Chapter 176

Theodore’s POV

I opened the door to Bennett Riccarton, my cousin by mate bond. Instead of holding his box of magical groceries per usual, he had set the box down next to him in anticipation of our little performance. I knew Dahlia was strategically leading Eva to somewhere in the hallway where she would be able to overhear us.

“Bennett!” I exclaimed excitedly at a much louder volume than necessary – just to make sure my voice traveled upstairs.

“Alpha Nightshade!” he beamed back. We both opened our arms wide, connecting in a heartfelt embrace. This was the one part that wasn’t an act for me.

I really did miss the guy. I missed everyone in Henosis.

“How many times do I have to tell you?” I clapped Bennett on the back loudly before we separated just inside the door, in full view to anyone inside. “Call me Theodore!”

“Dearest?” The sound of footsteps followed Eva’s pathetically desperate voice as she trotted downstairs right on cue. Dahlia had done her part well.

“Who is this?” Eva looked Bennett over more hungrily than I was expecting.

Bennett somehow managed to flash her a charming grin as he bowed low. “Bennett Riccarton, Grocer Extraordinaire, at your service.”

Eva’s blatant smile fell immediately. “You’re a grocer?”

Even knowing Eva, I was shocked by the judgment she didn’t even bother trying to hide.

To his credit, Bennett pretended not to notice. I would have to ask him for acting tips later.

“Yes, ma’am. I’ve been delivering Alpha Nightshade’s groceries—”

“Theodore,” I corrected with a smile.

“Theodore’s groceries,” Bennett extended his smile my way before refocusing on Eva, “for months now, only for us to wind up at the same coffee house one morning last week. We hit it off, of course.”

“Two weeks ago,” I corrected again, mostly to make it clear to Eva that our fake run-in supposedly happened during my “retreat”.

“And when I say we hit it off,” Bennett seemingly ignored me, “I clearly mean despite the fact that he loves to correct everything I say.”

I dropped my shoulders in defeat as Bennett laughed. It was a solid burn.

Eva watched us warily before turning to me. “So now you’re friends… with a grocer?”

Honest to the Goddess, I wanted to slap her. I wouldn’t, but I wanted to.

I couldn’t quite keep my temper though as I retorted with, “You’re friends with rogues.”

Obviously, I didn’t care about that, and technically Eva also was a rogue. But I was trying to hit her where it hurt.

“Am I?” she muttered, glancing behind her as if in search for her “friends”.

Apparently, they were still on the outs. Good to know.

“Luna?” Dahlia called from the top of the stairs. “We really should get going on your wardrobe if you’re going to be ready on time.”

It felt like every other hour that I thought about how much Dahlia deserved a raise.

Eva scampered off without so much as hugging me. I could really get used to the shift away from affection.

Though what I really wanted was affection from my mate.

“Come on in!” I reached for the box of food to bring in with us, but Bennet put out his hand.

“Please, Alpha Nightshade, allow me.”

I could carry my own damn groceries, but this was unfortunately part of the roles we needed to play. “Only if you stop calling me Alpha Nightshade,” I joked loudly.

I closed the front door behind Bennett, then led him into the kitchen. He handed me items one by one for me to put away.

“So how’s your family?” I asked. We needed to be careful about what we said, especially since I wasn’t totally sure where Riley and company were. Asking about anyone’s family was innocuous though.

“Oh, they’re good. We had my cousin in town a couple weeks ago, so there was a great big family reunion.”

“Sounds crowded,” I quipped, knowing full well he was talking about my and Violet’s visit.

Bennett laughed. “We miss her and her mate now that they’re gone, but they do really important work that, truth be told, none of us envy them for.”

I snorted, feeling the weight of everything Violet and I were risking.

“I was sorry to hear about your divorce,” he said.

I swallowed the memory of Violet crying, of not being able to comfort her. “Don’t be,” I smiled, or maybe it was a grimace, as I forced out the next words. “It’s paving the way forward for me and Eva.”

I held back an eye roll in case we were being spied on.

“Yes,” Bennett played along. “I’m so happy to have met her. You two seem so great together.”

“Thank you.” I tried not to laugh.

Bennett handed me a container of my favorite boren mushrooms, and my eyes lit up. Was it sad that a visit from my grocer and mushrooms were the only things bringing me real joy these days?

It will be worth it, it will be worth it, it will be worth it.

“I also heard something in the news about a wedding,” Bennet continued. “Remind me, aren’t you related to Lucas and Nora somehow?”

He knew I wasn’t because he knew exactly who Lucas was to his cousin. But it was a smart way to feign ignorance while checking in about that controversial event.

“Not related,” I caught myself, “or I guess, technically, not yet.”

Bennett paused to look at me in genuine confusion with his hand still in the box of food. That was not the answer he was expecting.

“Lucas was my ex-wife’s ex-husband, which might be the connection you’re thinking of, but Nora is also Eva’s sister.” I faked excitement about this news.

Bennett had no need to fake his shock at all. “Wow! What a… coincidental connection.”

He searched my face, and I raised my eyebrows to indicate that we certainly didn’t think it was coincidental at all.

“Wow,” he repeated, handing me a gourd-like food I remembered vaguely from Henosis. “I guess there’s a lot of stuff coming up then, huh?”

It was as close as he could get to asking me what was next.

I laughed. “I guess so. I suppose all any of us can do is keep our eyes on the news outlets to see what other wonders the world brings.”

And that was as close as I could get to saying I couldn’t tell him what he wanted to know.

Bennett took the box off the counter. “I can take this back with me now that it’s empty.”

Our excuse for spending time together was up. But I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.

“I don’t suppose you’d have time this week to get a drink one evening?”

Bennett’s shoulders straightened as he smiled in delight. “It would be my honor, Alpha Nightshade.”

I opened my mouth, but he beat me to the punch. “Theodore,” he corrected.

As I walked Bennett to the front door, an idea occurred to me. “You should come to Lucas and Nora’s wedding, too. As my and Eva’s guest.”

He gave me a questioning look.

“Events like that are always… a magnet for drama. You won’t want to miss the fun.”

But I gave him a knowing look because the truth was I expected something to go down at this wedding, and whatever it was, it might be important to have someone who could report it back to Henosis.