Page 15 of Rebel for Claws (Rebellious Mates #4)

TEN

ALARIC

A laric guided Vivian into his private office, and he closed the mahogany doors behind them with a quiet finality that seemed to amplify the tension already crackling between them.

The space reflected his dual nature—formal Alpha authority in the massive oak desk and leather-bound volumes but also hints of the scholar he'd become in his investigations, with ancient texts and genealogical charts scattered across every available surface.

Focus on the research, not on how that cashmere sweater hugs every curve of her body perfectly. But even as he tried to center his thoughts on their mission, Vivian's scent—wildflowers, vanilla, and something wild that called to his wolf—made concentration nearly impossible.

"I've gathered everything I could find on the Silvercrest lineage," Alaric said, his voice coming out rough as he gestured to the organized chaos of documents. "Dating back over four centuries."

Vivian moved with that fluid grace that mesmerized him, her violet eyes scanning the materials with the focused intensity of a master strategist. She's brilliant, dangerous, and absolutely perfect.

The mate bond thrummed between them like live electricity, and he caught her stealing glances at him when she thought he wasn't looking.

They settled into chairs on opposite sides of his desk, close enough that her fragrance teased his senses but far enough apart to maintain some semblance of professional distance. Professional. Right. As if there's anything professional about wanting to complete that kiss from last night.

"Start with the earliest records," Vivian suggested, pulling a leather-bound journal toward her. "If there's a connection between our bloodlines, it would have been established before the Severance."

For the next several hours, they worked in focused silence broken only by the occasional rustle of ancient pages and Vivian's soft murmurs of concentration.

Alaric found himself stealing moments to study her—the way her pale blonde hair caught the morning light, how her brow furrowed when she encountered something significant, and the unconscious way she bit her lower lip when deep in thought.

She's going to be the death of my self-control.

"Alaric." Vivian's voice cut through his wandering thoughts, sharp with discovery. "Look at this."

She leaned forward, pointing to a passage in what appeared to be a formal decree from three centuries ago. The movement brought her closer, and Alaric caught a full wave of her intoxicating scent. His hands clenched on the arms of his chair.

"The Severance wasn't just about separation," she continued, seemingly unaware of his internal struggle. "It specifically mentions 'the prevention of prophetic bloodline convergence that would threaten Council authority.'"

Alaric forced himself to focus on her words rather than the way her lips moved as she spoke. "Prophetic bloodline convergence?"

"There's more." Vivian pulled another document forward, her excitement palpable.

"This references your ancestor from 350 years ago—Magnus Silvercrest. He was apparently.

.. courting someone from the human magical bloodline during the same period my great-great-great-great grandmother was with Fenris Shadowheart. "

What? Alaric leaned forward despite himself, bringing them close enough that he could see the gold flecks dancing in her violet eyes when she was excited. "That's impossible. My family records show Magnus mated within the pack."

"Because the records were altered," Vivian said, her voice dropping to an intimate whisper. "Look at the original text here—it's been overwritten, but you can still see traces of the original writing beneath."

She pointed to faded ink barely visible beneath darker script, her finger tracing the ancient words. When her hand accidentally brushed his, electricity raced up his arm and his wolf practically howled with need.

Control yourself. She trusts you enough to work with you. Don't ruin it by acting like a primal beast.

"The human woman that Magnus was courting," Vivian continued, apparently unaffected by the contact that had nearly undone him, "was my great-great-great-great grandmother's younger sister."

Alaric stared at the documents, pieces clicking into place with stunning clarity. "They deliberately separated our bloodlines."

"Not just separated—severed completely." Vivian's eyes met his, and the intensity there made his breath catch. "Because if a human magical bloodline and the Silvercrest bloodline ever combined through a completed mate bond..."

She trailed off, reaching for another scroll with hands that trembled slightly. So she's not as unaffected as she's pretending. The knowledge sent satisfaction coursing through him.

"'The mating of a Silvercrest Alpha with the human magical lineage will create an Alpha of unprecedented power,'" Vivian read aloud, her voice barely a whisper.

"'Abilities unknown to modern shifters will awaken in the Alpha due to his dormant genes, and the one who bears this power will possess the strength to reshape the very foundations of our shifter society. '"

Silence stretched between them, heavy with implication. Alaric's mind raced as the full scope of Thorne's manipulation became clear.

"That's why he kept me captive for so long," Alaric said slowly, his Alpha authority bleeding into his voice despite his emotional turmoil. "The experiments weren't just to understand my abilities—they were searching for my dormant magical markers."

"And why he created the Severance in the first place," Vivian added, her strategic mind clearly working alongside his. "He knew that if our bloodlines ever mated..."

"I would become powerful enough to destroy him." Alaric stood abruptly, pacing to the window as the magnitude of the revelation hit him. Three hundred years of manipulation. Three centuries of keeping us apart.

"Your sons need to know," Vivian said softly. "And Lena, Maya, Zoe, Elena—all of them. This changes everything about the Lunar Prophecy."

Alaric turned back to face her, drinking in the sight of his brilliant, dangerous mate surrounded by the evidence of their shared destiny. "You figured this out. All these years of investigation, and it took you one morning to uncover what Thorne spent centuries hiding."

A flush colored her cheeks at his praise, and Alaric felt his resolve weaken further. She's magnificent. Strategic brilliance wrapped in beauty that could bring kingdoms to their knees.

"We figured it out together," Vivian corrected, standing to face him. The mate bond pulsed aggressively with the reduced distance between them, and Alaric watched her breath catch as she felt it too.

"If I complete the mate bond with you," Alaric said, his voice dropping to a low rumble, "I become something Thorne can't control or manipulate anymore."

"A secondary prophecy alongside the Lunar Prophecy," Vivian whispered, her violet eyes darkening with an emotion that made his wolf stir restlessly. "The creation of an Alpha powerful enough to bridge both worlds permanently."

And she would be mine. Completely, utterly, irrevocably mine.

The air between them crackled with possibility and desire barely held in check. Alaric took a step toward her, then another, watching her pupils dilate as he approached.

"Vivian," he said, her name a prayer and a promise on his lips.

"We should tell the others," she said breathlessly, but she didn't step away. If anything, she swayed slightly toward him.

"Yes," Alaric agreed, though neither of them moved to leave. "But first..."

First, I need to taste those lips that have been tormenting me since last night.

Alaric cupped her face with both hands, his thumbs tracing the delicate line of her cheekbones as he searched her violet eyes for any hint of resistance. The mate bond pulsated like a living thing, electric and demanding, making his wolf pace beneath his skin.

"Vivian," he said, his voice rough with barely contained desire. "I know you pulled away last night, said you needed more time. But I really would like to kiss you right now."

Her pupils dilated at his words, and he caught the slight tremor in her breath that told him the mate bond was affecting her just as powerfully.

"Yes," she whispered, the single word sending fire racing through his veins. "You can."

Alaric leaned in slowly, giving her every opportunity to change her mind, but she tilted her face up to meet him halfway. When their lips finally touched, tentatively at first, the world shifted on its axis.

Sweet mercy. The kiss started gentle and exploratory, but when Vivian responded by pressing closer to him, her hands fisting in the front of his thermal henley, something primal and desperate ignited between them.

The tentative brush of lips transformed into something deeper and hungrier. Alaric's hands tangled in her silky hair as she opened for him, and he swept his tongue against hers with a possessiveness that should have terrified him. Instead, it felt like coming home.

She tastes like something wild and sweet and everything I never knew I was missing.

Vivian made a soft sound against his mouth that nearly undid him completely. His wolf surged forward, demanding he claim her properly and make her undeniably his. The mate bond hummed gloriously between them, urging him to lift her onto his massive oak desk and take everything she was offering.

Control. Don't lose control. Not yet.

With immense effort, Alaric broke the kiss, though he couldn't bring himself to step away entirely. They stood forehead to forehead, breathing hard, the air between them crackling with unspent desire.

"That was..." Vivian's voice was breathless, her violet eyes dazed.

"Incredible," Alaric finished, his thumb stroking across her swollen lower lip. "That kiss was unlike any other."

Unlike anything I've ever experienced. Like she's the oxygen I've been missing my whole life.

"It was pretty intense," she agreed, though he caught the way she deflected, putting up those walls again even as her body remained pressed against his.

She's scared. Scared of what this means and what we could be together.

"We really should contact the others," Vivian said, stepping back slightly but not moving completely out of his reach. "Lena, Maya, Zoe, Elena, Kieran, Malcolm, Logan, and Damon. They're all players in the Lunar Prophecy, and they need to know about this secondary prophecy we've uncovered."

Alaric nodded slowly, though every instinct screamed at him to forget about prophecies and responsibilities and focus solely on the woman in front of him. "We'll have to reveal that we're fated mates. Are you ready for that kind of announcement?"

Ready to let the world know you're mine?

Vivian considered this, her strategic mind clearly working through the implications. "I'll keep it only amongst this prophecy group for now. We don't need to make it public—that kind of pressure and focus on us right now would be counterproductive when we're trying to expose Thorne's corruption."

"Agreed," Alaric said, relief flooding through him. "I don't want to draw any unnecessary attention to us. I want to keep you as hidden as possible until we can eliminate the threat Thorne poses."

Keep you safe. Keep you mine.

The possessive thought should have concerned him, but Alaric found he was beyond caring about propriety. The mate bond had awakened something fierce and primal in him that had been dormant for far too long.

"So we gather the prophecy group," Vivian said, her voice steadier now though he could still see the lingering heat in her eyes. "Share what we've discovered about our bloodlines and about the secondary prophecy. And plan our next move against Thorne."

"Yes," Alaric agreed, though his gaze lingered on her lips, still swollen from their kiss. "But Vivian?"

"Yes?"

"This conversation isn't over," he said. "What's between us—the mate bond, this intense connection—we'll need to address it properly. Soon."

Because I'm not letting you go.

Her violet eyes flashed with something that looked like anticipation mixed with trepidation. "I know."