Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 159: Let Her Go

"What do you mean by that?" Alaric tightened his grip on Violet’s wrist, a deep, gnawing fear settling in his gut.

He didn’t want to let go, not when Violet looked like she might slip away forever. Alaric didn’t know what this encounter would mean for them—for their relationship—and he was scared to find out.

Violet squeezed her eyes shut, her breathing shaky as she tried to calm herself. The panic was clawing at her throat again, and she was holding on by a thread.

And then she looked him dead in the eyes, she said, "Days ago, when Asher and I hung out, he told me straight to the face, ’You, my purple queen, will take Elsie’s place.’"

Her lips parted with a humorless laugh. "What do you think he meant by that, Alaric? I’m his rebellion against the Alpha King. And he wants all of you in it. What better way to make that happen than through me?"

Almost immediately, a hollow laugh escaped her lips, one of bitter understanding. "Lila was right. Asher’s a fucking puppet master. This whole time, you thought you were winning, but look where we are. Both of you, vying for my attention, and he never even had to lift a damn finger."

"Fuck." Violet cursed, her hands tangling into her hair, tugging as if she could yank out the thoughts that had latched onto her mind.

"What if this attraction I feel for all of you isn’t real? What if it’s his manipulation? Oh, god—" Her voice cracked as horror spread across her face.

"Is he in my head? I thought he promised!" Her frantic gaze darted back to Alaric, wide and desperate, searching for answers he couldn’t give her. One that left her disappointed.

Violet’s breath was coming too fast, too shallow. Her chest heaved violently, her vision tunneling, her world crashing down.

"Alaric," Griffin warned, his voice edged with concern. "She’s losing it."

Alaric swore under his breath, his eyes now wide with realization. "Fuck."

He moved swiftly, grasping her cheeks, forcing her to focus on him.

"Alright, Violet," he said seriously. "I need you to calm down."

But Violet shook her head, stubborn and frantic. "No, I’m fine. I just—I just need to see Asher. I need to know what he did to me."

Violet didn’t even realize that she was in the middle of a breakdown.

But Alaric did.

He tilted his head slightly, his ears twitching as his wolf senses honed in on her heartbeat. It was racing faster than it should be. Wild and erratic.

heart pounding. You

with her stress levels this high, her body was running

Violet was being her

insisted, desperate to get away. The walls were closing in. The air was

sharply, but Alaric

I can help you," he said. "I need to calm you down

fingers brushing lightly over her sternum, ready to channel his

who was already drowning in panic, she saw the move as a hindrance. A

instincts took over and in a blur of motion, her hand shot

jerked back immediately, coughing hard, his body recoiling from

He wheezed, the

didn’t wait to see the aftermath because she

throat. Even as a werewolf with fast healing, that hurt like

after her

taking her down hard. They hit the dirt hard, a sharp

didn’t go down easy. Violet

"Calm down! We’re only trying to

stilled, her breathing slowing. Griffin thought it worked and she had submitted. Except he

shot up, ramming straight into the one place

eyes went wide as

with all his strength, it goes without saying that particular spot was soft

hands flying to his junk as he collapsed

Holy fuck.

get her to date him. His mother would absolutely love Violet if she ever heard

had bigger problems. He had given her an Alpha command. And she had

one resisted an Alpha command. Not

with a power equal to a Cardinal Alpha. What the

discovery barely had time to settle before Violet was running

let her escape

he had learned from the mistake. He pinned her fast, making sure she had no leverage to knee him where it hurt. His grip

me go!" She struggled with

his fingertips, not enough to harm her, but enough to send a gentle pulse of energy against her skin. It was enough to slow