Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 531: Take Henry’s Place

Although the call hadn’t lasted long, Violet’s voice stirred Asher like fire in his veins, and he needed that now, walking into a room full of lions waiting to tear him alive.

Behind him, his Beta, Jeremiah, followed close. When they reached the door, the guard on duty made to announce his arrival, but Asher lifted a hand to silence him. It was best they didn’t see him coming.

Asher pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room was alive with raucous laughter. Meat and wine flowed freely, the air thick with the smell of grease and smoke. The alphas sprawled in their seats like they owned the place, boasting and barking, trading stories loud enough to shake the rafters.

The atmosphere was rowdy and careless. A celebration that tasted too much like mockery, because the wolf who had held them all in chains for decades was dead.

Not that any could blame them.

But then Asher entered and one by one, heads turned. Just like that, the laughter faltered and the noise strangled into silence.

In that split second, their goblets froze mid-air, teeth no longer flashing. Sixteen pairs of eyes turned on him, measuring him.

Goblets froze mid-air, the smile gone from their faces. A few alphas scratched at their throats, their eyes cutting sidelong and avoiding direct gaze. Some gave him polite looks, while the bold ones stared at him with thinly veiled contempt.

Polite or not, Asher could smell it all. Pride, hunger and the sweet stink of ambition.

And they saw him too as the boy. The son. Henry’s blood — but not Henry.

A few of the alphas cleared their throats, feigning ease while the rest smirked like men humoring a child. A baby tiger playing at lion.

table. "We were just sharing stories of your father. Come, sit. Take wine. We are all

didn’t respond. He just stared at the man, long enough for the silence to curdle into discomfort. Then without a word, he took the empty seat

had taken

to claim

Asher finally asked, his lips curving into

infamous slitted eyes were bared for all to see, slowly dragging across the table, pinning each alpha

like a man’s and more like a predator’s, as if something feral lurked beneath

walked into this meeting without

pleasantries. He was out

tension. "The cub glares like he thinks he’s grown claws. Careful, boy, baring your teeth

across a few of the alphas. Even

as still water. If anything, he only tilted his head in the Alpha’s direction.

given the command so softly it was almost conversational, but

wide with horror just

chairs scraping back as though the compulsion might leap from Rowland and drag them

came a second crash. Then a third. By the fourth, blood streamed down his nose, spattering the

the fifth time before he finally collapsed in

bright side, he was going to heal.

gaze sweeping over the others, his

still thinks I’m a