Chapter 18

Violet

His howl was clear despite the growing storm, but I couldn't tell how far away he was. The world was starting to fade around me, yet I had never been more certain that I would be fine than I felt right then. I looked back toward the Donovan house and saw the Twining River wolves getting closer.

Then, the trees behind me parted, and out walked a large hulking figure.

It was Theodore, leading a small group of wolves that were armored and much larger than the Twining River wolves.

Theodore was covered in dark, sleek fur. It looked black, but it couldn't be. Black wolves were a myth at best. Lightning cracked through the air, sending light scattering across the ground.

The Twining River wolves stopped. I saw Lucas come up behind them, smaller than most of them, and all of them were stunned.

Theodore looked back at me for a moment. His eyes flickered with red light before he turned back and shifted into his human form.

"If they try to move, kill them," he said, approaching me.

He kneeled beside me, leaning over me and shrugging out of his jacket.

"You're safe now," he whispered, stroking my head. His lips twitched.

I wanted to ask what he was doing here and how he knew where I was, but I was too tired.

"Can you shift back?"

I struggled to try, but I couldn't. He pulled out a length of cloth and bound my shoulder.

"You need medical attention. The bullet is still in there."

Once the wound was bandaged, he lifted me into his arms, cradling me against his warm chest.

He turned back.

"Lucas," Theodore's voice cut through the night like a blade. It felt edged with compulsion, and I saw Lucas practically tumble out of his wolf form.

My heart quickened. By the Goddess, how has he done that?

"The only reason I'm not killing you tonight is because it would be a mercy. I'll give you a week to figure out how you're going to compensate me for injuring my fiance mere days before her Luna ceremony."

I was stunned. The shock was enough to make me shift back, stretching into my human form. Theodore shifted me in his arms effortlessly. It made me think of my parents when they'd been happiest and how... utterly content she seemed in his arms.

I shifted a little from the pain and cold.

Lucas snarled, his rage barely contained. "She can't be your fiance! She's my wife!"

"Barely technically," I said, struggling to keep my eyes open. "As soon as I file the end of our union with the Court, we won't even be that anymore."

"You wouldn't--"

"I will as soon as I get it on record that you shot me."

He paled. I could see fear in his eyes, confirming that it had been him who had fired. Then, Lucas's expression shifted.

"Violet, darling," he said. His voice gently. "You can't do this. Just come home, and let's--"

"It won't be home again until you're gone," I said, even as I felt the wolf in me, the broken ends of the bond, reaching out desperately. "As I told you, enjoy it while you can."

He clenched his jaw. "You would be better off just coming home."

"No, Lucas... you would." My eyes burned. "You started this, and now, I'm going to finish it. You should prepare yourself. I'm suing you for conspiracy and for using our mate bond to manipulate me and steal from my pack. Once the court is done with you, and the papers get a hold of it, there won't be anything left for you to rebuild. Twining River will go right back to where it started."

This incident would play in my favor, at least for the conspiracy charges. Any good lawyer would be able to use it as a springboard to honor Darkmoon's by-laws and the original covenants with the crown. The Donovan family, Darkmoon, would retain rights to everything I'd built as alpha of record.

At least, that is what I hoped, but the alpha king could still overrule it all.

Lucas's face twisted, his mouth opening and closing as he searched for words.

"Think hard about it," Theodore said quietly. "You can't afford to offend me further."

Theodore turned, carrying me through the rain with his warrior heading up the rear.

"Rest," he whispered. "You're safe."

I closed my eyes, letting the sound of his beating heart and the sound of the rain pull me into a deep sleep.

I woke up on a couch in a room I didn't recognize. My shoulder throbbed with pain; it was bandaged, and I was in clean, dry clothes. There was a document on the table and a single pen.

"How are you feeling?" I looked over at Theodore standing in the doorway.

I struggled to sit up and nodded. "I'm fine."

He scoffed. "You continue to surprise me. Not many could have run so far with a wolfsbane bullet in their shoulder... Seems like the rumors about you are true."

He crossed the room, sat across the table from me, and gestured to the document.

"20% and details as agreed."

I picked it up and scanned the pages.

"You could have led with this," I remarked softly, my voice strained.

"What did you expect the test to be?"

I snorted. "I think we established that there wasn't a test to be had considering your circumstances."

I signed it and let out a low breath.

"Hungry?" I shook my head. "Typical of wolfsbane. I'll have something left in the room for you to eat later. Kincaid's already arrived with your things and placed them in your room. Can you stand?"

I nodded and pushed to my feet. My knees shook. He reached out for me and then rounded the table to sweep me up into his arms.

"I can--"

"We're partners now. Lean on me a little."

The words held weight, and though my initial reaction was to refuse, I forced myself to relax. He carried me down the hall into a rather beautiful room. The lingering scent of fresh paint told me that it had been remodeled recently.

"You've planned this longer than I first realized."

He chuckled, setting me on the bed. "Stop thinking so much and get some rest. My room is next door if you need anything."

"Thank you, Alpha Th--"

"Theo'," he interrupted. "Or Theodore if you must. You're my fiance now, aren't you?"

My lips twitched, and I nodded. "Thank you, Theo'. For coming after me."

"You're welcome."

I lay down. Fatigue settled over me, pulling me into sleep before I had even heard him leave. The last thing I saw was the mark of the unwanted right in front of my face and the scrapes I'd suffered from falling in the woods.

A loud bang yanked me from sleep. I woke up, gasping and startled. I turned and looked at the wall as it continued to rattle. The bang was followed by another and another. The painting on the wall trembled and dropped, crashing to the ground. The glass broke, and the banging continued.

What the hell was that?

I frowned. Wasn't Theodore's room on the other side of that wall? I groaned, rubbing at my temples. I was so tired that my head was pounding. I noted the sandwich on the bedside table and took half of it to eat.

The noise kept up. I thought maybe I could ignore it, but it started to speed up and grow louder. By the time I'd finished the sandwich, my headache had faded a little, and I was dead curious and annoyed. Was Theodore working out in the middle of the night? That loudly? After telling me to rest?

Maybe he was just pissed off about Lucas. I threw the covers aside and marched toward the door. He needed to calm the hell down.

I went to his door and noticed that it was slightly ajar. I heard him groan. Without thinking, I pushed it open.

Words caught in my throat as I heard a woman wailing.

"Oh, Alpha, right there!"

Theodore was not working out. She was forced up against the wall, clinging to him as he thrust into her almost violently. His muscular arms wrapped tightly around the woman. I couldn't speak. I couldn't look away. I was frozen in place. My face heated, and I couldn't help but remember what it had been like to be pressed between him and the wall, utterly helpless to do anything but take what he gave me.

Had I looked that blissed out?

Had I sounded like that?

"Right there. Oh, harder. Harder! I'm-- I---"

As if sensing my presence, Theodore turned his head. Our gazes met. His eyes were glowing with bright red light. The woman wailed through her orgasm then his lips curved into a cocky smile that felt like a challenge and an invitation.