I smiled. “I love ruthlessness… I’d like you to keep your investigation and your main arguments as quiet as possible. Knowing Lucas, he’s bound to start slipping up. He feels like he has the upper hand right now, he’ll act like it.” “How do you want to approach his claims about Nora and your suppo
Violet I waited for him to open the message. His face didn’t give much away, but there was something about the stillness in his posture that told me plenty. Owen was trying to pull out of the deal he’d struck. “Well?” “He’ll consider Shelter after you officially become luna of Midnight.” My
“Violet, stop, and talk to me.” I looked back at him. “I have nothing to say. It’s your pack, your legacy, your network, not mine.” “And yet you look like you want to punch me.” I gave him a thin smile. “It hasn’t crossed my mind yet.” He licked his lips. Something dark and hungry filled his
Theodore The icy cold of the lake shocked me out of my shift, dousing the heat that had been driving me closer and closer to madness all night. I stroked up towards the weak light of dawn and climbed out. The scent of blood filled the air. My skin prickling in the cold. The buck lay nearby along w
When auction day arrived, I was keyed up, waiting in my office with Lily and Kincaid on the line, ready to oversee everything remotely. The auction began as scheduled, my eyes fixed on the screen as each plot of land came up. But as the minutes ticked by, my heart began to sink. The strip of land
Violet The day of the trial came sooner than I expected. The grand courtroom was cold, its marble walls reflecting the light filtering in through the large stained glass windows. The judgment panel sat in their elevated positions, with Owen at the center, his expression unreadable. Beside him, the
They kissed passionately, ripping clothes off. He shoved her against the wall. On the other screen, I found myself walking to the back room and sinking onto a set of chairs. I looked in pain. Light circled around me and turned dark. The lights flickered. I looked terrible, losing all color in my fac
Violet Owen looked furious as the lead judge continued to speak. “Lucas of Twining River is ordered to formally reject Violet Donovan as his mate at temple,” the judge declared. “Furthermore, Darkmoon will be returned to her effective immediately. Any holdings or assets wrongfully transferred to
Or… opportunistic. "Hey." I looked up, noting the look on her face. Violet must have read the concern on my face because she added, “It’s not our fight—not yet, and it's still a while out. It's just something to keep in mind going forward.” I nodded. "Right. I just… never imagined I'd be specula
Theodore After lunch, we parted ways, Olivia with a charming, underhanded farewell that Violet didn't address or appear to notice. As Violet and I walked back down the street toward the tailor shop. The city’s streets bustling around us, I finally broke the silence. “You didn’t mention the unive
Violet set her fork down, her smile as polite as ever. “Well, I’m glad to have your support. It’s always encouraging to know others are invested in justice.” I couldn’t tell if she was being genuine or sarcastic. Probably both. “And the Shelter project,” Olivia added, turning her attention to me
Theodore They talked the whole walk to the restaurant, Violet never removed her hand from mind, and she walked in between me and Olivia. I could see that Olivia was irritated by it by the occasional looks she would shoot me, but I ignored them. The restaurant was closer than I expected. I opened t
I'd hoped to never run into her again. “I take it you know each other?” I asked, keeping my voice light. Violet glanced at me, her eyes twinkling with a hint of mischief. “Of course. Olivia was one of my mentees at the Academy, for Governance and Diplomacy.” I blinked at that. "You… were a TA.
Violet Olivia Bronson clearly didn't recognize me, or she didn't care. Knowing her, either were just as likely, but I didn’t interrupt whatever moment she was having, and took the moment to gauge her goal. Whatever it was, it wasn't good, but it did present an interesting opportunity. Olivia did
I scoffed. "He should have had the decency to kill her, at least I wouldn't be dealing with Theodore." I rubbed my forehead. "How much longr can we keep the records hidden?" "Indefinitely," he said. "The sector of the national system that is still managed by the crown is separate from the rest.
Owen There were too many people in the country who were doing whatever it took to not be a rogue and they knew it. If I hadn't restricted the number of people and how people can transfer between packs, a lot of packs who supported me would have lost all of their standing and power by now. I had
I set my jaw, glaring at the screen, seeing the paparazzi following Theodore and Violet walking down the street. Smiling at one another, seemingly overly happy, and blissful. The faint glow of the bands on their heads were clearly visible, just as visible as they had been since they were married.