Vivien stared at Cole’s revelation, her mind reeling. She was the one who had been behind the entire serum operation all along, at least in this alternate reality. She had been looking for the brain behind the operations, suspecting Kieran, suspecting Cole—but it had been her. She had to get rid of him.
She told him she would soon decide which Alpha to replace Seth with, the lie tasting bitter. It bought her time, but time for what? She had no idea. She was hiding in her office, trying to make sense of the impossible truth.
Alphas were going missing. Seth was dead. All because of a version of herself that she couldn’t even recognize. Worse, Cole had called her “Alpha” with a reverence that made her skin crawl.
If Jake, Kieran, or Harry ever found out what her double had done, or what she was suspected of doing, they would never trust her. She couldn’t keep up this double-agent charade for long, but if she revealed the truth, at best they would think she was insane, and at worst, they would consider her an enemy. Her only hope was to introduce Harry and Emma as soon as possible and get back to her own world before everything imploded. Downstairs, Jake was losing his mind.
He had let himself be distracted by Vivien, lured away from his duty of watching over Harry. When he returned to the club, his cousin was gone. He knew it was his fault. He had been supposed to keep Harry safe while he played bait in a club full of shifters eager to dose him with vampire venom and kidnap him for his blood.
Instead, he had been with Vivien, tangled in her scent, her touch, her warmth. He grabbed the bartender by the throat. “Where the hell is he? ”
The man stammered that if anyone knew anything, it was Cole.
Jake’s mind raced. Cole wasn’t in his office, and neither was Vivien. He couldn’t shake the thought that she had led him away on purpose. Had she been manipulating him this entire time?
He burst into Vivien’s office, his eyes wild. “You tell me. ”
Vivien’s heart sank. He knew something.
“What happened? ”
“Harry’s missing. ”
The news hit her like a physical blow. She had been so caught up in Cole’s revelations that she had completely forgotten Harry was downstairs, surrounded by enemies.
It was almost two hours. She had seen Seth lying dead in Cole’s secret hideout. Harry might be next. She was about to leave to confront Cole when Jake caught her wrist.
“Did you do this? ”
“I’d never do anything to hurt Harry,” she swore, meeting his gaze. He searched her expression, his anger softening slightly. She couldn’t tell him she was the Alchemist.
Not now. She promised to speak with Cole while Jake looked at the security footage. Cole was stunned to see her. “I don’t have the faintest clue where he is.
I’d arranged for the guys to dose him, but he disappeared before we could. ”
So Cole wasn’t behind it. That left them with no choice but to use Kieran’s blood instead. Vivien ordered him to stand by, but he mentioned a buyer, “he” who was expecting a new shipment by the end of the month.
There was someone else behind the distribution, someone her double had been working for. Vivien felt her cover slipping. She needed to find Harry, but she also needed to find out who this “he” was. Jake found Vivien in the breakfast hall the next morning.
The security footage showed Harry leaving the club shortly after them. He hadn’t been kidnapped; he had just left. Jake was relieved, but the relief was short-lived. Harry called, annoyed, claiming he had been following a lead.
He was fine. When Jake returned to the table, Vivien was no longer alone. Kieran was sitting beside her, questioning her about where she had been all night. Jake watched as Vivien expertly played dumb, convincing Kieran that she was just looking for Jake’s missing cousin.
But Kieran wasn’t convinced. He grabbed her hand. “What’s going on between you two? ”
“He means nothing to me,” Vivien said, meeting his eyes.
“I don’t buy his sudden loyalty to the pack, and I’m looking into it. That’s all. ”
Jake had heard enough. He slid into the seat next to Vivien, giving her a light kiss on the cheek.
“Hey, Alpha. ”
Kieran’s scent soured. “What do you think you’re doing? ”
Jake ignored him, turning to Vivien.
“I think you should know, she’s not your wife. Have you heard of the witch that grants wishes? ” He quickly laid out the truth—that Vivien was from another reality, that she was married to his cousin Harry in her own world, and that she and Jake were together there. Vivien slapped Jake across the face, stunned and mortified.
She fled the dining room, her heart pounding. Jake was her mate, but this wasn’t the way she wanted Kieran to find out. Not like this. Jake followed her, his voice quiet.
“You won’t even look at me? ”
“Why do you even call me that? ” she snapped. “It’s because of your hair,” he said softly.
“You’re very important to me. You don’t know me. But I know you. You don’t like being caught off guard.
You can’t hold your drink. You appreciate honesty but rarely feel like you can be honest yourself. You get nervous when you’re not impeccably dressed. You love being praised.
You hate losing control. And you pretend to be into pretentious European films, but when you’re alone, you always rewatch Disney classics. ”
She kissed him to shut him up, and the kiss lingered. He was hers, and she was his.
He was convinced that no matter the world, he would always be in love with her. As they were kissing, a car pulled up, and Harry got out. He was with Emma, who had apparently run him over with her car. The two were bickering like enemies, not the passionate lovers they had been in Vivien’s world.
Vivien couldn’t believe it. Without their faded bond, Harry and Emma had nothing in common. They loathed each other. How was she ever going to get them together now?
Later, in Kieran’s office, Harry had decided it was time to tell Kieran the truth about the alternate reality. Kieran sat in stunned silence. “So my wife isn’t my wife, my pack isn’t my pack, and you need my help figuring out who’s leading the serum charge. Sounds about right.
”
Kieran admitted he didn’t know much more than they did. Cole was the one in contact with the manufacturer, the one they called the Alchemist. Vivien knew she was the Alchemist, but she couldn’t tell them. She had to keep up the charade to get close to the mysterious “boss” Cole had mentioned.
Harry suggested one of them trail Cole. Vivien insisted she should do it. She had an idea to get Harry and Emma closer, to keep them together so Harry could be watched and protected. “We’ll pretend Harry is visiting his girlfriend,” she said.
“This way his being around will make sense, and his girlfriend will be with him at all times to make sure no one drugs him. ”
Kieran asked who could be trusted. Vivien smiled. “I have the perfect person in mind.
Someone I trust implicitly. ”
She suggested Emma. Harry was horrified, but Vivien was adamant. She was certain Emma could keep a secret and that Harry would be safe with her.
Jake was surprised when Emma walked into the office. He hadn’t taken a good look at her before, but she was a recent turn, which was rare. He’d never met a shifter who was made instead of born. Cole was the one who had found her and brought her to the pack.
He was also the one they were investigating. When Vivien explained the plan, Emma frowned. “Then what do you need me to do? ”
“We need you to pose as Harry’s fake girlfriend so he has an excuse to remain here without raising suspicion, and to warn us if anyone tries to take his blood.
”
Emma’s jaw dropped in horror. Five days later, at the gala, Vivien was a mess. She was on Kieran’s arm, scanning the room for Cole. She spotted Harry and Emma waltzing badly, bickering like children.
They clearly couldn’t stand each other. Vivien felt hopeless. Then she saw Jake across the room. He was stunning in his tailored suit, and his gaze was burning.
She leaned into Kieran’s touch, laughing at something he whispered, knowing Jake was watching. It was a game. Kieran pressed a kiss below her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. Just then, Cole appeared.
“May I have a word, Miss Reeves? ”
He led her down to the wine cellar. “Nero won’t meet with you until you provide him with a plan to replace Seth. He wants to know who you’re planning to use between your husband and Harry.
”
So the boss was named Nero. “Tell him I’d like to discuss it with him,” she said. “He’s the boss. Shouldn’t he take part in the strategizing?
”
“I don’t think that’s happening before we show him a little good faith. But if you really insist, why don’t you ask our usual intermediary yourself? ”
There was an intermediary. Her alternate self knew who it was, but she didn’t.
She couldn’t let her ignorance show. “Set up the meeting,” she snapped. Cole’s eyes showed confusion. “You want me to set it up?
”
She yelled at him, and he quickly submitted, apologizing. She grabbed him by the throat. “It’s time when I say it’s time. ”
“Yes, as you say.
”
She was about to return to the party when a hand grabbed her wrist. Jake pulled her into the bathroom, pressing her against the wall. “You’re not to touch Kieran again. Ever.
”
She submitted to him, scented him, and then he asked, “Will you be mine? ”
“Yes,” she sighed. Jake bit into her neck, claiming her as his. The next few days were a blur of passion.
They were mated, bonded. She was his, and he was hers. She asked him repeatedly if he loved her, desperate for reassurance. He did.
The bond gave her glimpses of that love. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that this Jake wasn’t her Jake, the one who had betrayed her. She knew he wasn’t. But the fear lingered.
Jake insisted on handling Harry. He said he would take her home to his pack, to keep her safe. He promised they could be happy. She agreed, desperate to escape her mother, who had just threatened to tell Nero about Jake if Vivien didn’t get in line.
Vivien knew her mother was behind everything. She had been using Vivien and Margot their entire lives. She was the one in charge of the whole operation, and she was threatening to use Jake to control Vivien. Vivien broke down.
Jake held her, promising to take her away. Harry pushed back when Jake told him he was leaving. He called him an idiot for mating with a married woman, but Jake was resolute. He trusted Vivien completely.
Harry asked about the faded bond, and Jake revealed that Vivien thought she and Jake had missed their chance in her world. He wanted to let things be. Then Harry mentioned Emma, asking Jake to take her along. Emma didn’t feel safe in the pack.
And Harry seemed to have feelings for her. Jake returned to Vivien, eager to leave. But first, they had dinner with Harry. Emma was there too, and they were clearly getting along.
Vivien panicked. If Harry and Emma got together, reality would reset itself. She would lose Jake. She had to drive them apart.
She told Jake she needed to speak with Emma alone. She gave her a story about wanting to help her pay for university, hoping she would leave Harry. But Emma refused. She wanted to stay with Harry.
She cared about him. Vivien was desperate. She stepped outside and called Cole. “I need your help with something.
”
She had a plan. She would stage a kidnapping. Cole would pretend he was in love with Emma and convince her to run away with him. Emma would never return to Harry.
Jake, meanwhile, tried to convince Harry to meet his faded mate. But Harry was reluctant, thinking about Emma instead. Jake insisted Harry needed to be happy, and he wanted to help. Vivien drugged Jake.
She had instructed the bartender to give him a small dose of vampire venom, enough to disorient but not harm him. She needed him out of the way while she executed her plan. She watched him become increasingly intoxicated and lovestruck, her heart breaking. “When did we get into a car?
” Jake asked, slurring. She led him back to their room and made him sleep. Then she met with Cole. “Remember, no harm should come to her.
I’ve hired mercenaries to come and rescue her from you by tomorrow. They’ll take her out of the country. ”
Cole grinned. “Brilliant.
You’re an evil genius, boss. ”
Emma came to say goodbye, her face a mask of pretend love for Cole. She thanked Vivien for everything, wishing her happiness with her mate. Vivien felt sick, watching her walk away.
Jake woke the next morning, confused but ready to leave. He heard Emma had been taken. He was about to go after her with Harry when Cole mentioned that Emma had gone willingly with him. Jake was suspicious, but the blonde who worked at the elevator insisted Emma would never go with Cole willingly.
Cole was the one who had tried to kill her once before. Jake realized something was wrong. Vivien drove to the lake house, her heart pounding. She had made terrible choices.
She had orchestrated Emma’s disappearance to keep her from Harry, all to hold on to Jake. And now Cole had gone rogue, taking a dose of enhanced serum made from Harry’s blood. He was more powerful than ever. When she found Emma hiding in the woods, they tried to escape.
But Cole found them. He attacked, tearing into Vivien’s leg. Then Emma hit him with a rock, but he retaliated. Vivien launched herself at Cole, fighting with everything she had.
She was weakening, about to be killed, when Jake arrived, throwing himself into the fray. Together, they fought Cole, driving him back. They shifted back, believing they had won. Vivien was in Jake’s arms when Cole opened his eyes.
“Why would you defend this bitch, Alpha? You’re the one that wanted her gone anyway. ”
Jake’s eyes widened. He stared at Vivien.
He knew. Three days later, Jake still hadn’t spoken to her. She was submerged in a bath, drowning in her own guilt and pain. Cole had told the truth.
He was dead now, but he had taken her whole world with him. She had confessed everything to Jake, but he had no words. She knew she deserved this. She had become the villain.
That night, Kieran knocked on her door with papers he had found. He wanted to help her. She broke down, telling him everything. He listened.
“Jake will never forgive me. ”
“Perhaps not. But only you can work on forgiving yourself. And that is more important than Jake’s forgiveness.
”
She fell asleep, worn out. When she woke, she was in a cave, her hands bound. Kieran was bound next to her. Her mother stood before her.
“I take it you’re the reason we’re here. ”
Geneveve smiled. “You’re the reason you’re here. You’re a grown woman.
You make your own choices. ”
She revealed she was working for Nero. And that Vivien’s choices had consequences. Phil, a boy who couldn’t be over 18, approached.
He was Nero. He knew about the wish. “I could feel reality twist itself to your will. You made a wish.
”
The boy was strange, an old soul in a young body. He was also a hybrid—a vampire and a shifter. He wasn’t interested in Vivien’s stories. He had leverage.
He captured Jake and killed him in front of her, pulling his heart out. “You’ll see, when reality resets, he’ll live. But keep in mind what I can do to him should you try and cross me. ”
Vivien was left alone with Jake’s body.
She watched him grow pale, still, lifeless. Then everything flashed white. When Vivien opened her eyes, she was back in her hotel room. The same one from the night of Kieran’s birthday party, the night she had made the wish.
She watched her other self, high on vampire venom, wish she had never met Jake. The witch had come to her in her vulnerable state and made her repeat the words. She had wanted to erase Jake from her life. But the alternate reality she had created had been so twisted that when Harry and Emma got back together, the spell broke.
Reality reset itself. The wish was canceled. The witch appeared, furious. “I’m done chasing after you, Vivien Woods.
Make a wish now and be done with it. ”
“I don’t want to make a wish. ”
“Isn’t there one thing from that alternate reality you’d like to keep? ” the witch asked.
“I can give you something from there. ”
Vivien thought of Jake, bonded, together. But this Jake didn’t want her. And after what she had done, she deserved nothing.
“You can’t give me what I want. There’s only one person who can, and he’s against the idea. ”
The witch gave her a cunning smile. “You don’t even want to keep the baby?
”
Vivien choked. “The what? ”
“You’re pregnant. The alternate world is fading, but your body will readjust to what it was before the wish.
In other words, the child will have never existed. Unless you wish for it to be otherwise. ”
Vivien’s hand went to her abdomen. Jake’s baby.
Their child. “Wish for you to keep this baby, and it will be done. ”
Vivien made the wish. She woke in her hotel room, her hand on her stomach.
The baby. She needed to find Jake. She ran through the hotel, tracking his scent, desperate to confirm he was alive and real. She pounded on his door, terrified of what she would find.
The door opened. Jake stood there, wary. “Red, you feeling better? ”
She threw her arms around him, sobbing.
He was alive. Warm. Real. She quickly explained everything—Margot drugging her, the alternate reality, her mother, the serum, Nero.
Jake listened, skeptical at first, but eventually he believed her. He agreed to help. They needed to evacuate Harry and Emma and take down the network before Phil could disappear. While Jake shipped Harry and Emma off to safety, Vivien went to confront Margot.
She found her sister in her penthouse, having just dosed Kieran with vampire venom, terrified he would be taken. Their mother was there, trying to manipulate Margot into continuing the operation. But Vivien stood up to her. “I know everything, and you’re not getting away with this.
”
Geneveve sneered, but Vivien told Margot the truth. Their mother had manipulated them their whole lives. She had threatened Kieran’s life. They needed to stop her together.
Margot was unsure, but when Vivien revealed she was pregnant, Margot shifted her loyalty. Geneveve attacked, and the two sisters fought her together. They killed their mother. A month later, Vivien was at the healer’s office.
She had been feeling ill. The healer revealed a mating mark on her neck that shouldn’t have healed. It was a recent bond. “Your mate is alive,” the healer said.
“You need to spend time together, or your health will decline. It’s not good for the baby. ”
Vivien froze. The bond was real, but it was with Jake.
Jake, who didn’t remember their life together. Jake, who had been avoiding her. Margo insisted she tell him about the baby. She was right.
It was the only way. When Jake burst into her room, he was furious. “Who is he? ”
“What are you talking about?
”
“Harry told me about the healer’s visit. I won’t let Kieran get away with it. ”
Vivien realized he thought Kieran was the father. She shoved him away.
“Kieran isn’t the father or my mate. He’s all yours. ”
“It’s our baby, Jake. You’re my mate.
Not Kieran. You. ”
Jake gaped at her, his eyes searching hers. “But I’m not an alpha.
”
“You weren’t in the other world either. You were just you. That was more than enough. ”
It took a moment, but then his scent bloomed with hope.
“So the baby…? ”
“The baby is yours,” she confirmed. “Wait, so you’re telling me we finally slept together, and I don’t remember it? ” He looked utterly dejected.
She laughed. “Well, we could fix that. Create new memories. ”
“Oh, we’re definitely making new memories,” he said, pulling her into a kiss.
Six months later, at her baby shower, Vivien was surrounded by joy and love. Chloe was there, as was her sister-in-law, Rose. Emma was there too, helping with the catering, her presence a constant reminder of Vivien’s guilt. She had kept her secret from Harry and Emma, forced to by Jake’s pleading.
He had asked her not to tell them, to keep the peace with his brother. She had agreed, but it cost her every day. She went outside to find Rose, only to spot her talking to a familiar-looking waiter. Her heart stopped when he turned around.
Phil. He walked towards her calmly. “Vivien Woods. Long time no see.
Boy or girl? ”
“What? ”
“The baby. Phil said, pointing at her stomach.
We don’t know. We’re keeping it a surprise. “How fun. Looking forward to the surprise.
I would never harm your baby, unless you cross me, that is. I don’t appreciate you working so hard with your little pack to find me. I’m going to need all of you to back off. ”
After explaining he wasn’t after anyone in her pack, he walked away, winking at her.
“I’ll be seeing you soon. Give my regards to your mother. ”
Vivien grabbed Rose, warning her to stay away from him. But as she watched him disappear into the crowd, she knew in her heart he had lied.
In just two months, after her baby was born, Phil would come for them. More specifically, he would come for her child.
