Chapter 175

Theodore’s POV

Twelve days in which to take Owen down and counting. The timeline was tight, with now two weddings to attend. It was supposed to be twelve days until I was reunited with Violet, too, but now we’d have to wait longer for that.

For now, I’d have to be satisfied with seeing my mate at events and her cousin as soon as he arrived with his deliveries. I’d been awaiting this Saturday impatiently in anticipation of seeing Bennett. It had been jarring to go from more family than I ever dreamed of in Henosis back to the loneliness of Midnight.

Dahlia and Sophia were great, of course, but even we needed to be careful about what we say and in front of whom.

Dahlia knocked on my open study door, jolting me from my pity party. I motioned her in, and she closed the door behind her as she entered. “I was just hoping to go over the plan for today,” she told me without looking up from her tablet as she scrolled through it.

“Fine.”

She looked up at my response, probably my tone getting her attention. I heard how despondent I unintentionally sounded, too. My theory was strengthened by the look of concern on Dahlia’s face as she looked me over.

With Bennett on my mind and Dahlia staring me down, I thought of something to show my Beta. I stood out of my chair, pulling up a picture on my phone as I rounded my desk to share it with her.

“Awwww,” she cooed at the infant on my screen.

“Her name’s Dahlia.”

My Beta raised her eyebrows in interest as she beamed. “Excellent name!”

I chuckled as I tucked my phone back in my pocket. “She’s… Bennett’s cousin’s kid.” I gave Dahlia a knowing look, and she nodded slowly to indicate she understood who else the baby was related to.

By the Goddess, I hated that I couldn’t even say my wife’s name in my own house. My teeth clenched at the thought.

“Are you okay, Alpha?”

I sighed heavily, cracking my neck. “Twelve more days,” I whispered, shoulders deflating. “And then a month or two more.”

Sympathy filled my Beta’s eyes. There wasn’t much she could do about my forced separation from my mate. “How are things with Eva?”

I nodded Dahlia closer to the window, or more importantly, farther from the door to the communal hallway. “She has completely stopped hitting on me,” I whispered. “It’s a relief but also a concern.”

Dahlia nodded once. “I know. Kincaid, Sophia, Lily, and I are all looking into possible reasons for it.”

“Thank you,” I murmured. “Have you found out who knows Eva and Nora are sisters?”

Dahlia shook her head. “Werewolf records are shredded and burned once someone becomes a rogue, so there’s nothing on Eva. Nora’s file has anything about her sister redacted, per the custom for family members of rogues.”

It was too weird that those two were related. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

Dahlia glanced at the closed study door before returning her gaze to my face. “How is… she?”

I loved that my Beta cared to ask about my mate. I loved that Violet was the “she” who mattered most in my life. I hated that we couldn’t risk saying her fucking name.

“No hallucinations since Thursday,” I updated Dahlia. Because, as if the pain of being separated from my mate wasn’t enough, there was the constant fear for her life. “But I can feel how exhausted she is.”

Dahlia nodded solemnly. “You both are.”

I sighed, looking at my Beta and noticing the circles under her eyes. “We all are.”

She sighed, too. “It will be worth it.”

By the Goddess, I hoped and prayed that she was right.

“You said you wanted to go over the day?” I reminded her.

Dahlia nodded, understanding that I wanted to move to a new topic. She looked down at her tablet once more. “I know you want to be here for your delivery from Bennett, and then after that you wanted to go check on the military camps and the refugee settlement, correct?”

I nodded in approval.

“Good. I especially wanted to verify the timing of the military camp three hours from now. They’re very particular about their promptness.”

“Understandably. It’s important to be respectful of their time, too.”

My phone pinged with a notification, and I pulled it out of my phone to a new text message. “Bennett is two minutes out,” I shared.

“Ready to put on a show?”

I rolled my eyes, but I repeated Dahlia’s words in my mind, over and over, trying to convince myself that they were true.

It will be worth it. It will be worth it. It will be worth it.

A knock sounded on my door, but the knocker didn’t wait to be invited before barging in. Eva stopped short in my entryway, dissecting how close Dahlia and I were standing to each other.

Shit. She may not be pushing to sleep with me anymore, but she was clearly not happy to see me in whispering distance to another female.

“Well, I’ll get out your hair,” Dahlia stepped away and toward the door. “Thanks for confirming the itinerary.”

“What itinerary?” Eva asked. Thankfully, she was asking me and didn’t notice Dahlia’s wince at the question. My Beta had only divulged anything in hopes of easing Eva’s concern that our conversation had been anything other than professional, not to invite questions from Eva.

“I’m doing a tour of some of Midnight’s communities today,” I explained. “Just boring Alpha business.”

“But it’s Saturday,” Eva pouted. Dahlia had reached the door to the study, clearly intending to leave, but Eva was either obliviously or intentionally blocking her exit.

I shrugged, trying to look disappointed. “Unfortunately, there’s not much rest for the Alphas of any territory. Don’t worry, though, I won’t drag you with me.”

I smiled like a loving mate who wouldn’t dream of asking the love of his life to lift a single finger. Or at least I hoped that’s how I was coming off since I had gathered it was what Eva wanted from me.

“But Dahlia’s going?”

Shit, shit, shit. I didn’t like the accusatory tone in Eva’s voice.

“Only because I’m paid to,” Dahlia muttered, successfully sounding like an annoyed and overworked employee.

Eva spared Dahlia a little glare before lifting her chin and straightening her shoulders. “I want to come, too. It only makes sense that the people of Midnight start to get to know their Luna.”

Oh, this was bad. The whole purpose of today’s plan was to set things in motion against Owen and eventually Eva.

But I couldn’t see a way out of it that didn’t result in Eva demanding I fire Dahlia. We were just going to have to figure this out.

“Darling,” I practically purred, laying a hand over my heart, “I cannot tell you how honored I am that you would put our people’s needs before a restful weekend for yourself.”

Eva looked surprised by my delight, just as I was hoping. Thankfully, the doorbell rang.

“Dahlia, please update Eva on today’s plan and make sure she’s got clothes she can trod through mud in.”

“Wait, ‘trod through mud’?” I took advantage of Eva’s shock to gently shoulder past her on my way to the front door.

It was showtime.