Rodrigo took long strides towards his carriage packed upfront.
Seven ran after him, a dozen guards close behind.
"Alpha, the Matriarch—" he began.
Rodrigo stopped and turned to look at him. "What?!" His patience was growing thin by the second; one more word and he was going to snap.
Seven took a couple of involuntary steps back, color drained from his face.
"The Matriarch cancelled the rest of your schedule for today. She says since you insisted on the wedding night, it must take place."
For a long heartbeat there was quiet.
Seven shut his eyes tightly, bracing for the venom he expected to follow. For a moment there was nothing but the cold air and the distant murmur of guests. He counted silently to three, then opened his eyes—Rodrigo was simply standing there, jaw clenched, eyes fixed on some point beyond Seven's shoulder.
"What?" Rodrigo's voice dropped to something dangerous, rage simmering just beneath the surface.
As though what had happened at the wedding wasn't enough.
Was she trying to test him? To see how far she could go before he snapped?
"I apologize, Alpha." Seven's voice broke. In one desperate motion he dropped to his knees, palms pressed onto the cold wet ground.
The guards followed immediately, faces pressed into the gravel.
"The Matriarch ordered us not to let you leave. She says she would have our heads if you left the estate."
Rodrigo stared down at them for a long, suspended second, then turned and walked back toward the Vermont estate without another word.
Only when he had left did Seven and the guards realize how long they had been holding their breath.
...
Rodrigo stormed into Grandmother's quarters without knocking. The door swung open on his fury and every occupant in the living room turned, instantly becoming quiet as they saw him.
Ruri, who had been chatting away, flinched and stepped back when she saw him. "Rio..." she called, contemplating whether the atmosphere was good for a greeting or not.
She was the only member of the family he wasn't cold to; even though she wasn't particularly indulged, he didn't treat her as coldly as everyone else. But at that moment, she needed to read the room.
So she immediately nodded to Grandmother and turned to the doors.
With the doors tightly shut, Grandmother turned to Rodrigo. "What is it?" she asked half-heartedly, as though she didn't notice how angry he looked. Picking up her cup of tea, she took a sip.
Rodrigo dragged a sharp breath as he folded his palms into fists, reeling his anger back in.
"Did you tamper with the rite of mates?"
Grandmother pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I don't play petty games, Alpha. I'm sure you know that."
There was a pause before he spoke again.
"Cancel the wedding night," he said calmly, staring at her pointedly.
"No. If you didn't want it, you shouldn't have used it to threaten me—the consummation must hold."
Rodrigo gritted his teeth. "You would do no such thing."
Grandmother's eyes flickered up at him. "Your four previous wives died without a known cause, but one consistent factor in all of them is that you did not consummate your marriage. What if your lack of consummation had been killing your Lunas? So for a change you should—"
Before the Matriarch could finish speaking, Rodrigo burst out laughing. He threw his head back, the sound dark and hollow, his eyes taking on an amber glow that seemed to burn from within.
"Don't push me, Grandmother. You don't want to know what I can do when I'm pushed."
"We are done here, Alpha." Grandmother spoke dismissively, taking a sip from her cup again.
"If you send that girl into my quarters, she'll leave with her head on a tray. I promise you."
The matriarch stood up at his threat and closed the gap between them, her eyes glaring at him.
"Then kill her with your own hands. What difference does it make? She's going to die anyway—better you do it yourself."
"Don't you dare me." Rodrigo's voice dropped to a venomous whisper.
The matriarch breathed, then smiled coldly. "I have listened to your demands for so long, Alpha. And what were we left with? Four dead Lunas and a pack on the brink of destruction. Fine then, I shall send your Luna into your quarters tonight. Tear her apart and return her carcass to me, and I shall send every last maiden into your room until every woman in the Vermont Pack is dead. Try me, Alpha Rodrigo, and see if I will not keep my word."
There was pin-drop silence in the room as Rodrigo and his grandmother stared at each other in a face-off.
Then slowly, Rodrigo's shoulders tensed. His fingers uncurled from their fists. A muscle worked in his jaw as he lowered his gaze—just for a heartbeat—before he turned and stormed out of the room.
...
Once the doors had closed, Grandmother fell back into her chair, holding her head and shutting her eyes. She heaved a sad sigh, biting her lower lip tightly. She couldn't keep letting him have his way.
The pack's governance was at stake and she didn't have much longer to live. If he didn't have an heir before she died, Dominic may become... no, she would do everything within her power to stop that from happening.
Even if it meant rousing the devil from hell.
Her eyes fluttered open. Had she pushed him too much? She wasn't sure how he would react if she did send the girl in. It would be terrible if he killed the girl himself. Rumors would spread that he had been the one killing the former Lunas—and that was the last thing she wanted.
She sat quietly as she considered what to do. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Lady Gina walked in. The matriarch sat up and placed the cup of tea back down.
"Who tampered with the rite of mates?" she asked, and Gina shook her head.
"I do not know, but we all know who is brazen enough to do that."
There was quiet. The matriarch nodded.
"Lady Charlotte is getting quite brazen with her little games. What is her motive this time?"
Lady Gina thought for a moment. "Everyone knows he doesn't touch his brides. The only thing I can think about is that, she probably intended to provoke him into refusing publicly, thus, making him look weak and unstable."
She paused. "It's surprising that he actually kissed her instead. Charlotte must be livid."
The matriarch's eyes lightened up at her words. ″This means he can actually touch people, he just doesn't want to.″
Gina nodded, "And that brings me to why I am here. The Luna sleepwalked into the Alpha's quarters in the early hours of the morning."
Grandmother's eyes widened as she turned her face to Gina in shock.
"What did you just say?"
"She returned with a light bruise on her neck, but nothing more."
The matriarch's eyes fluttered and her face brightened at the news.
This meant the Alpha had some kind of restraint within him, if she had come out alive, then, whatever it was, he wasn't going to kill the girl rashly.
"I wanted to reconfirm if the wedding night would still hold?" Lady Gina asked, a worried expression on her face.
There was a silence as the matriarch thought for a few seconds, then she smiled.
"Send the girl in."