Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 280: A Rogue’s Punishment

Where was her fucking head?!

It always seemed to vanish whenever it came to these cardinal alphas. Violet internally berated herself. She hadn’t intended to sleep here until morning. The plan had been simple: catch a little shut-eye, then have Asher sneak her back to her place by five, quietly and without any witnesses. Hopefully.

Unfortunately, the Asher she had pinned her hopes on had failed her. Utterly. Instead of waking her, he had indulged her.

Now, Violet was pacing up and down the West Alpha’s room, mentally spiraling over what to do next. Sure, Asher had said he’d handle it, but she was beginning to worry about "how" he planned to handle it. After all, his methods were rarely what one would call conventional.

Not to mention, the bastard didn’t even seem half as concerned as she was. He was in the bathroom, casually taking a bath with the door wide open, no less. It was an invitation to join him if she dared. That absolute rascal.

So now Violet was alone with her thoughts, stewing in her paranoia, until she stopped herself.

Why the hell was she even scared?

She was Violet Purple. She’d slept at the West House. So what? What could they possibly do to her that would hurt more than what they’d already tried?

With that, Violet forced herself to calm down and wait. She could handle the consequences. And Alaric. Fuck her life!

Almost immediately, Asher strolled out.

"What’s your—" Violet’s words cut off the moment her eyes landed on him.

Holy creator of the world.

Her jaw nearly hit the damn floor.

Violet never thought a man could look that sexy fresh out of the shower, until now.

Asher stood there with nothing but a towel slung low around his hips, his body still dripping from the shower. Moisture clung to his tousled dark hair, then trickled down the sharp angles of his face, neck, and along the planes of his chest. It slid over the ridges of his abs, and her eyes followed the tantalizing trail of the deep V etched into his hips—down, down, down—until it disappeared beneath that dangerously small scrap of cloth.

Violet swallowed hard, her brain wandering somewhere it absolutely shouldn’t have.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen him naked before. Not just during the Games, Asher often shifted during training, like most wolves, leaving nothing to the imagination. Nudity was normal to them.

being alone in his room, with him looking at her like he knew exactly where her thoughts had gone, left her flushed,

Then he added with a teasing tone, "Should I take off the

eyes revealing how much fun he was having. Though she was thoroughly annoyed, Violet couldn’t help

And again, until Violet realized he was

chuckle, she pushed him away.

laughed smugly.

And to prove a point—without thinking it through—she lifted a hand and smacked

wide. Then he smirked darkly. "I’m going to get

though a smile tugged at her lips as Asher disappeared into

so unlike the shared dorms the rest of them had to

A shift that both scared and excited Violet. Would

considering she was still

had done things that they needed to be held accountable for. This mission was no longer just about her. It was about the welfare of every human in this

they would understand her intention at the end. Maybe even forgive her

dressed in his full uniform, every

Alaric came in second on good days while Roman was by far the worst offender. No, he

he always had his shirt unbuttoned just enough to show off that annoyingly perfect chest of

hammered into him by his father. He had to be in control. Unruffled. Perfect. So rigid it was

into a smile. One of these days—if things were good between them

reached for her arm, his grip

But Violet pulled back.

she

face,

said to her, "Don’t worry, no one’s going to get hurt. Although... " he added, "I

"Asher—"

over his shoulder before disappearing

he returned a few seconds later with an oversized shirt in hand. He didn’t even wait for her to argue and slipped the shirt over her head, letting it fall over the nightgown she still wore. It swallowed

said, clearly satisfied. "Now trust

once to trust him. As soon as

already gathered in the corridor, laughing, barking out jokes, a general camaraderie hanging in the air.

fell like a