Chapter 102

Violet

The channel changed to another channel where the journalists were interviewing people on the street. It was an older man standing with the reporter, shaking his head.

"It's been too long since we've had a decent king," he scoffed. "His father was a piece of work, but even he had the sense not to piss of the nobles."

"You think there's going to be a problem?"

He scoffed. "The video of the attack is everywhere. I'm glad His Majesty doesn't have a daughter. I can't imagine what that little girl would feel watching this. Don't know how his wife or his mother can even stand him…. Letting him go after what he tried to do to a woman he'd already done such a disgrace…"

"Some would say that his endorsement of Alpha Reed is indicative of either a deeper relationship or some greater conspiracy."

"I'd take him being stupid and in the closet over supporting a cheating, rapist, drug dealer."

"I take it you've heard the preliminary notes of the investigation…"

I glanced across the way to the luna of the territory where Midnight Park was. She lifted her glass, her eyes narrowed in fury. I nodded at her.

"More of that noble solidarity?" Theodore asked.

"It never ends," I said. "Midnight and Darkmoon are both being kept in the loop if you're worried."

Theodore shook his head. "I'm just getting more pissed off… but at least breakfast will be good."

And it was because the Vainthott's believed in quality, but the atmosphere was too tense to really enjoy it. We had to move quickly to head off whatever Owen's greater plan, if he had one, was. There was something pricking at the back of my mind, a warning as if the Goddess was whispering in my ear. I looked at Theodore and smiled at him. I took his hand. He smiled. Delighted. He kissed my hand and seemed to be in a much better mood.

I ate, but everything started to taste like ash.

A few days later, we left the Vainthott estate behind, heading for Darkmoon. The air grew heavier as we neared the borders of my territory, remnants of the past still clinging to the land. I could still feel Lucas' presence, still remember the desperate chase as I escaped and the threat. He was gone. I knew this. Part of me knew that with every traitor that had been ejected from the territory that it was cleaner now—less tainted—but there was still work to be done.

The first stop was the Donovan Estate. Theodore had seen pieces of my world before, but not this. Not the ancestral home woven with magic, steeped in generations of power.

Theodore let out a soft gasp, looking up at the face of the Estate in awe.

"It's like… wow."

I chuckled and offered him my hand. "Care for a tour?"

He took my hand, nodded and we walked inside. The wards welcomed me as I stepped through the gate, shimmering faintly in recognition. Theodore hesitated just long enough for me to notice, his eyes scanning the shifting energy of the place.

“It’s alive,” he murmured.

I smiled. “It’s watching.”

"Why…" He bit his lip. "Why didn't it protect you, before?"

I looked up at the Estate and let out a deep sigh.

"I hadn't activated them is the simple answer. I was… trying to conserve the magic of the place, but I had my cousin activate them and recharge them on the way back across the border."

He squeezed my hand. "If I can… I'd like to help keep them charged."

I grinned. "Oh, I'm sure you can… simply by walking around. Come on."

Inside, the halls smelled of aged paper and magic. I led him to the library—a grand, towering room filled with shelves that stretched beyond the normal limits of space. At its center stood the heart of the collection: books in my mothers’ native language, their spines marked in the gold leaf particular to the her home country.

"These are all the books from across the border," I smiled. "I like to add to the collection every once in a while for my own purposes, but the books that will be most useful to you have been here since I was born."

I scanned the shelves until I found the first volume of the primers I learned to read the language form. I pulled the first primer from the shelf and handed it to him.

“You’ll need to start here,” I told him. “Learning the alphabet first.”

He took the book with so much reverence and awe in his eyes and cradled the book in his hands. His fingers brushed over the pages, tracing the unfamiliar letters.

“You’re serious about this?” His voice was soft. "About… about teaching me?"

My heart trembled and cracked at the uncertainty in his voice.

“Yes," I said and gestured over to a nearby table. "You can… if you want."

He bit his lip, looking so young in that moment. So eager. He crossed the room, took a seat and opened the book. For a moment, I wondered what exactly he had been like as a student. While he immersed himself in the first steps of the language, I left him to call Sophia. She answered on the second ring. Her face seemed devoid of most of the makeup she usually wore, but she wasn't unkempt.

Comfortable. There was a stack of documents in view of the camera, but she smile.

"How are you?" She winced. "I saw the announcement…"

"I'll deal with that later. How are we doing on Shelter?"

“We’ve made progress,” she said, opening, what I assumed were the reports “Public support for the Shelter project is over seventy-five percent now.”

That was a victory. More than I’d expected in such a short time.

“A lot of support is coming from territories that expel women pregnant out of wedlock,” she continued. “It’s putting pressure on them.”

My email chimed and I opened the reports form the voting system, nodding.

“Any changes in response?”

“One.” Sophia exhaled. “An alpha from one of those territories put out a statement saying they’ll stop the practice.” She rolled her eyes. "Though I think it's because there's been a resurgence of abstinence calls and temple testing for mates."

I chuckled at that. They were probably taking a page out of my life story and making sure they were fated according to the temple rather than risking it.

"Makes it harder to claim that women are loose if they aren't even dating outside of formal temple matchmaking. And what else?”

She shook her head. “No details. No mention of what they’ll do instead.”

I wasn’t surprised. Empty words were easy. Action was another thing entirely.

I leaned back, fingers drumming against the arm of the chair. “Then we watch them. Closely.”

Sophia nodded. “And if they don’t follow through?”

I smiled, sharp and knowing. “Then we keep the pressure up. It might not force their hands, but it will make it hard for them to fight the surge of the return to ultra-conservative traditionalism." I smirked. "Spiritualism even."

I paced, reading through the summary document she sent me.

“Let’s not. Make sure the public starts asking questions.” I hummed. “Reach out to a few news outlets—ones that aren’t easily intimidated. Have them push for answers. What happens to the women now? Where do they go? What resources are in place?”

Sophia nodded. I could hear her starting to type up messages.

“And make sure the media keeps running those interviews with rogue omega women—the younger, the better. National television, social media, every platform we can get. We need to flood the narrative before Owen tries to choke it out.”

Sophia gave a grim smile. “I’ll handle it.”

She flipped to another report, pausing before she spoke. “And what about Lucas?”

I raised an eyebrow. “What about him?”

“He’s running his mouth again. His latest statement claims he’s confident he’ll win in Capital Court. He’s already acting like it’s a done deal.”

A wave of irritation rolled through me, but before I could answer, the door creaked open.

Theodore strolled in, book still in hand, his eyes sharper than they had been when I left him in the library. His eyes were glowing, no doubt just learning the language, engaging with the language was stirring up his magical instincts.

“Hello, wife."

My heart stuttered. My eyes widened and my eyes burning. It shook me in a way I wasn't prepared. I didn't think…

"Hello, husband," I replied. He sucked in a sharp, shuddering breath. His eyes fluttering closed. "Y-You've gotten far…"

His lips twitched and he came closer.

"I… Fuck. That was a lot."

"Y-You'll get used to it."

He snagged my hand in his. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, dabbing at my eyes. "Just fine. Just… caught off guard. Talking with Sophia about the latest announcements and moves."

"Lucas."

I nodded and he grinned.

"I say we make him put his money where his mouth is.”