Chapter 209

Violet’s POV

All eyes were on King Owen as Auntie’s question hung in the air. If he confirmed that he used magic, he would be expelled across the border. Though not the preferred choice, we had enough connections in Henosis to make sure Owen was correctly handled there.

If he denied his use of magic, his wolf would be ripped from him, ending his life. Either way, it was a win-win. We had him.

But I wanted this so badly that I didn’t dare voice our all-but guaranteed victory in my mate’s mind for fear of jinxing it.

“With all due respect to the temple, is it fair to reign judgment without evidence?”

I turned to the voice behind me, recognizing the woman who had spoken. She was an Alpha from a western territory. I added her name to my growing list.

Theo must have known because he let his chuckle filter through our connection.

“No,” Auntie conceded. “Which is why the temple is considered to be the ultimate, fair judge. We only facilitate the judgment of the Goddess, who sees and knows all.”

“How do we know it is indeed the Goddess’ judgment and not your own?” a male voice somewhere in the crowd asked. He was smart enough to stay out of my sight.

A familiar guffaw in response captured my attention: Seraphine. “Only a desperate man would stoop so low as to question the authority, capability, and intent of the temple.”

She was right. Even if Auntie was technically helping us, I knew she did not have the heart or the power to overrule the temple’s laws. It was why she kept finding loopholes to help us; she would never directly violate the sacred rules.

“The king’s own spy just proved that the High Priestess didn’t put those bands on Alpha Nightshade and Alpha Donovan’s foreheads,” someone added from the other side of the crowd. He gave me a subtle nod of solidarity when we made eye contact. “No one could believe that accusation unless they were blindly and stupidly loyal to King Owen.”

Owen leveled a glare toward the Alpha at his words, but the Alpha didn’t cower. Even if I hadn’t made as many political friends in the short time we had to prepare as I would have liked, Owen’s list of enemies was long and working in our favor.

It was not part of usual proceedings for so many voices to chime in. Owen was allowing it, taking every second he could get before he had to choose between death or imprisonment. I realized that Auntie was allowing it, too, likely in order to reveal those who were about to become my enemies.

She waited a moment more before repeating, “King Owen Nightshade, do you confirm or deny the accusation set forth against you by Alpha Violet Donovan of Darkmoon?”

Owen glared over her shoulder subtly, but I knew enough to know it was meant for Eva. Then he turned to face me.

“You have no proof and neither does the Goddess because I cast no spell. Your accusation is the pitiful wish of a pathetic, lonely woman who can’t handle the fact that not one, but two Alphas have rejected her for their true mates!”

I didn’t have time to worry that he was telling the truth, that we had gotten it all wrong and revealed our hands with nothing to back it up, before a flash of blinding white light struck Owen down. Like an explosion, a pulse of energy rippled from his body, sending those closest to him, including myself, stumbling back. Gasps echoed off Mel Rimanea’s new buildings as people shielded their eyes from the light, their noses wrinkling at the burning scent that filled the air.

Owen’s wolf howled in pain as its ghostly, silver form was ripped from his body, writhing as it tried desperately to remain with its human. Despite its best efforts, Owen’s wolf spirit was wrenched away, fading into nothing. Owen choked, trying to intake breath that his body would no longer support – not without his wolf.

In his last moments, it was not Theodore, the brother he had always feared, whom Owen locked eyes with. It was me: the real threat he had been too naïve to ever see coming. Shock and realization twisted his features.

I would never know now whether he denied my accusation because he believed his own lie or because he somehow thought he could get away with it. Either way, it didn’t change the fact, as he collapsed in the town center of the project he had refused to fund, that he was dead.

A depthless silence followed as Owen’s shock seemed to infect everyone around him left alive. His followers shook in their boots while his targets took a trembling breath of relief.

It wouldn’t take long for the Alphas to realize our country no longer had a ruler and to begin panicking at the possibility of chaos that might ensue. We had to act quickly.

“Since some of you seem keen on evidence,” I said, “allow me to share some.” Then I nodded to Kincaid. Moving quickly, he pulled out his phone, which was already connected to the speakers distributed around the town center for the party.

He hit play, and Lucas’ voice rang out through the speakers. “Oh, your Highness, my apologies. What can I do for you?”

The recording from Lucas and Nora’s wedding played through, revealing very little, but just enough: that Eva and Nora were sisters, that Lucas had intentionally chosen Eva for an unspecified ruse she was willing to go along with, that King Owen had guaranteed securing Darkmoon for Lucas, and that when his promise fell through, Lucas and Nora chose Eva for the unspecified ruse for the status of being legally related to the royal bloodline.

The Goddess’ judgment and destruction of King Owen had already proved that my accusation was true, that he had cast the fake mate bond spell. The evidence everyone had just heard proved that Lucas, Nora, and Eva were all in on it, too.

Eva tried to flee, but Olivia was already grasping her arm. “I don’t think so,” she purred into Eva’s ear, and I took a steadying breath. Despite my constant reassurance to my mate, Olivia had played her role as Eva’s friend so well that I hadn’t been quite able to tell how much it was fiction.

Now I knew for sure where she stood.

“Where are Lucas and Nora?” Dorian Vainthott called, his arm affectionately around his wife.

Lily burst through the crowd. “Alpha, I’m so sorry. Lucas and Nora took off while we were all distracted.”

Then she pointed into the distance. Hundreds of heads turned to watch as a car sped off on the one road that led to and from Mel Rimanea.

Dahlia and Kincaid raced around their bridal table, ready to chase down the accused in full traditional wedding attire, but I raised my hand. They came to a halt at the sight of it. “They cannot go anywhere we will not find them.”

They exchanged a look, neither of our Betas liking the idea of letting Lucas and Nora get away, even temporarily, but they nodded in submission, taking each other’s hand. And with that item deprioritized, I waited patiently for a higher priority item to be made known.

“Leveling accusations looks awfully fun,” Olivia practically sang next to Eva, whose arm she was still clutching rather tightly. “Maybe I can take a whack at it.”