Violet Ashes: The Blood Ridge Alpha - Chapter 63: Chapter 63

"You want me to what?" Verona glares at me. "How do you even know this girl?"
"She's a rogue. I was a rogue. We know each other. At some point, we tried to kill one another. But we're cool now," I shrug.
"Okay," she groans. "Do you want to know why I asked her to resign? Vincent would have fed her to Dad if he knew she was Arsen's cousin or whatever she is. That's treason against the alpha of the city and several counts of espionage, Vy. She was a fantastic detective, but come on. And then there's the fact that she's not part of their pack. Why wouldn't she be if she's a Barnes?"
"No one knows she's a Barnes," I say quietly. "The former alpha cheated on his mate. That's who she is. She isn't a part of them, and she didn't know until you told her."
That was a cheap shot. I fucking know that, but once Arsenial and I are fully mated. It's not going to matter. Her facial expression softens. She falls back, letting out a heavy sigh. I can see the regret on her face, and I want to apologize, but she wouldn't have caved otherwise. She's right. If Dad knew, he'd make Vince kill her and send her to Sin's Creek in pieces.
"Fuck. I didn't know that. That's probably why she was staring at me the way she was," her shoulders slump forward. "I feel so horrible now."
Sam was probably contemplating whether she was going to be able to get away with killing her for figuring that out.
"It's cool. She probably didn't even care. She had a cool stepdad."
She did not. Arsen killed him and her mother. I dove deep into her information last night because I couldn't sleep. Fate lowkey sucks. I want to help this girl, now more than ever. She kind of reminds me of little Perry Nelson learning that her dipshit of a father ruined her life by giving her his last name.
"Does he know?"
"He does now. That's why I'm bringing it up. I got a little crazy last night because they were talking as if they were best friends, and I have hella insecurities about the men in my life. They were all liars. Excellent fucking liars. I kind of told him to get fvcked and now I have to make up for it."
"You're a bitch," she snorts. "I got you something, and I one hundred percent think hell forgive you if you show up in this."
"What?" I laugh. She goes into her room and comes back with a gift box. "You didn't have to."
"I would have stayed at the house even after what happened and probably worked myself until I collapsed, trying not to think about what I did if it wasn't for you. So, thank you." she hugs me.
I reach for the big black bow on the top of the box and pull it apart. Inside the box is an authentic leather jacket. I smile, standing to hold it up.
"Oh, my god. This is beautiful," I groan. "What the fuck?"
"Since when do you say, oh, my God?" she laughs.
"Oh, um. You're never going to believe this. Knight found his mate, and she's a human or was raised like one. She says "Oh my God " all the time. It's rubbing off. She's super perky, so it was kind of a joke between Perry and me for a bit, but now we say it. She's cool."
"Wow, he is a mess. Is he even ready for that?" She shakes her head.
"He doesn't have a choice anymore. The first time they met. They hooked, and he left her. She had twins, and they're now of shifting age for royals."
"Shut your face. Are you serious? I would kill him. Did she ever try to reach out?"
"Not once. She saw that he was a mess all over the media, and she was like, 'Nah.' We're good."
"The press is going to eat them alive for that."
"They'll be fine. You know how his dads are. She's thinking of opening a store here. I'd like to suggest the building across the way so they can come over occasionally. Phoebe and those kids are going to need all the protection they can get."
"Yeah, Alpha Knightly can be very persuasive. Wow. Knight is a dad and mated to a perky human-raised woman. Karma said Look at what we're serving today." We both laugh because that is one hundred percent true.
"She is going to eat him alive. I am all for it. And Ayrie, their daughter. Ugh, she looks just like him. There is no doubt she is going to be an even bigger tyrant than he is."
"Oh, my God. Ayrie is the cutest thing I've ever seen." Baby runs out of the room. "It's like having a tiny Ashley with Knight's backbone."
"Moon beams. Let me see," Verona waves her over. There's a video of Ayrie slapping a book out of some kid's hand. It's playing the slap part over and over to the Hollaback song. No one is going to address the fact that she's been here all along, and neither of us noticed. I'm okay with that.
"Aizen made this video on his LT V12, and Perry added it to the ad campaign. I think they're going to sponsor their content. Those kids are going to have, as Ayrie says, all the titles."
"They're so cute." Verona's mood shifts and I'm not the only one who notices. Baby smiles at her and wraps her arms around her shoulders.
"We'll get there one day. And it'll be perfect," she says, kissing the top of her head. "I have to get ready for class, but I'll meet you in the greenhouse when I get done."
"Thanks, Ramona." She nods.
"That's what family's for," she beams and skips back to her room.
"If anyone hurts her, I'm killing them and then myself," she says, looking up at me. "That little girl is so kind."
"That's all Perry. The two of them spent the most time together. Being the youngest and part of a pack restricted her from certain missions, and she watched her the most. Baby took it personally when Perry told us all to fuck off. I don't think she's ever going to forgive her."
"Maybe if she apologized."
"She's not going to. Perry doesn't need to apologize for what happened. She was never wrong. We would have had to put her down ourselves. We would have watched her deteriorate the same way you guys did, Dad. The difference is that Perry didn't take it out on us. She told us to fuck off for our sake. She spent those five years alone in a house, letting her soul rot away without hurting anyone."
"Didn't I hear she put a pacer in her heart so when it stopped beating, Redwood City would blow to shit?" she clears her throat.
"Yeah, but she did that because they betrayed her and killed her mate. They also treated her like shit her entire life. And only the buildings her mate built for the pack blew up. There was no one in them."
"You definitely have big sister syndrome," she laughs. "Finish opening your gift."
"There's more?" I jump up and pull the tissue paper out. I hold up what she was talking about. "City of Phoebs?"
"How did you know?"
"That designer is Knight's mate."
"Shut your face? He's mated to Phoebe Altaha? I love her. Did you know she's one of the biggest supporters of the Native Missing Girls Foundation? And she donates constantly, like a lot of stuff. She's been on the front cover steadily for almost two years now. I mostly buy her brand."
"Say that in front of Knight because we want him to become Phoebe's mate. Not her his. He already has a thick head." I laugh.
"For sure."