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"So..." Violet finally spoke after a long stretch of silence. "You’re saying I’m powerful? More powerful than the other Fae courts?"

"Yes," Lila replied. "That’s why we stay away from their territories. If they ever sensed a threat from us, the four major courts would unite and strike. Even now, with the barrier down, tensions are rising."

"Wow," Violet breathed, staring down at her hands like she expected sparks or magic to shoot from her fingertips. Then she frowned. "So why can’t I use magic?"

"Your magic was bound by the queen right after you were born," Lila said, her voice darkening.

"She sensed what your father intended to do with you.

I know you have every reason to doubt me, Violet, but trust me when I say the queen only acted to protect you.

Your father is the real villain in this story.

He deceived your mother and tricked her into falling in love with him.

And your mother..." Lila sighed, "She was a hopeless romantic, and the idea of falling in love with a werewolf—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up!" Daisy cut her off, her eyes wide in disbelief. "Did I just hear you say werewolf?"

"That was a slip," Lila admitted, wincing. "I was going to get there eventually. I had a whole build-up planned before revealing that you’re a hybrid."

"A hybrid?!" Ivy nearly shouted. "You mean half Fae, half werewolf?"

"Oh gods," Violet whispered, her stomach twisting. Thank the stars she was sitting, otherwise if she’d been standing, her legs would’ve buckled.

So she was a hybrid? A freaking hybrid?!

Violet blinked once. Then twice. Then slowly, she dragged her hands down her face like the weight of reality had just sucker-punched her in the gut.

"So I’m going to turn into a werewolf?" she asked out loud, voice flat with disbelief. "I’m going 5 become some kind of wolf like Asher? Like Griffin?" Her eyes widened like she could already feel fur sprouting from her skin. "Gosh, doesn’t that hurt?!"

She looked around at the others, eyes darting from face to face, desperate for someone to tell her no. That it was all some magical prank. But the silence that followed was louder than any answer.

"No one’s going to say anything?" she asked, eyebrows shooting up. "Wait a minute, aren’t I past the age of shifting? Don’t wolves usually shift, like, way earlier? But then, what if I do shift and I don’t turn into a wolf? What if I turn into something weird? Like... a bat? Or a hedgehog?!"

She gasped. "Oh gods, what if I turn into a monster?"

Daisy leaned toward Ivy with a deadpan whisper. "I think she’s losing it."

"I’ll get her some water," Ivy said, already rising from her seat like this wasn’t their first supernatural meltdown.

"Nice idea," Daisy nodded, folding her arms as she watched Violet spiral like a drama queen possessed. "Maybe spike it with some calming tea. Or that knock-out herbs Lila grew."

"Preferably both," Ivy muttered under her breath.

"Don’t you dare put any herb in my tea!" Violet snapped, glaring at her like she might lunge across the room any second.

"Alright, your highness." Ivy taunted back, voice dripping with sass as she disappeared into the kitchen with a dramatic toss of her hair.

With Ivy gone, Violet sat there, trying to hold her soul inside her body. She groaned into her hands. "I just wanted to flirt with hot guys, not grow claws and howl at the moon!"

Daisy raised a brow. "I thought you loved wolves. You’re dating all four of them."

"I love seeing them be one, not being one!" Violet practically screeched.

"Alright, princess, calm your tits," Daisy said, entirely too amused with her breakdown.

Violet growled—literally growled—at her, the sound escaping before she could stop it.

Daisy burst into laughter. "Watch those teeth, V. You might be growing razor-sharp ones already."

Violet huffed, flopping back like her soul had exited through her eyeballs. "This is not funny."

But it was, atleast to Daisy.

Right then, Ivy returned with a steaming cup of tea. She handed it to Violet with a straight face.

Violet narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You sure it’s not drugged?"

"It’s not drugged," Ivy replied dryly, clearly done with her dramatics.

Violet sniffed it like a food tester, then, after a long sigh, drank it in one go. She exhaled like someone who had just accepted her fate.

"Alright," she said, setting the cup down with a quiet thunk. "Give it to me. Who’s my father?"

All eyes turned to Lila. The Fae guardian

opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She tried again and again. Her lips were moving, her throat worked, but no sound escaped. It was simply hust air and frustration.

It wasn’t like Lila was hesitating, if anything, it was like something was physically holding her back.

"Fuck," Ivy muttered, eyes wide. "She’s not joking. She really can’t say it."

Everyone was stunned because for the first time, they could see how strong Fae magic was. Not that Alaric’s cursed day wasn’t evidence enough.

Violet asked her. "You really can’t tell me?"

Lila shook her head, the look in her eyes torn between guilt and helplessness.

Well, damn. The mystery just got a whole lot more real.

"There must be some loophole. So don’t worry, we’d get the truth one way or the other.

" Daisy said, convinced. "But until we figure that out, I have good news. Caroline found out her daughter is gay. Kept a few more eyes on our Queen Bee and turns out, she wasn’t satisfied with the other night.

Except this time, her mother caught her in the act. "

Violet blinked in surprise. "Let me guess, Caroline did nothing?"

"As expected," Ivy chimed in. "No mother in her right mind would expose her daughter. Especially not when she stands to lose so much."

"Good," Violet said, a wicked delight curling in her voice. "When we expose the truth, Caroline won’t be able to wiggle her way out of it. Not when the truth’s staring everyone in the face. This time, Elsie’s done for real. No mummy to save her. Not when they’re both going down together."