Chapter 74
Violet
The ride back to Midnight was uncomfortably quiet. Theodore’s presence beside me only amplified my irritation as I scrolled through the latest headlines about the court case. He was silent and oddly brooding. To be fair, I wasn’t that happy either.
The images were everywhere: Lucas‘ smug face, Nora standing too close to him, and, of course, a photo of me walking out of the court with Theodore at my side. The article was full of speculation as to why Owen was holding off on the decision. A lot of people wondered if there was some truth to all the claims about my mental state. I rolled my eyes. It was exactly the kind of narrative Lucas wanted. I could see Owen helping make all of this happen. I was being painted as the jilted Luna clinging to the powerful Alpha of Midnight.
The next collection of photos and articles were all about the upcoming Luna ceremony being held at Midnight Park, where all of this began.
I shook my head. “Why Midnight Park?”
“The gardens,” he said automatically.
I frowned at that, surprised that he had a real reason. I kept scrolling.
“…and I didn’t think you’d agree to the temple.”
I blinked and looked at him. He didn’t look at me, still looking out the window, clearly preoccupied with whatever her was thinking about.
I kept scrolling, noting all the coverage of the wedding.
“Are you behind all the announcements?”
“Of course.” He sounded pleased. “Did you expect me to be quiet about it?”
I shook my head. “I suppose that would be silly of me to think that you could be less flashy.‘
Theodore glanced at me, his hands loose on the wheel of the SUV. “Flashy? I’d call it effective.”
I turned to him, raising an eyebrow. “Effective for what? Stirring up drama?”
“Reassuring our allies,” he said simply, his tone calm but firm. “Midnight needs to project strength, especially now. If Lucas and Owen think they can undermine you, they’ll try. I won’t let that happen.”
I didn’t have anything to say to that, but I noted the weight of his words.
Our allies.
It might be my reaction to the Lucas situation, but I couldn’t guess what he meant by that exactly. We might have mutual business partners, but we didn’t have mutual allies, I was pretty sure. Though, who knew, maybe we did after that display in the courtroom. I shook my head and put it from my mind, returning my focus to my phone.
“What did the priest say to you?” Theodore asked after a pause, his voice measured but curious.
“I tensed, my thumb hovering over the screen. “Nothing worth discussing right now.”
“Violet-”
“I don’t want to talk about it, Theodore.”
My tone was sharper than I intended, but I didn’t want to talk about it. Not when I was still processing it. I wasn’t
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Chapter 74
+25 BONUS
sure if I should be hopeful or just start plotting how best to drag Lucas to the temple and demand that he do it. I didn’t think I had the strength to compel him, but I also didn’t want to do that.
I hated the idea of forcing my will on someone like that.
I could feel Theodore’s frustration simmering, but he didn’t press further. The silence crackled with tension. We rode to the border of the capital territory and traded the car for a carriage, heading to Midnight. We got settled inside and it took off on the long winding road.
Just as Theodore opened his mouth to speak again, iny phone buzzed in my hand, cutting him off.
The screen lit up with Lily’s name, and I answered immediately, grateful for the distraction. “Lily?”
“I hear someone kicked ass in court today!” Lily cheered. I could hear a noisemaker in the background. Congratulations!?
(f
“It’s not that simpte, unfortunately.” I sighed. “Owen forestalled the enactment of the decree by two weeks.”
“What did you do to the alpha king to make him hate you?”
“Turn him down.“.
She scoffed. “Of couse. Men.”
“Don’t lump me in with that fucker,” Kincaid growled from the background.
“You are in a different class all together,” Lily said. “I just wanted to clue you in about what’s going on with the backup land plots–two of them are gone. They were bought out yesterday. Quietly.”
My grip on the phone tightened. “By who?”
“We’re still trying to confirm, but…” Her hesitation was damning.
“But it’s probably Lucas,” I finished for her.
“Yes, probably. Though where he’s getting the funds, I don’t know. Maybe he’s blowing the alpha king.”
I snorted. “I don’t think he’d be that adventurous given that he likes women and wasn’t that adventurous.”
