Chapter 0028
Violet
My mouth felt as dry as a desert.
“What?” I asked, frowning through the haze.
The water was so cold and refreshing. I could have drank a whole pitcher on my own. He refilled the glass.
“It’s time to start the lawsuit.”
I frowned. “What’s… made it so urgent for you now?”
He smiled coldly. “It’s easier to push things through after large events… I’d say him shooting you is sensational enough to get the Court’s attention.”
I eyed him. He was probably right, but I didn’t believe that was the only reason. The look in his eyes was too focused, too furious, and full of intent to just think now was the best time
to strike.
“You’re going to use my current state to my advantage?”
It was a strategy but not one I was happy with using. The Court would be sympathetic to my plight but also paint me as–too weak to lead a pack all in the same breath.
He frowned and looked over at me.
“I can barely-”
“No, Violet,” he shook his head. “By the time you have to appear in court, you’ll be more than capable of standing without issue. I’m not going to paint a picture of you that isn’t true.” He cupped my face. “Besides, knowing you. You’d take a potion and grit your teeth- high heels and all. I’m not worried about you appearing too weak to lead a pack in Court.”
My lips twitched. A bit of my defensiveness eased. He knew me oddly well. It was a bit unnerving for him to know exactly what I was thinking Lucas had always acted as if I was a complete mystery to him.
“So, what’s your plan?”
“In short? Ruin his life.” He smirked. “Midnight has the best legal team in the country. Victory is guaranteed on that front. The only issue is going to be how badly you’d like him to suffer.”
“For the rest of his life,” I said.
He licked his lips. “Painfully?”
“Excruciatingly,” I said. “If I could….
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0028
I met his gaze and trailed off.
“Yes?” He asked, his voice goading me. The bloodlust and heat in his eyes made my heart flutter. He was enjoying this, enjoying the idea of ruining Lucas‘ life… enjoying me enjoying the thought of it too. Delighting in my ruthlessness. I didn’t know what to do with that and the way desire started to build in me. I pulled my gaze away.
“Well, I have a few ideas about what I would like to happen to him, but none of them are probably something that the Court could do for me.”
“Could do or would do?”
I frowned, not sure exactly how to answer that. … both, I suppose.
He smirked. “I’ll let you come up with a wish list. We could compare notes over a nice glass of wine.”
He wiggled his eyebrows. I scoffed, hating his unerring confidence in his charm, yet it gave me comfort that he wasn’t treating me any different.
“Great. Now you should leave,” I replied, breaking the moment before it could shift into something heavier.
Theodore didn’t move.
“Not yet,” he replied, almost gently, pulling me closer. “We should-”
“No!” The word shot out of my mouth before I could stop it. I twisted away, pulling the sheets tighter around myself, heart hammering
“Please, just…leave.”
My voice cracked, betraying the emotion that was starting to close up my throat. I didn’t
want him to see me like this.
For a moment, he hesitated. I could feel his gaze on me, searching for something with those piercing eyes. I held my breath, feeling something raw and unfamiliar ripple between us. But he finally turned, leaving the room without another word. I sank back into the cushions of the bed as the door closed, exhaling slowly, trying to fight back the tangled rush of emotions his presence left behind.
My eyes burned with unshed tears.
The pain had faded away. I could still feel the ache of heartbreak but nothing more than that and I was grateful. I was grateful to not be on the edge of losing my mind to the pain but I was angry, too. I was angry at Lucas for doing this to me. angry at the courts and our stupid society that I had to go through any of this in the first place. Angry at myself. Angry at my father. Angry at Theodore, too.
+25 BONUS
But the worst part was how much I craved his touch, how his absence left a strange ache. Asking him to leave had been hard enough. My skin was too warm, and the cold air did little to soothe the burn he’d left in me with this bond. I wrapped my arms around myself, curling up in bed.
