Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 222: Her Life Before

~ Asher ~

District One was the slums. The lowest rung of human society. The place was a cesspool of crime, and filth, left to rot in the aftermath of the human-werewolf war.

It was the district forgotten by both the government and the werewolves, a place abandoned to the rule of gangs, corrupt enforcers, and hopeless civilians barely surviving day by day.

This was Violet’s home district.

It explained everything about her harsh upbringing, her survival instincts, the way she distrusted authority, and the fire in her eyes that made her different from the others at Lunaris Academy.

The cityscape was a mess of cracked roads, flickering streetlights, and buildings that looked like they were one storm away from collapsing. The smell of sweat, and a foul smell lingered in the air, mixing with the distant scent of smoke from burning trash.

Yet, nothing about District One scared Asher Nightshade as he strode through the streets.

Asher blended in as best as he could, his black jacket, shirt, and pants making him just another shadow among the desperate souls of this place. But his presence was still felt. People unconsciously moved out of his way, and from the way their eyes flickered toward him, only to quickly avert it, it was clear that even without knowing what he was, they could somehow sense it.

He was danger. A predator.

He had no business being here. But he came anyway.

The night business was thriving, and the streets were lined with women wearing scraps of fabric that barely passed as clothing. They leaned against crumbling brick walls, their painted lips forming smiles meant to lure men into their arms for the night.

Asher’s sharp hearing picked up the telltale sounds of grunts and moans from the dark alleyways where some had already sealed their transactions. His lip curled in disgust.

knew his Purple Queen was untouched, he would have been devastated to think that any of these men could have been the one

trailing over his tall frame, the sharp angles of his face, and his

all it took was one cold look to send them back to their business. Asher didn’t give them a second glance. His body belonged to one person alone.

the reason he

Merchants lined the sidewalks, shouting over each other to sell their spices, meats, questionable trinkets — and stolen items from richer districts. The air was thick with the scent of cooking food, burning incense, and

catch his attention. There was a commotion and Asher’s gaze landed on a group of thugs surrounding a small

pleaded with them, his hands shaking as he clutched a few Cede

and yanked him over his own table, sending a pile of dried herbs and spices crashing onto the

leader sneered before slamming his fist into the man’s gut,

stall, kicking over

face twisted in agony as he gasped,

things that weren’t his problem. But as

was District One. Getting involved in gang business wasn’t just dangerous. It was simply reckless. And right

found Rustwood Park, the sprawling patch of land that housed hundreds of trailers. It was barely livable, with cracked pavement and streetlamps casting eerie shadows. Most of the trailers were rusted, their paint peeling,

asked around for Violet’s trailer, but the looks he got in response told him everything. They thought he was

His teeth clenched.

the judgment, he followed the directions given and soon found

pathetic. To think that his purple Queen had been forced to live here made his

be returning here

and was able to find out that there was no heartbeat inside. Nor

Nancy wasn’t here.