that we were going to definitely win the war.

It had only been a few months back since she started speaking in affirmative like that. 

Back then every other day was a speech about surrender, but one day she woke up grinded her gears and joined the war. I didn't expect much to come out of it but suddenly things started to go in our favor. We went from barely hanging on to having the advantage thanks to her. 

Not like I would ever fully acknowledge her efforts in her face anyways. 

I always took the opportunity to devalue them, make her self-conscious so she would never hope for anything better. 

Now what was this nonsense about cutting ties? 

"I'm not throwing a tantrum,"she said in a voice that was disturbingly calm, "now that the biological daughter is here there is no need for me to be anymore."

"Vivian what are you even saying? What about us?"

Those eyes that normally only glistened with adoration suddenly held nothing when they looked at me.

"What about us?"she asked back as if it was an insane question to even bring up in the first place, "we're done too,"

A curdle of anger formed within me, I was about to snap at her when Vlad grabbed me by the arm and dragged me towards the kitchen.

"Say yes." He told me, "Can't you see this is a golden opportunity?"

My eyes bulged towards my beta, a man that had gathered years ahead of me but apparently not wisdom.

Vivian was like a good luck charm in the battlefield. We never lost any fight as long as she was there. And now he was willing to let such an asset just walk away? 

He saw the disapproval written all over my face but pressed on, this time going straight for a weakness of mine. 

"Draven I saw the eyes you were making at Sarafine, don't stand there and pretend like you don't want this even a little bit,"

His words made me feel like I had been stripped naked, 

Honestly I've not been able to get my eyes off her from the moment I saw her, she was more beautiful than any other woman I had ever laid eyes on. 

The type of soft, immaculate beauty that Vivian could not even scratch. I mean it's not like she was bad to look at, but she didn't take extra efforts to make herself look feminine. She dressed way too comfortably all the time. I mean it wouldn't kill her to just put on a little bit of makeup, dress up or something.

I knew this was wartime but still, she should be more concerned about how she looks in my eyes and right now Sarafine was the only image I saw when I closed them.

"Okay I'll admit it, she looks like she was blessed with beauty from the Moon goddess. But I don't want to let Vivian go forever." I admitted. 

"You're quite greedy, aren't you?" Vlad said with intention to tease, but I glared at him despite our age gap. I was still the Alpha and he had to respect me.

"Look at it like this, Vivian is simply throwing a tantrum like you said earlier. There is no way she's going to survive on her own. Especially since we're still at war, why don't we get a couple of people to tail her then when she's tired of making a scene she'll come back more humble and accepting, I'll be able to establish Sarafine and her position here in the park and both of you will be able to have a relationship without anyone turning their noses down at it, "

I listened to what the old man was saying and decided that all the years behind him were not actually wasted. 

We returned back to the living room where Vivian was waiting, legs crossed on the couch, that same plastic smile traveling from one side of her face to the other.

"Are both of you done yet?" She said hints of passive aggressiveness laced in her voice.

"Where will you go after cutting ties with us?" I asked more out of curiosity than anything else.

"That's my problem to worry about, not yours," she shot back at me and I felt my anger pile up. 

She was being so cocky, acting full of herself but I knew her. I had known her ever since we were little. She could not live without me even if she pretended otherwise. 

"Fine, but don't come running back when you realize how big and scary the world is," I told her even though I was counting on exactly that, "I Draven Voss of the Voss pack, sever all pack ties with you Vivian.”