Chapter 56: Tide-Turning Secret
"I heard that an intruder broke into your room last night," Violet said, looking in the mirror as she arranged her hair. "How horrifying. You must’ve been scared out of your wits."
I ran my tongue over my teeth, trying to find the appropriate words to reply to her with.
"Not really. I was asleep until Alpha Cassian burst in. I didn’t even realize someone was in there until then."
The water sloshed as Violet moved her feet.
After just one night of sleeping in the main wing of the pack house, the Alphas had decided that I was to return to my duties of serving Violet. Only this time, they had increased my list of tasks to include some extra jobs meant to humiliate me.
This time, it was washing Violet’s feet.
She sat on the armchair, casually drinking her morning tea as she scrolled through her phone. Every once in a while, she would pick up a cookie or a pastry to nibble on, allowing the crumbs to rain on my head.
I ignored her attempts at riling me up, partly because a part of me no longer cared as much. My mind was entirely on the intruder who had broken into my room last night. If I concentrated hard enough, I could still see the faint outline of his silhouette before he had jumped out of my bedroom window.
If only it hadn’t been so dark. Perhaps I would be able to see a little more clearly what he looked like.
"Such a shame," Violet boredly said. For once, I agreed with her statement.
She dusted her hands and lifted her foot out of the water, and I robotically took a towel to dry it. My mind had been so far away on this surprising, possible fourth mate that I hadn’t even noticed Violet narrowing her eyes as she peered my way.
Suddenly, a knock came from the door, drawing both our attention.
"Come in," Violet said.
The door opened to reveal a man I didn’t recognize. He peered in, his eyes looking worriedly around. When his gaze landed on me, he furrowed his eyebrows.
"Luna," he said. "A word?"
Violet sat up straight almost immediately. I didn’t fail to notice the way her posture turned rigid, and I tried not to stare at her in case she noticed my suspicion.
"Briar," Violet said, not sparing me a single glance. "Could you fetch the lotion from the infirmary? My heels are feeling particularly cracked. I think I need something stronger."
I glanced at her heels. Her soft, supple skin was the furthest thing away from ’cracked’. She was merely finding a reason to have me gone. The infirmary was quite a journey away, nearly at the opposite end of the pack house.
"Sure," I said, dusting the crumbs that Violet had rained on me previously off my apron.
I didn’t say anything else, simply leaving the room without so much as glancing at the man.
As soon as I left the room, the door closed behind me. I heard the distinct click of the lock.
The healers at the infirmary weren’t too happy to see me. They purposely took their own sweet time, tending to other non-emergency patients or busying themselves with paperwork. Whatever it was, it seemed much better than listening to my request.
It wasn’t until I brought up Violet’s name that they finally tore their eyes away from the documents. One healer rolled their eyes before handing me the lotion I had requested.
I was almost back in Violet’s room when all of a sudden, I heard some strange noises.
At first, I thought that I might have hallucinated the sounds, but they became clearer and louder the closer I got to the door. It took me half a second to realize that what I heard was none other than Violet’s voice, along with the man’s.
"―the baby?"
My eyes widened. Instinctively, my hands reached for my stomach, carefully cradling my belly.
I didn’t know how I was able to hear Violet’s conversation from such a distance. Werewolf walls and doors were generally built with much sturdier material, especially in the pack house or any location that would house confidential pack information. Since werewolves were keen listeners, this was to prevent eavesdroppers.
Without my wolf, these walls were basically completely soundproof most of the time. I didn’t have the same blessed hearing enhancement that werewolves had, and to a human ear, these walls blocked out most sound.
Yet, this time, I could easily hear their full conversation, even though an average werewolf might not even be able to.
Before I had the time to consider the possible reasons why, something even more shocking came.
"They will never find out," Violet said. "Stop worrying."
"As your mate, I think I have the right to worry―"
"Don’t ever say that out loud," Violet practically hissed.
I slapped my hand over my mouth, trying hard not to gasp. I stilled in my steps, still a short distance away from the door.
"You are never to admit that out loud ever again, is that clear?" Violet warned, her voice every bit as threatening — maybe even more so — as when she spoke to me. There wasn’t a bit of the sweet, honey-like tone she often used with the Alphas.
"It’s the truth," the man muttered. He sounded in pain. For a moment, I pitied him. He seemed to be in a very similar boat as me. "We are fated―"
"We are nothing," Violet said, cutting him off. "And if I hear you blabbing about the child’s true parentage, I will have you killed. Is that clear?"
The small tub of lotion slipped from my hands. I didn’t even realize that it had fallen to the floor until I heard it slam against the floorboards.
Instantly, I jumped in surprise. Inside the room, everything turned pin-drop silent almost immediately. My heart fell into the pits of my stomach.
I had just gained some very advanced werewolf hearing. But more importantly, I think I just found out Violet’s deepest, darkest secret. It was enough to completely change the triplets’ impression of her, so long as I was able to find proof.
Violet was indeed pregnant. However, that child was not any of the Alphas’. Its father was Violet’s fated mate, a man she had already slept with.
The lock on the door jingled. Without thinking twice, I turned and ran.
