Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 457: Unexpected Visitor

Asher Nightshade was a monster.

And no, Violet didn’t mean that literally, though that didn’t mean she meant it in a good way either.

Six hours.

Six grueling, soul-sucking hours.

That was how long he kept her in the so-called foundation class.

Apparently, Asher Fucking Nightshade had not appreciated the fact that she’d been breathing like a buffalo with a deviated septum after just a one-minute chase from Griffin.

And in his own words, not hers:

"You think your enemies will wait while you catch your breath? This isn’t a game, Violet. It’s a fight for your life. Now move."

"But I have the power to decimate them on the spot!" Violet had snapped back, glaring.

"Oh, you have powers? That’s cute," Asher had said, his voice as flat as his patience.

"You mean the same powers you can’t summon at will? Powers mean nothing if you collapse after two minutes in a fight."

"He’s right, princess," Griffin had chimed in with zero remorse. "Your enemies won’t care how powerful you are if your knees give out before your magic does."

"Not to mention," Alaric added, lounging like he wasn’t secretly invested, "what if you’re in a situation where your magic is suppressed? It’s the skills you build that’ll save your ass."

And of course, Roman, who couldn’t resist putting his voice in the mix, said,

"Powers will get you attention, princess. Stamina will keep you alive."

Then, to top it all off, Asher had looked her dead in the eye and said, "So tell me, would you rather keep whining or start training? Your choice, Princess."

His voice had practically dripped with sarcasm.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, was how Violet found herself roped into the most torturous training session of her life, all thanks to one discipline-drenched, emotionally constipated Alpha named Asher Nightshade.

Nonetheless, Violet understood it was for her own good even if she didn’t like it one bit.

And that was how she ended up collapsed on the long couch, freshly showered but still feeling like she’d been steamrolled by a stampede. She hadn’t felt the ache while in the bathroom probably because her body had gone temporarily numb and no, she hadn’t offered any noble guard to join her. Asher had taken that position all on his own — and she was too tired to tempt him.

Now, with her muscles screaming and her limbs stiff as stone, reality was back with a vengeance.

hadn’t taken Lunaris

class was good but not thorough. If they’d relied solely on Commander Malakai’s curriculum, they wouldn’t be the good fighters they were today. Each of them had

like them. She was a conscripted student, shoved into the academy only in her final year. She’d missed everything that

think

Roman’s quiet and cautious voice from the corner, as if he was

so. Her

finish, cutting him off and drawing both

"Oh. There she is."

with a tired sigh just as Roman and Alaric eased onto the sofa. Roman settled near her feet, and Alaric

you feel?" Roman

Violet groaned, exhaling dramatically. "I can’t even

said with a shrug. "Don’t worry, you’ll get

grumpy, guttural noise at the back of her throat knowing getting used to

know how to ease the pain," Roman said suddenly, and Violet lifted a brow

rolled his eyes then took her leg without permission and hauled it onto

get

Roman’s thumbs pressed into her calf muscle and the breath left her body in a traitorous sigh. God, this

like seduction, "Relax and let the

beneath the fabric of her shirt to knead at the sore muscle near her

relax and let us take care of you." Alaric told her,

chest. His arms bracketed her as he dutifully rolled

be the death

moved to her other leg, still circling his thumbs into the tight knots and Violet sighed,

bliss. Absolute,

lasted until Roman’s hands slid higher up

Roman’s, shivers creeping up her spine. He was already

like he hadn’t just danced on

him, stunned, her cheeks flushed and heartbeat quicker than normal. Most of

of them said a word and Roman just resumed massaging her outer thigh carefully, and respectfully

tell them to stop. Roman and Alaric’s hands moved in sync, tugging tension from every

drifted. Her body was completely relaxed now, sinking fully into

before Violet even realized it, she

she was

powerful, little sister. It took me quite a lot to walk

stunned when she saw her half brother waltz

far too easy to understand why he easily got into the pants of nearly the school’s entire female population.