Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 406: Honor Tradition

Violet was seated in Irene’s office, flanked by Griffin, while her two husbands sat on the opposite side. They hadn’t stayed until the end of breakfast and now it was time for the truth.

Irene began first, a sigh escaping her lips. "First of all, I want to apologize. It was never my intention to keep you in the dark. I had planned to have this conversation with you after breakfast, if only..." She paused, turning slowly to narrow her eyes at her husbands. "If only they had kept their mouths shut."

It was Arion who dramatically shrunk into his seat like a schoolboy caught passing notes, while Aeron remained stoically unbothered, his arms crossed like a wall.

Irene rolled her eyes and turned back to Violet. "As you’ve heard, we, the East pack, are ’religious people.’" She lifted both hands and wriggled her fingers in air quotes, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "At least that’s how most people mock us."

"But I like to think of it as being more connected to the goddess than most packs, and it’s no wonder she continues to bless us. When you forget your creator, you edge closer to destruction."

Violet nodded slowly, unsure where this was going. "So... how does this explain the Cnái-ah-"

"The Cnáimhseáil Anama," Irene corrected her gently.

"Yes. That." Violet gestured vaguely. "Griffin said it’s to invoke the goddess’s blessing. But the goddess already blessed us with the mate bond. So what other blessing are we talking about exactly?"

"Yes, the mate bond is a gift," Irene agreed. "But gratitude matters. And when we show our gratitude to the goddess, she blesses us further with life, protection, children — females, to be exact."

She let that hang in the air.

"Why do you think the East pack has more pure-blooded females than any other packs?" she added.

"Oh." Violet blinked, stunned. So they were thanking the goddess so they could have female babies. Fantastic. She was doomed.

Irene went on. "Since the ceremony binds you not only to your mate but to the East pack, we often take it as a marriage rite. In summary, the goddess blesses your union, and you’re officially one of us. "

Great.

It was worse enough that Roman had left her because of the "mate bond", if the rest heard she was "practically" married to Griffin, she didn’t know how they’d take it.

"Soooo," Violet dragged the word out, hesitantly, "I can’t skip it? Like maybe do it later?"

Irene said flatly, her smile not reaching her eyes. "For Fated Mates, it is recommended to be performed immediately after the

not a threat to our son," Aeron

Griffin muttered under his

and slung his arm lazily around Aeron’s stiff shoulders. "Don’t mind the paranoid fool. "He said, "He just doesn’t want

happened during your time?"

"You haven’t told our mate about

growled low in warning. "That

romance killer," Arion dismissed him, waving a hand. Then he turned fully to Violet with an excited gleam in his eyes. "Don’t worry, I’d tell you how we ended up in this cozy little domestic arrangement. Now,

the bridge of his

time he starts this

Arion, and try not to add

know my words are the gospel

some smaller packs under the East didn’t want

You had

with my own hands by the time everything was

Violet was rendered speechless.

sent to kill the East’s little Alpha princess on her birthday. It was supposed to be a clean kill. No one was to suspect us. That way, we wouldn’t risk a war within the East since there were still sub-packs loyal to her. The plan was to make it look like an accident, you know, poison her drink, stage a drunken fall from a height, maybe blow her up. There were just so many

be crazy to marry people who once plotted

"And everything

to flirt with

leaned in, whispering to Violet, "Here comes the argument. Brace

didn’t flirt with Irene. She came my way, swaying that ass, and you know I’m an ass

That

said airily, though the smirk

grumbled, "Arion chose

found us, you still joined in," Arion shot back, then gave a slow whistle. "That was our first and most memorable

Violet had no idea how she managed to keep