Chapter 721: Run With Her Mates

It was surprising, but even after all the exertion of the night before, Violet woke up feeling strong and full of vitality. If anything, she was the first one awake and had to rouse the others.

"Come on, it’s morning already," she said, tugging on Roman’s arm.

All he did was pull her back into bed instead.

"Just a minute more," Roman murmured sleepily, dragging her into the warmth of his chest until there was absolutely no space left for her to move.

"Roman, I have training," Violet reminded him, her words muffled against his bare muscles. Gods, he smelled too good and she was dangerously tempted to compromise for just one more minute.

The bed suddenly tipped.

Before she could react, Violet was lifted clean out of Roman’s arms. She blinked in surprise and found herself staring up at Griffin.

Asher was already on his feet, stretching his shoulders. Roman, of course, was still clinging to sleep, and unsurprisingly, so was Alaric. Alaric loved his rest, and Roman was simply a lazy ass.

Griffin shot a sharp look at both of them. "It’s Violet’s first day of training. We’re not delaying her."

That did it.

The South and North Alphas groaned in unison and reluctantly sat up. Alaric, in particular, looked exhausted, his hair a mess and tiredness etched on his expression. After summoning a storm the night before, it was hardly surprising.

It was still early enough that the sun hadn’t fully decided whether it wanted to rise or not. If this were human time, Violet guessed it was around six in the morning, though fae time was flexible at best. They were walking toward the open gardens where her training was scheduled to take place when she noticed something was off.

The palace was bustling and crowded with unfamiliar faces. There were Fae of different kind and color, and each one they encountered stared at them strangely.

At first, Violet assumed it had something to do with the celebration planned for later—the formal introduction of their princess, aka her, to the realm. But the looks they gave her were strange and definitely not reverent. They were pointed, some amused, some openly annoyed, and others downright murderous.

Did she do anything wrong or were they not happy to receive their princess later tonight?

Violet slowed. "Is it just me, or are they staring a little too hard? And this is more than curiosity. I honestly can’t tell whether they want to hug me or murder me."

Right on cue, two lithe fae females walked past them. The moment they spotted Violet, they broke into polite laughter, hands covering their mouths far too late to hide it.

"She must have really enjoyed last night," one whispered. "No wonder the thunder storm nearly flattened our homes."

Violet nearly tripped. "Huh?"

Her heart dropped straight to her stomach. Oh shit. Did the entire palace know she had... ?

Except she wasn’t the only one who heard it. All four Cardinal Alphas caught the comment loud and clear.

Asher and Griffin lifted a brow while Roman slowly turned his head toward Alaric, his eyes bright with unholy delight. Alaric, meanwhile, stared straight ahead, his jaw tight, and expression carefully blank. Right now, he was a man pretending very hard that he was not being publicly accused of causing a natural disaster.

"See?" Roman said, nudging Alaric with his elbow. "Told you that was a top-tier performance."

Alaric chanted mentally, "Don’t encourage him. Do not encourage him."

But Roman didn’t stop, and that was the problem

He said, "Teamwork clearly yields dramatic results and next time we could get creative. I propose we try alternative strategies."

Violet should not listen to Roman’s nonsense but curiosity was a wicked thing.

And once Roman noticed he had her hooked, he continued, his eyes gleaming with wicked idea, "What I’m saying is, you know, first hole, second hole — collaboration effort. Very inclusive and very team-building."

"Dear lord." Griffin groaned, face palming. Not that he ever expected anything useful from Roman but one could always wish.

As for Violet, she simply flipped him off. She knew Roman had wicked ideas and it was confirmed. That was not her thing — although she was curious.

Roman let out a burst of laughter. "There it is, still guarding the untouched vault, Little mate." He clicked his tongue. "Such potential, wasted."

"Say one more word," Violet warned sweetly, "and I’ll show you exactly how destructive I can be."

"Oh, I’m counting on it," Roman said cheerfully.

Then, as if struck by a sudden, nostalgic thought, he added, "You always were into the hard stuff like Griffin choking you just enough to make you forget your own name. Gods, remember how you two started? First day of school and barely through the gates and already halfway into foreplay." He shook his head, amused. "Some things never change."

Griffin growled, "You’re an asshole, you know that?"

Roman didn’t even try to defend himself and burst out laughing again, completely satisfied.

They reached the open field just as the sun began to spread over the spires of the palace. The gardens stretched wide and untamed here, a vast clearing ringed by trees whose leaves breathed magic. After Roman’s incident with the Fae, they knew what boundary belonged to those little demons called the pixies and dared not to cross it.

Dew clung to the grass, the air cool against their skin, while the air smelled fresh with the scent of flowers.

And yet, the garden was empty. There was no queen or instructors around to start the training with her.

Roman broke the silence first. "Wow," he said, hands on his hips. "Either this is a test in patience, or the queen of the free Fae collectively decided to sleep in."

Asher’s gaze swept the field, sharp and assessing. "No one misses royal training, especially not the princess’s first."

Griffin frowned. "maybe something happened?"

Violet said nothing, but unease stirred in her chest. For all her mother’s promises, for all the talk of preparation and duty, a small, treacherous thought crept in.

Did she ever intend to train her today, or was it always going to be postponed?

Minutes passed before footsteps approached from the garden path.

Rhara emerged, her expression carefully neutral.

Griffin turned immediately. "Where’s the queen?"

Rhara exhaled. "The princess training is postponed for now."

Alaric stopped. "Postponed?" His brows drew together. "This is a life-or-death competition for Violet. You don’t move training ’for now.’ she doesn’t have the luxury of time."

Rhara’s gaze flicked to him, pointed. "The queen would be here if the realm hadn’t spent the last several hours repairing structures shattered by a storm."

Just like that, silence fell.

Alaric went still. "...Storm?"

"Yes," Rhara said. "The one that uprooted three groves, split an elder bridge, and rattled half the courts out of their beds."

Roman winced. "Oof."

Alaric stared at the ground. "...I didn’t think it was that bad."

Rhara studied him for a beat, then said. "No one was injured, but the damage was extensive."

Guilt settled visibly over Alaric’s features. "I didn’t mean—"

"I know," Rhara cut in. "But consequences remain."

She turned to Violet then, expression gentler. "You’re free until further notice. I’ll send word when the queen is ready."

And just like that, she was gone.

They stood there for a moment, the quiet rushing back in.

Asher broke it. "We’re not wasting today."

Griffin nodded. "Agreed."

Roman’s eyes lit up with unmistakable excitement. "I have an idea."

Everyone looked at him.

"Let’s have a run," Roman suggested. "A real one. Violet hasn’t had a chance to let her wolf loose yet, not properly."

Violet pointed at her chest. "Only me?"

Roman smirked. "Of course not. You’ve got your mates here." He tilted his head, eyes gleaming. "Let’s make it a competition. See if you’re as fast as you are powerful, princess."

Competition stirred inside of Violet.

"Oh, you’re on," she said.

Griffin chuckled low. "That worked fast."

"All in," Asher surprisingly agreed to it.

Alaric rolled his shoulders. "No holding back."

The air thickened as power pressed outward.

Roman shifted first, his bones cracking, and magic flaring as green fur rippled over his form, tail wagging as he landed on all fours, tongue lolling in excitement.

Asher followed, his sleek black wolf emerging, his slitted eyes glowing. Griffin’s shift came next—massive, red-furred, strength rolling off him in waves. Alaric was last, his white wolf edged with lightning, the ground faintly humming beneath his paws.

Violet’s heart thundered.

Then she shifted.

A sharp pain lanced through her but it was nothing like the first time and was bearable. Her bones reshaped, wings unfurling as rich purple fur swept across her body.

Violet fell on all fours, feeling stronger than ever.

The world snapped into vivid clarity through her wolf’s eyes. Every scent, every sound sharpened. And above it all—

Run

, Thalia’s voice urged, thrilled. It was loud in her head. She was

Roman dropped into a crouch and he growled once. But it was clear it was a countdown.

One.

Asher’s tail flicked.

He growled again.

Two.

Violet’s wings flexed.

Three!

They all took off.