#Chapter22 Laying the Foundation

Violet Theodore left me to get dressed then. We didn’t talk over breakfast, and he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts as we ate. Good. I was having a hard time just trying to figure out a way forward for myself because he was right. No one would believe that Theodore’s fated mate wouldn’t be physically affectionate with him in public. Not with his reputation and all the research about how mates reflected one another. After breakfast, Theodore and I headed to the Tower on foot as we had before. The air was brisk, carrying the faint scent of the pine forest that surrounded the area, and despite everything—the drama, the uncertainties—I found myself enjoying the quietness of the morning walk beside him. I caught sight of the tire tread that had gouged the dirt road and the blockades around the area and winced. “I hope you’re charing Twining River for the damage.” “Two-fold,” he said, his voice bright. “I think the claim has already been accepted by the courts. Dahlia is work