James again. Did he come back, or has he been out there this whole time?
I yank the door open. The butler takes a step back, his eyes widening slightly at whatever it is he sees in my expression.
“What?” The word comes out harsher than I intend.
“Your father is requesting your presence in his office. Immediately.”
Of course he is. “Tell him I’m leaving.”
“With respect, sir, I don’t think that would be wise.” James looks at me meaningfully. “The Alpha was quite…insistent.”
A muscle ticks in my jaw. Damn it.
“Is dinner over?”
“Yes, sir. Finished about thirty minutes ago.”
Thirty minutes. That means I was probably in that cold shower for a quarter of an hour, and I still feel like I’m burning alive.
“Where’s Violet?” The question slips out before I can stop it.
James’s expression doesn’t change except for a brief flicker in his eyes. “Miss Violet retired to her room after dinner. She seemed unsettled.”
Does she know? Has she told her mother?
“Fine.” I push past James into the hallway. “Let’s get this over with.”
My father’s office is on the second floor, in the west wing. The walk there feels endless, every step taking me farther from where I want to be and closer to a conversation I don’t want to have.
I knock once on the heavy oak door before pushing it open.
My father sits behind his massive desk, papers spread out in front of him. He looks up as I enter, his face unreadable.
“Sit.”
I remain standing. “What do you want?”
His eyes narrow. “I said sit, Darius.”
I drop into the chair across from his desk, sprawling out with deliberate casualness. Anything to try to hide the tension still coiled through every muscle in my body.
“What the hell happened at dinner?” he asks bluntly.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t lie to me.” His voice drops, taking on that alpha edge that makes lesser wolves cower. It doesn’t work on me anymore. “You walked into the dining room, took one look at Violet, and hightailed it out of there as if you’dseen a ghost.”
“I’ve been at the office too long. My wolf is pent up.” The lie comes easily, smoothly. “I needed some air.”
He studies me for a long moment, and I can see him weighing whether to push. Finally, he sighs and leans back in his chair, rubbing his temples.
“Go on a run tonight. You can’t keep your human skin on for this long. It’s not healthy.”
“I know. I will.”
“See that you do.” He shuffles together some papers on his desk, and I think he’s done. That I’m dismissed. But then, he speaks again. “Violet will be staying.”
My body goes rigid. “What?”
