the desk.
"You know," Saint began, "that's actually pretty smart."
"Yup. Neo's somehow rubbing off of you," Viktor dryly stated.
"Got a problem?"
"No," he admitted. "Though, it makes me sometimes worry you'll be like Roberto."
I actually laughed. "I won't become a torturous, cocky fucker who flaunts his status and wealth," I vowed. "I guess we won't know his true intentions until he wakes up."
"No improvement?"
"Sadly, no. He's stable and Beta Malachite continues to keep watch while managing the Pack House. I'll try to do another check-in next week."
"Wait till I come back," he muttered.
"Aww. Miss guarding me?" I drawled with my deep voice. "Were you able to sort things out over there?'
"Sort of," he quietly admitted. "And maybe I do miss guarding you."
I almost missed the last part because he literally said every word under his breath.
"What?"
"Nothing," he replied. "Once I'm back and we settle in with whatever business we need to take care of, we're starting training."
"Good," I replied. "My muscles are getting stiff. Don't want to lose my championship title because I've been sloppy."
"Try to relax and have fun tonight," he assured me. "I'll be back soon."
"Better," I whispered. "Stay safe for me."
"Yes, William," he quietly replied. "Don't get drunk."
He hung up the phone before I could insult him, and I sighed as I lowered my leg - my eyes noticing Saint, who was sitting cross-legged and watching me from beneath the desk.
"What are you still doing down there?" I pondered with a judgemental arched eyebrow.
"You have feelings for Viktor and yet you won't confront him about it?" Saint asked, ignoring my question entirely.
"Viktor knows my feelings, Saint," I whispered. "He isn't stupid."
"Then why is he so afraid to love you back?"
"I don't think he's afraid of loving me," I admitted and moved my chair closer so I could reach for my pen. I spun it between my fingers and placed my phone on the desk, then leaned back into the chair and thought about it.
"He fears the consequences loving me will bring," I finally answered.
"He's strong enough to counter those consequences," Saint replied.
"Maybe," I admitted. "Problem is, I'm unsure what he recalled from regaining his memories. Obviously Viktor has been an assassin in the past and has worked in Russia, and that’s before the cruel experiences he's dealt with, but who knows how deeply rooted his connection with the royal family was. Maybe he needs time to sort those things head-on and doesn’t want us worrying about it. Until he's ready, I can only continue to focus on everything else."
Lowering my gaze to him, I added, "Besides. I'm clearly not acknowledging what your feelings are."
"Hmm." he smiled. "Do you think you could handle dating every member of the Forbidden?"
His question was valid, but I still thought about it. "I kind of assumed that would be the case for some odd reason."
"Do you like me or Jayce?"
I needed a moment to look at him. "I'm attracted to your individual qualities," I answered carefully. "Compared to Neo and Dimitris, I feel like I enjoy your personalities and want to get to know a deeper aspect of both of you before venturing into the realms of romance."
"Because?"
"I don't want you thinking I'm dating the four of you for sexual lust?" I wasn't even sure. "The option of dating and relationships wasn’t something I grew up acknowledging and working towards. My relationship with Onyx was out of...irony and shared pain, loneliness and the connection to one another because we were so damn similar. We were each other's strength, even when forced to destroy whatever brewed between us because of Roberto's order."
I was sure he knew what I was talking about, and it was confirmed in his eyes that softened a little bit. "Everything was done to tear us apart, but somehow we just got closer. We worked on our hidden wounds, using each other as strength to build a stronger foundation, build a wall that wouldn't be destroyed by an outsider who knew nothing of our shared past. You hear about relationships, dating, the three-date rule, all the bullshit that honestly doesn't apply to the way wolf shifters sometimes come to love one another."
I lifted my head to look up at the ceiling, my pen spinning between my fingers as I got lost in my spoken thoughts. "To me, love is based on the intense attraction you carry for another on two different levels. My relationships with Onyx, Neo, and even Dimitris are ones of lust with a hint of curiosity. Neo and Dimitris