Chapter 40

Violet

We walked in silence through the halls of the palace. I didn’t even let myself wonder at the beauty of the place. The air felt cold and stale and haunted in a way. That might have been my imagination, though. Theodore was absolutely silent. The grand halls of the palace seemed eerily quiet. Every footstep echoed as we walked. I caught sight of the cameras hidden in the corners of the corridors and almost sneered.

I bet there were cameras in our room. The thought creeped me out and meant I’d probably actually have to share a bed with Theodore. Great. Like I needed that tonight of all times.

As we reached the door to our room, Theodore stepped ahead of me and opened the door. He entered first and scanned the room. I walked in behind him. The door barely clicked shut before I started pacing, turning over the entire exchange in my mind. The stone actually glowing was a surprise, but more than that was the reaction to it.

Theodore was grumbling. His eyes were on the ground. His shoulders were slumped, and he looked deeply unhappy.

I looked over at him. “What?”

"You should have just let me kiss you," he muttered.

“Are you serious?” I scoffed a laugh, but I could see that he was completely serious. “You are serious… What on earth do you think that would have accomplished?”

“Well, it certainly would have made the whole night more enjoyable.”

I set my jaw, biting back the scathing words I wanted to say. I took a deep breath, and Theodore was likely more stressed than he had let on.

Perhaps… he was always more stressed than he let on.

I thought back to that conversation about Theodore I had with Kincaid and all the literature on the mating drive.

It was quite possible that, yes. Theodore experienced the mating drive more than the average person, and it drove him to chase sex as often as possible, but it was also likely a reaction to his stress levels.

He had been fearful at the table, maybe even… triggered by being back at the palace.

He frowned. “I expected you to say something.”

“I don’t think it would be helpful to say what I initially wanted to,” I narrowed my eyes. “You didn’t answer my question.”

He shrugged, non-committally, and smirked. “You telling me you didn’t want to kiss me?”

“I believe I’ve already told you that.” He chuckled. “And you’re still evading my question.”

He shrugged again, folding his arms across his chest and studying me with an intensity that felt… almost warm. “It would have shut him up. You didn't see Owen's face.”

I tilted my head. “How do you figure?”

“He doesn’t know what real passion is like…” His lips twitched and he rubbed the back of his neck. “And… he’s only ever seen our father with his mate…”

I set my jaw. “Did you… for a moment consider that I didn’t want you drawing any sort of parallels between me and your mother in his mind?”

He winced. “No.”

Of course not.

“Does Owen have a soft spot for your mother?”

He scowled. “No.”

“I didn’t think so. His mother doesn’t either, and neither does his wife…” I smirked. “Though I find it interesting that they don’t have children. I would have thought that Owen’s insecurities about his right to the throne would have made him try for an heir as soon as possible.”

I shook my head, waving my hand. That was a conversation for another time. Maybe never. It would be nice to have Owen’s wife on my side, I could tell that she wasn’t exactly on Owen or her mother-in-law’s sides, but she had no real power either. If I had any plans regarding her, it would have to be to get her out the palace and the miserable situation she was in.

I sank down and kicked off my shoes with a sigh. “I told you before that I have no interest in playing this game.”

“We have to make it convincing.”

“The stone was more convincing than any kiss,” I smirked. “Though, I–”

I broke off and looked around, searching for any tell-tale signs that there was a camera or some sort of listening device. I sighed and went looking for my hotspot. I turned on the security feature and watched the light of it cast a thin film of it over the walls.

“There. Privacy. I’m very impressed by the way. I was worried that you wouldn’t catch on.”

He frowned. “What?”

“The stone. You made it glow the right color and everything. You could have cut down on the brightness and the theatrics a bit, I doubt any of them have ever seen an actual moonstone in action. What did you use?”

He blinked at me. “What?”

“The spell,” I said. “What spell did you use?”

The question seemed to catch him off guard. He blinked, the edges of his mouth tensing slightly, and for a moment, he just watched me. Then he leaned back against the door as if my question had somehow betrayed him.

“...why do you assume I did anything?”

I gestured toward him. “You don’t have to play coy. You could just—”

“Why are you so sure that it was me? I didn’t even touch it. ” His voice was steady but his gaze sharpened. “Why couldn’t we be true mates?”

I blinked at him, then I laughed. “Theodore, really? I know you’ve read more than that. I’ve seen your library. Between the state of my bond with Lucas, the mark, and whatever spell you’ve cast on me— even if I were ever fated for someone—”

“Not someone,” he growled. “Me.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “It’s impossible.”

“Says who?”

“Says every authority on the subject. I couldn’t recognize a second chance until I’m completely free of my fated.”

Otherwise, a whole lot of people would never be together. Things would be all out of order, and the experts all agreed that the Goddess, for all her whiles, was a much better planner than that. His eyes narrowed slightly. He looked frustrated. Irritated.

“If you’re so sure this isn’t fate, then how do you think I did it?”

“A spell,” I scoffed. “You have magic. You’re trained enough.”

He lost color in his cheeks. He stiffened, and that gave me pause.

Why did he look so shocked that I knew?

“How did you figure it out?”

“The bond—”

“There are plenty of magic stones that I could have used.”

I tilted my head, thinking about all things magical stones could do, and nodded.

“Sure. There are.” His jaw dropped open. “But I’m not an idiot.”

“That didn’t answer my question.”

I scoffed and gestured to my face. “Your eyes, Theodore. They glow. Seeing you on the battlefield confirmed my suspicions.”

He looked away, his gaze darting from side to side. He looked more and more nervous.

“Is it obvious?”

I blinked. “What?”

“Is it obvious? Are they glowing now? Were they—”

I held up a hand. “Magic isn’t well studied in this country, Theodore. No, it’s not obvious, it could easily be mistaken for wolf light. I don’t think anyone aside from me and whoever you may have told knows.”

He nodded stiffly, but he didn’t seem completely convinced. This fear seemed older, deeper than the fear that had been on his face at dinner.

“Your worries… Do they have to do with your mother?”

He worked his jaw. “She… made it clear that I should never let anyone find out.”

I nodded. “Understandable… did your father know?”

He looked away. “He knew… at the end.”

His tone was so dark that it felt like I would be pulled into the darkness of whatever memory was crossing his mind. I shuddered at the thought. Then, his expression turned suspicious and he looked at me, saying nothing. The air felt heavy with his unspoken question.

“Your secret is safe with me,” I said, meeting his gaze. “We’re in this together, for now, you know?”

He nodded slowly.

“Will you sit and talk with me?”

He licked his lips and nodded, sitting down beside me on the bench.

“Why is Owen so invested in you finding a mate anyway? It’s painfully clear how much he despises you.”

Theodore’s gaze shifted, growing distant as he considered the question.

“Owen’s fixation...it’s not really about me,” he said slowly. “He couldn’t find his own mate. he still hasn’t, and his mother forced him into an arranged bond with someone he didn’t love to make him look like a better candidate for king… not that it mattered since I have no interest in being king.”

“Does he… have a lover?”

“Probably, but it’s more like a mistress, not a real love interest.”

I nodded. “It doesn’t help that he hates you, and I’m… a far better candidate for luna queen than his wife.”

“Violet—”

A sharp knock broke the silence, interrupting him.

“Come in.”