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"What are you doing?" he inquired.
"Hugging you," I grumbled. "Dimitris?"
"What?"
"Sorry for bringing up old wounds."
He didn't say anything, but his hand moved to rest against my back as he whispered, "Never do I want to lose someone I love to that again. I don't give a fuck if it feels like the world is caving in. If it gets too hard to handle...too heavy to carry...or too hard to breathe, you rely on your Alpha to solve it for you. Rely on me to lift those burdens and give you the oxygen you need to thrive."
I nodded into his shoulder as he stroked my back.
"You're our Forbidden Fruit, Willow. No one will get a taste of your sweetness except us.”
"What if they try?" I questioned.
"Simple," he replied, and I was positive that sinister grin of absolute control was gracing his lips. "They die."
His vindication made me smile because the idea of being officially part of their pack as a wolf shifter brought more joy than I'd experienced in a long time.
It was amazing how death can suddenly open the doors to so much light.
10
Running Under The Pink Moon
"I'll go ahead," Dimitris announced as we got out of the car, leaving me with Viktor as we watched him walk to a guard post to the far left.
"Do you see any point in driving back?" I tossed the question to Viktor as he reached my left side. "We couldn't even go to the penthouse with that amount of traffic. By the time you even attempt to get to wherever you have to go, it'll be well past midnight."
"You have a point," he admitted. "I won't make it to the hospital before visiting hours are finished."
"Hospital?" I inquired, confused as to why he was going there. "You're not unwell, are you?" I moved all the way onto my tiptoes to press my hand on his forehead. "You never get sick."
His smile was priceless as his eyes softened.
"I'm not sick, Willow," he assured me, his hand laying upon mine. It remained there for a few extra seconds before he wrapped his fingers around my hand and lowered it. "Roberto's in the hospital."
"Huh?" My expression surely expressed my shock. "Papa Dearest is as healthy as a damn horse. What the hell happened that could land him in the hospital? He hates being cared for by anyone."
"I know," he replied. "He's having heart issues. They're still conducting a few more tests to determine what triggered the sudden drop in health."
"If that ain't fishy," I grumbled but looked away to think for a moment.
In all honesty, if Roberto died today, I wouldn't feel as emotionally heartbroken as a child losing their parent would be. It was a bit cold-hearted to admit, but I wasn't going to lie to myself.
Papa Dearest was the reason for my fucked-up problems, but then again, it was thanks to his cruel upbringing that I wasn't some pushover. I certainly was alive thanks to my desire to be better, stronger, wiser, and prove my worth as a human.
Though I was now a wolf, that desire to be on top didn't diminish in the slightest. It was stronger and wouldn't be shattered by Roberto's death, but with how things had been going the last forty-eight hours, I could only assume this had potentially been coordinated.
Viktor gently squeezed my hand, alerting me that he was obviously still standing there, and bringing me back into the present.
"You okay?"
"I'm not necessarily worried," I stated defensively. "But I'm not as pleased with this news as I always imagined I would be."
"It's because of what we've recently found out, correct?" Viktor offered.
I sighed with a bob of my head. "He knew I was royalty...was well aware of the life I could have had, and yet he treated me like a worthless piece of shit. I feel like I should only be angrier and disgusted that his blood runs through my veins, but I'm unsure why I'm not reacting the way I should."
