Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Darius
I can’t sleep.
Violet is on her side of the towel barrier, curled into herself, her breathing soft and even. She looks perfectly peaceful, but I know better. I’ve felt the tension radiating from her ever since she realized her medicine was still sitting in her apartment back in Moonvale.
The medicine.
Something about it gnaws at me, a persistent itch I can’t scratch. Why would a shifter need daily medication for their constitution? Our immune systems are exceptional. Even wolves whose animals are barely present should have stronger resistance to illness than humans. It doesn’t make sense.
I slip carefully from the bed and pad toward the balcony. The doors slide open silently. Miami’s night air hits my face, humid and thick with salt from the ocean. I pull the door closed behind me, lean against the railing, and pull out my phone.
Ethan answers on the second ring. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”
“What kind of medicine would a shifter take daily for years?”
There’s a pause. “What?”
“You heard me.” I keep my voice low, glancing back through the glass to make sure Violet is still asleep.
“Shifters don’t take medicine frequently unless a healer prescribes it for a specific reason.” I hear rustling, like he’s sitting up in bed. “Why are you asking?”
“What if the shifter’s wolf is barely there? Weak healing, slow recovery.”
“Doesn’t matter. Even if their wolf is dormant, they still have better immune systems than humans.
Our bodies actually reject most human pharmaceuticals.
My sister’s a healer, Darius. I know this.
” His voice takes on a thoughtful tone. “The only time oral medication is typically given is if a shifter has been poisoned by wolfsbane or a silver bullet. But even then, it’s done alongside healing magic, not as a standalone treatment. And it’s short term, not for years.”
“What about for general sickness? A weak constitution?”
“That’s not how our bodies work. We don’t get chronically ill like humans do.” Ethan pauses. “Is this about Violet?”
I sigh. “She says she’s sickly.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Even with her wolf barely there, she shouldn’t need daily treatment for a sickly constitution. Shifters just don’t work that way.” His voice sharpens with concern. “Who gave her this medicine?”
“Lillian.”
The silence on the other end speaks volumes.
“We’re in Miami for three days,” I say. “She forgot her medicine back at her apartment.”
“You want me to send it down there?”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
Another pause, longer this time. When Ethan speaks again, his voice is tense. “That’s a huge breach of privacy, Darius. Violet won’t forgive you for it.”
“I’m worried about her.” I sound agitated, and I realize just how much this bothers me. “Her mother told her she has to take it. I don’t trust that woman.”
“You’re playing a dangerous game.”
“Just do it.” I grip the railing hard enough that the metal groans. “Get your sister to test it. Tell no one.”
Ethan lets out a long, heavy sigh. “Fine. But it’ll take time. A few days at least. Maybe more, depending on what’s in it. My sister will need to run thorough tests.”
“I understand. Just do it.”
“Be careful down there. I heard Ryker’s attending, too.”
My spine stiffens. “Why would I need to be careful about Ryker?”
“He’s been expressing a lot of interest in a political marriage between our two packs.”
My hand tightens on the phone. Political marriages are arranged between alpha families to create alliances and strengthen bonds between wolf packs.
“Ryker’s only going to the gala because he heard Violet will be there,” Ethan continues.
Ice floods my veins. “Why would Ryker want Violet? Her wolf is dormant. Shifters look for potential mates who are strong.”
“Violet’s wolf may be weak, but she has other qualities males find attractive. She’s determined, intelligent, brave.” Ethan pauses. “You know this better than anyone.”
I turn to look through the glass doors again. Violet is still asleep, a small form on her side of the bed with that ridiculous towel barrier down the middle. A fierce possessiveness rises in my chest, so strong it nearly chokes me.
“I’ll handle it.”
“Handle what, exactly?” Ethan’s voice carries a warning. “What are you trying to do here, Darius?”
“What do you think?”
“I think you need to be realistic. If Ryker mates Violet, she’ll be respected. Protected.” He takes a breath. “What can you give her? A lifetime of hiding? Sneaking around?”
My jaw clenches so hard, my teeth ache. “She’s mine.”
“Yours? Your what?” Ethan snaps, and I hear real anger now. “What happens when you have to take a mate? What is she supposed to do then? What about when you need heirs? Is she supposed to watch you have children with another woman while she remains your dirty little secret?”
The words slice through me like silver blades. I have no answer because he’s right. He’s absolutely right.
“You’re being selfish,” Ethan continues, relentless. “You’ve already decided your priorities. Let her have this. Ryker’s a dick, but he won’t hurt her. If he mates her, his father will never let her be disrespected. You know that.”
“I have to go,” I tell him shortly. “We’ll talk about this later.”
I end the call before he can say anything else.
The balcony suddenly feels too small, too confining. I step back inside, closing the door silently behind me. The towel barrier seems to mock me, a physical reminder of the distance Violet insists on maintaining.
I gather the towels mechanically, toss them to the floor, then slide back under the covers. Violet is still on her side, facing away from me. Without the barrier between us, I can finally reach for her.
I pull her into my arms before I can think better of it.
She doesn’t wake, just makes a soft sound and relaxes against my chest. Her faint scent reaches me, that unique blend of jasmine and something wild that belongs only to her.
“Should I let you go?”
My question comes out as barely a whisper. She doesn’t stir.
“I want to be selfish where you’re concerned.” My throat tightens. “I don’t want anyone else even looking at you.”
My heart feels like it’s cracking down the middle. The choice should be simple. It should be easy.
It’s not.
If I take Violet as my mate, I’ll have to turn away from the alpha heir position.
My father will never accept a mate whose wolf is barely there, who can’t strengthen our bloodline.
He’ll choose Zion to succeed him instead of me, and Zion will destroy our pack.
I’ve seen the cruelty in my brother, the hunger for power without the wisdom or restraint to wield it properly.
Under Zion’s leadership, our wolves will suffer.
But on the other hand, this is Violet we’re talking about. My fated mate. The woman who makes my wolf sing. The one person in this world who sees me, really sees me, and doesn’t turn away.
How am I supposed to choose between my pack and my mate?
I haven’t told my father the truth about Violet. I can’t. He would demand I reject the mate bond immediately, choose duty over fate. He would never understand that she is not just the object of my desire. She is everything.
I stroke her hair back from her forehead, following the curve of her cheek with my thumb. She’s so beautiful, it hurts to look at her sometimes. This woman has me wrapped around her finger and doesn’t even realize it.
How am I expected to live without her?
The question echoes in my mind, unanswerable. I’ve tried to imagine it, tried to picture a future where Violet isn’t there. Where I wake up next to some other woman, some politically advantageous match my father approves of.
The idea of touching another female is abhorrent. Not just to my wolf, though he snarls and snaps at the mere thought. To me. My human side rejects it just as strongly.
I kiss the top of her head gently, breathing in her scent.
“What do I do?” The words fall into the darkness between us. “How do I keep you safe and by my side?”
She shifts slightly in her sleep, her hand coming up to rest over my heart. The gesture undoes me.
Ethan’s words replay in my mind. “If Ryker mates Violet, she’ll be respected. Protected.”
My wolf snarls at the thought, fangs bared. The image of Ryker’s hands on her, of Ryker claiming her, makes violence surge through my veins. I would tear him to shreds before letting that happen.
But what right do I have to keep her when I can’t give her what she deserves?
Violet deserves someone who can claim her openly. Someone who can stand beside her without shame or secrecy. Someone who can give her a future that doesn’t involve hiding in shadows.
I close my eyes against the burn building behind them.
The truth is, I’m a coward. I want her desperately, selfishly, completely. I want to mark her as mine and dare anyone to challenge it. I want to wake up next to her every morning for the rest of my life.
But I also can’t turn my back on my pack. They need a strong alpha, and Zion isn’t it. He’s cruel and impulsive, driven by ego rather than duty. Wolves would die because of him.
How many lives is my happiness worth?
The question sits like lead in my stomach.
Violet murmurs something in her sleep, her fingers curling into my t-shirt. Even unconscious, she reaches for me. The trust implicit in that gesture makes my chest constrict.
She has no idea what’s coming. No idea that Ryker is circling like a shark scenting blood in the water. No idea that my father would rather see me mate with literally any other female, if he knew about her.
“I won’t let anyone else have you,” I whisper against her hair. “I can’t.”
Even as I say it, I know I’m being selfish. Ethan is right about that. But I can’t seem to stop myself.
My wolf is entirely in agreement. She’s ours. Our mate. The idea of handing her over to another male goes against every instinct we possess.