Chapter 31
Violet's POV:
"I went to bring them gifts from my trip," I said smoothly, gesturing vaguely to the kitchen where the rest of the game meat was stored.
Daemon let out a cold, sharp laugh. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his broad chest, his expression dripping with cynicism.
"Since when do you care so deeply about pleasing the old man and the old lady?" His eyes narrowed, slicing through my excuse like a scalpel. "You didn't go there to play the dutiful daughter-in-law. You went to soft-soap them because you want that Buffer Zone, aren't you?"
My hand jerked involuntarily. He’s too sharp.
I lowered my eyes, realizing I couldn't deny the objective, only the motive. I let my shoulders slump, feigning a moment of vulnerability.
"Yes," I whispered, staring at the tablecloth. "I want the land."
"Why?" he demanded, his voice hard. "It's a toxic graveyard of rusted steel and dead soil. What could you possibly want with it?"
I looked up at him, letting him see a carefully constructed mask of desperation. "Because I’m a realist, Daemon. I know where we stand. I know you’re... looking elsewhere." I paused, letting the implication of Celeste hang in the air without naming her. "I have a degree in Event Management that I’ve never used because I’ve been too busy being your Luna. But if—or when—you decide to sever our bond, I need a livelihood. I need to survive."
I took a shaky breath, selling the lie. "Iron Ridge is worthless to the Pack, but it has potential for my major. I could develop it into a neutral zone adventure park—paintball, obstacle courses for lower-ranked wolves, maybe a horror-themed escape experience. It’s desolate, yes, but that’s the aesthetic. It could sustain me when I'm on my own."
Daemon stared at me for a long moment. When he processed that my grand scheme was nothing more than a desperate attempt to secure a future income through an "adventure park," the tension in his jaw unspooled. The suspicion in his eyes evaporated, replaced by a dull, dismissive lack of interest.
Daemon left shortly after dinner.
I lay down on the bed, staring up at the molding on the ceiling. My plan was in motion, but the waiting was agony. My mind drifted to the past week. How far had Daemon’s hunt progressed? Had he cornered Celeste yet? Or was he playing the long, seductive game?
The vibration of my phone on the nightstand shattered the silence.
I slid my finger across the screen. "Zane?"
"Violet... do you have time?" His voice was ragged, sounding like he was speaking through a throat constricted by unshed tears. "I need... I don't know who else to call. Can I see you?"
Twenty minutes later, I pulled my bike into the secluded parking lot of Silver Birch Park. The fog was rolling in, obscuring the streetlights and turning the trees into ghostly sentinels. Zane was sitting on a park bench, his head in his hands, looking small and defeated against the backdrop of the night.
When he saw me approach, he stood up, his movements jerky and uncoordinated. "Violet," he choked out, and for a moment, I thought he might hug me, but he stopped himself, gripping the back of the bench instead. "I found out... I saw her messages. Celeste and that man... they haven't stopped."
I stood silently, wrapping my coat tighter around myself against the damp chill. "What did the messages say?"
"I don't know everything," he admitted, slamming his fist against the wood of the bench in a sudden burst of impotent rage. "She was crying when I confronted her. She swore she didn't want to reply to him, that she was forced. She said he’s powerful, that there’s no way to avoid him. But she won’t tell me his name! She says she’s protecting me."
She is protecting you, I thought grimly. If you knew you were competing with Daemon Blackwood, the Alpha of the Frost Pack, your courage would shatter like glass.
"Zane." I kept my voice low, infusing it with a calm, hypnotic authority. I needed to stabilize him, to reinforce his role in this play. If he fell apart now, Daemon would win too easily. "Listen to me carefully. If this man is as powerful as she says, your anger will only get you hurt. And worse, it will drive Celeste away."
He stopped pacing and looked at me, his eyes red-rimmed and desperate. "Then what do I do? Just let him pursue her?"
"You have to be her sanctuary," I said, stepping closer and placing a gentle hand on his arm. "If she is being pressured by a powerful man, she is scared. If you yell at her, if you demand answers she can't give, you become just another source of stress. You become another man trying to control her."
I watched the realization dawn on his face.
"Don't fight her," I whispered urgingly. "Love her. Be the one place where she feels safe. If you push her away with your jealousy, you are practically handing her to him. Make her feel that losing you would be the worst mistake of her life. Can you do that?"
Zane took a deep, shuddering breath, the chaotic rage in his eyes solidifying into a tragic resolve. "You're right. I can't let him win. I have to be better than him."
"Exactly," I said, suppressing the coldness in my heart as I looked at the pawn I had just reinforced. "Be the better man."
Zane had walked to the park, so I offered him a ride back to campus. As we walked toward the bike, the neon sign of a nearby bar flickered in the distance, illuminating the adjacent parking lot.
My gaze drifted to the shadows between the cars, and I froze.
There, pressed against the side of a sleek sedan, was Connor—Lily’s fiancé. He wasn't alone. A woman with bleached blonde hair and a skirt that barely covered her thighs was wrapped around him, her hands tangled in his hair as they kissed with a fervor that turned my stomach.
In my previous life, Lily and Connor were the golden couple. They were the proof that love could transcend rank. I had envied them until the day I died. To see this reality felt like a physical blow.
I pulled out my phone, my thumb hovering over the group chat. I typed out a message: Guys, come to the Blue Moon bar. Now. Emergency.
The replies came instantly, buzzing in my hand.
Jade: Perimeter breach on the North Ridge. Leading a night raid to flush them out. Rain check.
Sienna: Can't. I have a very... enthusiastic guest tonight. And we are just getting started. 😉 Don't wait up.
Lily: I’m in the middle of a deep-tissue laser treatment. I need to be flawless for the upcoming Ceremony! I can't be seen in a dive bar.
I looked at Lily’s message, then back at her fiancé. A cold realization settled over me. In my past life, I would have been asleep in my gilded cage by now, blissfully ignorant. It was only because of my rebirth—because I had crossed paths with Zane and dragged myself into this messy, lower-caste world tonight—that I was standing here to witness the rot hidden beneath the perfect surface.
"Hop on," I said to Zane, handing him the spare helmet.
I straddled the bike, kicking up the stand. Zane climbed on behind me.
"Hold on to my waist," I instructed over the rumble of the engine. "It's safer."
Zane reached out, his hands tentative. But before his fingers could graze my leather jacket, a hand shot out from the darkness, clamping down on Zane’s shoulder.
It wasn't a violent grip, but it carried the undeniable weight of high-ranking authority. Zane froze instantly, his wolf instincts screaming at him to submit. I whipped my head around to see Evan Thorne standing there, his face illuminated by the harsh streetlamp.
Evan didn't look at me; his pale green eyes were fixed on Zane.
"I have my car," Evan said, his voice smooth, calm, and leaving absolutely no room for argument. "Get in. I'll take you back to the dorms."
Zane mumbled a quick "Thank you, Luna," and retreated toward Evan's silver Audi like a scolded puppy.
I sat on the idling bike, gripping the handlebars. Evan watched Zane get into the car, then turned his gaze on me.
"What do you think you're doing?" he hissed. "It’s midnight, Violet. Why are you with him again?"
I killed the engine. "He and Celeste are fighting. I'm just being a friend."
"Friends?" Evan scoffed. "Are you really just pure friends?"
I laughed, the sound jagged and cold. "My Alpha Mate is hunting his. We are just two discarded people huddling for warmth. Isn't that fair?"
He stepped forward, his voice cracking with judgment. "Violet, how did you become this? I admired how much you loved Daemon. Now? You're dragging yourself into the filth just to spite him."