Chapter 52

Violet

I expected a lot of things when the music changed, signaling that it was my turn to walk. I thought I would be nervous. I thought I would hesitate, and yet I walked forward without thinking about it. I even thought that I would miss my father in this moment, but I didn't.

The whispers rose around me as we made our way to the altar, soft and insistent like the rustling of leaves in a storm.

“How does she know the High Priest?”

“It probably wasn't her. It was definitely Alpha Nightshade.”

“But he seemed so surprised….”

“Who’s the woman with the High Priest? She looks foreign.”

“Quiet! She’ll curse you. She’s the High Priestess of those people.”

It was entertaining to hear them talk about her so openly like this, considering how much power she wielded and how much respect she had, even from the higher priest of our temple. After all, the two temples were not easily separated not even due to prejudice.

I didn’t have to look around to know all eyes were on me. The tension in the air was palpable. Each murmured question was heavier than the last. Seeing them all congregate around the altar with Theodore, Tyron, and Dahlia made me smile. The fake priest whom Owen had set up looked deeply uncomfortable being up there with them, and it served them right. At my sides, the High Priest and the robed woman walked with quiet authority, their presence a shield I hadn’t known I needed.

Owen sat in an area that had been sectioned off, despite my instructions, for him and his family. It was neither a part of my side of the ceremony or Theodore’s. Just as well, it hardly mattered. All three of them had expressions like curdled milk. Owen, in particular, looked as if he’d bitten into something rotten. Almost wanted him to say something.

I caught sight of Lucas, who had pushed towards the aisle to make sure he could be seen. He looked furious and with good reason. We’d been married by a general priest of the country, not the High Priest the way my parents had.

My heart picked up as I thought of them. They had been married in a ceremony just like this. Sure it had been at the temple, but given the whispers that Midnight Park had been built on an old temple site, it hardly mattered.

When we reached the altar, I glanced at the man posing as the priest. He looked uncomfortable, his hands fidgeting and his eyes darting to the High Priest like a trapped animal. He wasn’t fooling anyone anymore.

Owen shifted, forcing a smile as the High Priest smiled at me.

“High Priest,” Owen greeted, his voice carefully measured. “This is an unexpected honor.”

The High Priest didn’t return the smile. Instead, he regarded Owen with a calm, piercing gaze.

“Alpha King Owen,” he said, his tone formal but carrying an edge that was unexpected for a man of his age and position. “I don’t remember seeing your request for a priest to preside over this ceremony…”

Owen hesitated, clearly caught off guard. “Ah, well, there must have been a mix-up. Perhaps you were simply too busy… Though to have you come here is a bit uncalled for. Is there really a need for —”

“Do you question the Goddess’ will?” The High Priest interrupted smoothly, his gaze shifting to the fake priest.

“Of course not.”

“I did not think so. She called for me to be here. Practically delivered the invitation to my door. Lady Donovan has always been a special interest to the temple… I married her parents myself.” He turned to look at me, smiling and his eyes twinkling. “To be able to marry you in this way, with all the circumstance and reverence that I was able to confer upon your parents’ most blessed union… is truly the highlight of my life. It is more than well-known how much they loved each other.”

The fake priest paled, his nervous movements freezing under the High Priest’s words. Owen looked trapped. My lips curved into the faintest of smirks. Whatever Owen had planned, it had just crumbled to ash.

“ I could not have said it better myself,” The High Priestess said, smiling at me. “ Even if I am only here for ceremony or purposes.”

As the High Priest turned to face the gathered audience, I allowed myself a brief glance at Theodore. He was watching me, his expression unreadable, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—pride, maybe? Respect?

The whispers had dulled, replaced by an expectant silence.

“Nonsense old friend,” the High Priest said. “There is nothing ceremonial about your presence here.”

Her lips twitched. “For the law within this country, my appearance is completely ceremonial.”

“Ah, I do forget that.” He chuckled to himself and turned back. “This union will be conducted under my oversight and the blessing of the Goddess. Any who wish to object may do so now.”

Her sharp eyes swept the crowd, daring anyone to speak. No one did. That was almost surprising, considering the circumstances of our union.

I stood straighter, relaxed and even happy. Lucas was probably burning up with jealousy. Owen was floundering, watching his plan backfire so greatly, and Theodore and I’s plan was all but solidified.

Theodore’s POV

I was a bit dazed by it all. How Violet had the foresight to invite these two, I had no idea, but I was grateful for it. I looked at the High Priestess and froze under her gaze. The woman’s gaze was sharp yet kind, an unsettling mix of familiarity and power that made the hairs on the back of my neck rise. As she stepped closer, her smile softened, though there was something knowing in her expression that I couldn’t place.

“You’ve grown up quite a bit,” she said, her voice light but edged with something ancient.

I blinked. I had never met this woman before, I was sure of it.

“And you’ve got your mother’s eyes. Clear and discerning, just like hers.”

Her words froze me. My mother? I blinked, unsure if I’d heard her correctly, but there was no mistaking the way she studied me. It wasn’t casual; it was the gaze of someone who knew me and perhaps even my mother.

A bit of excitement and hope that I hadn’t felt in too long bloomed in my chest. I searched the woman’s face for some sign of how. We were related through my mother? I wanted to ask, but asking now would only cause problems. Her smile widened, and for the briefest moment, her eyes shimmered with magic and it took everything in me to push down the desire to ask her.

“We’ll talk later,” she said cryptically, leaning back slightly. “This is your moment, Theodore. Enjoy it.”

I turned back to look at Violet, hoping for some clarification, but she was beaming at me as if everything was going perfectly to plan. The warmth in her expression was disarming, even as my mind raced with questions.

Before I could think further, Owen spoke again, his posture stiff and his expression hard.

“High Priest,” he began, his tone clipped, “perhaps it’s best if we proceed without delay.”

The High Priest only smiled at us. Then, he turned to Owen with a look of quiet authority that instantly silenced him.

“There is no rush, Alpha Owen,” he said evenly. “It is rare to see such a pair at altar together.”

Owen bristled, but the High Priest didn’t so much as blink. Violet’s smile falter with confusion and I couldn’t help but grin. They were going to confirm it for her. She couldn’t say that the High Priest or High Priestess would lie for her sake. He gestured to the fake priest still lingering near the altar.

“You can go, young man,” he said, his voice oddly kind and firm.

The fake priest didn’t hesitate, scurrying away. The High Priest moved to the center of the altar and beckoned for the High Priestess to join him. Together, they began to prepare the ceremonial items on the altar. She removed the rings from the pillow before placing them in a bowl. The High Priest poured moonlit water out of a small vial into the bowl. The rings started to glow. The air turned vibrant and electric around me.

I swallowed. My heart raced as I watched them, feeling more and more certain that my instincts were right. Violet watched on, clearly entranced by the display. The altar lit up. The crowd gasped. The High Priestess caught my eye with a knowing smile. She pulled a long strip of glowing white cloth and dipped it into the water. Then, she pulled it out and it turned into a length of glowing smoke suspended between her out stretched hands.

The warm golden light streaming in turned to cool, moonlit mist around us. I felt a deeper sense of peace than I had ever known.

“Take each other’s hands.”