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Violet had no idea what to expect when she got back to the shack. She paused at the entrance, bracing herself and mentally rehearsing the many ways she’d respond to that stubborn-headed Fae guardian once she stepped inside.

She wasn’t going to give in this time. No. She was done accepting crumbs.

If Lila wanted their relationship back the way it was, then she needed to come clean and tell the whole truth. Otherwise, they’d keep on pretending. They would coexist as friends. Sure. Maybe. But not as close, not like before.

Lila could still do her whole protective guardian thing, but Violet wouldn’t be spilling her secrets to her anymore. Not until she earned that trust again.

Then again, with how tight-knit their group was, it was practically impossible for Ivy and Daisy to know something without it reaching Lila eventually. Violet groaned out loud. Ugh. Fine. She’d just go in, keep her cool, and go with the flow. Whatever happens, happens.

She reached for the doorknob only for the door to swing open on its own. And there she was.

Lila stood right there.

And just like that, all the perfectly planned speeches Violet had crafted in her head crumbled into dust. The two of them just stared at each other, frozen.

Violet’s mouth opened, but no words came out.

"Come inside." That was all Lila said before she turned and calmly walked back toward the living room, almost like she’d only opened the door because she sensed Violet standing outside.

The simplicity of it made Violet bristle. After all the speeches she’d prepared, she had expected a dramatic retort. But now it felt childish to insist on having the last word. With a sigh, she stepped inside.

As soon as she entered the living room, Ivy and Daisy rushed toward her and pulled her into a tight, lung-crushing hug.

"Thank God you’re safe! Where have you been?" Ivy asked, even though the answer was pretty obvious. There weren’t many places Violet could be, well, unless you counted the variety of cardinal alphas she was entangled with.

"I was with my men," Violet said proudly, her eyes shifting to Lila to gauge her reaction. Ivy and Daisy did the same, their glances drifting toward Lila with cautious curiosity. But Lila’s face remained unreadable.

Still, there was none of the coldness from yesterday. That was an improvement she guessed.

Daisy was the first to break the moment. "Sit down. We have a lot to talk about," she added firmly. "And resolve."

They all settled down with Violet and Lila sitting across from each other like two generals at a ceasefire. The tension in the air was thick enough to taste such that Ivy and Daisy exchanged an uneasy glance.

"Alright!" Ivy finally snapped, done with the awkward silence. She turned to Lila first. "You kept us up all night pacing and muttering to yourself about the princess. So talk."

Then she turned to Violet. "And you, what kind of Alpha abandons her pack after an argument? Especially with everything going on? Is this how you plan to lead us in the future?"

Violet gulped, guilty as charged.

"I’m sorry about yesterday," Lila said suddenly, catching everyone off guard. "I may have been too harsh while carrying out my duty, and for that, I apologize."

Violet blinked at her, brow raised in surprise. That wasn’t the kind of apology she was expecting, but it would do.

"Apology accepted," Violet said. "But that doesn’t change the fact that I still want the truth."

Daisy and Ivy shifted nervously, bracing for another argument. But to their surprise, Lila replied calmly.

"I can’t tell you everything, even if I want to.

Just like the oath the other girls took earlier, I’m bound by my promise to the queen not to reveal certain truths until the time is right.

But I can tell you this much about your background.

" She paused, meeting Violet’s eyes. "You, Violet, are a wild Fae. "

"Wild Fae?" Violet croaked.

"What’s a wild Fae?" Ivy asked immediately.

"I thought all Fae belonged to a court," Daisy added, frowning.

"Not all," Lila explained. "Some Fae live outside the structured hierarchy of the Seasonal Courts. They exist beyond it and are called wild Fae. Others call us unbound Fae. Or, more poetically, the free Fae."

She went on to say, "Many Fae have their legends and so do we.

And according to ours, in the beginning, there were five primordial Fae, the first of their kind.

Siblings not born of blood, but of pure magic.

They were gods, shaping the world with their power when it was still young.

Each carried within them the raw essence of creation: fire, wind, bloom, frost, and chaos. They had a little of everything.

"For a long time, they lived in harmony, creating the high Fae in their image.

But one day, the four decided it was time to bring order to their world.

They wanted to divide the year and create courts—Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

Their children would follow those seasons and inherit just one kind of magic.

"Four of the five agreed. They relinquished portions of their boundless power to create the Seasonal Courts. Order was born. But the fifth, their sister, the Untamed One, refused.

" ’I was not made to be confined,’ The Fifth had declared. ’To bind our children to one cycle, one season, is to cage them. Magic must flow free, as wild as the stars. I will not clip my wings for your system.’

"They tried to reason with her all to no avail. And then they warred with her.

"Betrayed by the only kin she’d ever known, the Untamed One poured the last of her power into one final act, creating a magical barrier that split her world from theirs. The other four could not follow. And so, she disappeared, taking her children and their wild magic with her.

"That’s how the Wild Fae were born.

"The wild Fae are closest to the gods now since we wield a blend of all the elements and none. And though the barrier has since fractured, our kind remains distant, and rarely communicate with the other Fae courts. "