VIOLET SWAN

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I can’t wait to leave this stupid town called Grayville. I feel like nothing ties me here, except for a bond that’s useless if the other end of the union rejects me as he does. When I finally arrive at the office, I notice everything is silent—either everyone is deeply focused on their work, or it means the council is here. Surely, the idiot Aarón has already arrived.

Usually, his highness almost never sticks his nose in this place, so if Aarón is here, it’s just another addition to my already terrible luck.

“Violet!” I hear my friend Lanny calling me. I walk over to her, and when I see that look on her face, I start getting chills. I know that twisted smile all too well.

“I don’t like that look on your face,” I say honestly.

“Girl, you have to tell me everything in detail,” she says excitedly. “First, you went out to dinner, and now he’s moved you to a new position. Vi, there’s no point in hiding or denying it—Aarón has already accepted you as his…”

“Don’t you dare say another word!” I point a finger at her to shut her up. I’m tired of all this nonsense. “None of what you’re saying or thinking is true. The dinner at the restaurant was just a formality—it’s not what you and everyone else think, Leilanny.” She goes quiet when I use her full name. “Let me make it clear: there is absolutely nothing between Mr. Alpha and me.”

I look away so she won’t notice how much I want to cry, quickly blinking back the tears. I’m tired of feeling this way over the same thing. I don’t want to show that this affects me.

*“Remember your plan, Violet,”* I think to myself to get through this and endure.

“I understand,” Lanny mutters. Now I feel bad about how I spoke to her. After all, she’s my childhood friend, and I don’t want to hurt her feelings—she knows that better than anyone. “Vi, I’m so sorry, friend. I didn’t mean to…”

“You don’t need to worry, Lanny. It’s already over,” I smile to reassure her. “Now, let’s get to work. We’ll talk more during lunch.”

“Whatever you say, Vi. See you at break time,” she nods, and I let her leave.

I sit down at my desk and think that this is going to be a very long day. I just hope this assistant position doesn’t bring me more trouble with Aarón, and that it’s not as bad as I’ve imagined. Suddenly, as if the universe conspires against me and reads my thoughts, the source of all my torment appears before me. With his piercing sky-blue eyes glaring at me as if he wants to crush me under the ground, burying me in an ordinary grave.

“Swan, come to my office right now,” he says angrily.

I take a deep breath, stand up, and as I walk to his office, I try to slow every step, prolonging my entrance as much as possible. When I arrive, he’s standing under the doorframe, waiting for me. I didn’t want to come here—I said I’d get revenge, but I still don’t know how the hell I’m going to do that.

As soon as I enter, he slams the door shut, startling me and making my heart race even faster. I’d rather do a pile of accumulated work than be in this office. I’m not stupid—I know his anger has a name and a surname.

“Tell me, sir,” I say, swallowing hard as I grab my notebook. Apparently, the miracle of being invisible to Aarón isn’t granted to me, and I just hope he doesn’t mention anything about what happened last night.

Perfect. It seems he’s decided to ignore me now.

“Violet,” he says after a while. “I hope you’re not involved in the latest rumors spreading around Grayville these past few hours…”

“Believe me, no one wants people to forget about this more than I do, Mr. Connor,” I confess honestly. “It’s not fun being the laughingstock of an entire town,” I say firmly. I’m not going to let this arrogant jerk push me around anymore, though internally, I’m holding onto my fleeting moment of courage, waiting to see if he’ll respond. “If you have nothing else to say, then I’ll take my leave.”

I turn quickly, wanting to get out of here as soon as possible. But before I even touch the door, Aarón shouts and grabs my arm roughly. My eyes close automatically—I don’t want to look at him as my back hits the cold wall.

“Open your eyes,” he demands in an authoritative voice, and I shake my head quickly. “Violet, I told you to obey me.” His grip tightens.

“Leave me alone! You’re a demon, Aarón, and I’m sick of all this…” My words are cut off when I feel a sharp pain in my arms where he’s holding me.

Where the hell did my determination from a moment ago go? I can’t let his proximity and scent cloud my judgment. I open my eyes, and the first thing I see are those icy blue eyes.

“What a shame,” he mocks. “Now you deal with it, cupcake. I didn’t know saving you from drowning that day would bring me so much trouble.”

“I would’ve preferred to die rather than live like this!” My throat hurts as I scream. I’m so fed up with his humiliation, rejection, and indifference—they’re slowly destroying me. “Just leave me alone!”

I feel tears starting to well up, so I lower my face to hide how much this affects me. I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me vulnerable.

“Damn, you’re so dramatic,” he says, exasperated, and lifts my face with little care. “I need you to stay here while I’m in a meeting with the council members,” he explains. “I don’t want those old fools to see you, you stupid girl…”

“Why?” I ask, confused by his request, and swat his hand away from my face. But he grabs me again with more force, pressing his body against mine and cupping my cheeks.

Slowly, he moves my face from side to side as if examining me. He smirks arrogantly, leans closer to me, and just when I think he’s going to kiss me, he pulls away, leaving me confused.

“Because I’m the one who gives the orders, and if I tell you not to leave this room, you won’t—or you’ll face the consequences.” His warning is crystal clear, and he leaves the office, leaving me alone, confused, and angry.

I stay there for a few seconds, taking a deep breath to recover the air I didn’t realize I’d been holding because of Aarón’s presence.

*“He’ll never stop hating me.”* I walk on shaky legs to a black leather couch where I reflect on what’s happened over the past few days.

“I don’t know why you keep thinking about it so much, Violet. He hates you because you’re an obstacle preventing him from uniting with someone like him,” I sigh, holding back tears. “He hates you for being half-human—you’re not the right material to be his moon, and you already knew that, Violet.” Mentally, I list the reasons for Aarón’s disdain toward me, and my eyes sting with unshed tears. “For him, his duty to the pack comes above everything, even above the mate the moon assigned to him.”

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AARÓN CONNOR

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When I enter the meeting room with the seven members of the council, they stand up, and I continue walking until I take my seat at the head of the large table. Her golden eyes, filled with tears, are still etched in my mind. If she knew how much I hate being the cause of her crying, she wouldn’t provoke me. But whether she likes it or not, this is how things must be.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” I greet them, leaning on the table with my elbows. My gaze is fixed on Levi Connor, my uncle and the most troublesome member of the council.

Nothing I do as the new alpha of the Red Moon pack pleases him, and I’m getting tired of this situation.

“I’ve gathered you here today to address the issue of outsiders in Grayville,” I explain. “Some have tried to get too clever, and Red Moon has lived peacefully for a long time, and…”

“I believe the problem isn’t about the wolves who’ve come from outside, nephew,” my uncle interrupts. “The real problem here is the leadership of Red Moon.” My eyes narrow as I wait for him to continue. “You haven’t set boundaries—you allow any outsider into our territory without knowing their origins.” I notice the others starting to grow nervous. “We didn’t fight for these lands just to lose them so easily in your hands, Aarón. Instead of playing the lovesick wolf with that omega, you should think more about your people. You’re no longer a pup, and leading Red Moon isn’t a game.”

Whispers ripple through the remaining council members. The tension between the Connor wolves is palpable.

“Gentlemen, a moment!” Claus interjects. Though he appears young, he’s over a hundred and fifty years old. “Levi is right, to some extent…”

“What exactly are you trying to say?” I snap, tired of all this nonsense. I hate these old fossils, especially when they corner me as if I can’t handle this amidst all their slander.

“Young man, it’s not that I doubt your leadership qualities.”

“Then what do you mean?” I ask, irritated.

“You’re a worthy son of your father, but I regret to say that Levi has a valid point,” he pauses before continuing. “Aarón, every alpha needs his moon, and it’s been over a year since you became our alpha. We want you to find a mate of noble descent—preferably another she-wolf like yourself.”

“So now you’re giving me advice on who I should be with?” I ask sarcastically.

“Red Moon must maintain its power, and whether you deny it or not, we already know that half-breed is working here.” Just the mention of her makes me clench my fists with rage. “We don’t want to lose our lineage by mixing with outsiders—that would only weaken us.”

“I don’t want to be rude, but what you’re saying has nothing to do with the topic we’re discussing or why I brought you here this morning…”

“This is relevant to me, at least, Aarón,” says my mother, arriving as always unexpectedly and elegantly. She wears a dress that matches her long hair, perfectly contrasting with her fair skin. Her sky-blue eyes and ruby-red lipstick make her look youthful, despite being over a century old.

“Mother,” I greet her.

“Claus is right about one thing—it’s crucial that you find your moon soon, but not just anyone. You need someone who matches your stature, son. The pack needs to unite forces, especially now with so many exiles lurking around us.” They keep pushing the topic of my moon. “Also, we have the other plague—those bloodsucking parasites. I don’t know which is worse: those damn hybrids or the undead vermin.” My mother spits out, clearly annoyed.

There are things my mother is right about, but I need to emphasize the issue of my moon.

“As I’ve just said, I don’t need a mate right now,” I say, looking each of them in the eye. “I can handle everything on my own.” My mother glares at me, but I don’t care. “You may leave now—the meeting is over.”

In reality, there’s more to discuss, but right now, I don’t want to deal with these old wolves anymore. At that moment, someone clears their throat, catching my attention. I was so focused on myself that I didn’t notice my mother still standing there, poised and elegant.

“Why don’t you just send that half-breed away from us, Aarón?” my mother asks, repeating the same question she made a few months ago. “Say no more—I’ll send her somewhere safe where she’ll be protected, and that way, you can move on with your life. If you want, you can visit Violet from time to time.”

Dealing with my mother is one of the easiest things to do. Honestly, Violet would be much better off wherever my mother sends her. But there’s one problem—I don’t want her far from me. I can’t have her away, period.

“It’s not an option,” I respond curtly.

Cassandra, my mother, stands up visibly upset, and I’m grateful that everyone else has already left while she clicks her heels.

“I didn’t raise a weak pup, Aarón. I made you into a damn alpha, and I can’t fathom the idea of a foolish girl like her owning your will. What the hell is wrong with you, Aarón Connor?”

“I’ve already said you’re not taking her, damn it!” I lose my temper and forget I’m yelling at my mother. She’s had this absurd idea of driving the Swan family out of town ever since she found out Violet was my mate. “And I don’t want to talk about this again. Do you understand?”

She approaches me threateningly to stop me from arguing further. To avoid contradicting her—or rather, to stop wasting time on the same topic—I choose to remain silent.

“I have things to do, Mother.”

“All I want is for this pack to stay standing, Aarón,” she softens her tone. “Your father ruined your leadership and your future by allowing those half-breeds into Red Moon.” I stay silent, and after a gentle pat, she leaves the office, leaving the meeting room empty.

This is one of the reasons I can’t stay away from Violet. In moments like these, I don’t even trust my own mother. She has this twisted idea that she can get rid of her just because she doesn’t accept the moon’s decree.