Chapter 37
Violet's POV:
Two days after Connor Hayes received his fraudulent job offer, my phone rang during lunch break. I glanced at the screen and saw his name, feeling a familiar cold satisfaction settle in my chest as I answered.
"Violet, I can't thank you enough," Connor's voice came through breathless with excitement, the kind of genuine emotion that made my skin crawl. "Next week will be my last week at my current position, and I just wanted you to know that if it weren't for your recommendation, I would never have gotten this opportunity. You and Alpha Daemon are like my benefactors."
I leaned back in my office chair, keeping my voice professionally warm. This man knows how to play the social game, I thought. Too bad his heart is rotten. "Just work hard, Connor," I said smoothly. "Blackwood Dynamics values talent."
After more effusive gratitude, I ended the call and set my phone down. The corner of my mouth curved into a cold smile.
The office door opened without warning. Daemon stood in the doorway, his presence filling the space with that familiar intensity. "I need to visit Ironridge Mine this afternoon," he said without preamble. "As the Executive VP, you should come with me."
My stomach dropped instantly. Ironridge Mine. Wade Morrison, Celeste's uncle, works there.
I kept my expression neutral and nodded. "What's the situation there?"
"Labor dispute," Daemon replied curtly. "The miners want better compensation for the land acquisition."
"Alright. I'll drive."
The drive to Ironridge took us out of the city and into the industrial outskirts, where the landscape gradually transformed from polished corporate buildings to rough mining territory.
The crowd became clearer as we pulled up—maybe thirty or forty men in their forties and fifties, wearing work clothes stained with coal dust and bearing weathered faces. They held signs with messages like "Fair Compensation Now" and "Our Land, Our Rights," and when they spotted our vehicle approaching, their energy shifted from restless to actively hostile. Someone shouted, "Here comes the bloodsucker Alpha!" and the crowd surged forward.
I put the car in park and turned off the engine, feeling the tension thick enough to choke on. Daemon opened his door without hesitation, stepping out with the confidence of an Alpha who had never been truly challenged, and I followed suit.
A man pushed through the gathered miners. Wade Morrison was in his mid-forties, of medium build with a face carved by wind and hardship, his work clothes covered in coal dust but his eyes sharp with intelligence and controlled fury.
"Mr. Morrison," Daemon said, and his voice had transformed into something I barely recognized—warm, almost humble, with none of the cold authority he used everywhere else. "I'm here to find a solution that works for everyone."
Love makes the Prince humble before his future uncle-in-law, I thought with bitter clarity.
I had no desire to stand there and listen to Daemon perform humility for Celeste's family, so I made my way back to the car, leaning against the hood. Daemon gestured toward a small office building near the mine entrance, and Wade followed with obvious reluctance. The door closed behind them.
The negotiation lasted about half an hour. He's going to give Wade what he wants, I predicted silently. This is all for Celeste's sake. Daemon would probably pretend he didn't fully understand the situation, promise to "investigate thoroughly," and then personally ensure the miners got their increased compensation. The perfect hero narrative that would reach Celeste through her grateful uncle, painting Daemon as a fair and just Alpha who cared about the working class.
But when the office door finally opened, everything about the situation felt wrong. Wade Morrison's face was iron-gray with suppressed fury, his entire body rigid with barely controlled rage. He stalked back toward the crowd without looking at Daemon, said something in a low, harsh voice that made several miners react with fresh anger. The atmosphere shifted dangerously, the crowd surging forward.
What? I thought with genuine shock. This wasn't supposed to happen. Why had the negotiation fallen apart?
Daemon emerged from the office with his expression dark and closed off, the careful humility completely gone and replaced with cold fury. He strode toward the car without acknowledging any of the miners, and I moved to follow him.
I had just lifted one foot to step into the car when pain exploded across my upper back and neck, so sudden and intense that for a moment I couldn't process what had happened. Something hot and wet began flowing down my spine, and when I reached back instinctively my hand came away covered in bright red blood. The world tilted as shock tried to pull me under.
One of the younger miners had lost complete control, his eyes pure molten gold and his fingers transformed into razor-sharp claws. He had lunged at the nearest target—me—and those claws had torn through the skin and muscle of my upper back near my neck. The pain stole my breath and made my knees buckle.
I staggered forward and felt strong hands catch me, Daemon's arms coming around me with shocking speed. He half-carried me into the car, his movements urgent, and then his voice cut through the chaos in a roar. Through the haze of pain I was dimly aware of Daemon leaving my side, of sounds of brutal violence as he attacked whoever had hurt me.
I don't know how much time passed before I surfaced again. Hospital smells. Sterile white walls. Steady beeping. And my mother's face, Eleanor's eyes red-rimmed as she gripped my hand. "Sweetheart, you're awake," she said, her voice breaking. "Thank the Goddess."
I tried to move and immediately regretted it as pain flared across my shoulders and neck. Evan materialized at the foot of the bed. "Three deep lacerations on your upper back and neck area," he said clinically. "You're lucky—if you hadn't been getting into the car, those claws would have hit your skull."
Eleanor made a sound that was half-sob, half-growl. "That bastard Daemon! Why did he take you to such a dangerous place?!"
I tried to speak, found my throat dry. "Mom," I managed weakly. "Will the scars be long?"
Eleanor's expression crumpled, caught between wanting to cry and wanting to shake me. But then her face settled into something fierce. "Scars are badass, sweetheart," she said firmly. "Like getting your ears pierced—it's just body art. You're alive. That's all that matters."
The door opened, and Daemon entered carrying fruit and flowers. His eyes found mine immediately, something flickering in their depths before his usual mask settled. "How are you feeling?"
I felt a laugh bubble up despite everything. "Well," I said with dark humor, "I can't lie on my back for you to fuck anytime soon, but I can still ride you if you're desperate."
Eleanor made a strangled sound while Daemon's expression went blank. He set the items down carefully, not meeting Eleanor's furious glare. "The wolf who attacked you has been detained. I need to go back to handle the aftermath." He left without another word.
Eleanor immediately turned on me. "What are you doing? Didn't you say you'd let go?"
"Mom," I said seriously. "Being fair and being in love are two different things. Daemon went there to negotiate. I went as Executive VP because that's my job. Being attacked was an accident—that wolf lost control. You can't blame Daemon for everything."
The fact that he had shown panic when he caught me, that he had turned on the wolf with such violence, was honestly more than I expected.
Eleanor sighed heavily. "You're too kind, Violet. That's why people take advantage of you." She stroked my hair gently. "I haven't told your father yet. He's on a business trip. If he knew, he'd fly back and go to Daemon for an explanation."
Eleanor shifted the conversation. "You're at Blackwood Dynamics now," she said with forced brightness. "Learn as much as you can."
I managed a tired smile. "So I'm like a corporate spy?"
"Smart girl," Eleanor laughed. "Those skills will be useful when you come back to Goldcrest Industries." Her expression grew serious. "I hope you'll take over the company someday, Violet. But ultimately, you being happy is all that matters."
Something warm bloomed in my chest. In my previous life, I had these amazing parents, every advantage, and I threw it all away for Daemon. What a fool I was. "Thank you, Mom," I whispered. "For everything."
Eleanor left briefly to get food, and I was alone when the door burst open. Sienna stormed in first, her red hair wild, followed by Jade and Lily. "What the hell happened?!" Sienna demanded, taking in my bandages. "We heard you were attacked!"
Jade rushed to my side and gently took my hand. "Does it hurt?"
I managed a weak smile. "I'm fine. Just got scratched on the back." I explained briefly—the trip to Ironridge, the failed negotiation, the young wolf who lost control. "I was getting into the car when he attacked from behind. Wrong place, wrong time."
Sienna's expression darkened. "I'm telling you, Daemon is bad luck for you. You need to break the mate bond ASAP."
Jade nodded.
I smiled at them, trying to ease the tension despite the pain radiating from my back. "I'm fine now, really. Stop worrying." I shifted my gaze to Lily, noting she seemed steadier than she had right after losing the baby, some of her natural resilience returning. "So did you go to Blackwood Dynamics with the video like we planned?"