Chapter 65
Violet's POV:
I woke the next morning with swollen eyes that protested every blink, the aftermath of crying harder than I had in years finally catching up with me.
The sunlight streaming through my apartment windows felt too bright, too insistent, as I pressed my palms against my eyelids and tried to process what had happened the night before, how Daemon had told me he might actually like me after ten years of indifference, and somehow that confession had unlocked something inside me that I'd been holding onto for so long, finally giving me the closure I needed to let go.
My phone rang while I was still in bed trying to will the puffiness to go down. Dad's name appeared on the screen, and I answered with a voice rougher than I'd intended.
"Violet, come home for lunch today," Marcus said, his tone more formal than usual, carrying a weight I couldn't quite identify. "Your aunt is back from the West Coast."
I sat up slowly, registering the underlying expectation in his words. Aunt Sophia only returned once a year from Silver Ridge Pack where she managed the cross-pack trade ventures that brought substantial revenue to our family, and her presence always carried implications beyond simple family visits.
"Of course," I said, forcing steadiness into my voice. "I'll be there."
When I arrived at the Goldcrest estate just before noon, Aunt Sophia greeted me with a warm embrace, then stepped back to study my face with sharp assessing eyes.
"You look different from the last time I saw you," she said. "More alive, like there's actually some fire in your eyes now."
"Where's Aiden?" I asked, noticing my cousin's absence.
"Managing the new branch office in Silver Ridge Pack," Sophia said with clear pride. "He's finally found his footing in business."
My father cleared his throat in a way that immediately put me on guard. "It's wonderful to see the younger generation stepping up and taking real responsibility for the family's future instead of..." He trailed off deliberately, but his meaning hung heavy in the air between us, the unspoken words "wasting themselves on marriages that were already dead" filling the silence with uncomfortable weight.
The meal progressed with careful small talk until Sophia set down her fork with a deliberate clink.
"Violet, you need to seriously consider your future," she said, her voice taking on that no-nonsense tone I remembered from childhood. "Your parents aren't getting any younger. Eleanor's heart condition has put her in the hospital twice because of all this stress, and Marcus is approaching retirement age while Daemon's attention is clearly elsewhere." She leaned forward, her expression hardening. "Wildfire Pack's legacy cannot be handed over to outsiders simply because you were too distracted by a marriage that was never going to work."
My mother's hand found mine under the table, squeezing gently. When I glanced at my father, I saw the pleading in his eyes that he was trying to mask. They'd both aged in the past few years, and I realized with a pang of guilt that I'd been so consumed by my failing marriage that I hadn't noticed how much they'd been carrying alone.
"Come with us to Silver Ridge Pack after Thanksgiving," Sophia continued, her tone softening. "Work with Aiden at the branch office, learn the business from the ground up, and get some distance from Daemon so you can focus on building something that's actually yours."
I looked at each of them in turn and felt something shift in my chest. This wasn't just about family business, this was them giving me a way out, a path forward that didn't involve waiting for Daemon.
"Okay," I said, my voice steady. "Next week, I'll go with you to Silver Ridge."
The relief on my father's face was almost painful to witness. My mother's eyes filled with tears she tried desperately to blink away.
After Sophia and her husband left, my parents pulled me into the living room, both speaking over each other to confirm I really meant it.
"Of course I mean it," I told them with a genuine smile. "When I come back, I'll start my own company. Something that's mine, not just an inheritance."
Marcus let out a long breath as tension drained from his shoulders. Eleanor cupped my face in her hands, her touch warm and gentle. "I just want you to be happy, sweetheart. To live for yourself and not for someone who can't see what he has."
I leaned into her shoulder, breathing in her familiar scent, and felt something loosen in my chest. Maybe leaving was the answer. Maybe distance would finally give me the space I needed to fully let go.
Back at my apartment that evening, I began packing for Silver Ridge. Several days passed in this methodical process until my phone rang while I was folding sweaters. Ruby Morrison's name appeared on the screen.
"Violet, I need to talk to you about my daughter and Daemon," Ruby's voice was tight with anxiety.
"Why don't you let them handle it themselves?" I said carefully. "If they want to be together, shouldn't they fight for that?"
"I will never accept it!" Ruby's composure cracked. "Never! I locked her in the house the moment she got out of the hospital, and she's not leaving until she cuts things off with that man completely."
I thought of how Ruby had witnessed so much of my relationship with Daemon, had even helped us buy those fertility supplements. Now her daughter was being crucified online while Ruby experienced the full weight of public judgment.
"Ruby, feelings aren't something you can force," I said quietly. "If they care about each other, what can we really do?"
"That's exactly why I'm calling you!" Her desperation bled through. "Please, Violet, talk to the Alpha. Tell him he's a mated man with a Luna as accomplished as you, that he has no business chasing after my daughter like this."
Dark satisfaction curled through my chest. This fierce rejection was so different from my previous life. "I'll talk to him," I said with reluctant agreement. "I can't promise it will change anything, but I'll try."
After Ruby hung up, I stared at Daemon's contact before pressing call. He answered on the third ring. "What?"
"I just got an interesting call from Ruby Morrison," I said lightly. "She's locked Celeste in the house and won't let her out until she cuts things off with you completely."
Silence stretched across the line.
"So what's your plan?" I continued. "Are you going to keep pursuing her, or are you ready to give up?"
"Stop meddling in my business, Violet." His voice was cold.
"I'm not meddling," I said, mockery creeping into my words. "I'm just pointing out that your little girlfriend is locked up while you're dragging your feet about the rejection ceremony. She must be heartbroken realizing you're not actually willing to fight for her."
"Violet." His tone dropped dangerously. "You're getting really good at knowing exactly what to say to piss me off."
Satisfaction bloomed sharp and vindicating in my chest—this was the payoff of my rebirth, watching my careful positioning finally create real consequences. "Not at all," I said sweetly. "I'm just concerned for Celeste's wellbeing since she's so young and her emotional resilience isn't great. I'd hate for her to do something drastic again."
I could practically hear his jaw clenching through the phone.
"But that's your problem to solve," I continued breezily. "I need to go anyway. Beauty sleep and all that."
I ended the call before he could respond and was just drifting toward sleep when my phone rang again. Celeste's name flashed on the screen.
"Violet..." Her voice was small and uncertain.
"I thought your mother locked you in the house," I said, raising an eyebrow. "How are you calling me?"
"She's asleep, I got my phone back." Her words came in a desperate rush. "I just need to ask you one thing—what happened with that forced dissolution petition you filed with the Council?"
I sat up slowly, genuinely surprised. "Why do you want to know?"
"Because maybe if you and Daemon complete the rejection ceremony, my parents won't be so against everything." Her voice cracked with barely suppressed tears.
I let silence stretch between us, taking in the genuine despair in her voice before asking the question that had been nagging at me. "Celeste, why didn't you tell Daemon the truth about Victoria finding you? Why did you let him think I was the one who told her?"
The guilty pause that followed told me everything. "I..."
"I knew it," I said, my voice hardening with cold amusement. "You played the victim perfectly, didn't you? Let me take the blame, then disappeared and threatened suicide to maximize the impact, make Daemon hate me more and feel even more protective of you." I paused to let that sink in. "Very clever, except you're not nearly as subtle as you think you are. Daemon might be infatuated with you, but he's not stupid—all he had to do was ask his mother for the real story and your whole manipulation would fall apart."
I could hear her breathing becoming ragged, imagined her biting her lip to keep from crying, but when she spoke again her voice had regained some determination. "I don't care about that anymore, I just want to know about the rejection ceremony because if you dissolve the bond, all of this mess will finally be over."
"You really think it's that simple?" I asked, my tone shifting to something almost pitying.
"It's true though, isn't it?" Her voice rose defensively. "Lucian said Daemon mated you purely for political reasons. He never loved you, the bond is just an obligation, ending it would free both of you."
"You're right," I said, my voice flat and emotionless. "I did file for forced dissolution with the Council."
I heard her sharp intake of breath, the sound of hope blooming in that single gasp.
"But then I withdrew it."
The crash that came through the phone—furniture being knocked over, maybe a chair hitting the floor—was followed by Celeste's voice rising to something close to a scream. "Why?! Why would you do that?!"
A smile curved my lips with cold satisfaction. "You should ask your good friend Riley about that."
"Riley? What does she have to do with—"
"Call her and find out," I said lightly. "Though I'd suggest bracing yourself first because you might not like what you learn."
I ended the call and set my phone down, imagining Celeste's face in that moment as confusion gave way to fury when she realized her friend's self-righteous interference had destroyed what might have been her clearest path to legitimacy. She must be absolutely livid right now.
Ten minutes later my phone rang again with Celeste's name appearing, and I answered with deliberate casualness.
"I'm sorry for what Riley did." Her voice was hoarse and raw with emotion. "But Violet, you can't let some irrelevant person's actions determine your whole future! This is about your happiness, your life, and you've already wasted so many years on a man who doesn't love you back."
"You think filing with the Council would actually work?"
"Why wouldn't it?" Confusion threaded through her desperation. "If both parties want—"
"You really are naive for someone who supposedly graduated top of her class," I interrupted with sharp disdain. "Haven't you wondered why I went to the Council for forced dissolution in the first place? It's because Daemon refused to do the rejection ceremony voluntarily, and the bond can't be dissolved unless he agrees, which he won't."