Chapter 0032
Violet
Lucas’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. For once, he was silent. I looked up at Theodore, surprised.
“Really?” I asked, searching his face.
Theodore nodded. “I know midnight isn’t the kind of comfort that they’re used to, but it’s got to be better than being under the thumb of that idiot… besides it’s time to send out the invitations.”
I was about to respond when my phone chimed. I glanced down at the message from Lily.
I heard that idiot came to visit you. Don’t listen to a thing he says. He doesn’t even know we’re missing, but rumors say Darkmoon’s on edge.
A part of me wanted to relax and jump to my pack’s rescue, but the memory of their faces the night of the party–their silence, their passivity as Lucas publicly disrespected me as if he was their alpha and I was nothing to them–cut through me like a cold wind. It was one thing if it had just been the members of Twining River but it had been members of Darkmoon, too. None of them had reached out even now…
They hadn’t defended me, hadn’t confronted him, hadn’t cared. Even now, they were probably just enjoying the luxury that was Darkmoon’s infrastructure, built by my family and bettered through my decisions when Lucas would have made the pack crash and burn years ago. I slipped my phone back into my pocket and shook my head.
“They’ll be fine. My father would say it’s time they learned who actually fed them,” I said, my voice colder than I intended. “Send out invitations if you want, though.”
His eyes lit up like stars. “I want. I want more than anything.”
I chuckled at that and walked back inside, leaving Lucas outside with them, still seething as Theodore issued a formal warning that I had no doubt was being recorded.
“Starting from this moment on, I, Alpha Theodore Nightshade of Midnight, will begin loving trespassing violations against you as Alpha of Twining River. As you have been warned three times…” 1
I chuckled, a little impressed that he knew the law so well. I didn’t wait to hear the cars pull away. It did matter. I was looking forward to when Theodore would file charges for the damage Lucas and Nora had caused by barreling into the territory in his car. I almost hoped he’d done something heinous other than polluting the air and putting extra stress on the road. The thought of all the infractions piling up against him like kindling on a fire, ready to burn him to ash in court, made my heart light. With each step I took, my anger faded, replaced by a strange sense of triumph.
Lucas’s entire scheme was unraveling around him, and he was powerless to do anything but
1/2
+25 BONUS
add more nails to his own coffin.
Haughed, unable to help myself.
Theodore
Lucas and his mistress burned out of Midnight twice as fast as they had come in. and I had to wonder why exactly she felt the need to come all this way. I guess she wasn’t nearly as secure in her place with Lucas as one would think. I had the warriors along the route he took out of Midnight clock his time to add to the paperwork for damages, and I was looking forward to charging him a shit ton for it.
Within an hour of him being gone, I had Dahlia on the hunt for an invitation designer. By the end of the morning, we had dozens of options ready, which–after wading through various fonts, trims, and colors–I finally narrowed down to five to present to her over lunch.
She seemed surprised.
“So quick?” She tutted. “Must have been a pain in the ass to a lot of people.”
I grinned. “I paid them well. What do think?”
you
She looked over each of them, seemingly considering each of them with more thought than I ever imagined she would. After all, to her, this was still just a contract.
“This one,” she said, suddenly.
I looked up and couldn’t help but smile. Violet’s style matched mine more than I’d hoped.
“It’s like we’re a perfect match,” I said. “This one’s my favorite, too.”
She brushed me off and went back to eating without a word, I wasn’t bothered.
“Laying it on a bit thick, aren’t you?”
“Not thick enough.” I licked my lips, thinking back to the night at the hotel. “Not sweet, sticky, or heady enough, either.”
She shot me a glare. “Knock it off.”
