CHAPTER 43

MIA POV.
My heart beatboxed as the car came screeching to a halt in front of Dark Moon manor. Dominic threw open his door and stormed out, his movements swift and purposeful. I quickly opened my door and hopped out onto shaky legs and for a moment I thought they were going to give way under me but I managed to go after him. “Dominic… Wait!” I yelled behind him. I didn’t know what I was trying to stop him from doing but all I knew was that he was enraged by something that I had said and that it had something to do with Vivienne.
I managed to catch up with Dominic and I grabbed his arm and immediately regretted it. He jerked his arm away from me and I flinched as I almost expected to be hit by him. Something flashed in his eyes. "Go to your room, Mia," he growled, his voice low and menacing.
I quickly backtracked from him and ran to the staircase to obey his order. My feet carried me up the stairs as Dominic vanished into the house. "VIVIENNE!" he roared. I gasped in shock at his voice that trembled off the halls. I reached my door in record time and shut myself inside. My chest heaved as I sucked in breath. I needed to calm down. I told myself. I closed my eyes and started to concentrate on my own frantic heartbeat. Willing it to calm down before I went spiraling into a panic attack.
I paced back and forth in my room, trying to make sense of what just happened. Dominic's sudden anger threw me off but I couldn't help but know that this had something to do with Vivienne… something that I said about her. My mind raced with different scenarios but it kept coming back to one. Could Vivienne be my aunt that my cousins mentioned at the hunt last night? The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. She called me by the same nickname that my family used for me and she was welcoming since the moment I met her… I have never heard of a girlfriend being friendly and helpful to another woman in the same house as her lover. And it was clear to me that Dominic's reaction wasn't just anger, it was shock, like he didn’t know. But couldn’t he have known? I wondered. I thought my father was a good friend of his, but apparently he didn’t know the whole family.
I stopped pacing, my eyes fixed on the door, half expecting it to be kicked down but there was nothing but silence from it. I crept to the door cautiously and turned the handle to open the door ajar.
I froze when the sound of Dominic's muffled shouts reached my ears. It came from somewhere within the house but I couldn't pin point from where though. I swallowed nervously and closed the door as quietly as I could before I retreated to my bed, sitting on it with my knees pulled up to my chest.
I wasn’t sure for how long I sat like that but it must have been a while because my stomach suddenly growled. I haven't eaten anything since lunch and I was hungry. I got up and approached my door again. This time when I opened the door, my ears were met with silence. Were they done fighting? I wondered as I stepped into the hallway to look up and down the hallway. There was no one in sight, which was strange because there were at least one or two wolves moving about and on guard duty but tonight I saw no one.
I cautiously descended the stairs, my stomach growling with hunger. Everything was eerily quiet and empty on the ground floor too. The silence was unsettling and there were no signs of Dominic or Vivienne or even the staff, leaving me feeling isolated and vulnerable.
Maybe coming out of my room was not such a good idea. I wondered as I paused on my way towards the kitchen. But I have made it this far already so I will only get something quick to eat and run back to my room. I thought to myself and I continued on my walk to the kitchen.
Upon entering the kitchen, a sudden, blood-curdling scream and agonized moans echoed through the half open door of the basement in the kitchen. I froze as a chill shot through my veins as my heart nearly stopped from freight.
Screw this! I am not that hungry! I thought to myself as I spun on my heel and made a run for it. I bolted back up the stairs, down the hallway and back into my room. I banged the door shut and leaned against it as my breaths came in ragged gasps, my mind reeling with the harsh reality that had once again showed its ugly head.
The screams from the basement still echoed in my mind. Was that Vivienne? I wondered and I felt ashamed to be too scared to go back down there. My eyes traveled around my room. The life of luxury and status had all the beauty it had to offer but it hid a violent and dark world underneath its foundations and went unaware by outsiders. Nothing was really as perfect as it seemed.
I walked to my bed and buried myself under the covers, but I couldn't fall asleep. I lay awake, my senses on high alert, every creak made me jump. Suddenly, the handle to my door turned. I sat upright as my eyes were fixed on the figure standing in the doorway. I quickly reached for my light next to my bed and put on the light. The soft glow of the light filled the open space and fell over the figure that entered my room. Relief filled my chest when I realized that it was Vivienne. But my relief quickly turned to shock when I managed to get a really good look at her. Vivienne kneeled in front of me by my bed. “Vivienne? What…?” I started to speak but i couldn’t continue. What could i say to make this better when i knew that it was my fault why Vivienne was in the state she was in. Vivienne smiled a soft smile as her shaky hand came up to cradle my cheek. Her touch is warm and soothing despite the faint bruises covering her skin. Her eyes, etched with worry and weariness, but she still had that smile on her lips as she looked up at me.
“I have to leave, Mimi.” She spoke and my heart broke a little. “W -Why?” I asked even though I sort of knew why. She lied to Dominic. And to me, about who she was but I couldn't find it in me to be mad at her at this moment.
Her gaze pleaded with me to understand. "Be careful, Mia. Stay in Dominic's good graces, no matter what. Your safety depends on it." Her one hand holding my hand and the fingers of her other hand, gently stroking my hair, a comforting gesture that brought tears to my eyes.
"A-and you?” I asked with a trembling voice, I was close to tears. “Where will you go?" I asked, as I grasped Vivienne's hand that was still stroking my hair, fear clawing at my chest. "I caused this. I should have just kept my mouth shut. I promise Vivienne, I never meant to…” I spoke before Vivienne silenced me with a gentle shush. Vivienne's expression was soft, her eyes watery and filled with sadness. "No, Mimi, don't ever think that," she spoke. "I knew this day would come the moment I saw you at breakfast. I recognized you instantly, your resemblance to Aurora is remarkable.” Vivienne spoke and a tear fell over her cheek as she looked at me. My throat choked up. I couldn’t speak.
With a gentle squeeze of my hand, she looks at me seriously. “There is one more thing that I need you to do for me, Mia. This is really important.” She said and I suddenly felt weary. What was it that she needed from me that she couldn’t do herself? I wondered as I saw Vivienne reach for something from the inside of her jacket.