Chapter 45
Violet's POV:
My fingers tightened around the phone. Shadow shifted on the padded arm attached to my jacket, clicking his beak in response to the tension radiating from my body. "Why are you asking? I haven't broken any of our arrangements," I said, unable to keep the edge from my voice.
Another pause. Heavier this time.
"Who are you with?" he asked again, and something underneath the question made my jaw clench.
"Where are you?" I shot back, standing up from the bench. Shadow mantled his wings, agitated. "And who are you with, Daemon? Because I'm pretty sure that's the more relevant question here."
I expected deflection. Instead, his answer came calm and clear, without a single note of guilt or hesitation.
"I'm with Celeste at a conference in the northern territory. She's presenting on environmental advocacy. I'm at the hotel now. Alone."
The words hit me like a slap. Not because they were shocking, but because of how easily they came out.
I forced air into my lungs. "Then you have no right to question who I'm with."
"That's not how this works, Violet." His voice was still calm, but there was an edge to it now. The Alpha edge that said he wasn't asking permission, he was asserting authority.
Something inside me snapped. "Oh, so it's 'do as I say, not as I do'? Is that the rule now?" My voice rose despite my effort to keep it steady. Shadow launched from my arm with a harsh cry, circling overhead. "You get to spend nights at a hotel with her, but I can't help rescue a dog in broad daylight without getting the third degree?"
Silence. The calculating kind.
"Are you with Zane Carter?" he asked, and my blood went cold.
"How do you—" I started, then stopped. My phone buzzed against my ear. I pulled it away just enough to see Evan's name flash across the screen with a message notification.
Sorry V. The video you just sent me—Daemon was right next to me when it came through. He saw it. Couldn't stop him from watching. Really sorry.
My brain short-circuited. Then I remembered. An hour ago, on the way to the rescue shelter, I'd recorded Shadow circling overhead while Zane cradled the yellow dog. I'd sent it to Evan, thinking he'd want to see how well Shadow was adjusting. The video had captured Zane's soft murmurs to the trembling dog, my own voice giving instructions, both of us laughing when Shadow swooped low.
And Daemon had seen it. Had watched me laughing with another man.
"So you went through Evan's messages," I said, my voice like ice.
"I didn't go through anything," Daemon corrected, his tone clipped. "He received a video while I was standing next to him. I saw your face on the screen."
"And you couldn't resist watching."
"Zane Carter is Celeste's ex-boyfriend."
The statement hung in the air like smoke. I felt my lips curl into something that wasn't quite a smile. "And? You're with Celeste right now. You just admitted it without hesitation. So what exactly is the problem here?"
"That's different," he said, his voice dropping into a dangerous register. "This is a conference—"
"And mine was rescue work!" I was shouting now. "I sent Evan a video of his hawk because I'm taking care of it while he's gone! While you're apparently playing shadow to your future mate!"
"Don't—"
"Don't what? Don't point out the hypocrisy?" My whole body was shaking. "You get to stand next to her, travel with her, and you admit it like it's nothing. But I help rescue a dog with someone I barely know and you call me up like I'm the one breaking our vows?"
Silence. But this time I felt something through the bond. Anger, yes. But underneath it, something else I couldn't parse.
"We'll talk about this when I get back," he said, his voice carefully neutral again.
"There's nothing to talk about," I said, my own voice shaking. "I didn't do anything wrong, Daemon. I didn't sneak around, I didn't lie. I rescued a dog. That's it."
I paused, then added, "Unlike you."
His breathing changed. Deeper. Harsher.
In the distance, I saw Zane returning with two paper cups steaming in the cold air. He was smiling, oblivious, calling out, "Violet, hot chocolate or coffee?"
The moment the words left his mouth, I knew Daemon had heard them. Crystal clear. A man's voice, friendly and warm, using my name like we were comfortable together.
"Put distance between you and him," Daemon said, his voice low and sharp as a blade. "Now."
Then the line went dead.
I stood there staring at my phone, my whole body trembling. Not with fear. With rage. With the bone-deep exhaustion of being held to standards he'd never met himself.
Shadow landed on my arm, talons gripping tight, and I welcomed the bite of pressure.
"Was that—" Zane approached cautiously, his smile fading.
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
"He heard me." Zane's face went pale, and he immediately stepped back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble for you."
"It's not your fault," I said, accepting the hot chocolate with shaking hands. "He's been looking for an excuse."
We sat back down on the bench. For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
"I'm so tired, Zane," I heard myself say. "So tired of this."
He sat beside me, careful to maintain distance now. "Do you need—I mean, if there's anything I can do—"
"No." I shook my head. "This is my mess to handle. But thank you."
The wind picked up, cutting through my jacket.
"I should probably head back to campus," Zane said quietly. "But are you okay to drive?"
"I need to drive alone for a bit," I said. "Clear my head."
He nodded, understanding. We stood, and I watched him walk away, shoulders hunched against the wind.
The ride home was a blur. I didn't go straight to the manor. Instead, I found myself riding aimlessly through the city, past storefronts and couples and families living their normal lives while mine fractured into pieces I couldn't hold together.
At a red light, I watched a young couple across the street. The woman was laughing, and the man pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her temple. Simple. Easy. Uncomplicated affection I'd never known.
My eyes burned. I blinked hard.
When I finally turned toward home, the sun was setting. The iron gates loomed ahead, and I keyed in the code with numb fingers.
Mara appeared at the door as I climbed the steps. "Luna, you're back. Dinner is ready whenever you need it."
"Thank you, Mara. I'll eat later."
I went straight upstairs to check on Shadow, falling into the familiar routine of feeding him and checking his feathers.
I was about to head downstairs when I heard it. An engine in the driveway.
I moved to the window and looked down to see Daemon's black SUV pulling through the gates.
My heart stuttered. He'd said he was in the northern territory. He'd said—
The door slammed, and Daemon strode toward the house, movements sharp and aggressive. Even from here, I could read the barely contained anger in every line of his body.
I heard his voice downstairs. "Where is she?"
"Luna just went up to check on the hawk."
Footsteps on the stairs. Heavy. Purposeful.
I stood frozen as Daemon appeared at the top of the landing. Our eyes locked.
"You're back early," I said, my voice steady despite my hammering heart.
He closed the distance in three strides. "Did you think I wouldn't come back?"
"We should talk inside," I said quietly.
His laugh was cold. "Now you care about propriety?" He caught my wrist, firm but not painful. "Main bedroom. Now."
I let him lead me down the hall and pull me inside. He released my wrist and turned away, shrugging off his jacket with too-controlled movements.
"Explain," he said.
I took a deep breath. "Explain what? That I helped rescue a dog? That I took care of Evan's hawk? Or that I exist outside of this suffocating bond?"
He spun around, blood-red eyes blazing. "You were with him."
"His name is Zane. And yes, I was with him for one hour doing charity work. While you were at a hotel with Celeste. Where's the crime?"
His jaw clenched. "You want details?"
The implication made me cold. "I want the severance ceremony. I've requested it multiple times. This is getting ridiculous."
Something flickered across his face.
"My father's birthday is tomorrow," he said abruptly.
I stared. "What does that have to do with—"
"You'll come with me. We'll present a united front." He turned toward the bathroom. "Non-negotiable."
The shower started running before I could respond.
He still wouldn't agree to severance. Maybe the political benefits still outweighed the inconvenience of my existence.
But I'd learned something. Bringing up the severance was the one thing that got a reaction. The one card that made him recalculate.
It wasn't much. But it was something.
I left for my guest room and showered. When I emerged, I found Celeste's latest post on social media. Snow outside a hotel window. Lyrics: "You don't know how much you affect me."
My chest tightened. She was faster this time. More direct.
My phone buzzed. A message from Celeste: "Did Daemon get home?"