Chapter 426

Not just the teachers, but other staff members of Lunaris Academy resided in the faculty housing aside from Micah and Principal Jameson. Micah was no ordinary counselor; he was still royalty, and that respect had to be paid to him even though he wouldn’t be Alpha king. So, he had an entire bungalow all to himself where he could conduct his “business” without interference. The inside, of course, was spacious, luxurious, and refined. It was outfitted with dark leather, floor-to-ceiling curtains, and a plush sofa. Griffin and Violet settled down while Micah echoed from the corner, ruffling through the fridge. “Care for a beer?” “No, thank you!” Violet answered before Griffin could say a word. “We are going to see Asher tomorrow, remember?” Violet reminded him, her brows lifted. If there was anything Griffin wanted, it was a drink, and there was no way in hell they were getting wasted tonight. Their minds needed to be sharp, and they had to be fit on their feet tomorrow. “Juices would be good, thank you.” “Such a buzzkill,” Micah muttered with obvious disappointment. Moments later, Micah returned with a tray and placed a glass in front of Violet. “Strawberry juice? Really? What am I, ten?” she wrinkled her nose. “Only for my little sister.” He patted her on the head, only for Griffin to let out a low growl, his warning clear: Get his hand off her. Micah took his hand off, but his intense gaze and the way his lips tightened showed just how much he thought about Griffin. With a smile that didn’t touch his eyes, Micah said in a mockingly sweet voice, “Your mate doesn’t want you drinking, and you’re not ten. Make do with this, Alpha.” He placed a glass of water in front of Griffin with a dull thud. Griffin saw it and snorted. Was he seriously kidding him? Notwithstanding, he still took the water and chugged it down. Then he placed the empty glass on the tray and said in an equally taunting tone, “Thank you, brother-in-law.” Micah’s eyes twitched before narrowing, the tension between them rising again. Even before his identity as the oracle was revealed, Micah and the alphas were not exactly enemies, but they were not friends either. After all, one of the heirs would be Alpha king in the future, a position that should have been his had his mad father not diluted his blood with that demonic contact. He didn’t loathe them exactly; such was his fate. They just never got in each other’s way. “Can we just not do this right now? This is not what I came for,” Violet said in a weary voice. That seemed to bring them back to their senses at once. Micah straightened up and left with the tray. As soon as Micah was gone, Griffin leaned in and whispered, “I get he’s your brother, but don’t trust him. Demons are deceitful.” Violet turned to Griffin with a frown and said, “And Fae are tricksters. I thought you’d be one not to judge people because of their nature.” She took a deep breath. “Nonetheless, I’ll be careful. I didn’t tell him I’m a princess, did I?” “Fair point,” Griffin said, relaxing as if nothing had happened just as Micah returned. He had a bottle of beer in his hand and intentionally drank from it right before he plopped down on his sofa. “Let’s get this conversation started.” Griffin’s jaw hardened, seeing through Micah’s tactics. He was riling him on purpose. Violet asked him, “Did you know Angus was alive from the very beginning?” “What do you mean by ’from the beginning’? You need to be more specific about your question, sister.” Violet wet her lips with her tongue and asked, “For how long have you known Angus is alive?” “For a while now,” Micah answered. Violet waited for more details, but that was all. “Is that it? You are not going to tell me more?” “For a Fae,” Micah said with a lilting tone, “you lack their cunning.” He then finished his beer in one go and set it down on the table between them. There was a suddenly serious aura around Micah as he faced Violet. He said to her, “The same way you don’t trust me, I don’t trust you either, little sister. For all we know, you might be a distraction sent by our father to lower my guard.” “I’m not!” Violet said defensively. “I just found out about you today. You think if I had a family out there, I would have ignored you all this while? All my life, I thought I was alone, and now suddenly, I have a crazy father and a demon for a brother.” “As if having a Fae for a sister isn’t crazy,” Micah retorted. “So we only have each other. Why would you think I want to harm my family?” Violet made her point. There was silence for a while, and it was the kind that had everybody holding their breath as they awaited a serious verdict. “We will ask each other three questions and must tell the truth. That would be all for tonight,” Micah announced, a glint in his eyes. “And how would we know you’re not lying? You’re a demon, after all?” Violet challenged. “Fae are good at telling lies, or haven’t you developed that gift yet, sister?” Although it seemed like a harmless question, Micah was already sourcing for information. Even if Micah wasn’t their enemy, he was still dangerous. Just like Asher would say, anyone with information had the most power. Violet had to be careful here. “Fine. Let’s do that,” she agreed. Griffin looked at her with concern. Micah was more experienced in this game than she was. But there was nothing he could do now. “Good.” Micah smiled, and Violet swore his eyes flickered black for a second before returning to normal. “You can go ahead,” he told her. “No, you go first.” “Who told you the truth about Angus?” Micah said. “That is my first question.” Violet swallowed. Micah was really good at this. Going straight for the head, wasn’t he? “A friend,” Violet answered with a gulp. Micah smiled, all teeth like a shark at the scent of blood. Although Violet had been as vague as possible, she didn’t have many friends, and it wouldn’t be hard for Micah to figure out “who?”