Chapter 63
Violet's POV:
I stood in my apartment, phone pressed to my ear as Sienna's voice came through the line.
"Victoria found Celeste at the hospital," she said quickly. "Your mother-in-law was visiting your mom, and she ran into Celeste in the hallway. Celeste was there for her father Mason's post-surgery checkup. They met face to face, Violet. After they talked, Celeste ran out crying. Now Daemon can't reach her, and he's too afraid to go to her parents' house because if they find out, she'll be even more upset."
I processed this quickly. "So Daemon thinks I told Victoria about Celeste."
"Exactly," Sienna confirmed.
I sat down on my couch. "I understand now. Victoria was in Daemon's car before, when we went to the shopping center. She smelled Celeste's scent and memorized it. At the hospital, she recognized that same scent and confronted her."
"This might actually be better," I said quietly. "At least the truth is out now."
"Violet, be careful," Sienna warned. "Daemon's looking for someone to blame. You should call Victoria directly, make sure everyone knows you had nothing to do with this."
After we hung up, I didn't call Victoria immediately. Instead, I changed into yoga clothes and spent an hour stretching, trying to clear my head.
I was in the kitchen preparing dinner when my phone rang again. My father's name appeared on the screen.
"Violet." His voice was tight with anger. "I heard about Celeste Morrison."
I gripped the counter. "Dad—"
"That bastard," he cut me off. "I thought Daemon was trying to fix your relationship. And he's been chasing some college girl this whole time? I'm going to the Blackwood estate right now. Daemon and I need to have a conversation."
"Dad, stop!" I raised my voice. "I already knew about Celeste. I've known for weeks."
The silence was heavy. "You knew?"
"I've already filed with the Council for forced dissolution," I said steadily. "The paperwork went through two days ago. Daemon will be notified within seven business days."
"That's not enough." My father's anger hadn't cooled. "He's made a mockery of your bond, of our alliance—"
"Dad, listen," I interrupted. "If you go after Daemon now, it becomes a conflict between our families. It will damage the alliance between Wildfire Pack and Frost Pack. We can't let personal issues destroy political relationships."
I heard him breathing heavily. "I can handle my own affairs," I continued. "I need you to trust me to navigate this without putting our pack at risk. The dissolution will go through. But we can't make this uglier than it already is."
The silence stretched. When my father spoke, his voice was heavy. "If he hurts you any further, if he does anything else to humiliate you, I won't sit quietly. Alliance or no alliance, Violet. You're my daughter first."
"I know, Dad. Thank you."
After we hung up, I stood in my kitchen feeling both warmed by his protection and sad about the position I'd put him in.
My phone buzzed again. Evan's name appeared.
I answered. "What do you want, Evan?"
"Do you know about Victoria confronting Celeste?"
"Sienna told me," I said flatly. "Why? Are you calling to accuse me?"
"No." He sounded tired. "I'm calling because I believe you didn't tell Victoria anything. You're trying to dissolve the bond. Causing drama before that goes through would be stupid, and you're not stupid."
I set down my fork. "Glad someone realizes that."
"And Daemon shouldn't have threatened you. It was out of line."
I sat down, suddenly exhausted. "I've already submitted my petition to the Council, Evan. Within the week, Daemon will receive official notification."
There was a pause on the other end, then Evan's voice came through, quieter than before. "I hope the dissolution goes through smoothly for you."
"Thanks," I said simply, not sure what else to add.
"Do you have someone you're interested in? Someone you like?" he asked.
The question caught me off guard. "Why are you asking?"
"Just curious," he said. "You've changed a lot. I wondered if someone helped you find yourself again."
"I found it on my own," I said firmly. "No one gave me permission except me."
"Good."
Before I could respond, I asked, "What about you? Do you have someone you're interested in?"
The silence was loaded.
"Yes," he finally said.
I thought about Celeste, about how both Daemon and Evan had pursued her in my previous life. My excitement built. "Then go after her. If you like someone, you should tell them."
"It's not that simple. The situation is complicated."
"Look, she hasn't completed a mating ceremony with anyone. You still have a chance if you act now. You've spent your whole life waiting for your true mate. When that person appears, you can't just stand back. You have to fight for what you want."
The silence stretched. When he spoke, his voice was rough. "You're right. Thank you, Violet. I know what I need to do now."
"Good luck," I said. "I hope it works out."
After we hung up, I finished dinner and settled on my couch with my laptop. I opened a streaming site and started a show I'd been meaning to catch up on.
Around ten PM, I gave up on the show and scrolled through social media, checking for news. I tried to view Celeste's profile but discovered she'd blocked me.
That stung. We barely knew each other, but the active rejection felt pointed.
I was about to close the app when a message notification appeared from Celeste.
"Luna, I'm so sorry," it began. "I know you probably think Daemon and I have something going on, but we really don't. He's helped me a lot, and I started to see him as a good friend. Maybe I didn't keep proper distance. I've been thinking about everything, and I'm so ashamed. I can't face anyone anymore."
My hands started shaking as I read the next part.
"My parents still don't know about this. If they found out, it would destroy them, especially with my father just recovering from surgery. So I've decided to remove myself from the situation. I won't cause you any more trouble. Please don't take your anger out on my parents. Thank you for everything."
Attached was a location pin: Abandoned Watchtower.
Ice flooded my veins. The border was dangerous—crossing without permission meant death by border patrols.
I tried to call her, but her phone went to voicemail. My messages showed as undelivered.
My first instinct was to call Daemon. My fingers pulled up his contact, then I stopped. What if this was manipulation? What if Celeste wanted me to alert Daemon so he could play hero?
But what if it wasn't? What if a twenty-year-old girl, overwhelmed after Victoria's confrontation, genuinely felt death was her only escape?
I couldn't risk it. I didn't want her dead. I didn't want her father to lose his daughter after heart surgery. I didn't want Ruby to suffer that loss.
I called Daemon. The phone rang four times before cutting off—he'd declined. I tried again, and it went to voicemail.
Panic clawed at my throat. I paced my apartment, thinking through options. I could call the Council's emergency line, but explaining would take time. I could reach Mason or Ruby, but that would expose everything to Celeste's parents.
I spent a sleepless night checking my phone, imagining worst scenarios. Every time I drifted off, I jolted awake with images of Celeste's white wolf being torn apart by border guards.
By dawn, my eyes were gritty with exhaustion. I'd just stepped into the shower when my phone rang. I lunged for it and saw Evan's name.
"What happened?" I demanded. "Is she okay?"
"Celeste tried to cross the border last night," Evan said, exhausted. "She shifted and tried to run into their territory. Daemon got there in time to stop her."
Relief flooded through me. "She's alive?"
"She's alive."
I closed my eyes. "Where is she now?"
"Hospital. Minor injuries. Physically she'll be fine. Emotionally..." He trailed off.
"And Daemon?"
"Still with her."
After we hung up, I dressed in comfortable clothes—black leggings, an oversized sweater, simple ponytail. I made coffee and eggs, then settled at my laptop to work on sketches for a corporate event I'd taken on—a tech company's annual gala.
Around noon, my phone started buzzing nonstop. I checked to see what was happening.
The pack's social media was on fire. Someone uploaded night-vision footage showing two wolves at the border. The larger black wolf—clearly Daemon—was blocking the smaller white wolf from crossing. You could see the white wolf struggling while the black wolf herded her back to safety.
The caption read: "FROST PACK ALPHA RISKS INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT TO SAVE OMEGA AT SHADOWMOON BORDER. Real-life Alpha hero saves his true love. Where's the Luna? 👀"
The comments were chaotic. Half called Celeste a homewrecker. The other half romanticized Daemon's "selfless devotion." A few defended me.
My phone rang with our group chat calling. I answered to all three talking over each other.
"I'm going to kill him," Sienna said loudly. "I'm literally going to challenge Daemon—"
"The video has been shared eight hundred times," Jade cut in.
"How dare he humiliate you like this," Lily added.
"Guys, calm down," I said. "I'm okay."
"You're not okay," Sienna snapped. "Nobody would be—"
"I'm not the dutiful wife anymore," I interrupted firmly. "I filed for dissolution. This might actually help my case. The Council can't ignore evidence this public."
Silence. "You're right," Jade said slowly. "This is documented proof Daemon has abandoned your marriage."
"Exactly. So let them share the video. Every person who sees it is a potential witness that my marriage is broken."
"I still want to punch him," Sienna muttered.
"Get in line," I replied. "My father called ready to challenge him. I had to talk him down."
We talked for twenty minutes, cycling through anger and eventually admiration for how I was handling it.
After we hung up, I stood at my window looking out over the city. Daemon hadn't contacted me since that angry phone call. He didn't know I'd moved out, filed for dissolution, or where I was living.
I'd become invisible to him, erased the moment Celeste became his priority.
The mate bond ached dully, whispering that my Alpha was in distress, that I should go to him.
But I'd learned to distinguish between the bond's pull and my authentic feelings. And my feelings told me I was done answering that call.
My phone buzzed with a new message from Beck
"Hey, heard you've had a rough few days. Pack's doing a Full Moon celebration prep tonight, big music party at Riverside Plaza. Want to come blow off some steam? No cameras, just dancing."