Chapter 75

Theodore

“Our society cannot thrive if we allow the existence of rogues within our borders,” Cavanaugh declared. “The Shelter Project not only threatens the safety of our packs but undermines the very foundation of what it means to be a werewolf in our world. This is not just a political issue—it’s a moral one. We must stand united against this madness.”

I cocked an eyebrow, intrigued at what he was saying.

Violet moved to get up, but I kept her in my lap. “Just hold on.”

“He’s rallying support against it,” she said. “This could get ugly fast. You don’t think we should get ahead of this?”

“Give it a second,” I said. “These are things he’s said before, but they’re not inherently bad. He knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s making this personal.”

Violet crossed her arms, her expression hardening. “We need to figure out how to counter this before it spirals out of control, but your face says you know something I don’t.”

I smiled at her. “I don’t expect it to be a common occurrence, dear.”

Then, he shook his head.

“Those words were from decades ago, several speeches ago, and before… I had a chance, the will, and grace to actually look at the facts. I’ve had a chance to review the Shelter Project, and it’s written based on the very laws that I supported and would have supported if they had ever made it to the king’s docket. I find that my words from then still hold true, but fixing that issue is not as simple as pulling a hunting party together, nor can we continue to ignore the issue that has been festering for decades.

“After careful review of the project’s plan,” he said, his hands clasped in front of him, “I have decided to vote in favor of its implementation. I will admit that I am wary of what the unseen consequences could be, but as always, my primary concern is the safety of my pack, and after decades of fighting rogues at the border and running them from my territory, I can admit that my methods aren’t working…”

I felt Violet stiffen beside me, her eyes narrowing as she absorbed his words. I fought to keep a smile off my face.

“Shelter, while a bit sappy of a name, would encapsulate the imprisonment and containment bills of the past and benefit the public at large by making these criminals find a path to participate and exist in our borders in a productive manner, rather than a destructive one. While many packs could undertake this responsibility in some fashion, I’ve come to the conclusion that Midnight is better suited for the task, given its current state, connections, and resources.”

I scoffed, turning the volume down. “How generous of him to give us his full endorsement.”

Especially since I had to hand-feed him the project’s proposal. But there was something about that endorsement that felt troubling. My wolf stirred at the back of my mind with a bit of concern.

It would be too easy for there to be a lot more force being put behind the idea of what I and Midnight could do that the Owen couldn’t. I’d have to keep an eye on how far that narrative went.

Violet’s lips curled into a tight, humorless smile. “He’s setting you up. If it succeeds, he looks magnanimous for supporting you. If it fails, Midnight gets the blame. Either way he looks almost progressive.”

“True,” I muttered, tossing the phone onto the table. “Cavanaugh has always been good at covering his ass. He’s gunning for a seat on the Supreme Court, you know?”

She snorted. “Is this the bid to say ‘Look how reasonable I was, how willing to compromise’?”

“Partially.” I smirked, turning it off even though the conference was still going. “With any luck, it’ll be enough to have Cavanaugh throwing his weight behind it to start an avalanche. He’s the loudest voice in a lot of pro-Owen rooms.”

“And that bit about Midnight being equipped?”

“Everyone knows that Midnight is incredibly wealthy.” I smirked. “Now that I am married to the honorable Lady Donovan, there’s a different element of power at play.”

She tilted her head. “They think you can whisper in my ear and get me to change things.”

“Can’t I?” I asked, whispering in her ear. She shivered against me. “Even if it’s just position?”

She turned her head, nipped at my earlobe, and spoke in a sultry, breathless tone.

“I hate missionary.”

I drew back laughing.

Violet hummed. “We’ll need to have a response to this. Owning it, obviously, acknowledging it, but maybe we should wait to see who else might speak up. I’ll let Sophia know that we may be changing our plans around.”

I shook my head. “Your plans really do have plans.”

“Always.”

Violet’s POV

Then, I laughed, leaning back.

“Serious talk aside, Theo’, you have to tell me—what exactly did you do to make Cavanaugh give that speech? He basically said I was wrong, but I was right and Midnight has the best solution.”

All he was missing was a mention of the uncrowned king to round it out. I glanced at the band of moonlight on his brow and smirked.

Theodore smirked, his signature, too-cool-to-care expression firmly in place. “There are benefits to being rich.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Meaning?”

“Meaning,” he said, folding his arms, “I sent him the project proposal. Highlighted the parts that mattered to him and made it bigot-proof. There are four other prominent alphas with annotated copies on their desks. I expected Cavanaugh to speak up first.”

“Four others?” I tilted my head. “Who?”

He rattled off a list of names, each one influential in a different way than the last. None of them were nobles, but I suppose he didn’t really need the noble vote since I was likely to draw it. This group were called the Untitled Nobles. They had power and wealth that was comparable to the noble class.

“You stacked the deck.:

“Cavanaugh’s predictable,” Theo replied with a shrug. “Once the others see him, or any one of them, on board, they were all going to jump to lead the charge.”

“I love it. Make them fight to kiss the ring.” He winced. “It’s true.”

He smirked again. “The only one I want that close and on their knees is you.”

My face heated, and he kissed my cheek before standing.

“Come on. We’re touching base with the staff before the afternoon’s a total loss, if you’re up to it.”

I let him help me up. “Always.”

We headed out of the house, the warm afternoon sun casting long shadows on the path to the central tower. As we passed the training grounds, Kincaid and Dahlia came into view.

“Well, they’re not killing each other,” I said under my breath.

Theo glanced over and snorted. “That’s progress.”

Kincaid caught sight of us and waved, his grin as broad as ever. Dahlia looked slightly less worried. She seemed content, almost girlish in her happiness, carrying a small bouquet of flowers in her arms preciously.

“Enjoy your walk,” Theo called, his tone teasing.

“Don’t work too hard,” Kincaid shot back.

I shook my head as we kept moving. “They’re actually adorable.

“In a slightly unhinged way.”

“Like us,” I quipped.

He gave me a sidelong glance. “Speak for yourself.”

I spent the next hour or so going over the PR plan with Sophia and getting it ready to launch. We’d already gotten a small interview area in the rogue settlement, and Ben was gathering volunteers. By the time we were ready to launch all the messaging, we’d have most of the interviews done.

Between building a small magical server for Midnight’s records and helping Sophia load it all, the day flew by. By mid-afternoon, my body was aching, crying out for a break. Theo came in to my office grinning.

“Owen’s opened the voting polls to public tracking.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Care to see?”

I came out of the room, opening my own laptop to pull it up so we could look at it together.

So far, the entirety of the Untitled Nobles had voted in favor of Shelter and given public statements about why they were backing the project. Most of them were saying the same thing, regarding the lack of actually controlling the rogue problem.

“Five in one day,” Theodore said, humming.

“I’m surprised others haven’t vote already,” I said, noting that there were no votes against it yet. “It could be that they’re waiting… did Owen put up a deadline for it?”

Theodore scrolled through his phone and scoffed. “No.”

I rolled my eyes. “He can’t just play fair, can he?”

With no deadline, he could drag this out for months, years. So long as he approval rate was under 70%.

“What are your thoughts about holding a public forum?” Theodore asked. “Opening a secondary vote to put pressure on the other alphas.”

I smirked. “I’d say great minds think alike.”

“Is that something that Darkmoon’s servers could handle.”

I scoffed, pulling out my phone. “Don’t insult me, darling.”