Mason's POV
I found myself happier than usual. At first, I thought it was because of the upcoming ball, but somewhere deep down, I knew that wasn't true. Last year, I'd also supervised the ball preparations and had been very restless. Yet today, I was grinning like a schoolboy. There was still something else about today...
"Fold it again," Violet said absently, stretching her hands towards me to grab a pair of scissors.
Staring at her for some time, I carefully took note of how gracefully she carried herself. She spoke so carefully, like royalty, and her poise wasn't something you could miss. It was elegant. Did caterers have a certain elegance to them? I wondered.
"Don't be silly. Of course, they don't," my wolf, Finn, said.
"I wish we could solve this mystery," he said, sounding thoughtful. I had to agree.
"There's just something about her," I said through the mind link. "Like there's more to her." Immediately after I said it, I was surprised. When did I start making sappy statements?
She'd told me she was from the human world, but I wasn't so sure. At the same time, I doubted someone like her could do any harm; she was so fragile and harmless.
I had a theory she might be a spy, but even that seemed impossible. Something didn't add up. Usually, strangers like her were either spies or just wanted to join the pack. She wasn't the first, but neither was she the latter. If she was a spy, my wolf would have told me.
She seemed unfazed by my attention, in fact, acted very coolly around me. There was a certain manner she carried herself that made her stand out in the crowd. The way she spoke... it was a carriage mostly Lunas possessed, and it was what had drawn me to her.
"Maybe the moon goddess sent her here so you could mark her as yours, eh?" was Finn's snide remark that held a promise of similar ones.
"Could it be impossible?" I questioned him, knowing he would back off soon.
"Not entirely impossible, but what are the odds?" was his reasonable reply.
There was a moment of silence before Finn continued, "So what about Rhoda?"
I found the corners of my lips turning down, causing the rest of my facial features to form into a frown. Rhoda was an ambitious lady, and her position as my fiancée and future Luna was purely transactional. Trade by barter, in fact. She had helped me take down my father in exchange for becoming a future Luna, and that was all to it.
"Could you hand over the pack of pins to me, or may I add Alpha?" Violet said teasingly, her hands clasped together when she spoke as she'd been doing all day, exchanging banters and jokes like we were old friends.
"It's your majesty to you," I quipped, enjoying the flow of our conversation. Grabbing a tube of glue, she poked my sides with it. I pretended to take offense.
"Is that any way to treat your Alpha?" I asked, and she stuck out her tongue, her thumb pressed beside her ear with her other fingers wiggling as she made a face with her eyes closed.
"How cute." I reached out for my phone. "Say 'infant!'" And with that, I tapped on snap, a low clicking sound marking the moment.
I was about to take a second one when her eyes widened and she tried to block her face, but I took a second one before she could do so.
"Hey!" she pouted, and I grinned widely as I looked over her small frame.
"Rule number one, when hanging out with me, don't make silly faces, or I'll get tempted to take cute pictures," I teased, my hands folded over my chest as I watched her pretend to be angry.
"Well, rule number two, I might do the same, so watch out," Violet huffed, flipping her long hair over her shoulders.
"Challenge accepted," I nodded. I had to admit this was more fun than I'd thought. I liked being around her, even though I still wondered how she was able to make me do things I never did on a normal day. At the moment, I found it hard to believe I'd spent over two hours in her company, happily working with her and being her "student."
I liked the fact that she was dedicated to what she was doing. It wasn't too often I saw even a tiny fragment of such interest in people's eyes any longer.
I was about to say more when I noticed how pale she looked. Her eyelids were fluttering, and she seemed to have lost her balance as she stumbled slightly. The determined look on her face was replaced with a grimace.
"You okay?" I asked, placing my left hand against her back, my other hand on her shoulder, as I stopped her from staggering to the floor. Looking at her more closely, she seemed tired and very pale.
My question was answered with a slow nod.
"I'm okay. I should get back to work," Violet smiled brightly, but I wasn't buying it. I stared fixedly at her until she looked away. Good.
"You think I'm lying," she murmured, jutting her jaw into the air with a determined look on her face.
"I never said so, but if you think you are, then who am I to say otherwise? What's wrong with you?" I asked again, even though part of me knew she would say it was nothing.
"I'm a bit dizzy. I guess I'll grab a bottle of water," she said casually, and without seeking my opinion, she was on her feet again. True to her words, she seemed okay.
Everything was fine until a few minutes later when I heard a loud thud beside me. Turning quickly, my eyes fell on her crumpled image as it lay sprawled on the floor, and I rushed over. Getting on my knees, I pulled her body into a sitting position. I could feel my heart begin to thump.
"Violet, Violet, are you okay?" I asked, shaking her body gently. The only sign of consciousness was the fluttering of her partially closed eyes.
Laying her body on the floor, I could hear the voices coming from the small crowd that had gathered around. Normally, with one word, I would have dispersed them, but I was too worried to waste my breath. "What is going on with Violet?" I asked Finn.
"Damn it! Someone should get a doctor!" I growled, my hands traveling to her wrist to check her pulse. That was when it dawned on me...
"She's pregnant," Finn spoke, his voice clear and firm, as surprised as I was.
Staring at her now, I rolled my tongue in my mouth. Suddenly, my saliva tasted bitter as a slow, tightening feeling spread through my chest. She was pregnant?
"You've got to be joking," I said tersely.