Chapter 82

Violet

She didn’t even bother to hide her intention, her heels clicking purposefully against the marble as she approached the sink next to mine.

“You know,” she began, her voice saccharine sweet, “you’re quite the bold one, stepping into a relationship so public with Theodore. You would think that you would have the grace and sense to be hiding out until all the scandal surrounding you blew over.”

I didn’t even glance at her through the mirror, feigning looking through my purse to freshen my lipstick.

“I find it bold of you, staring at my husband the way you do in front of your husband.”

She went still.

“Husband,” she repeated, drawing out the word like it was an unfamiliar concept. “How charming. But you might want to consider if you’re truly the right fit for him. I’ve heard you’re frigid, and I know that Theodore is everything but.” She let out a low pleased sound. "He was quite the lover. Everyone knows your ex-husband is barely half the man Theodore is."

"Not even half," I said, pulling out my lipstick. I hadn't been wearing any but I had learned that Theodore liked the color on me. "And since I assume you've slept with Theodore before we met, thanks for helping keep his skills sharp." She flushed as I opened my lipstick and started to paint it on. “The mating drive was quite the burden, and it's so refreshing to have a man who knows what he's doing. I've been enjoying it."

"You bitch."

I closed my lipstick. "You shouldn't start a fight you have no hope of winning." I glanced at her through the mirror, noting that the band of moonlight on my forehead had begun to glow a bit. "Though why you think I care about the words of a one-night stand, I have no idea."

She scoffed. "You're a fool if you think I'm the only one."

"Oh, I know you're not," I smiled. "Though you know that better than me, don't you? I'm the only wife after all."

Her face turned a deeper shade of red. “He's not going to stop."

"Being handsome?"

"Sleeping around!" She hissed. "You'll be the only wife, but it won't mean anything, just like it didn't mean anything with your ex-husband."

I smiled plainly at her, pitying. She glared at me.

"Since we seem to be on such comfortable terms, I'll clue you in to something that should be obvious to anyone looking." I pulled out the small brush I kept, passing it through my hair, seemingly just freshening my look. "My relationship with Lucas could not hold a spark to my marriage to Theodore."

"You'll keep saying that until you're cast aside, just like everyone else."

I chuckled. "It must be hard to have had a shot with Theodore and have to settle for Victor, but don't push your issues off on me."

I glanced casually at the camera mounted in the corner of the bathroom. It was angled towards us, watching us in a way that it hadn't been before.

Interesting. Maybe whoever was on the other side of that camera would be around to visit her soon.

She scanned me, derisively. “I don't know what he could see in you."

"Why don't you ask him?"

She huffed and started to leave. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

I pulled out my mascara, leaning into the mirror, projecting an air of being completely unbothered.

"When your experience is relevant to me, I'll let you know."

"Seems like I should be relying on your experience."

I chuckled and looked over at her. "If you had the ability to leverage your husband's infidelity to liberate yourself without losing the comfort of your life or what reputation you have, I don't think Shelter would be as necessary."

She paled. I could tell that I'd struck pretty close to home.

"But that's the least of your problems, isn't it?" I asked. "After all, I don't think your husband knows about your relationship with Theodore, does he? Should I ask him?"

Her expression faltered, the color draining from her face. “You wouldn’t.”

I shrugged, letting the moment linger. “I’m not the type to stir up trouble, so you're right about that, but maybe you'll take the potential that I could and others certainly could to heart."

I glanced at her. She went still. I glanced up to the corner of the room where the camera was. She turned just enough to see it. I could see her whole body go stiff with panic.

"If you'd come in her to maybe… ask for help--"

"Help?"

I smiled. "You know how your husband feels about Theodore… You should be more careful. It’s obvious to everyone where your interests lie. Last I checked, an alpha has the ability to make just about anyone in his pack a rogue. Your husband doesn’t strike me as the forgiving type.”

She took a step back, visibly rattled. Her hands trembled as she gripped the counter, trying to steady herself.

“I…"

"You can start with an apology."

She set her jaw and turned to the door, but I heard it just as the door swung closed.

"I'm sorry."

"The offer stands," I said, loud enough for her to hear. She faltered at the threshold but she left all the same.

I closed my mascara and tucked my brush back in my purse, turning over the situation.

It was a gamble, but honestly, I had to leverage every opportunity, and while I was certain there were a lot more ex-flings I would have to deal with, I could only hope that half of them were useful.

Theodore

When his wife left, his entire demeanor changed. He grew more restless, more irritated, more angry. It was odd to think that he was trying to be softer with his wife there, but maybe he was just trying to be intimidating.

I almost laughed at the thought.

"It doesn't matter if I've ever fought on the border. Everyone knows that rogues are vicious, uncontrollable, and a threat to every pack they encounter. To say anything else is propaganda at most."

"You're free to do your own fact-checking via the census records. Giving people a second chance dignity and at life, shedding light on issues that anyone can face isn't propaganda -- it's social commentary, but I don't plan to just talk about it. I'm offering a solution at no one's cost but my own."

“What about the ones who will use this ‘second chance’ to come back to tear us apart?”

He stepped closer, trying to be threatening as he had to look up at me. It was laughable.

“You might be able to sweet talk some noble woman into thinking this isn't a grab for power, but I'm a man. I'm not an idiot. You’re just amassing an army to take the throne. It'd be better to just admit it."

"My wife is more intelligent than half the men in the country, especially you." He sputtered. And I grinned at him. "And if I wanted to take the throne, His Majesty already gave me an army to do it with when he gave me Midnight. If he wasn't worried about it, why are you?" I narrowed my eyes. “Sounds like you just want me to take the throne.”

He flushed. "Why would I want you to be king?"

"Why do you?" I asked, staring at him blankly. "I've said it so many times in so many different ways that I don't want to, yet you and people like you keep insisting that I'm lying."

"I don't want you to be king!"

"Then, I can only guess that you want to be king."

He flushed. "How dare you accuse me of entertaining treason!"

I shrugged. "Then, maybe you should build your own version of Shelter."

He jerked back, clearly offended. "What?"

"Well, if you're so concerned about me gathering up all these rogues, the easiest thing would be to make it so I couldn't: contain them yourselves. Propose a restoration of the national penal system." I glared at him. "Or stop making people rogues in the first place."

He sputtered. "That's not-- we don't --"

"You don't make rogues?"

"No!"

“So Mistwood has a jail system, and not a single woman pregnant out of wedlock is kicked out?"

He snarled. "Don't put words in my mouth."

"I asked a question."

"The matters of my pack are none of your ---"

"It's the business of the public, though," I said. "Anyone can go look up Mistwood's census data, at any pack's census data, and start asking questions."

"You son of a bitch. You have no room to question my leadership!"

I scoffed at the word. "You're not a leader. You're a bully. And Shelter is the answer to the question that bullies like you don't want to be held responsible for answering."

"What do you mean by that?" One of the reporters asked. I turned and looked around, realizing that the paparazzi had increase, all of them with their microphones out.

I smiled thinly at the reporter who had asked.

"When a criminal is cast out of their pack, guilty or not, and left to their own devices, who’s responsible for the destruction they cause trying to survive? The criminal or the people who knew what they were capable of and decided to let them go free?”

Scratch

“Wise words,” she said, her voice carrying a faint chill. “It’s clear you’re as formidable as I’ve heard. No wonder Theodore seems so… invested.”

I laughed lightly, as though her comment was harmless. “It’s easy to invest in something worthwhile.”

The tension between us hummed like a live wire, but I kept my expression pleasant. I wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction of seeing me rattled.

“I hear your father’s been keeping busy,” I said, steering the conversation onto firmer ground. “The Supreme Court has its work cut out with all these reforms coming through.”

Olivia’s smile returned, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Yes, Shelter in particular seems to have sparked quite the debate. It’s rare to see something so… divisive. But that’s the beauty of the system, isn’t it? The law must be carefully considered before such changes are made.”

She was careful with her words, as expected. Olivia was no fool; she wouldn’t tip her hand so easily. But I knew exactly where she stood. Her father and the rest of the Supreme Court alphas were entrenched in their conservatism, clinging to Owen’s promises like lifelines.

“I’m sure the court will weigh every angle,” I said with a polite nod. “It’s such a monumental decision, after all. The kind that could shape the future of our society.”

Olivia’s lips quirked. “Indeed. And the future is always worth protecting.”

The words were innocuous enough, but the challenge in her tone was unmistakable.

Theodore finally spoke, his voice calm but firm. “The future is also worth improving. Stagnation isn’t the same as stability.”

Olivia glanced at him, her expression briefly softening in a way that made my stomach twist. She was ruthless, yes, but there was something else there—something more personal.

I stepped closer to Theodore, resting a hand lightly on his arm as I smiled at Olivia. “It’s always a pleasure to meet someone with such strong convictions. I’m sure we’ll have plenty to discuss in the future.”

“Of course,” she replied smoothly. “I look forward to it.”

With that, she stepped aside, allowing us to pass. As we walked away, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Olivia wasn’t done with me—or with Theodore.

But if she thought she could intimidate me, she was sorely mistaken.

“Interesting,” I said, leaning against the counter. “You know, for someone so concerned about Theodore’s ambition, you seem awfully invested in keeping tabs on him. Almost like you miss being a part of it.”

Her eyes flashed, and her carefully constructed facade cracked again, this time with visible irritation. “Believe what you want,” she said, straightening her posture. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

She turned sharply on her heel and left the bathroom, her heels clicking against the marble with renewed purpose.

I exhaled slowly, letting the tension drain from my shoulders. Whatever game she was playing, I wasn’t going to let her win.

I adjusted the bracelet on my wrist, ensuring the surveillance feed was secure before heading back out to rejoin Theodore. He was still in the thick of his debate with Victor, but his eyes flickered toward me as I approached.

The unspoken question in his gaze was clear: Are you all right?

I gave him the barest of nods.

For now.

“Honesty is a rare quality these days,” I replied, keeping my tone light but pointed. “Though I find actions speak louder than words.”

Her expression faltered for a fraction of a second, but Victor placed a hand on her arm, a silent signal to drop it.

“This isn’t over,” Victor said to Theodore, his voice low enough for only the two of us to hear.

“No,” Theodore replied, his gaze steady. “It’s just getting started.”

As we turned to leave, I couldn’t help but glance back at Victor’s wife. She was watching Theodore again, her expression equal parts longing and resentment.

I had the sinking feeling this was only the beginning of another battle, one we couldn’t afford to lose.

Violet

Don’t,” I murmured, placing a hand on his arm. “She’s not worth it.”

His eyes met mine, and for a moment, I thought he might argue. But then he took a deep breath, his expression smoothing into an unreadable mask.

“Let’s finish here,” he said quietly, his voice calm but tight.

I nodded, though the tension in the air lingered as we moved toward the counter. The reporters outside were still snapping photos, their cameras clicking like an incessant drumbeat.

Whatever had just happened, I had a feeling it was only the beginning.

Theodore and I left the lingerie store, the tension still thick in the air from the woman’s earlier remarks. The paparazzi didn’t even try to hide their movements as they trailed us, their cameras clicking and flashing in bursts.

Dinner with Auntie Elise and Master Remy was as comfortable as slipping into an old pair of gloves. They bickered over seasoning, reminisced about their courtship like it had been yesterday, and teased Theodore until even he couldn’t keep the corner of his mouth from twitching.

After the meal, Elise insisted on helping me clear the table while Theodore and Remy pored over the suits.