Chapter 63

Theodore

I looked at Violet. "What do you mean?"

Tyron was still on the line, and no one else said anything, but I could all tell they had a lot to say. My mind wasn’t quiet. The thought was like a brewing storm in my head. Part of me knew what she was going to say, hated it, agreed with it, and maybe even feared it. Violet searched my face.

“Your eyes say you know,” she said softly. Violet sat straighter, her voice even and calm. “Do you know the story of the first alpha king?”

I set my jaw. I'd done a lot to avoid learning more about my father's lineage than I absolutely had to. I remembered attending school and wanting more than anything not to be related to all the historical figures that were covered while I was the Academy.

I remembered hating them all, even if it was irrational.

“I know the basics."

Her expression shifted, a mix of wistfulness and seriousness. “His story isn’t so different from ours. His luna, his mate, had been mated before. Her ex-husband discarded her and sided with his enemies and tried to destroy everything he’d built. Rather than all out war between the packs, he challenged them one by one and killed them all in combat. When he was done, the reigning alphas who had been allied with him, ready to go to war for him of his mate's situation, recognized him for his strength, not just as a warrior but as a leader who put his people above his pride. They called him king.”

Her lips twitched. "A Donovan was among them."

She took my hand and squeezed gently.

“They wrote up the challenges protocols. His mate was a daughter of one of the alphas, and they agreed that to take on the challenges on behalf of someone of noble rank should be rewarded from the alpha king." She shrugged. "The reason is complicated, but the laws haven't been changed and can't be changed without agreement of the entire noble class."

I swallowed, looking at her, nervous about the implications.

“So, if I win,” I said slowly, “Owen is going to owe me something…"

She nodded. "Shelter would be a fair ask… among other things that he likely won't want to give you."

I set my jaw. I didn't want to think what Owen might think I would ask for, but knowing him, he only had one thing on his mind: the throne.

I looked away. "Owen will think I'll ask for something more than Shelter."

She nodded. “And everyone else will, too. They'll be expecting you to ask for something they view as… fitting of what your position in the country is."

I grimaced. "Something princely? Can't I ask for Shelter and a plot of farmland."

She chuckled. "You could, but I don't know if it would meet the burden for the nobles. Even if they allow you to just take that, they’ll see you as something bigger than the Alpha of Midnight, especially in light of our mating ceremony."

I glanced at the band of light still on her forehead, wondering when it would fade and hoping that it never would.

"I'll get a new haircut."

"What?"

"We both need bangs."

She laughed. "Be serious."

I shrugged. "I'll make another statement about not wanting the throne."

She scoffed. "That won't be enough so long as you have the right to challenge Owen and anyone loyal to him.”

"What?

She gestured vaguely. "The longer that Owen doesn't take a hard stance against Lucas, he's an ally of Lucas…."

I winced. Friend of my enemy is still my enemy. "Got it."

I stared at her, my chest tight. “That’s exactly what I don’t want.”

Violet tilted her head, studying me. “Then, you should withdraw the challenge."

I set my jaw. Nothing in me agreed.

"Theo," she said, her voice gentle. "I really do appreciate it, but there are other ways than this."

I looked away. “I don’t want the crown, Violet. I’ve said this many times before in all manner of ways. But I want you safe. I want this over. If killing him in challenge will make that happen, then it’s worth it.”

Her gaze softened. "He doesn't have to be dead… Maybe I'd appreciate him being alive--"

I growled. "Why?"

"So he can suffer," she said, her tone brightly. "I have a vindictive streak to feed, you know?"

I almost laughed, but I shook my head.

"We'll find another way to feed it, but Lucas is going to be an ongoing issue,” I said, my voice sharper than I intended. “For what he did to you. For what he’s done to Darkmoon. He’s a monster, and monsters don’t deserve to live, even if they will end up suffering.”

She didn’t flinch at my tone, just watched me with that calm, unyielding gaze of hers.

“How do you go from talking about delicate balances and planning to flip the whole table?" She shook her head. "I know you're upset. I know you're running on a million and five instincts screaming at you, but I need you to think beyond that, or at least take a moment to step back."

I looked away, trying to collect my thoughts. A vicious jealous feeling prodded me. It asked if Violet really wanted to be free of Lucas. It was an instinct born of the fragments of the bond she shared with Lucas. I could feel it, poking and prodding at my bond with Violet. I hated. I wanted to rip it out of her, but I knew that I couldn't. The rest of my mind was doing the logical things and weighing what could happen if I went through with this.

"I can't make this decision now… One way or the other."

She nodded. “Whatever you decide, Theodore, I’ll stand by you.”

I looked down at our hands, her smaller fingers interwoven with mine. “And what if what’s right makes me exactly what I’ve been avoiding?”

Her lips curved into a faint, knowing smile. “Then maybe it’s time to stop avoiding it.”

We sat in silence for a moment, the weight of her words sinking in. She wasn’t wrong. But the part of me that had spent years carefully putting as much distance between myself and the throne, between me and my father, me and the monster I felt I could become, screamed at the thought of stepping directly into its spotlight.

Still, when I looked at her, bruised and still bound to the monster who had hurt her, it all seemed so inconsequential.

Violet

I felt my eyes sting, but I refused to cry. Not now. Not when he was looking at me like I was the only thing that mattered in the world. I wanted to tell him again that it would be fine, that I didn’t need him to kill Lucas, but I didn't, and maybe, deep down, I didn’t want him to listen.

The tension in the room lingered, but it was interrupted by the soft knock of a nurse entering with a clipboard in hand.

“The doctors will be in soon to check on you,” she said gently. "Everything okay?"

"Just fine," I said.

The nurse left again. Theodore didn't move until they came back. He held my hand still. Kincaid and Lily stood off to the side as the fussed over me.

Then, the doctor said the one thing I'd wanted to hear since last night.

“You’re good to go, Alpha Donovan. Just take it easy for the next few days, alright?”

I nodded, though I doubted “taking it easy” was in the cards. Theodore was already standing by the door, jacket slung over one arm like he was prepared for a battle instead of a walk to the parking lot.

Dahlia appeared next, breezing into the room with a pair of garment bags draped over her arm.

“I figured you two would want something clean and dignified to leave the hospital in.”

I quirked an eyebrow. “Dignified?”

She unzipped the bag with a flourish, revealing the shimmering white fabric within. My jaw dropped, and I let out a sharp laugh. “Dahlia. You brought me another wedding dress?”

“Well you only got to wear the one and it's ruined,” she said with a shrug, entirely too pleased with herself. “Besides, this one is simpler, more practical.”

I turned to Theodore, expecting him to look as exasperated as I felt, but he was already opening the other bag Dahlia handed him, nodding with approval at the pristine tuxedo inside.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered, covering my face with my hands.

Lily laughed and hoisted a bag onto the edge of the bed. "I brought the curling irons."

Theodore nodded toward the door. “I’ll wait outside while you get changed.”

As he left, Dahlia placed the bag on the bed and turned to leave with him with a bright smile.

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help the grin tugging at my lips as I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom with the toiletries Lily had brought for me.