Piper

Vivienne’s eyes are hard and watchful as she walks over. But I see them soften when she finally turns her gaze to me.

“Fallon, it’s good to see you. And you too, Piper,” she says.

“It’s good to see you too, Viv. How is Sigrid?” I ask, wanting to know if her wolf is still forward.

“I’m perfectly well, Piper, thank you,” Sigrid answers.

“I’m glad to hear it. Ready to go on an adventure?” I ask.

Vivienne snorts but gets in the car. She smells more like a rogue than she did the last time we were together. Of course, the last time, she was still part of my pack. When I left, so did she. She never became close to anyone in our pack other than me and she told me before I left that she had no intention of staying if I was leaving. It nearly made me change my mind about coming to the Academy. But my plan had always been to make my own money, get my own place, then get Vivienne off the streets for good.

When I pull away from the curb, I reach behind me and grab the bag of food that I brought for her.

She shakes her head. “Still trying to save the world, huh, Piper?”

“No, just trying to save my friend,” I say. She may be putting up a good front, but I heard her stomach growl the moment I put food in front of her and as I drive, she begins eating like she hasn’t had a bite of food in days, maybe longer.

“So, you know that this guy killed another Alpha a couple months ago, right?” she asks with her mouth full of food.

“Yep. Alpha Christer. He made the mistake of threatening Alpha Quirin’s Luna, and he paid the price for it. I wasn’t there, but I heard it was pretty gruesome. He didn’t kill the other pack members, though, just the Alpha who threatened his mate.”

“What’s his Luna like?” she asks.

“The exact opposite of Alpha Quirin. I’ve met her. Believe me, you’d never in a million years put the two of them together. But it works. I guess the Moon Goddess knows what she’s doing.”

When we pull up to Alpha Quirin’s pack lands, I can feel Vivienne tense beside me.

“Easy, Viv. It’s going to be okay and if you hate it, I promise we can leave,” I say softly before rolling down the window for the gate guard.

He leans forward, about to ask who I am. But then he stops and sniffs the air in the car.

“You’re the rogue Alpha Quirin said was coming,” he says.

“That’s right,” I say.

“No offense, Alpha, but I wasn’t talking to you,” he says, looking past me to Vivienne.

“Yeah, I’m a rogue. So what?” she growls.

The guard smiles. “Good. We like rogues around here. Head on up. I’ll let Alpha Quirin know you’re here.”

When we arrive at the packhouse, Alpha Quirin and Luna Kennedy are waiting outside, along with their Beta, Kier.

When we step out of the car, Vivienne looks around quickly before focusing on Alpha Quirin. His intense gaze remains on her.

“You must be Vivienne,” he says. “Would it make you feel more comfortable to have a scrappy fight with some of my pack members, or can we bypass the formalities and have dinner together?” he asks her.

She looks from him, to his Luna, to his Beta, and then at the group of pack members who have started to congregate around us.

Vivienne shrugs. “I could eat.”

Alpha Quirin grins. “Excellent. That will make my mate happy. She’s a lover, not a fighter. Vivienne, meet the love of my life, my mate, the mother of my children, and my Luna, Kennedy.”

“Hello, Luna Kennedy,” Vivienne says.

“Vivienne, you are most welcome here,” Luna Kennedy says with heartfelt sincerity, walking down the steps and pulling Vivienne into a hug. I have to fight the laugh that threatens to burst from my lips as Vivienne goes rigid in Luna Kennedy's arms. I’d forgotten that Yorick and his family are a bunch of huggers.

“Don’t scare her off before we even get her inside, Kennedy,” Quirin says, rolling his eyes. His tone is one of absolute adoration and once again, I feel the sharp pang of sadness. I want someone to look at me the way that Alpha Quirin looks at Kennedy. I want someone to understand me and accept me for who I am, even if it makes them crazy. I want someone to love me the way that Alpha Quirin loves his mate.

I push that down as we walk inside the packhouse. Luna Kennedy wraps her arm through Vivienne’s, seemingly unaware that she’s making my friend uncomfortable with her physical contact. She shows us to our rooms with Alpha Quirin following behind us, watching, but letting his mate lead the interaction.

It isn’t until dinner when several of the pack members join us that Vivienne finally starts to relax. They tell her about their lives, how they heard about Alpha Quirin taking in rogues, and how they came here, seeking a place that was safe and accepting of the type of wolves they were.

I watch as Vivienne slowly begins opening up and as the night goes on, I begin to feel like a third wheel, not fitting into the group of rogues turned pack members. However, Vivienne seems to be blossoming right in front of my eyes.

“She’ll do well here,” Alpha Quirin says quietly, watching as I am.

“You think she’ll stay?” I ask him.

He nods, not taking his eyes off her. “These are her people. She can feel heard, understood, comfortable, be who she is, and still be safe. The hardest part for her will be accepting my mate and the person she is, but that didn’t come easy for any of us. Over time, though, Kennedy has a way of working herself into your heart.”

“Alpha Piper!”

I turn, seeing two young girls running over to me.

I crouch down. “Hi girls!” I say to Kendra and Kaylee as they launch themselves into my arms. I met them at Yorick and Cyra’s pack and because I was willing to spar with them, we immediately hit it off. Personally, I love that Alpha Quirin is fostering his daughters’ desire to become fighters. I wish more Alphas were like him.

“Momma said you're staying the weekend,” the first girl, I think it’s Kenda, says.

“Yeah, and we were hoping you’d spar with us again,” Kaylee says.

“Please!” Kendra pleads.

“Pretty please!” Kaylee begs.

I laugh, pulling them both into a hug. “Of course.”

I hear laughter and look up to see Yorick’s younger brother, Wade.

“You’re going to take on the Double K, Triple Threat, Piper? Better you than me. Believe me when I tell you that they’ve improved since you last sparred with them,” Wade says.

I look at the girls and grin mischievously. “I have too. I guess we’ll have to see who has improved the most,” I say.

The weekend is perfect in many ways, but the most important thing is that when it’s time to leave, Vivienne asks Alpha Quirin if she can stay longer.

“You’re welcome as long as you’d like to stay, Vivienne. My pack likes you. I like you. I’d like to think that Kennedy and I have built something together that all wolves, especially rogues, can accept and live with.”

When I finally get ready to leave, Vivienne comes over, hugging me tightly.

“Thanks, Piper,” she whispers.

“Thank you for trusting me to do this, Viv. I love you, even if you refuse to accept that we’re friends.”

She laughs, then hugs me tighter before letting me go.

“I’ll see you soon,” I tell her, then head back to the Academy with my heart feeling much lighter than it did when I arrived.