Jameson went on, "Violet technically has no authority, no support, she’s no legacy, and her mother is a—" The woman caught herself at the last second, realizing exactly what she was about to say.
Except it was too late.
She felt the subtle shift in the air as the Alphas tensed, their expressions tightening at once.
In that instant, Jameson understood she was alone, and as good as dead meat if these boys decided to make a move. They’d kill her before she could even scream.
"You mean to say..." Roman’s voice had lost all its usual playfulness, replaced with a cold and unsettling aura, "Her mother’s the wife of an Alpha, right?"
That was not what Jameson meant, but one look into Roman’s eyes which was no longer mischievous but dead, viper-green and dangerous, she realized he was giving her a chance. A single lifeline, which was to say the right thing, or suffer the consequences.
Jameson chose the right one.
"Yes, you’re right. Her mother’s a new Luna. A human Luna, at that. Violet doesn’t have the footing to lead a fifth house. That would be like ripping Lunaris’ roots straight out of the ground. And—" she rushed on, "—giving Violet that kind of power could undermine your authority. Your parents might begin to question your ability to rule if you can’t suppress a small threat like her." Jameson finished with a nervous, thin and brittle laugh.
"Violet is not a threat to us. And what parents are we talking about here?" Griffin folded his arms across his chest, his muscles bulging at the gesture. "My mother is in support of this."
"Oh." Jameson blinked, caught off guard. "Is that so?"
"She’s backing the creation of the Sanctuary Accords and plans to push the proposal once you submit it to the Alpha King," he informed her.
"And you’ve already given it a name." Jameson muttered under her breath, a hint of irritation flashing in her eyes. So she’d been left out of the planning. Of course.
"Also," Alaric cut in casually, "Asher’s been in touch with President Roy, the human president and he supports the proposal too. The man’s been itching for a way to give humans real footing in Lunaris Academy. What better way than giving them their own house? He’s so enthusiastic he’s already agreed to fund the building once the proposal is accepted by the other side."
At that point, Jameson didn’t know what to think anymore. She’d been calculating how to manage this situation and keep her job intact not realizing the boys had already moved two steps ahead of her. And their plans didn’t involve her.
Before she could refute again, Roman cut in smoothly, "The announcement of a fifth house will create enough buzz to drown out Elsie’s scandal. Students talk. Like I said earlier, they like Violet and would fall in line once she’s named their leader. Their parents would back down once they see their kids are satisfied."
He gave a smug little shrug, "Besides, a woman in power? Isn’t that progress? Supporting female leadership?"
"What about your parents?" Jameson turned to Alaric this time, knowing just how stuck-up his family was about tradition. "And did Asher make any plans regarding Alpha Henry?" she added with a smug tilt of her chin, clearly thinking she had them cornered.
Henry would never agree to this. Over his dead body. Especially considering he and Violet Purple had gotten off on the wrong foot, and never quite recovered.
"My mother will convince Alpha Leon to her side," Griffin said confidently.
Roman chimed in, "She wouldn’t even have to try. The man would be too busy staring at her chest to say no to anything." He leaned closer to Griffin and whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear, "I didn’t want to say it, but my father’s got the hots for your mom."
"Well, you just said it," Griffin replied grimly, lips pressed into a tight line.
"And what about the Storms?" Jameson inquired. "Any chance of convincing them?"
"No." Alaric shook his head. "My mother doesn’t like Violet. She wouldn’t allow anything that pushes us closer together."
"So if it comes to a vote, it’s a draw," Jameson said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
"Then the final decision would fall to Alpha King Elijah," Griffin concluded.
"And you think he’ll judge in your favor?"
"We think he’ll want to respect President Roy’s stance and cave in," Roman offered.
Jameson scoffed. "I know Elijah. He wouldn’t want humans gaining more ground in Lunaris. The Academy belongs to the wolves, not even President Roy can change that."
The three Alphas looked at each other, concern now diminishing their earlier confidence.
Then Alaric’s eyes lit up. "Or we make Elijah believe the Sanctuary Accord is a Student Support Initiative and under our patronage."
Roman perked up instantly. "So the whole proposal looks clean, public-facing, and totally under our control."
Jameson narrowed her eyes. "Let me get this straight. You want them to believe this is... what? A leadership exercise?"
"Exactly," Alaric said with a nod. "They should think Violet is just the face of it. That she has no real authority and operates under our directive. Even Henry would eat that up."
But Griffin added cautiously, "Elijah’s not stupid, and especially not Henry. We literally fought over Violet. Anyone with half a brain would see through this."
"Griffin’s right," Jameson said, smugness radiating from her voice.
She could already smell the sweet scent of their plan failing. Yes, she couldn’t go down alone. These boys had made her tenor a living hell. Nor can she wait to see the disappointment on their faces when their plan flopped. She believed.
"I guess we’ll leave it to luck," Jameson said flatly. "Your time’s up."
Right then, her private line rang.
She pulled out her phone with a tired sigh. "And you used up my minutes too," she added, a dry note in her voice, hinting that the Alpha King’s Beta was the one calling.
Jameson glanced at them all and said, "Let’s hope the goddess is on your side."
Then she answered the call.