Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 432: No Matebond Without You

Loneliness had always been his companion, but this time it hurt more than ever. All Alaric wanted was to let it go. And he did.

Dark, angry clouds choked the sky above Pine Ridge Lodge, swirling ominously. It wasn’t raining, but the air was heavy with moisture, the scent of ozone thick enough to taste.

Alaric stood shirtless and barefoot on the rooftop, his eyes glowing silver, crackling with power as lightning coiled above his head like a crown.

No one had truly loved him. Not his parents, for whom he always had to beg for attention. Not the girls, who approached him only because he was a cardinal Alpha. Even in the end, Julia had chosen Roman, the fun, handsome one, over him, the dorky one.

And then there was Violet, the one girl who accepted him despite his flaws. But even she had been taken away, leaving him to wonder if he was destined to be alone after all.

Thunder rumbled through the sky, a fitting backdrop to Alaric’s rebellion against the heavens. It would have hurt less if they had mated Violet to someone else, but Griffin? One of the cardinal alphas? Why not him? Was he truly that unworthy?

Another mighty thunderclap echoed, followed by another and another. The next bolt struck close, scorching the ground, yet Alaric didn’t flinch.

This was why he had booked the lodge for the entirety of his stay, sending away the guards and staff. Here, he could unleash his pain without fear of collateral damage.

Alaric closed his eyes, surrendering to the tempest within him. The energy rushed through his veins, a wild current that ignited every nerve ending. Lightning cracked across the sky, illuminating the dark clouds, while thunder roared like a beast unleashed, shaking the very ground beneath him.

In that moment, he felt invincible, a god among mortals, cloaked in the fury of the storm. The world could burn around him, and he wouldn’t care. Heartbreak twisted inside him like a knife, but the power was intoxicating, drowning out the pain.

Alaric embraced the chaos, feeling the air crackle with energy. He was teetering between despair and the thrill of destruction, letting the storm consume him.

"Alaric?"

At first, he thought it was a figment of his imagination. But when he heard his name again, the silver in his eyes faded, and the storm of destruction he had summoned eased just a little as he turned around.

there she

No way.

trying to dispel

"It’s me," Violet said.

Great. He wasn’t hallucinating.

you doing here?!" Alaric was flabbergasted. Violet was on the

to her scalp like dark tendrils. She must have been caught in the storm he had summoned. Alaric knew the areas

Until now.

came to see you."

skip a beat, a flicker of hope igniting within him

to break up

bolt striking just in front of

tone down the storm a bit, Alaric? I need to talk

go. We’re over. Do whatever you want." His voice dripped

just shut up and hear me

Alaric roared, his command punctuated by a thunderbolt that

it has to." His eyes pleaded, filled with pain and

it. The right thing to do would have been to leave him alone, but she was done with stubborn men deciding her fate

lips set in determination, Violet stomped over to Alaric, ignoring the violent thunderbolts around them. If

the fire

and kissing him firmly on the lips. She didn’t deepen the kiss; she simply pressed her lips against his and held

Alaric froze.