Chapter 2
422words
She's my stepmother's daughter, the heiress of the Howe family—a fading Beta werewolf lineage clinging to relevance.
She's always loved taking my things. A childhood doll, my school supplies, even the only friend I'd managed to make in high school.
Even when she didn't want them, she'd toss them in the trash just to watch me suffer.
This time, she's after Alaric.
"Want to know what really happened back then?" Vivienne sprawled across my studio sofa, legs crossed, her lips curled in a smug smile.
I set down my paintbrush and turned to face her.
"Alaric got into a nasty fight that night," she said. "He collapsed in the rain, bleeding everywhere. I called the ambulance."
"As for why he thinks you saved him—" She pulled out her phone with a theatrical flourish and showed me a photo.
In the picture, a blood-stained handkerchief lay on wet pavement, embroidered with a slightly crooked rose.
"While digging for my phone, I remembered the handkerchief I'd snatched from you earlier. Thought it might be fun to drop it next to him."
"When he woke up and saw it, he naturally assumed his precious Aria had saved him."
Vivienne tucked her phone away, eyes gleaming as she watched for my reaction.
I did remember something.
One snowy winter evening in London, Alaric had pulled me along the Thames embankment.
He'd suddenly stopped, pulled a handkerchief from his coat pocket, and carefully unfolded it before me.
The handkerchief bore old bloodstains, yellowed with age, but the rose pattern was still clearly visible.
"Remember?" he'd asked, his eyes bright with expectation.
"Rainy night. School alley. Ambulance."
I'd stared at that rose for a long time, searching my memory, but found nothing.
I'd embroidered dozens of handkerchiefs with that same pattern and given them to countless people.
When he realized I couldn't remember, the light in his eyes had dimmed.
I'd spent the entire afternoon trying to cheer him up before his mood finally lifted.
"Dorian, Alaric, and I all grew up in the same elite circles," Vivienne said, rising to her feet.
"I used to be obsessed with Dorian, but now I've set my sights on Alaric. I saved his life, after all. Naturally, he belongs with me."
She sauntered to the door and glanced back at me.
"But you've been Alaric's charity case for so long, he doesn't know how to cut you loose. If you have any dignity left, walk away now. Save you both the embarrassment."
