Chapter 94 - Simon

I could see where she was starting to stress out. I could tell with each day that loomed closer to the event she was having more anxiety. She worried about the smallest of details. I told her once that no one really cares just as long as the booze never runs dry. Then she went into the inventory that was ordered to triple check that there was going to be enough. She ordered enough to get everyone in the country hammered.

“You’re not going to be alone.” I said, pulling her tighter against me. “I’ll be there and if anyone has a problem with it, I have no issues kicking them out. But with how much everyone loves the Yule Ball, I don’t think anyone will want to be kicked out.

“And you’ll have me and Jared there as well.” Greta said. “Not to mention Dot. She is a legend across all packs, you don’t cross her.”

Violet laughed at that.

“Not to stress you out anymore but I was thinking that maybe during the Yule Ball we could do your Luna ceremony.” I said. I had been thinking about that for a while but haven’t spoken to her about it. Violet already had so much on her plate.

“Luna ceremony?” Violet squeaked.

“It’s nothing scary or anything.” Greta said.

Violet’s eyes were wide as she looked at each of us. “What would I have to do?”

“Nothing extra. I would have to do most of the work. I announce that you are my Luna, and you have to pledge yourself to the pack.” I said, rubbing her back trying to calm her down. I could feel her heartbeat pounding away.

“Okay.” She nodded. “Is that really it?”

“Yup.” Greta said. “Sometimes the Luna will give a speech, but you don’t have to.”

“That’s not bad.” Violet took a deep breath.

“And we can just toast to you joining the pack.” Jared said.

“If you don’t want to do it then, we can plan another time.” I said to her.

“Would that mean I would have to plan another party?”

“Yeah.” I nodded at her.

“Let’s just do it during the Yule Ball.” She breathed out. “I don’t want to have to plan another party, this one is already kicking my ass.”

Greta slung her arm around Violet. “Well, you should have come earlier that way you could have prepared better.”

“Ha ha, very funny.” Violet said sarcastically, shoving Greta playfully. “If you don’t recall I was pretty much kidnapped by a psychotic dictator.”

“Hmmm, must have slipped my mind.” Greta said with a laugh.

Hey, Alpha? Charlie, one of the guards on duty, said through the mind link.

Yeah?

We got one. Was all he said, and I knew what was happening.

“What’s going on?” Violet said to me, she knew that someone was speaking to me through the mind link.

“We captured a witch.”

“Oh shit.” Greta said. “Let’s go get ‘em!”

I nodded at her and Jared. Violet looked at me with concern in her eyes.

“What are you going to do?”

“We have to get rid of it.” I said, Violet’s eyebrows furrowed. “You said so yourself, we need to get rid of the competition if we are going to stand a chance.”

She nodded. “Yeah, but I want to see who it is.”

“Are you sure?”

She looked to the ground and gave a small nod. This could have been anyone in her coven that ran into our trap. They were coaxed over to the wrong side of the fight, even if they were her friend in a past life, we couldn’t trust them. No matter how much we would want to spare them.

“Let’s go.” We all started jogging to where Charlie was on the parameter. I mind linked back. Detain them, but don’t kill them. We will be there in five minutes.

Understood, Alpha.

We only had fifteen minutes before we needed to take them out. I tried to keep a mental clock going of how much time we had left. I would guess about thirteen minutes. Violet quick stepped ahead of us and then let us catch up.

We were near where I could see three guards holding onto a hooded figure. The hooded figure was screaming and hissing at those who detained him. I stood in front of him and pulled back the hood. A skinny man not more than twenty-five struggled against the guards. His skin was beyond pale, and his dark hair made him look all the paler.

Violet gasped next to me. She brought a hand to her mouth, covering her shock.

“What is it?” I asked.

“That’s Stephen.” She whispered. “He was in my coven, three years my senior. He would bully the other kids.”

“You bitch!” Stephen hissed. “We are going to get you and bring you back to Lord Eli.”

Charlie hit Stephen, causing his head to jerk. He didn’t hit him hard enough to knock him out, just to get his point across. “You will not call our Luna such names.”

“Luna.” He said with a laugh, head still bowed. “You associate yourself with such trash, these dogs? He spit in my direction.

Charlie wound up again, ready to hit him.

“Wait.” I said, holding up my hand, stopping Charlie from hitting him. “What is Eli’s plan?”

Stephen gave an evil laugh. “Like I would tell you, I would rather summon the devil himself to take me than tell you what Lord Eli has planned.”

“If you refuse, we are going to kill you.” I said calmly to him.

“Do it! At least I went down nobly.” He spat.

“You killed our coven, our family.” Violet said, stepping closer to him.

“You…I don’t understand why Lord Eli wants you so badly. You’re pathetic and weak.”

Before I could stop myself, I landed a punch on him that sent his head flying. Stephen was out cold, head bobbing forward.

“Not going to lie, Alpha, if you didn’t silence him, I would have.” Charlie said.

I nodded at him, then looked at Violet. The hurt in her eyes was showing as she bit her lip. “Take him away and make sure he doesn’t wake up.” Charlie and the other guards pulled the now unconscious witch away to one of the nearby sheds. I pulled Violet into my arms and held her.

Violet rested her head against my chest, I could feel her shoulders shake, she was crying. “Baby, it’s ok. His words mean nothing. You are more powerful than your entire coven.”

“It’s not that.” She sniffed. “It just hit me that I would have to be killing people I know.”

I didn’t have the words that would make this right. Killing someone you know would never be easy. And that’s what Violet was going to be up against. Old friends turned to foes, that’s what she was going to be seeing when we fought.

“It’s not going to be easy, Violet. But I’m here when you need me.” There was nothing else I could say. I haven’t gone through something like this. The only deaths I saw were my parents and that was after their deaths. “I think it would be best if you didn’t come when we find others.”

Violet pulled away and wiped a tear from her cheek. “Yeah.” She looked into my eyes. “I need to reset that trap.”

I pulled her in again, holding her against my chest. “You don’t have to think about that right now. We can do that tomorrow morning. There may be others out there right now looking for you.”

She nodded against my chest.

I picked her up and carried her in my arms, bridal style, as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

What do you want done with the remains? Jared linked me. I was grateful that he didn’t ask out loud.

Burn them. That was the only solution that would remove evidence of a witch being burned. It seemed a little old-fashioned but, in this case, it was called for.

On it, Si.