The memories crashed over me, merciless. Kallias pressing his little face to the window, his voice trembling as he asked, “Will Dad come this time?” And the way his small shoulders had slumped when I couldn’t even muster up a convincing lie anymore. I’d gone to Mavros that night, swallowing every shred of my pride. “Just one festival,” I begged. “If not for me, then for him.”
And he’d smiled. Smiled like he’d won. “If I go, will you leave me alone for good?”
“Yes,” I whispered, choking on the word.
But he didn’t go.
Now, staring at him, there was nothing left of the boy my parents had taken in, the boy I’d once thought I loved. The man standing in front of me was a stranger—cold, heartless, and everything I should’ve seen coming.
Vivian’s sickly sweet voice broke through my thoughts. “Alpha Mavros, my face hurts… I’m feeling faint.” She swayed dramatically, clutching his arm like she might collapse. Her performance? Oscar-worthy.
Mavros moved immediately, steadying her with hands that once held me. His voice softened, dripping with concern. “Vivian, you need to rest. You’ve been through too much.”