Rise of the Underdogs: VALIK

XXII

Walking through the building with Heaven pointing out the pictures and telling me the stories behind the ones featuring the girls from Logan’s crew felt less like a tour and more like stepping through a living archive. She moved from frame to frame, her voice carrying details I never would have noticed — like how that scar on Talia’s shoulder happened during a skirmish on the border or how Shea always shifted first when they ran together, ears perked before her feet even hit the ground.

Some of the photos were taken moments after they returned to human form, their skin still slick from a full run under the moon. The way the light caught the sweat across their shoulders and collarbones gave the shots a kind of raw grace, not s****l, but elemental — like they had burned through the forest and come out humming with power. Viktor had composed the images with precision, never letting anything stray into vulgar territory. Each frame revealed strength, form, and connection without ever exposing them. There were limbs angled just enough, and shadows placed like guardians across vulnerable places.

Then there was the one that stopped us both — the trio.

Their human forms stood in the background, quiet and composed, while their wolves dominated the foreground like a threat dressed in pride. Fangs glistened. Fur bristled with tension. Eyes gleamed with a mix of challenge and loyalty. Their bodies looked ready to launch but not out of rage — it was the rush of belonging and knowing you could defend it with blood if necessary. The composition didn’t soften them. It showed them as they were, fully and fiercely.

Viktor joined us a few minutes later, slipping in right after locking the main doors with a faint clatter that echoed against the gallery walls. When I asked why he closed early, he didn’t hesitate.

“Ah, see, therein lies the crux of my issue,” he said with that grin of his that made you feel like he was up to something divine. “You are the Mate of one of my favourite subjects. Of course, your darling Luna, Princess Selene, is also a dear favourite of mine.”

I gave him a half-smile and tilted my head. “So is this some kind of private tour or what?”

He nodded, arms held out with theatrical flourish that matched his tone perfectly. “Of sorts,” he said. “Specifically speaking, I wanted to ask if you would be ever so accommodating to allow me to photograph your Mate courtship now and then.”

I blinked at him, uncertain whether to laugh or walk away. His expression never shifted. That smile stayed rooted in place, and he didn’t move an inch as if waiting was part of the spell he was casting. I let out a long, slow breath, the kind that felt like releasing the last bit of resistance. Then I nodded.

“I’ve got one condition,” I said, voice steady but low.

Viktor didn’t miss a beat. He lifted his arms again, palms open and welcoming. The light above caught the rings he wore — thick bands of gold and silver layered with gemstones that sparked like tiny galaxies caught mid-burst. It turned his outstretched hands into something otherworldly, like every flicker of light was a promise sealed by color and metal.

“Name it,” he said, “and I shall deliver in the name of art.”

“Heaven has to agree completely and without coercion. No lures, no promises of reward. Just you and your camera capturing random and delicate moments between Mates,” I said, making sure my demands were clear and not open to interpretation.

“But of course, Master Valik. Heaven, what say you? Care to share what it truly means to be a Mate?” Viktor asked, his voice laced with gleeful expectation and a smile so bright it felt borderline theatrical.

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she paused and licked her lips slowly, her eyes flickering with thought. Most people would’ve assumed she was hesitating out of discomfort, maybe even nerves, but I knew her well enough to recognize the gears turning behind that calm expression. She wasn’t dodging the question. She was methodically working through a list of considerations in her head — weighing the pros and cons of making our bond into something visible and permanent through Viktor’s lens.

After a beat, she nodded, her tone soft but resolute. “Can we do randoms? Like… even the embarrassing moments?”

“Embarrassing moments?” I repeated, the words dragging my brain into half a dozen scenes that made the back of my neck prickle with heat. I could already feel the flush rising, painting my cheeks before I could stop it. Images of tripping over untied laces, knocking over furniture, and nearly face-planting mid-shift came flooding in without mercy.

“Yeah,” she said with a quiet laugh. “Like dropping ice cream or bumping into things. Not the staged romance, just the awkward bits that make us feel normal.”

I blinked, letting her words settle for a moment before responding. “Normal is subjective.”

Before either of us could expand on that, Viktor released an exaggerated gasp, throwing one hand to his chest like her comment had knocked the air out of him. “By the Gods,” he said, as though he had discovered a hidden gem tucked into the folds of destiny, “someone who actually understands that normal and reality are illusions?”

The drama in his posture eased gradually, replaced by a far quieter look. The smirk tugging at his mouth was still present, but now it carried something softer beneath it — a layer of hope flickering through the mischief.

“Don’t let this boy go, dear girl,” Viktor added, his eyes glinting in the overhead light. “I’ve lived centuries searching for my own, but Nikolai took her from me when I stood against him. Now she exists again, but I don’t know if I can have her in my life.”

“Do we know her?” I asked, curious despite myself.

Viktor’s gaze shifted until it locked on mine, heavy with a thousand unspoken memories. His throat bobbed once as he swallowed hard, then he crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. The way he exhaled — slow and with tension behind it — told me this wasn’t just a name drop. This was a confession.

“All-too-well, I’m afraid,” he said finally. “Maybe Nox, our Matron Deity, decided to offer her someone gentle and patient with enough kindness to weather her storms. Maybe this is my punishment for letting her grandfather steal my beloved and doing nothing to stop it. I don't know. All I know is that Fate doesn’t play fair. It plays loud and without warning.”

My mouth opened before I could stop it, disbelief setting in as the pieces clicked.

“So... Viktor here is the second chance Mate of Lady Andrast Valencia?” I said, letting the weight of it echo in the space between us. “That’s wild. Maybe Fate is finally teaching her the humility she’s been lacking for years. I’m over what she did to me, and I genuinely hope she gets the life she’s earned. Whether that life turns out to be a blessing or a curse? That’s not for me to decide.”

I pulled Heaven into a one-armed hug, letting the warmth of her settle into my side. Her gaze stayed locked on Viktor, wide and damp with emotion. The gasp she’d let out earlier hadn’t been theatrical — it had cracked through her as truth landed harder than expected. She wasn’t reacting to Andrast. She was reacting to the way Viktor’s story echoed through our own, even if neither of us could explain why just yet.

“That… wow. I mean, you finally just ended the bond on your end and this happens?” Heaven asked, her tone caught somewhere between disbelief and quiet shock. She didn’t raise her voice, didn’t flare with anger. Instead, she stared at Viktor like the universe had dropped an unfinished prophecy into his lap and expected him to finish the sentence.

Viktor blinked slowly. His expression shifted from amusement to confusion, eyebrows lowering as he tried to piece together what she meant. “What is this? I wasn’t aware of this connection.”

“Oh?” I replied, keeping my voice steady. “I’m sorry you had to find out like this, but I was Andrast’s first Mate. She rejected me. I held onto that bond longer than I should’ve—carried it like a wound stitched with glass for over a year before I finally let it go. That kind of pain turns into weight you forget you're carrying. I ended my suffering. I chose peace. I’m with Heaven now, and that bond is whole and alive. So you are more than welcome to stake your claim on the young Miss of the Valencia family. I won’t stand in your way, and I’m not going to be childish about it. It’s not a contest. I’m done competing for someone who never wanted me.”

Viktor tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing with thoughtful respect rather than judgment. “That’s remarkably mature for someone who was rejected. Are you certain of this path?”

“Yes,” I said, and the answer dropped out of me more honestly than I expected. It didn’t stumble, didn’t flicker, didn’t pause for breath. It was complete. I stood there surprised by my own clarity, the truth folding into my bones like it had been waiting for me to speak it out loud. I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t bitter. I meant every word.