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Violet was late to school, but she couldn’t care less since there were no classes today anyway. The academy had cleared its schedule, giving room for creativity as students threw themselves into prepping for the grand event that was Parents’ Week.

Above all, Violet was pleased about the fact her plan was going smoothly.

Just a few minutes ago, she’d received a message from Lila confirming that the bug camera had been carefully and strategically planted in Elsie’s room.

Daisy, as expected, would handle the loose ends and keep an eye on whatever juicy information the bug managed to uncover.

She and Ivy had come to school not because they wanted to, but because skipping would’ve drawn unnecessary attention to their absence.

Rogues were outcasts anyway, it wasn’t like they belonged to any club or society.

They had nothing to offer, and no one was exactly lining up to associate with them.

So yes, they practically had nothing to do.

But that wasn’t all. They needed to keep an eye on things, just in case any incriminating information dropped that could help with their grand plan—and more importantly, to keep an eye on Alaric.

That part was Violet’s idea though. One she hadn’t voiced aloud for fear of earning a few judgmental stares from her friends.

Although the girls followed her loyally, she knew they didn’t fully approve of her entanglements with not just one, but all four of the cardinal alphas.

Truth be told, even Violet wasn’t entirely sure what she was doing.

She hadn’t quite wrapped her head around it herself, so she could only imagine how it looked from the outside.

Still, Violet was determined to make them see what she saw in the boys, especially Asher and Roman. Alaric had been forgiven, or at least given a pass after the disaster they’d just put him through. Hopefully, he survived it.

But her girls had sworn a Fae pact never to speak of what they’d learned about Asher’s past.

Not that they needed reminding.

Asher might spare her because she was his "Purple Queen," but if the others even whispered a syllable of his secret, Violet knew without doubt he would compell them to their death.

Something was wrong. Violet snapped out of her thoughts, a sudden chill crawling up her spine. She could feel the weight of a thousand eyes boring into her.

Not that it was unusual for students to stare at her like some walking soap opera. Being the Rogue Queen came with its brand of daily drama. But this time was different.

This wasn’t the usual curious and gossip-hungry stares. No, this one was cold, condescending and downright hateful. The air was tight as if she had walked into a room where everyone had been whispering about her and stopped the moment she entered.

Violet’s instincts told her something must had gone down and clearly, she hadn’t gotten the damn memo.

Without a word, she grabbed Ivy’s hand and veered toward the closest classroom, hoping to hide for a moment and piece things together what was going on. But the moment Violet opened the door, she knew she’d miscalculated.

The room was full, packed to the brim with students and they all turned to look at her. In eerie unison, their expressions hardened, their disgust so palpable it slammed into Violet like a punch to the gut.

Violet froze. She swallowed hard and took an instinctive step back.

Fuck.

They looked like they wanted to murder her.

Even Ivy felt it and was the one who grabbed Violet’s hand this time, pulling her out of the room.

"I think something’s happened," Ivy said quickly as they walked down the hallway, the student’s eyes following their every move.

"Exactly," Violet agreed, the wheels already turning in her head. Then it hit her. "Have you checked the Oracle’s article today?"

"Not exactly," Ivy replied. "It popped up on my feed, but we were too busy searching for you after your mysterious disappearance. And then when you came back, it was all about the plan. So there was no chance to look into it."

"Well, we better look into it now," Violet said just as she spotted an empty classroom. The two of them slipped inside, pulling out their phones.

It wasn’t hard to find the Oracle’s post. For some students, it was basically scripture. The kind of thing they read before even brushing their teeth. So of course, notifications were always on.

Violet scrolled through it with growing interest.

"I don’t see anything strong enough to cause this kind of reaction. I’m not wife material, so what?" She frowned. "They can’t possibly be mad at the idea of the cardinal alphas introducing me to their parents. It’s not like I’m dying to meet them anyway."

"Fuck," Ivy suddenly muttered. "Check the comment section. Elsie Lancaster lit a firestorm under your name."

Violet frowned. Now that she was looking, the comments were tripled. Maybe even quadrupled. These days, she hardly checked the comments anymore. What was the point when most of them hated her?

"That bitch..." Violet’s face twisted in disbelief as her eyes scanned the comments. She looked at Ivy in exasperation. "What do they mean, chlamydia?! Roman and I just messed around yesterday. How does an infection even spread that fast?"

"Well," Ivy smirked, "some people have things to say about that. I’d say you’re starting to build a fanbase, Rogue Queen."

"What?" Violet blinked, confused.

Then Ivy stepped closer and tilted her screen, and Violet saw exactly what she meant.

Oh please, don’t spread lies about the size. We’ve all seen Roman’s baby maker and it sure as hell isn’t little. Respectfully.

"What the...." Violet was utterly dumbfounded by the time she finished reading just a few of the comments Ivy had shown her. And there were still so many left. Apparently, it was a full-blown war in there.

However, the doors to the classroom suddenly burst open, and standing there was a face neither of them expected to see.

"There you are," Elsie said with a twisted smile. "I was beginning to think the rogues were shying away from Parents’ Week preparation."