Chapter 2 We'll Always Stand By You

Vivian's POV:

The humiliation I suffered on the football field weighed on my chest like a heavy piece of lead.

For two days, I hadn't gone to school. Instead, I shut myself inside my room.

I might have seemed strong and composed out on the field, but whenever I found myself alone, all the overwhelming hurt swept over me like a tidal wave.

Again and again, I looked through the pictures of Adrian I had secretly kept on my phone. In the end, I gritted my teeth and deleted them all.

That Saturday, while I waited anxiously for Adrian to arrive with his parents, I heard the butler make a respectful announcement from the hallway. "Ms. Ashford, Alpha Arthur and his Luna are here. Please come downstairs to the drawing room."

Adrian's parents had come.

A sudden tightness gripped my chest.

So it had finally happened. The moment I had dreaded was here.

Fear, humiliation, and panic all knotted together, leaving my stomach painfully twisted.

Looking at my pale, worn-out face in the mirror, I drew in a long, steadying breath.

Even if our engagement truly ended today, I was determined not to appear miserable or defeated.

I washed my face with cold water, put on something suitable, and made my way down the stairs.

Yet the drawing room was nothing like the oppressive, tense place I had imagined it would be.

My father was quietly discussing important matters with Adrian's father, Arthur Shaw. The packs' territorial defense plans and the quarterly cooperation agreement lay spread across the table between them.

Meanwhile, my mother and Adrian's mother, Alice Shaw, sat drinking their coffee with elegance.

"Vivian, come over here," my mother called with a smile, beckoning me toward her.

I tried to calm my pounding heart before approaching them and offering a greeting. "Good afternoon, Alpha Arthur, Luna Alice."

"My dear, come and have a seat." Alice reached for my hand, looking at me with the same affectionate warmth she always had. "It hasn't been long at all, yet you look even more beautiful than before."

I slowly lowered myself into a seat, rigid with tension, expecting them to raise the painful subject of ending our engagement at any moment.

Instead, one minute passed after another.

My father and Arthur continued talking about pack business, completely absorbed in their discussion, while everything remained pleasant and easygoing.

Neither of them knew about the incident.

Adrian hadn't told his parents anything about what happened on the field!

That realization struck me with the force of lightning, and I could only sit there in shock.

But why? What reason could he have for keeping quiet?

Was it possible... that some small part of him still cared about me?

I stamped out that thought as soon as it entered my mind.

I had to stop giving myself so much credit!

How could I keep fooling myself like this?

Had he cared about me at all, even a little, would he really have humiliated me so thoroughly in front of everyone?

Despair and hope battled fiercely inside me, and all that relentless doubt and uncertainty made it difficult to breathe.

"Vivian, sweetheart?" Alice's voice drew me back from the turmoil inside my head. She gave me a tender smile, gently patting the back of my hand. "We're having an outdoor dinner party at our place next weekend. Adrian will be there too. Will you come over and join us?"

I managed a courteous smile, though I could barely force down the bitterness lodged in my throat. "Certainly, Luna Alice. If I'm available, I'll make sure to come."

Once the Shaws had left, I sagged against a pillar on the porch, feeling completely drained of whatever strength I had left.

"Vivian." My father came toward me, a faint crease forming between his brows. "What's been going on with you over the last couple of days? Has something happened at school?"

My mother joined him, concern evident in her eyes. "Sweetie, do you want me to call your personal doctor again?"

Seeing the unmistakable worry reflected in both my parents' faces brought a sudden, painful sting to my nose.

Still, I couldn't find the courage to explain what had taken place on the field.

Holding my tears in check, I gave a small shake of my head. "No, Mom, Dad. It's just... I think I might have a mild fever. A few days of rest should make me feel better."

My mother came closer and wrapped her arms around me in a hug. "I'm glad you're all right. Never forget that you're our daughter. Whatever happens, we'll always stand by you."

...

On Sunday morning, Celicia flung open my bedroom door with a resounding bang. "Vivian! Are you seriously going to keep hiding in here because of some heartless jerk?"

She pulled the curtains apart, letting the glaring sunlight pour straight into my room.

Then she strode up to my bed and furiously snatched the covers away from me. "Get up, Vivi! Someone as gorgeous as you can have any guy you want. Let's go shopping today. You can choose anything you like, and I'll pay for it!"

Thinking about Adrian still filled me with emptiness, but I couldn't bear to keep making the people who loved me worry.

My parents were among them. So was Celicia.

I tapped my cheeks, pushed my sadness aside, and finally climbed out of bed. "You're absolutely right. Why keep making myself miserable over someone who doesn't deserve it? Come on, let's go. I'm maxing out your credit card today!"

...

By that afternoon, the downtown plaza was crowded with people and alive with noise.

We wandered from boutique to boutique, until shopping bags filled both our hands.

But when we walked across the middle of the plaza, I suddenly slowed to a stop.

A massive digital billboard was showing a worldwide advertisement for a leading luxury watch brand.

In the commercial, the model was dressed in a tailored black suit, and his striking, cool appearance looked utterly perfect on camera.

His icy blue eyes looked out from the screen with a distant, almost freezing expression.

It was Adrian.

Even appearing in an ordinary advertisement, he looked almost impossibly stunning.

I remained motionless, looking at the face I knew so well yet now felt so far away from, while a dull pain built in my chest.

"Vivian? What are you staring at? Come on, hurry!" Celicia called from somewhere ahead of me.

Before I had a chance to answer, however, the moving crowd pushed us away from each other.

When I finally rushed forward to find her, Celicia was already lost among the people.

"Celicia!" I called out her name two times, but the plaza's loud music and all the surrounding noise swallowed the sound of my voice completely.

I pulled out my phone, intending to call her, only to find that the screen showed no reception.

Trying to get away from the dense stream of pedestrians, I slipped onto a narrow path beside the main road, hoping to catch sight of her.

Without realizing how far I had gone, I found myself in an alley that led toward a parking lot behind the street.

There were hardly any pedestrians left in that area, and the tall, dirty brick walls lining both sides kept the alley shrouded in shadow.

I was just about to turn around and head back to the main street when a thunderous engine roar sounded from farther along the alley.

A few heavily modified motorcycles raced around the corner and slid sideways, pinning me against the wall and cutting off my escape.

The tattooed men riding them slowly sized me up, their looks openly predatory and full of lust.

"Well, would you look at that? A pretty little thing, all alone." The leader, whose arm was covered in tattoos, aggressively twisted his throttle. Thick, foul-smelling black smoke filled the air as he gave me a revolting grin. "You must be feeling lonely, being out here on your own. How about I give you a ride?"

"Leave me alone," I replied, pretending to be calmer than I was. "Get out of my way before I lose my patience."

If my wolf had already awakened by then, men like these wouldn't have frightened me in the slightest.

But I still hadn't turned eighteen, and my wolf remained dormant. As things stood, I couldn't possibly take on a whole gang of grown men.

"Oh, look at that attitude." One of the other men laughed suggestively and edged his motorcycle closer, sealing off the only way past. "I couldn't care less who you are. Since you've come all the way here, you're not going anywhere until you've shown us a good time."

The leader switched off his motorcycle, climbed down from the seat, and stretched his filthy hand directly toward my shoulder.

"Leave me alone!" I recoiled, hitting my back hard against the brickwork. There was no longer anywhere for me to escape.

As those repulsive faces moved closer and closer to me, cold perspiration began to cover my skin.

In silence, I begged for someone, anyone, to come to my rescue.

At that exact instant, a black motorcycle sped straight into the alley, its tires screeching loudly as it made a sharp, controlled drift and stopped squarely between the thugs and me.

Its rider was tall and commanding, dressed in a black leather motorcycle jacket. A completely black, full-face helmet hid every part of his face.

Yet the moment he stopped right there before me, I saw that broad, intimidating outline and felt the unmistakably cold presence that seemed to surround him, and I suddenly gasped for air.

That back... it was actually Adrian!