Chapter 321: Deep-Fried Shrimp and Approaching Footsteps

Vivian’s POV

Because shadowing them like a silent executioner was the pack house head chef a short, stocky wolf barely above four feet tall. His dark eyes missed absolutely nothing. He inspected every single dish like he was scrutinizing sacred sacrificial offerings, actively looking for the tiniest imperfection that might earn someone’s head on a silver plate.

So yeah... begging him for an early bite definitely did not seem like a safe option for my health.

I followed the rich scent trail straight into the formal dining room, my stomach growling like it had a wild mind of its own. The entire setup looked completely perfect, but I simply could not shake the heavy feeling that this upcoming dinner was going to be so much more than just good food and polite conversation.

It felt as if Zahliver had just carefully set a dangerous stage... and the real, high-stakes show was about to begin.

I decided it was much safer to just stand quietly beside Zahliver, who was currently eyeing the massive buffet spread like it had personally offended his ancestors. Only an Alpha of his stature could pull off that specific kind of arrogant, silent judgment. Honestly though, I couldn’t even blame him my stomach was practically gnawing at itself at this point in the evening.

As I scanned the wide spread with hopeful eyes, my heart suddenly sank.

No pot stickers.

Seriously?

Of all the delicious things in the world to forget to include. It was silly of me, but I felt oddly let down by the omission. A ridiculous wave of pure disappointment settled right in my chest. I had not even realized how much I was genuinely looking forward to eating them until I saw they were not sitting there.

When most of the pack kitchen wolves began filing out the door, I quietly slipped away from Zahliver’s side while he got caught up talking to one of the dish carriers. I moved fast, darting straight out the front toward a short woman who was nearly back at her delivery car.

Apparently, my intense craving for pot stickers far outweighed my lingering fear of approaching a pack wolf who could probably break my body in half with a single glance.

Satisfied with my little side mission even if I did not actually manage to get exactly what I wanted from her I strolled casually back into the house. Zahliver was still standing near the head of the long table, inspecting everything like it was some kind of delicate diplomatic banquet. He turned his head right as I walked back in, his physical expression completely unimpressed.

"This will simply have to do for tonight," he muttered under his breath, his voice deeply dipped in that dismissive Alpha tone that somehow made even an incredible gourmet buffet sound like a national crisis.

I rolled my eyes up at him and stepped forward. "Are you kidding me? I hope everyone coming knows they are taking extra food home with them. That includes Joshua. I don’t care if he technically lives here right now his food gets boxed up like everyone else’s tonight. We have got enough dishes here to survive a brutal winter."

Without a second of hesitation, I began picking out the specific items I mentally claimed as mine for the night. I desperately needed to make sure nobody else wiped out the deep-fried shrimp. I was absolutely starving, and if anyone touched my portion, there were going to be severe consequences.

I walked directly over to the golden pile of shrimp, telling myself I would just take one little piece. Just one. There was zero harm in standing close to the plate, right?

The exact second the crispy bite hit my tongue, I let out a loud groan aloud. Crunchy, savory, seasoned perfection.

"I am completely in love," I mumbled through a mouthful, my hand already reaching blindly for a second piece. There was certainly no stopping me now.

As I spun around on my heel with zero guilt in my heart, fingers reaching for that second piece of shrimp, someone cleared their throat loudly right behind me.

Okay... maybe I felt a little bit of guilt.

I froze dead in my tracks.

Another throat clear sounded. This one was significantly louder. Irritated. Slightly jealous?

Right. Zahliver.

Snatching one more hot shrimp off the tray anyway, I slowly turned around to face my formidable mate. I blinked up at his face. Had he really been standing that close behind me the entire time? His facial expression was completely unreadable, intensely focused. Was he... actually glaring at the piece of fried shrimp in my hand?

A sudden surge of panic shot through my chest. Did he want one for himself?

"They are not even that good anyway," I said quickly, stepping protectively in front of the platter to block his view. His blue eyes sparkled with deep amusement at my defensiveness, but there was a distinct hint of suspicion settling there, too.

"Really?" he asked softly, glancing over my shoulder at the mountain of seafood.

I nodded with total false conviction, and without even thinking it through, I popped the second shrimp directly into my mouth. He watched my face the whole time, his gaze darkening as my tongue flicked out to catch the leftover seasoning on my lip.

"Yeah," I said again, speaking more firmly this time, as if that completely settled the argument between us.

He raised a dark brow down at me, drawing himself up to his full, intimidating height. His broad arms folded tightly over his chest, making his frame look even broader in his blazer.

"Vivian?"

"Yeah?" I answered, already sensing exactly where this sudden line of questioning was headed.

"Did you actually eat any real lunch today?"

My spine stiffened instantly.

His intense gaze narrowed down on me like he was actively waiting for me to crack under the emotional pressure. And I did. Sort of.

"I did eat. It just... was not anything special," I admitted. "Hospital food is not exactly gourmet quality. Or colorful. Or warm. Or..." My stomach chose that precise moment to completely betray me, growling out loud like a dying beast.

"...filling," I added meekly, offering him a small, sheepish smile.

He opened his mouth, clearly preparing to lecture me about properly planning my meals or packing healthy snacks when leaving the house, but before he could get a single word out, his broad body went completely tense. His head tilted just slightly toward the front entryway. I saw the immediate shift in his facial expression that dangerous, sharp shift that meant someone was officially approaching the house.

Company.

And they were arriving very soon.

When he turned his face back toward me, there was a heavy seriousness resting in his electric blue eyes that I certainly could not ignore. He leaned in close to my face, his warm breath brushing softly against the shell of my ear as he whispered a sharp warning meant strictly for my ears only.

Whatever those quiet words were, they made my heart stutter wildly against my ribs. I looked up at his face, wide-eyed with sudden realization.

But I gave him a firm nod. I always would.