Chapter 196

Violet’s POV

A knock sounded on my bedroom door, and I tore out of my walk-in closet to open it. Lily stood on the other side.

“You sent for me?” she asked, but as she looked me over her face fell. “What’s wrong?”

I burst into tears.

Kincaid appeared out of nowhere as Lily wrapped me in a hug. “Alpha? What is it?”

I shook my head, trying to stop the damn tears. It was ridiculous that I was crying at all.

Lily pulled back to look me in my water eyes. “Are we crying for reasons that require your Beta or your best friend?”

All she needed was a look, no words from me at all, then she said, “Go away, Kincaid.” She led me back into my room, shutting the door behind her.

I really, really loved how well she understood me. And it was sweet that the lack of receding footstep sounds indicated Kincaid stayed put – just in case.

I silently led Lily to my walk-in closet. Well, silently except for my tears that were finally slowing.

“By the Goddess,” she breathed as she entered the closet.

It was a mess. As in hurricane-tore-through-here mess. She looked to me, partially concerned, partially horrified, and completely confused.

“Nothing fits.” I hated how small my voice sounded.

Lily’s shoulders sagged in relief as understanding washed over her, and she realized no one’s life was on the line. Then her brows knit as she approached me, running her hand over my stomach. “How?”

“Look at this!” I turned sideways so she could see my baby bump more clearly.

Lily raised her eyebrows, unconvinced. “Honestly, at most it looks like you just ate a big meal.”

“Yeah, a big meal I can’t poop or fast away!” I shot back.

“Okay, okay, okay,” Lily took a literal step back. “This is for Dahlia and Kincaid’s wedding three days?”

I nodded.

“Alright, let’s say you weren’t pregnant. Put on the ideal dress you would want to wear so I can see what we’re working with.”

I sighed in frustration and dread, knowing I would have to see how terribly it fit again. Because, of course, I had already tried it on.

It was a backless dress, the same yellow and pink colors as the wildflowers I usually manifested. I zipped it up the side then pouted in it in front of Lily, spinning slowly when she asked.

“It zips,” she commented, “it fits, you look gorgeous. I don’t see what the problem is. Besides, if you show up in that, everyone will be staring at your back, not your stomach.”

“It doesn’t fit the same,” I insisted. “And I’ll feel self-conscious.”

Lily picked up a black, baby-doll style dress that made my legs and boobs look damn good. “What about this one?”

“It hides my stomach,” I pointed out.

Lily hesitated. “Is that not the goal?”

“I don’t want to have to hide my stomach!” I blurted, maybe at an unnecessarily high volume.

Lily looked between the dress in her hands and the one on my body, clearly confused. I slumped onto the bench in my closet and started crying again.

“I’ve wanted to be pregnant for so long, and I’m so grateful that it didn’t happen until I was with Theo, but now that I’m finally growing a little pup inside me, I’m not sure I’m ready for my body to change. And it’s going to change a lot.”

Lily carefully rehung the black dress in her hands and came to sit at my side, wrapping me in another hug while I continued to cry. “And this is definitely about your changing body and not about the fact that King Owen pulled yet more strings to get Judge Bronson to throw out the lawsuits against him and Lucas in less than 48 business hours from when they were served?”

My tears stopped at that just so I could glare at my best friend. “That doesn’t drive me to tears. It drives me to strategize.”

Lily smiled like she had found the Violet she knew under all my tears. “Tell me how you’ve been strategizing.”

I knew she was just trying to distract me with something that would make me feel better, because I knew I was damn good at strategizing, but I didn’t care.

“The Vainthotts have shared a live file with me that they continuously update with the names of Alphas who have expressed approval or disapproval for suing the king, as well as a list of Alphas who haven’t reached out to them about it either way. I’m starting with the list of neutral ones.”

“And what are you doing with them?” she nudged me on.

I straightened my spine, wiping the tears off my cheeks. “I’m setting up meetings with them to connect and negotiate trade deals where possible. Hoping to lean them from neutral to opposing the king.”

The thought of the Vainthotts’ list reminded me of another list, the one I’d shown them last time they were here: the list of potential replacements for the crown. With Dorian’s assertion that it would have to be a legally viable replacement to avoid a swift rebellion and thanks to the new succession law, that list had dwindled down to a disappointing two options.

Even with all my great strategizing and problem-solving skills, I couldn’t find a way around it.

I manifested a handful of confetti and threw it above my and Lily’s head. She reared back, surprised but laughing.

“Something to both cheer me up and release some magical tension,” I explained. “Have you and Kincaid found anything new for how to undo the fake mate bond?”

With all my efforts being poured into Darkmoon and treason, I had delegated that task to them and Sophia. Since we’d decided it was more important for Owen to think we could prove he cast the spell instead of actually being able to prove it, research on that had come to a halt. If we had the resources, we would still be looking into it, but time was running out.

Lily shook her head sadly. No more information for how to undo the fake mate bond other than trying to kill the one who cast the spell and the fake mate – both of which were in the works.

Standing up, Lily pulled the black dress off its hanger and handed it to me, requiring I try it on for her with nothing but a look. No words.

We didn’t need them.

I removed the ideal dress, throwing it pettily on the floor. Lily tried to suppress an amused smile at my childish behavior. Then I zipped myself into the black dress, pulling my boobs into place, framed by the low neckline.

“By the Goddess,” she said as I spun for her, just like she had upon entering my disaster of a closet. But this time, the words were said in amazement instead of judgement.

Lily chuckled. “Your boobs are so swollen already. They look magnificent in that dress.”

I sighed, still frustrated by the feeling of wanting to hide my stomach but conceding internally that my boobs did look fantastic as I looked in my full-length mirror. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” my best friend confirmed, smiling mischievously. “Theodore won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”