Chapter 512: Husband’s brother

"Want to watch a movie with me today? I made popcorn, and it’s actually pretty good, my sister always liked it best when I made it." He said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, searching for ways to thank the mermaid without it coming across like he was interested in her, which couldn’t have been further from the truth, since he still held his late wife close to his heart and could never replace Natalie with anyone else.

Ivy heard him mention his sister again, something he liked to bring up in nearly every conversation they had, always some small detail about what she liked, and Ivy found herself at a loss for how to break the news to him now, so she told him.

"Sure. I’ll watch the movie." She’d been avoiding being around him because Ivy was wary of men altogether, but to lessen the pain she was bound to announce, she agreed. He immediately turned around, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her along out of the bathroom.

"I’ve made a list of movies to watch. There’s horror, action thriller, and... rom-com and—"

"Let’s watch horror," Ivy said as he took her to the personal cinema in the building, where everything he could ever need was available. One could never see the need to go outside, but even having everything was tiring.

Alex brought a pack of popcorn and a can of soda and sat down next to her, handing each one to her as the movie began to play on the screen. Ivy watched him pop a piece of popcorn into his mouth, chewing with a smile on his face. Every little bit of company made him glow as though the world had been handed to him.

What an odd man he was.

"Alexander..." Ivy began softly, and he turned to her, smiling easily.

"Still not calling me Alex, I see. That’s fine. What is it?" he asked.

"Do you have plans of stepping out and returning to Silver?" she asked.

Alex’s smile fell away. "I want to step out, but I’m afraid I’ll kill my brother if I do. I think it’s best I stay here. Silver doesn’t need me anymore, besides I’m dead to them," he said, having already told her how he had come to be here. As far as he knew, she was just a mermaid who couldn’t possibly tell anyone that he was here and alive.

Furthermore, Alex wouldn’t be able to watch his brother live happily married after destroying his own marriage and killing his family. Seeing his brother’s wife would only remind him of the loss he had caused, especially now that he had learned she was pregnant. He feared what he might do if he saw her, even if a part of him wanted to make Sebastian suffer by giving him a taste of his own medicine.

That was why Alex believed it was better for him to remain here and accept his fate of never returning to the outside world.

"I think this time you will need to go. Something happened..."

The moment he caught the look in her eyes, he sensed it.

"What’s wrong?"

"It’s about your sister, she was stabbed..." Ivy muttered, and she watched his expression turn grave almost instantly, as though he already sensed what she was about to say. He was already shaking his head before she could say anything more.

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(Music recommendation: We Had Today by Rachel Portman)

~°~

We never know which moment will become the last one we have with someone. We only know it was the last after it has already passed.

~°~

She had no idea how she’d managed to leave that coastline and make it back home, or how the rest of the day had unfolded around her, but Viola stood before the glass wall of their penthouse, looking down, waiting for her husband’s return, ever since the moment she’d found herself home.

She hadn’t even noticed that winter was slowly settling in Silver, that the sun had grown less harsh, that thin fog now hovered in the evening air. She hadn’t noticed any of it until this very moment, struck by how strongly one person’s death could ripple outward and touch so many, how Silver itself had gone quiet, how different the pack looked without the usual screens glowing overhead, nature allowed to simply exist for once, everything turned off in respect for the dead.

Zoe’s death had been announced the moment they returned, and many hadn’t believed it at first, since she was known and loved all across the pack, everyone’s idea of the sweetest soul among them, the independent fashion designer who was known across the werewolf world.

Viola hadn’t realized it was even possible to cry oneself completely out of tears and be left with nothing but a raw sting behind her eyes. She stood before the glass, noticing small things she’d never once paid attention to before, because her mind couldn’t keep away from replaying the death of her friend and she had to keep it occupied with something else.

She watched as the streetlights flickered on with the sunset, fog curling faintly around the glow, and it was through that soft haze that she saw a black car pull up and few minutes later a silver-haired man step out.

Her heart leapt, half-mistaking him for Sebastian, and she almost turned to run out before realizing that it wasn’t him at all. It was his brother, Alex. He didn’t even bother to hide his neck, which lacked the tattoo Sebastian had, and the difference in their hairstyles made it even clearer. This time, he hadn’t come as Sebastian. He had come as himself.

As Viola stood there watching her husband’s twin, the door to the penthouse was opened and closed as someone stepped in.

"Luna, we’ve found the source of the sound from an hour ago," came the words of one of Sebastian’s men, someone she’d sent out earlier and had nearly forgotten was meant to report back to her until now.

An hour ago, a loud explosion had shaken the ground, sending waves of alarm and worry through the pack. Even still in shock over Zoe’s death, Viola had forced herself to act like a Luna, sending men out to investigate.

"What was it?" She asked, keeping her eyes fixed on the tall man standing outside, staring up at the building without stepping any closer.

"It was the new pack, Luna. It was bombed, and we later confirmed it was the Supreme Alpha’s doing, he set the whole place ablaze." The man reported, watching her from behind.

Hearing that, Viola turned fully to face the messenger. "Has Nickolas been captured?"

She’d known Sebastian wouldn’t come home to grieve the way the rest of them had, that he’d go straight after the one responsible instead, but she hadn’t expected him to move quite this fast, to raze the place down entirely. Still, she didn’t blame him for it, didn’t think for a second he shouldn’t have, not after what that place had taken from them today.

"That, I couldn’t say for certain, Luna. All I know is the Supreme Alpha is on his way back now, bringing every single member of that pack home with him, as prisoners."

Viola felt a measure of relief settle into her at the news that her husband was finally coming home, her shoulders loosening for the first time all day.

She didn’t think she could survive another loss right now, not on top of this, Zoe’s death alone felt heavy enough for a thousand deaths, and if anything happened to her husband too, she wasn’t sure what would be left of her. She’d spent the whole time since returning home sick with worry, standing at this window, biting at her fingers.

Hearing he was finally on his way, with or without Nickolas in tow, all Viola wanted now was him, safe and whole. Even if Nick had slipped through their fingers this time, she knew the mermaids were already searching for him, and a man like that couldn’t run forever.