Chapter 0041
Theodore’s expression darkened slightly. “As much as you can stomach?”
I tilted my head. “Did you expect me to jump for joy at the fact that you made this decision without even consulting me?”
He glared at me. “We had a deal that
you-
“Playing the part of your luna is not the same as playing the part of your fated mate!”
I blew out harshly. I hadn’t meant to yell. But… But this was all so… insulting. My chest tightened.
“You haven’t met your fated mate, so you don’t understand.”
“Don’t tell me what I understand,” he snarled. “You’re being childish and throwing a tantrum. Being my luna means following my lead. I made the decision that will serve me and my pack best.”
Imet his gaze, and I thought of my father. Everything in me turned cold.
“Of course, Alpha Theodore.”
He blinked, seemingly stunned. I zipped up my bag and pulled it behind me. He didn’t try to reach for me, but as I passed him, the air crackled with tension. My suitcase thudded after me down the stairs, and he followed soon after, clearly in even worse of a mood. Brooding and irritable- great. This was going to be an even better ride than I first imagined.
I handed my suitcase to a guard with a thank you and climbed into the carriage with my laptop bag and magical hotspot. I settled into the plush seat, propping my legs up on the opposite bench so he couldn’t sit beside me, and pulled out my laptop to work. He scoffed as he entered and plopped down on the other side.
“You won’t get service once we get into the mountains,” he said.
I ignored him, put on my headset, and opened my interface for Darkmoon. The hotspot began to glow, signifying that it had a solid signal and I started to work. I called Lily through video call, then Kincaid.
“You’ve been busy,” Kincaid greeted, grinning at me.
“Very. On my way to the palace, and I’ve been told that I may lose connection.” It was unlikely as the hotspot was designed to work on ambient magic in the first place and Midnight was full
of it.
“I’ve put out some feelers about the land and the auction. There’s definitely interest, but no sign that Lucas will be making a move yet.”
“Good. What about the sellers? Have you heard anything?” I asked, my fingers flying over the keyboard as I jotted down notes.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0041
Kincaid chimed in, his tone a mix of exasperation and humor.” Secured a meeting with the
sellers before the auction starts, so we’ll have the chance to put in a bid. But I did get a call from Lucas‘ lawyers this morning about my duty to the alpha of Dark Moon, to which I politely told them to fuck off.”
“Is it bad?”
“Getting worse for the day. Madam Mag saw the news and went straight to the Alpha’s Office to demand some answers. Last I heard, she refused to bake anything for the estate in protest. There was a shot of Lucas having to drive to her bakery to order in person, and she was selling him only the smallest of cupcakes.” 1
I laughed. Lucas hated cupcakes, but he loved Madam Mag’s sweetbreads. It was probably killing him.
“It’s only a matter of time before everyone else gets on the bandwagon.”
We shared a brief laugh at the chaos that was unfolding in Darkmoon.
“What are you telling them?” I asked, trying to stifle a grin.
“Just the usual: Lucas is an asshole.”
“Brilliant.”
After a few more minutes of discussion, Lily and Kincaid sent over all the documentation I needed for the auction, including the quotes from the builders. I felt a wave of relief wash over me as I organized the files. Once I ended the call, I blew out, hoping that things would go over well before looking for alternative pieces of land in case it didn’t.
((
.30
why are you looking at land?” I turned my head, noting that he’d moved over to look at my
screen.
I set my jaw. “Development.”
“Don’t be like that,” he said, leaning in slightly. “You know what my plans are with Shelter. Wouldn’t it be fair for you to tell me something in exchange?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. It would be fair… And I hated feeling as if I had been unfair to someone.
“You make a habit of using other people’s good qualities against them, don’t you?”
He grinned. “As often as possible.”
I huffed. “It’s meant to be a college.”
