Chapter 519: New Family Bond

The ride with Aeron was... well, awkward didn’t even begin to cover it.

How do you even begin to describe the feeling of sitting in the backseat with your mate’s father-in-law in the front, driving like an executioner behind the wheel, while his son sat beside you, and your other mate stretched out, acting like the situation was completely normal?

Violet sat stiffly, staring at the road ahead, until Roman leaned in with that infuriating smirk, his breath tickling her ear.

"So, love," he drawled, his voice deliberately pitched so Aeron could probably hear every word if he cared to. "Do I call him sir, or just go straight to Dad?"

Violet nearly choked on her breath, her eyes widening in horror. She elbowed him hard, whispering back, "Shut. Up."

If Aeron heard him, he didn’t flinch, his eyes fixed on the road. Although Violet had a feeling his pointed silence was on purpose.

Roman winced, then grinned wider. "Fine, Papa Aeron it is. Do you think he’ll give me his blessing if I manage to put a smile on his stony face?"

Griffin, sitting on her other side, pinched the bridge of his nose as though regretting every decision that had led him to this car ride. "Roman," he muttered through clenched teeth, "don’t push it."

But Roman only chuckled, unbothered, his arm sliding casually around her shoulders as if they weren’t driving straight toward the Alpha King’s residence — and quite possibly their doom.

"What?" He gestured to Aeron in front, "He hasn’t thrown me out yet. That’s practically approval in father-in-law language."

Violet groaned, sinking lower into her seat, torn between strangling Roman and burying her face in her hands. If the goddess was watching, Violet was convinced she was laughing herself sick.

"Is there any implicating secret I need to know before we arrive?" Aeron asked, his tone heavy with meaning, eyes catching theirs in the rearview mirror.

The three of them froze for a moment, trading a silent glance that said more than words ever could.

Roman, of course, was the first to break. He

announced, "Your son killed Alpha Henry."

The revelation was so sudden that Aeron’s hands jerked on the wheel and the car swerved violently off the road. The abrupt lurch jolted everyone in their seats, the tires screeching as gravel spat beneath them. For a moment, Violet’s breath caught in her throat while Roman’s arm instinctively caged her in, and Griffin braced against the door.

But Aeron wasn’t a man who lost control for long. With a deep growl of frustration, he righted the vehicle, with steady hands, forcing it back onto the road. Silence fell as they calmed their breaths in the back, hearts pounding against ribs.

Through the mirror, Aeron caught sight of Elijah’s men still trailing behind them, the black car hugging their line. No doubt they were wondering what the hell had just happened. Aeron forced himself still, every muscle in his muscle tight as he now drove with extra measure.

Then he demanded in just one, grave word. "Details."

Roman turned to Violet and whispered, "He’s so cool. I love him."

Violet rolled her eyes. Leave it to Roman to make the most serious moment sound like a joke.

Griffin told his father. "He hurt Violet."

Roman, of course, couldn’t resist painting the scene like he was narrating dinner theater.

"Then Griffin went King Kong on him. No, seriously. He pounded Alpha Henry so hard the man looked like mashed potatoes. Not even the creamy, buttery kind, oh no, but the horrible, lumpy disaster I once ate on an ’exotic’ trip. Yolk." He shuddered dramatically, as if scarred for life. "I still have nightmares."

Griffin and Violet stared at Roman. No one asked for that detail.

But Roman ignored them, lowering his voice as though he was sharing a juicy secret.

"Good thing Violet blew the place up, otherwise we’d have to explain why Henry looked more like an entrée-of-the-day than a dead Alpha.... "

Aeron didn’t listen until the end. At the mention of "Violet blowing the place up," the car swerved sharply off the road again. This time it stayed there, engine humming in idle while Aeron’s knuckles turned white around the wheel.

Silence swallowed the car. The air was heavy, and thick, no one daring to speak. Violet sat stiffly, her pulse racing, while Griffin braced himself for what might come next. It was Roman who looked the guiltiest of all, his lips pressed thin as if he’d just realized maybe—just maybe—he’d said too much.

A beat passed. Then another. Still Aeron didn’t move. The only sound was the low purr of the engine and the faint whistle of wind through the window.

Finally, a rap on the glass shattered the stillness. Aeron blinked and lifted his head, finding Christian peering in with suspicion written across his face. He had no choice but to roll the glass down.

"Is everything alright?" Christian asked, suspicion dripping from every syllable.

Aeron’s reply was gravel, clipped and gruff. "Everything is fine." He was already turning the ignition back into gear, the underlying growl in his voice obviously telling the beta to move on.

Christian didn’t buy it, his eyes narrowing, but before the moment stretched too long, Roman waved at him brightly with his eternal sunshine grin.

"Don’t worry, Christian. We’re just working out family dynamics, you know, new mate bond paperwork, and harem seating chart, you know. It’s more chaotic than I thought."

Christian blinked at him, unimpressed. "Let’s not have any accidents, hmm? Arrive at the estate in one piece, shall we?"

Aeron didn’t answer. Instead, he gave Christian a look so cold it could have frozen blood, then stomped the pedal. Dust blasted up into Christian’s face as the car tore back onto the road.

Roman slumped back smugly, whispering against Violet’s ear. "I’m so in love with my new father-in-law. Or should I say father-in-pack?" He grinned wolfishly. "Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?"