Chapter 99

Violet

I turned back at the sound of a sharp clatter and caught sight of Nora dumping the plate of food into a small waste bin by the cot. Her expression was tight with anger as she muttered, “I don’t need your pity.”

I didn’t flinch. The action—and her defiance—meant nothing to me. I wasn't going to be up all night with hunger pains or nausea or whatever happened to her. I shifted my attention to Owen, who was watching me with that calculating glare. He was sizing me up like he thought he could get something out of me.

He was lucky that I'd brought extra plates.

“What do you want?” I asked evenly, my voice devoid of any warmth or frustration.

Owen straightened slightly, ignoring his injuries as he barked.

“I want medication. Now. Fetch the host and tell him I demand it be brought to me immediately.”

His arrogance was so ingrained it almost seemed rehearsed. I raised a brow, my lips twitching in faint amusement.

“You want me to demand something from the alpha of this estate on your behalf?”

“Precisely,” Owen snapped, his tone brooking no argument.

I didn’t argue. Instead, I turned to one of the serving staff standing nearby.

“Go find one of the Alpha King’s knights,” I instructed calmly. “Tell them to make a run to the nearest pharmacy and bring back what’s needed.”

The staff member hesitated briefly but nodded and hurried out of the room.

Owen’s face turned a deep shade of red, his eyes blazing with fury.

“You think that’s acceptable?” he hissed. “You—”

“Your Majesty,” I interrupted, my voice cutting through his like ice, “the estate’s medical stores will have been cleared out in anticipation of this event. There’s no stock for magical remedies or potions here.”

“That’s absurd!” Owen spat. "Injured men and no one--"

I met his gaze, unbothered. “Hardly. It’s protocol for such events. To ensure that there's no attempt to posion anyone."

"That's---"

"And, lest you’ve forgotten, no one who isn’t under your direct command is permitted to give you anything, unless it’s from a mixed batch—such as catered food from a communal pan.” I smiled. "I believe… that was a law that your father enacted, hm?"

Owen froze, his jaw tightening. He didn’t need me to elaborate; he knew the origins of that rule as well as I did. The last king made that law after an assassination attempt that had come from within the royal family. He hadn't known it at the time. He'd been a menace to everyone who had been in attendance at the time, but everyone laughed when it was revealed that it had come from within his own family… and that it had nearly succeeded.

The room went deathly silent. Even Nora, who had been silently fuming beside Lucas, glanced at Owen with a flicker of unease.

Owen’s hands curled into fists, his breathing heavy with rage. “Someone has magical remedies. I know it. I know you do."

I smiled. "I would never give you the chance to claim I or Theodore even had the opportunity to try and poison you, Lucas, or anyone you consider on your side." I tilted my head. "And you've irritated Seraphine and Dorian so much, I can assure you that they will have no desire to help you."

"They have to do as I say!"

"At a noble event?" I asked. "Laws of Hospitality--"

"I am the alpha king!" He shrieked. "How dare you try to quote laws at me, when--” He chocked, bending into himself, clutching his injured side. I hoped it was a broken rib.

I turned away with a faint, almost dismissive smile. “I'm sure your knight will be back soon… though what they'll bring back, I don't know." I looked back over my shoulder. "When alphas host other nobles, it's basically a pack holiday. I don't know what's still open at this hour."

"You!"

"I'll direct them to go to the hospital for the best chance, but that's probably going to be a bit longer. Now, if there’s nothing else, I’ll leave you to your recovery.”

Without waiting for a reply, I turned and left the room, my steps calm and measured despite the tension that hung in the air behind me.

I sighed, feeling better. The tension of the encounter melting off my shoulders as I made my way back to the fighting pitch. The matches soon picked up and got into full swing, the air alive with the sounds of combat and the enthusiastic cheers of the spectators. I reclaimed my seat, my gaze sweeping over the field where the next contenders were battling and joining the cheering.

The afternoon sun had begun to dip, casting a warm, golden hue over the gathering. By the time the matches concluded, a festive air had settled over the estate. The nobles gathered in clusters, laughing and chatting as the servants began setting up for the reception. Theodore was surrounded, drawing them in with his smile and the light in his eyes. He laughed, throwing his head back as they poked and prodded at the band on his forehead that was still glowing.

I drifted though the crowd, a glass of champagne in hand, observing as Theodore was swept up by a group of alphas who had clearly taken a liking to him. They clapped him on the back, their laughter booming as they poured him glass after glass of the estate’s imported wine. I chuckled, wondering what kind of drunk Theodore was. I could imagine him simply being a bit silly, but something told that wasn't all it would be.

I didn't know if that was a good thing or not, but I liked seeing him so at ease with my peers, the people I'd grown up with in my life. They'd all been at both of my weddings, begrudgingly at the first and happily at the second.

I caught Theodore's eye and he flashed me a boyish grin. I blew him a kiss the grin turned brighter before someone had him around his neck.

"Time for more drinks!"

Seraphine slipped up beside me. "You're not going to save him?"

"It's a rite of passage," I said. "They never got to before…"

Seraphine took my hand. "I am certain that if they had, Lucas would have ended up floating face down in the lake."

I snorted. "Give them credit. They would weigh the body down first."

At first, Theodore held his own, avoiding the more intense drinking games. But as the night wore on, his resistance waned. The wine, potent and unfamiliar to him, started to work its way into his system. I could tell by the way his eyes flashed and the brilliant glow of the band on his head that was basically another light in the night.

I watched, amused, as his normally composed demeanor softened. His smile grew wider, his laughter freer. His whole being sparkled with a warmth. His suit was reacting to the lowering of his guard, the inebriation, and the magic in the wine. He looked… free, and that warmed me in a way I didn't expect.

He'd already been through so much. He'd been anxious about coming, and now he was playing a game of cards as if he'd been a noble all his life.

I mingled among people I knew, catching up and networking as usual. The next time I looked over at the table, Theodore was batting away hands and laughing.

"I didn't cheat!"

I snorted as they grumbled and demanded another round.

The night was starting to calm. Music played, people danced, and suddenly, a pair of familiar arms were around me. The scent of wine and something distinctly Theodore enveloped her as his arms slipped around my waist, pulling me back against his chest. The movement was confident, possessive, and entirely too familiar for a public setting.

My heart skipped a beat, but I managed to keep my expression neutral, sipping her champagne as though nothing was amiss. Seraphine glanced at us, clearly amused and teasing. She leaned over to whisper to Dorian. Dorian looked up, snickering and replying.

“Theodore,” I murmured, “you’re drawing attention.”

“Let them watch,” he whispered, his voice husky, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. “They already know you’re mine.”

Heat pooled in my cheeks. My gut clenched and I breathed through the spike of arousal, reaching up to tangle my hand in his hair. His head lolled forward, letting me stroke his hair.

"Enjoyed yourself?" I asked. “I can tell you’ve had too much to drink.”

He grunted. "Your would-be uncles got me drunk." He nibbled at my shoulder. "I don't even know how. I never get drunk-- you smell so good."

"Theo'," I gasped as he pressed his hips against mine. "Calm yourself. We're still---"

"How long?" he asked, his hand splayed over my hip, squeezing and keeping me against him. "How much longer, Violet?”

“For what?” I breathed.

His breath ghosted against my neck, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin there.

“How much longer before I can have you?"