Violet and Griffin didnât exactly have the time to talk. Not when Oscar, Griffinâs Beta, made his appearance and handed her phone to her. Alaric was the one who found it at Asherâs place and passed it to him to give to her.
"Where is Alaric now?" Violet asked after several failed attempts to reach her lightning prince. Each of her calls went straight to voicemail.
"The last time he was seen was at the hospital with Asher. No oneâs spotted him since," Oscar replied.
"My callâs not going through either," Griffin said, lowering his phone with a frown.
Just like her, heâd only just gotten his phone back. Griffin had been using an alternative while they were at the East Pack, while Violet had been left with none. And though he had always let her use his whenever she needed it, having her own again felt reliving. As small as it seemed, it reminded her she was still her own person and not just someoneâs mate, tethered to their convenience.
Violet glanced at Griffin, her voice soft with worry. "Do you think heâs safe, wherever he is?"
"If heâs hiding intentionally," Griffin said, "then heâs good."
Oscar cleared his throat. "The rest of the pack members here at school canât wait to be officially introduced to Luna Violet."
"Iâm Violet. Not Luna," she corrected him with a flat tone .
"You already are. Sooner or later, youâll embrace the title, Luna."
Violet rolled her eyes while Griffin shot Oscar a look that clearly said drop it. His mate had been through enough. She didnât need more roles forced onto her especially ones she wasnât ready for.
"About Alaric," Oscar continued, "if heâs really that important, I can try to track him. Discreetly." The way he said it hinted he knew more than he was letting on.
Violet and Griffin exchanged a look. She didnât have to speak, her eyes were already pleading.
"Sure. Go on," Griffin said with a nod.
"Alright, Alpha," Oscar replied, giving them one final look before heading out.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Violet turned to Griffin. "Thank you."
"Youâre welcome. Anything for you, mate," Griffin said, gently brushing her cheek with his knuckles.
But Violet pulled back, almost immediately. "Now I just need to find Roman and make him see things clearly."
"Whoah, slow down, Violet. You just got here. You havenât even rested or moved your things," Griffin said, stepping into her path.
But Violet countered immediately. "The mating fever already distracted me enough. I donât need more rest. My things can wait, Iâll pack in later. Right now, I need to find Roman."
She moved to pass him, but Griffin caught her wrist gently, but firm. "You donât understand, do you? Everyoneâs watching you. Reporters are still on campus, and any one of them could twist something and make it worse."
He pulled her closer, his voice lower now. "Look, I get it. I understand how you feel. But those people out there? They donât. Not about you. Not about us. A mate is supposed to be satisfied with their mate. If they catch you in a compromising position with Roman, Violet, theyâre going to chew you up."
"So what do you want me to do?" Violet snapped, her voice rising. "Sit still and wait for their approval? Just stay here and do nothing?"
"Iâm not saying do nothing," Griffin shot back. "Iâm saying not right now. There are too many eyes on youâon usâright now."
"And what about Roman? Heâs probably out there, hurting, and you expect me to do what? Sit still?!"
"Well, thatâs whatâs supposed to happen!" Griffinâs voice rose to meet hers now, anger flaring behind his words. "The goddess mated you to me! Me, Violet! Me only!What do you expect Roman to do? Walk up and congratulate us? Roman loved you. As much as I love you. If the situation were reversed, Iâd be hurting just the same."
"Then if thatâs the case, you shouldnât be stopping me. Roman needs me. And I donât care what the media ends up painting me as." She yanked her arm from his grip, her glare blazing. "Apologies for dragging you into my mess by being your mate."
She stormed toward the door.
"Violetâ" Griffin called after her, but she didnât stop or look back.
Violet opened the door, walked out, and shut it behind her.
She couldnât believe it. Just days of being mated and they had their first fight already.
And just like that, reality snapped into place.
The mate bond wasnât some magical fairytale promise of happily-ever-after. No, it was a soul-shattering connection. One that amplified every feeling they had for each other and bound their fates tighter than blood. But it didnât make the hard moments disappear. If anything, it made them harder to ignore.
As Violet stepped outside, it didnât take long for the members of the East Pack to spot her and greet her like she was royalty.
"Luna Violet!"
"Luna Violet! Youâre glowing!"
Their voices rang with excitement, and their faces were lit up with awe, admiration, and the kind of reverence that hadnât even existed just a week ago. But their smiles faltered quickly when they got a good look at the scowl on her face.
Violetâs expression was tight, and she looked irritated.
The couple of students exchanged confused glances, whispering behind their hands. Was something wrong? Trouble in paradise already? They hadnât even finished airing the couple montage on Moonfeed and the goddess-blessed pair were already fighting?
Violet, of course, noticed the shift in the air but she didnât care and kept walking.
But as Violet reached outside, she realized Griffinâs concern.
Not long ago, some students looked at her like she was an anomaly, a rebel who didnât know her place, but now, everyone wanted to be associated with her.
"Violet!"
"Over here, Violet!"
People she hadnât spoken to in her entire time at Lunaris were suddenly waving, and calling her name like she was a friend. Violet offered a small smile, but she never stopped walking. She had a destination, and it wasnât for show.
Still, Violet wasnât stupid. She couldnât exactly stride across campus looking like she was off to find a forbidden ex-lover. Especially when even the wind had ears at Lunaris Academy.
So, she took the route to the shack.No one would question her going back there since it had once been her home. Most would assume she forgot something or felt nostalgic, maybe even a little sentimental. But definitely not that she was going to see another male that wasnât her mate.
Violet kept checking her back every few steps just to be sure no one was tailing her. Werewolves were stealthy by nature, and trust was a luxury she didnât have today.
Once she reached the shack, Violet slipped inside the room and waited a bit. She listened for footsteps or rustlings. But there was none. She was alone.
Only then did Violet come out and continue on her journey. There was only one place Roman would be and it was the treehouse.
It was the only place he always returned to when he wanted to be alone.
The only problem was Violet had no clue where it was.