Tobias' Perspective
The night was low, and the pack's territory was bathed in silver-white moonlight. The surrounding area was breathtakingly quiet, with occasional low wolf howls echoing through the silent forest.
However, the corridor outside Giovanni's office was filled with an oppressive atmosphere. Vivian stood across from me, the tension between us so palpable it seemed ready to explode.
"Tobias, you don't even understand!" Vivian said angrily, her voice thick with aggression and anger.
I clasped my hands to my chest, suppressing my annoyance, my face set in a look of indifference and skepticism. "I don't understand? Vivian, I understand all too well. What were you thinking when you brought Aurora to the Alpha so recklessly?"
Vivian took a deep breath, trying to calm her anger. "I was doing my duty, Tobias. As Gamma, it's my responsibility to ensure our pack's safety. Aurora's sudden appearance was just too suspicious. She could have had something to do with the attack."
I shook my head, a hint of pain in my eyes. "You know that's simply not true. You're just using it as an excuse to sabotage the relationship between Alpha and Luna. Your jealousy and selfishness clouded your reasoning."
I swear, my intention wasn't to say such mean things, but the thought of Vivian, my fated mate, doing this for Giovanni's sake filled me with jealousy and made me lash out.
Vivian's eyes snapped open, and I could clearly see the deep aggravation and heartache in them. I realized it was my baseless accusation that was causing her to unravel.
"I did all this to protect the pack. How could I destroy their relationship because of my personal feelings? You know how much I want us to be united against foreign enemies."
My werewolf instincts made me incredibly sensitive to Vivian's emotions. I sensed her emotional conflict and inner pain. I also knew she was doing her best to hide her true feelings, but this hidden emotion only made me feel angrier and more powerless.
"You've always been like this," my voice became sharper, "always hiding behind the name of the pack when in reality it's to fulfill your own selfish desires. Have you gone out of your way to destroy the bond between Giovanni and Luna?"
Vivian's face turned pale, her eyes filled with pain and confusion. "How can you say that about me, Tobias? You know I've always been about the safety and future of the pack. Alpha is our leader, and his safety and judgment are vital."
I tried to avoid meeting her eyes. "No, Vivian, I think you're only doing this because of your own personal feelings. The tension between you and Luna is obvious to everyone. You can't bring your personal vendettas into the affairs of the pack."
Vivian's eyes glistened with tears, but she forced herself not to let them fall. It almost broke my heart to see her like this. She clenched her fists hard. "Do you really see me that way, Tobias? Do you really think I'm someone driven only by selfishness?"
The look in her eyes made my heart feel like it had been stabbed. I looked into Vivian's eyes and felt her pain and sadness. My werewolf instincts told me she wasn't like that.
She was my destined mate, and even though no one knew about it, her every expression, every wave of emotion touched me deeply. I knew how much I had overreacted and realized that I shouldn't have done this to her.
However, the real reason deep within me wasn't a simple accusation. Only I knew that my heart was eroded by an unnamable emotion, and that deep jealousy and misunderstanding of Vivian had made me uncontrollable.
I knew I shouldn't have done this to her, but my jealousy nagged at me like a poisonous snake, causing me to hurl hurtful words at her.
I was silent for a few moments and finally sighed. "I don't want to see you that way, Vivian. But your behavior makes it impossible for me to believe that you're acting out of the goodness of your heart."
"Well, since you don't trust me, so be it. I'll keep doing what I think is right, no matter what you think of me."
As I looked at Vivian, a flicker of complex emotions flashed through my heart, but I still chose to remain silent. The atmosphere between us became more tense and rigid.
At this moment, the other wolf tribe members in the camp seemed to have sensed our argument and cast curious and worried gazes. Vivian took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
"Tobias, I want you to calm down and reconsider my words. We can't let our personal feelings affect the decisions of the pack," Vivian finally said, her voice carrying a sense of determination and firmness.
I opened my mouth and was about to respond when another familiar voice came from behind me.
"Has he woken up?" I turned around to see that the visitor was Fern.
Fern approached us, and I could tell she sensed the unusual atmosphere between Vivian and me. Instead of asking more questions, she looked up at me and repeated her query, "He woke up, didn't he?"
I noticed the intense worry in her eyes and, somewhat reluctant to explain the situation, I just nodded. "Alpha is taking care of things right now. Maybe you can go see him later."
Vivian stood aside, a complicated look in her eyes. Her expression shifted from anger to concern, clearly disturbed by the situation Fern was about to face.
Fern turned to look at Vivian, and although she said nothing, her eyes conveyed everything.
Vivian lowered her head slightly, her gaze filled with apologies and worry. The corners of her mouth moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she remained silent. Her gaze rested on Fern, implying an imperceptible warning.
"You have to be careful; things are more complicated than you think," Vivian whispered, her voice almost inaudible.
Fern visibly froze, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes, but she didn't ask any more questions. "Although I don't know what you said that, but thank you," she said and then left.