Page 70 of Accidentally Forever

Chapter fifty-one

VIOLET

Terror bleeds through me, the connections to my Alphas fierce with rage. I’m trying to stay focused even as the dashboard brings up Puma’s call. A hand from the backseat quickly declines it just as Gray’s call comes through. The hand keeps declining my Alphas’ calls, a cackle coming from the voice in the backseat until it’s all I can do not to cry.

When the hand declines Sofie’s call, I can’t hold it back anymore.

“Don’t worry, Violet. We’ll get this all straightened out.Promise.”

“That means nothing you fucking shit bag.” He put the address in on the dashboard a little while ago, Ansdale leaving us behind as we drive into the part of a city that feels like it dropped out of a fairytale. The houses are even larger than the Ashford pack’s, monstrous entities that have no business being someone’s home.

“You should have just come outside when you were told. Then none of this would have been an issue.” He lets out an exaggerated sigh as he points to the third house, a driveway that takes us up a hill. I pull to a stop and lean back in my seat, wondering where we go from here.

He threatened to kill Hawk and no doubt he would have done the same to my other Alphas. I’m a good defense against a lot of things… a gun is not one of them.

“Time to go, Violet. Time to see just what I’ve got in store for all of you.”

None of this makes any sense as the man slides out of the car and then comes to my door. He opens it, grinning down at me, a face I never thought I’d see, Marion, Xavier’s fucking son standing in front of me. He’s always been so innocent despite his haughty demeanor. Nothing about the way he carried himself made me believe he’d be twisted up in all of this.

He guides me up the massive steps, a firm grip on my arm, his gun dangling from his other hand. It’s like he wants me to see it, wants me to see the control he has over me and my choices. It isn’t until we step inside, the front door slamming closed that he lets go of me.

“Where the fuck is Xavier?” I demand, tears still streaming down my face. God, why did I ever think I’d be able to step out for some information? I should have just given my Alphas my phone in the first place. This would have never happened.

Marion doesn’t answer right away. Then his expression shifts, his smirk curdling into something colder. “Long gone,” he muses. “In the wind, I’d say. Guess he finally realized it was in his best interest to disappear.”

Disgust curls hot in my throat. Xavier ran. Or Marion made him run. Every instinct in me is telling me to get the fuck out, to turn around and sprint to my car before this gets worse, but my body is locked in place, gaze focused on the shiny piece of metal in his right hand. One wrong move and I might not be leaving here with my life.

The surge of energy through the bond tells me that my Alphas aren’t that far away, that Sofie must have given them my location. I just have to hold on until then if Marion doesn’t get trigger happy before then. I clamp my lips shut, backing away toward the door and that’s when I see what this place is. It feels like a shrine, paintings on every available surface, spread out across the open layout. They remind me of the one that smudged beneath my fingers—meaning that these are all fakes. Whoever did this, spent a lot of time and effort in building their brand. What I want to know is why they would copy rather than just create.

Marion just smirks, catching my bewildered expression. “You were so fucking stupid, thinking you could save your little pack with a last-minute meetup,” he says, shaking his head. “What? I absolutely know that if you could, you would have snuck out without your Alphas. Just so happens that they’re a little territorial, hmmm? But like, what’d you think this was, Violet? Some kind of redemption arc? That Xavier was gonna hand over something to clear the Ashford pack’s name?”

My hands tremble at my sides as I try to piece this together. Marion was going to get me here one way or another. He had been prepared and had Hawk actually gotten into the car, I wonder if he’d still be alive.

I steel myself, lift my chin, force my voice to stay steady even as my stomach churns. “This is the dumbest possible reason to ruin a life,” I say, gesturing to the frames littered across the walls. “What was this? A grab for money? Some desperate need to be noticed? You finally get sick of being a talentless little shit and decide to fake your way to success?”

I should hold my tongue but the rage seeping into me from the bond is giving me confidence to speak my mind. Unfortunately, that just makes him laugh as he twirls the gun in his hand. He twists around, no doubt marveling in the creations as I hurriedly reach for my phone. Puma is calling so I answer before slipping it back into my pocket.

“I told him he should take some of the blame,” Marion says casually, turning around and stepping closer, forcing me back a step. “But you know how it is. Cowards always run. And now? It’s easy. We just pin the rest on the Ashford pack. What a tragedy, huh? The downfall of such an influential family.”

“You planned this. It was never about giving me information for the investigation.”

Marion shrugs, hands spreading like this is just business. “Violet, that’s never how it was going to work. I see opportunities where others don’t. I needed an out and you just perfectly dropped into my lap with that perfect little body and that smile that could light up a room.” He comes closer, casing me in, his gun running down the side of my face. “Xavier really liked you, told me you were the best employee he ever had—loyal to a fault, pretty, punctual. Thought he was going to try and be your Alpha with the way he kept talking about you and that pretty little Omega.”

I growl at him, silently warning him that Sofie is off limits.

“And as for all this? I didn’t paint shit. But you know what I am? A charmer. And the number of prints people have bought? It’s given me a wealth I could have never gotten just working under my father." His grin widens, self-satisfied, and my blood boils.

I clench my fists, steadying myself, forcing my expression to stay blank. He slowly removes the gun from my cheek, placing it beside us on one of the entry tables, allowing me to relax ever so slightly. "So, you just conned your way into the industry? Rode on the coattails of forgers and liars, pretending you had talent?"

His eyes gleam. "I wouldn’t say conned, exactly. I just gave people what they wanted. A little mystery, a little scandal. The art world thrives on that kind of shit. And it was easy—so fucking easy—until your Alphas had to go and ruin everything."

I frown, my gut twisting. "Puma didn’t say shit until after the whispers had already started."

Marion lets out a sharp ha! shaking his head. "Please. Puma’s been sniffing around for months, questioning shit, pulling threads, making people nervous. And then those two overgrown meatheads you call Alphas put a bid on that painting before following up with an email—asking for more information. More history. More proof."

The smugness on his face makes me want to rip it off.

"They were onto the fakes," he continues, like this is just a fun little game for him. "So what better way to teach them a lesson than to accuse them of dealing in stolen and fake art?"

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