Chapter 110

Violet

As I led her through the quiet halls of the castle, away from the crowd and the weight of their judgmental stares. Her fingers clung tightly to my sleeve, as if letting go would send her spiraling into oblivion. I could only imagine that to her it felt like it would.

She sniffled, trembling beside me. The scent of fear filled the air as we walked.

“You’ll stay in Darkmoon,” I told her, keeping my voice steady and firm, hoping to anchor her in the moment. “We have an orphanage system in place, one of the best among the noble territories. You’ll be safe there, and you’ll be educated properly.”

She gave a weak nod, but she didn’t say anything. Her breath was still uneven, shallow, like she was trying not to cry but failing. I guided her into one of the guest rooms on the upper floors away from where the rest of the guests would be staying and shut the door behind us. The moment I did, she broke.

A ragged sob tore from her throat as she collapsed onto the bed, her whole body shaking. I sat beside her, keeping my arm around her shoulders, holding her as tightly as she allowed. She clung to me like a child, huddled in Theo's jacket.

“I don’t want this,” she gasped between sobs. “I didn’t want any of it—I don’t want children—I never wanted—”

Her voice cracked, and she pressed her face into my shoulder as though she could block out the reality crushing her. I swallowed the tightness in my throat and rubbed slow circles over her back.

“We’ll talk about it,” I promised. “You don’t have to make any decisions right now. You’re under too much stress, and you need rest.”

Her fingers curled into my sleeve again, and she looked up at me with desperate, pleading eyes. “Will you stay?” she whispered. “Just until I fall asleep?”

The request was so small, so fragile, that I didn’t hesitate.

“Of course,” I murmured.

She curled into my side like a wounded child, exhaustion finally weighing down her frame. I held her close, listening to her breathing even out, waiting until sleep finally took her before I allowed myself to exhale.

I wasn’t sure what kind of future awaited her, but I would make sure she had a choice. Sleep had taken her quickly, exhaustion dulling the sharp edges of her pain for now. I watched the girl’s chest rise and fall, her breathing slow and deep. But my fury was burning hotter and hotter by the moment.

Carefully, I lifted her and settled her properly into the bed, tucking the blanket around her. I left a pitcher of water and a plate of food within reach, then stepped into the hall. A female guard snapped to attention at my pointed look.

“No one gets in,” I ordered. “Not until I say otherwise.”

She nodded, and with that assurance, I turned on my heel and strode back downstairs, my fury simmering just beneath my skin. I came to a stop at the top of the stairs, looking down to the lower level.

Theodore was there, looking up at me and looking just as furious as I felt.

"Husband."

"Wife."

My lips twitched into a smile as I descended.

"I trust everyone's gone back to enjoying our hospitality."

He grinned. "Something like that. Owen's left and a few others."

I reached him, twining my arm around his. "Seems as though the rest of the evening will be at least a bit pleasant."

We headed to the main hall. The party had continued, albeit more subdued. The High Priest was thanked, the tension had been smoothed over as much as possible, and now everyone was doing their best to pretend that the night hadn’t been nearly torn apart by scandal. But as Theodore and I watched on, I couldn’t pretend, but talking about it was out of the question to talk about it.

So, instead we danced and schmoozed. We chatted with everyone in attendance, and by the time we were retiring for the night, it seemed like the scandal was all but forgotten. I peeked in on the girl and found her still asleep before heading to our chambers.

I found Theodore sliding his shirt off his shoulders. I watched as his skin was revealed, watching his muscles ripple as he moved.

"Like what you see?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at me. "Is the sight of me doing something for that fury?"

I smiled and gestured for him to turn around. He grinned and gamely turned around, arms spread and striking a cocky pose.

"It's adequate."

He laughed, throwing his head back. "You wound me."

I sighed, sinking onto the edge of the bed and pulling off my shoes.

“This can’t keep going on like this… Yet I don't see a way forward and out."

The country would start circling the drain sooner rather than later if Owen kept up the way he was.

Theodore exhaled, rubbing his temples. “I don’t know what he’s thinking…. He’s never been this blatant before. He’s always resented me, but this…” He shook his head. “He’s never been this obvious. Or this stupid.”

I scoffed. “You sound surprised.”

He hesitated, his jaw tightening. “I wonder if it’s the mating drive.”

I stared at him. “What?”

“The pull of a mate,” he said. “Not having one—it does things to wolves. All the books say so… and I know first hand. Seen it. Maybe--"

I leaned forward, pinning him in place with a glare. “Stop trying to sympathize with a man who wants you dead.”

The air between us went silent. I felt the shift immediately—the way he shut down, drawing inward. I stood, approaching him.

“Theodore—”

“I’m fine,” he said, cutting me off.

Liar. But I could feel the tension in the air, humming through our bond. Had he never considered that to be the case? Never figured out that his brother definitely meant him harm?

No. Theodore was perceptive enough to know that, but was he willing to… admit it was another question.

"Do you need space?"

He scoffed, crossing the space between us and pulling me into his arms, his tone light and brittle.

“It's beneath you to try to use a disagreement to get out of our deal to share a bed.”

He was joking, but I could still feel the distance, the way he was walling something off.

I let him hold me, pressing my hands to his chest. His heart was racing.

“We can talk about it… or not if you're not ready for it."

He huffed but he said nothing.

I nodded, leaning into his arms and squeezing him close. We stayed that way for longer than I realized before getting to bed.

We sent the guests off the next day with warm cheers. The publicity around the event was all positive. Rylan's death was publicized via video and seemed to spur public opinion in Shelter's favor.

I guess the fear of what could happen to any of them was enough to make people see reason.

A few days later, we were dressed in suits and climbing into a helicopter. The hum of the helicopter’s blades was almost soothing as we flew to the capital.

By the time we arrived at the capital, I was ready to explode with the tension building inside me. We landed at the designated helipad, and were escorted towards the Capital Court building. Theodore and I followed in a separate car. We pulled up and there, waiting by the entrance to the court building, stood Lucas and his lawyers. The sight of him made my blood run cold. He turned and smirked at me as we walked up the steps, as if the outcome was already in his favor.

"You can still withdraw the suit," Lucas called, lifting his chin.

That same smugness and arrogance that had once seemed like only a minor character flaw was blazing like a bright neon red flag. The more I looked at him the more I realized that I should have seen this before, long before now.

Why hadn't I?

I gave him a thin smile. "Are you speaking to yourself?"

He flushed and scowled. Theodore didn't even acknowledge him as we passed. He opened the door for me, ushering me inside. Soon, we arrived and convened in one of the private rooms. The legal team sat huddled around their papers, voices low but urgent as they pored over the final details of my defense. I let their words wash over me, trying to keep my mind steady, but I couldn’t help the gnawing feeling in my gut. Theodore sipped from a glass, typing something on his phone.

According to them, Lucas hadn’t submitted any new evidence to discovery, yet I couldn't shake this nervous, churning feeling. There had been something in Lucas' eyes that set me on edge.

"Violet?"