Alpha Ashmere Park:

The doors to her father’s study were already open. He sensed her presence from doors away, and asked the guards to leave the door open.

Violet did not knock.

She never did.

The guards stationed outside stepped aside the moment they saw her approaching, their heads bowing slightly—not just out of respect for her title, but for her.

She walked past them without sparing them a glance. The soft click of her heels against the polished floor echoed faintly as she stepped inside.

The study smelled like old wood, ink, and power.

It was a room built for decisions that shaped lives far beyond its walls. Dark shelves lined with ancient texts. Maps spread across a large oak table at the center. Letters—sealed, broken, and resealed—scattered like pieces of quiet wars already fought.

Alpha Ashmere stood behind it all. He didn’t look up immediately. He never rushed for anyone, not even his daughter.

His silver eyes remained on the document in his hand, scanning it with slow precision. One could tell that whatever was written there mattered more than the presence that had just entered.

Violet stopped a few steps in.

She didn’t speak right away either.

That was something she had learned from him. Silence could command more attention than words.

A few seconds passed, then she spoke.

"Father," Violet said. Her voice was smooth, and soft.

It carried just enough weight to demand acknowledgment without sounding like she needed it.

That was her gift.

Balance.

Ashmere finally looked up. Their silver eyes met. Where his held age and calculation, hers held something sharper, and prettier. Far more dangerous in the wrong hands.

"Violet," he said simply. He set the document down, and folded his hands together on the desk.

He was fully watching her now.

She stepped closer.

Her gown fell perfectly around her frame, tailored to precision. Not overly extravagant, but refined enough to remind anyone who saw her exactly who she was.

"It’s two days until King Elijah’s ball," she said. Her lips curved slightly. "When would we hit the road?"

Her father did not answer immediately.

And that was the first crack.

Violet noticed. Her eyes sharpened just slightly.

Ashmere leaned back in his chair, slow, and unhurried. He studied her for what seemed like forever.

Then, he finally parted his lips. "We are not going." He deadpanned.

Violet blinked in disbelief, and refusal. The room shifted. The air around her changed from calmness, to mild anger. "What?"

Ashmere didn’t react to her tone. He expected it.

Violet straightened slightly.

Her fingers curled faintly at her sides, the only sign that something had shifted beneath her composed exterior.

"We were invited," she said, more controlled now. "And I am expected to attend."

Ashmere’s gaze hardened slightly. "Expected?" he repeated.

The word sounded different in his voice, almost mocking.

Violet held his gaze. "Yes." She replied, raising her chin.

A slow, humorless smile touched Ashmere’s lips. "By who?" The question was quiet, but it was a bit mocking.

Violet didn’t answer immediately. The answer was obvious. "King Elijah," she said.

Ashmere’s smile disappeared. "Elijah," he repeated her word again.

Violet spine straightened further. Did her father just call the king name with no title? The king could have his head fir that, no matter his title.

"Have you forgotten?" Ashmere asked, breaking her train of thoughts.

Violet frowned slightly.

His silver eyes locked onto hers. "He insulted us. And yet you’re eager to attend his ball."

Violet stilled. "He—" She parted her lips to defend him, and thwn, she stopped.

"That girl," Ashmere continued, his voice hardening just slightly. "That cursed girl. He chose her over you."

"Elijah hasn’t made any final..."

"He has." Ashmere cut her off, sharply. What illusion was she still living in?

Her illusion cracked.

Violet’s lips parted slightly. "That girl is nothing," she said. "We can still take her out." her voice hardened. "She is a placeholder at best. We just need to attend the ball."

Ashmere watched her in quiet disbelief. Has his daughter forgotten how this works? Has she forgotten the Moon goddess makes the late choice and it is visible the moon goddess has choosen a cursed mate for the Alohas, for whatever twisted reason.

He shook his head. "She is standing where you were meant to stand." He said, softer this time, to allow it to sink in. "And Elijah allowed it."

Violet’s fingers tightened. Her nails pressed into her palm. "He will correct it," she said.

Ashmere’s gaze darkened. "This is the Moon goddess doing. Don’t make me call you dumb, my sweet girl." He reolied, almost fustrated.

Violet swallowed. She let out an inaudible ’oh’ and looked down at her feet as if fixing the puzzles together. Then, she lifted her chin lifted slightly with pride.

"I don’t care. He does not get to overlook us."

Ashmere was quiet for a moment. Then, a slow, dangerous smile formed at the edges of his lips. "There it is."

He stood. His movement was smooth, controlled, and powerful. He walked around the desk slowly, stopping just a few feet from her.

"This is about not attendance," he said. "But this...." He gestured faintly between them. "is about respect."

Violet’s eyes held his.

"And he has disrespected us." he added. "Moon goddess, or not. I see no reason why one girl will have three mates."

Ashmere’s gaze sharpened further. "I will not walk into his hall," he continued, "and pretend that insult did not happen."

His voice hardened further. "I will not sit among Alphas who watched him choose a cursed nobody over my daughter."

Violet’s jaw tightened. "And what do you intend to do?" she asked.

Ashmere’s smile returned. "I will make sure they all pay for it."

Violet watched him.

"You’ve already done something," she said in realization. She recognised that glint in his eyes.

Ashmere didn’t deny it. "There are consequences," he said simply. "For actions like his."

Violet’s mind moved quickly now. "And me?" she asked. Her voice didn’t waver. "Where do I stand in this?"

Ashmere looked at her. Approval flickered in his eyes. "You," he said slowly, "will stand exactly where you were always meant to. When all of this is over, I’ll make sure you’re at the top."