Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 507: Janice Is Dead

"I was too angry to see what I was doing. In my childish mind, my mother deserved to be punished not just for betraying my father, but for betraying me.

"So this was why she sent me away? Not because of my animals, but because she wanted to have her fun. She chose that man over me.

"Even when the room swarmed with animals—birds clawing at their faces and hair, rodents biting at their feet until they bled—I didn’t stop. I could hear my mother’s hoarse, panicked voice begging me to call them off, but I was already gone, swallowed whole by the rush of my own power.

"It’s easy to give in to the thrill when you’re emotional. In that moment, you feel untouchable, like a god, while everyone else is just an ant you could crush between your fingers. And at that moment, I wanted to crush them all."

Roman’s gaze shifted to Violet, testing her. He was searching for the flinch, the judgment, the fear anyone else would have shown. But she met his stare head-on, unshaken.

If he thought that was enough to scare her, he was in for a loss.

Violet’s steady gaze didn’t falter, and when she offered no condemnation, he finally looked away. Then Roman went on.

"Thankfully, my father arrived in time and snapped me out of it with his Alpha command. The animals scattered, and when the chaos settled, I realized the gravity of what I’d done. My mother’s lover was dead.

"I’ll never forget the sight of those empty eye sockets clawed away by birds, and the strips of flesh torn from bone. It was a grotesque sight, one I couldn’t move away from.

gone easier on her than on him. But that didn’t change the fact that I hadn’t meant for it to go

shut that part of me off. The part the animals were drawn to. I told myself I’d be a normal kid again... whatever ’normal’ meant for me. So I stuck to morphing into my favorite animals instead.

think about using that ability again, that scene comes back. And it’s like I’m standing in that room all over again. It’s something I’ll carry for the rest of my life. So maybe you’ll think I’m weak for not developing

force you to keep an eye on

sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, sorry. It’s just, most people who find out I can control animals think it’s way cooler than turning into

your powers as long as you’re

haven’t seen you turn

seen one in real life, only in movies and books. I have to get every detail right. The only one I’ve managed is a yeti. Always been obsessed with them.

there was one constant in the world, it was the ridiculous rivalry

Roman went on, "and it would drain a lot of power..." Then his gaze softened, locking

the sincerity in his voice. "Aww, that’s

with the glassy black of a bird’s. The transformation was so abrupt that Violet instinctively tensed, her fingers twitching as though ready to stir her power. But when he didn’t move, and his breathing

voice quite low as if he was speaking from somewhere

him, noting how his pupils seemed to dart as though following something she couldn’t see. Roman had told her before that when he linked with an animal like this, it was like borrowing their

he was distracted, and his focus tethered there entirely. Hence, he was extremely vulnerable to attack. Her job right now was simple: protect

Roman murmured, his tone almost conversational but his eyes fixed on