Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 636: Fight To The Death

Violet was in paradise.

The air around her pulsed with layers of scent so exquisite they might as well have been music : deep notes of smoked cedar and dark spice, threaded with the sharp sweetness of rain-kissed earth and amber’s warmth. Vanilla lingered softly beneath it all, tender as a lover’s whisper. Then came the brighter tones: citrus and pine, sunlight caught in wood and wind, and finally a faint sweetness of pineapple and cream, a fragrance so delicate it felt like laughter suspended in the air.

She breathed it in until her lungs ached, until the beauty of it pressed against her chest. Every note was familiar, woven with memories of the scent of her mates, her home, and her peace.

It was incredibly soothing, and she wanted to lose herself in it forever.

With a soft sigh of contentment, Violet reached for the nearest body and leaned into him. He was warm, safe, and steady.

Then she felt fingers gently raking through her hair, massaging her scalp with such a tender rhythm that a purr escaped her lips before she could stop it.

Her eyes fluttered open instinctively and met those familiar, slitted gray eyes staring back at her.

Her breath caught.

Asher’s eyes were the kind that could make the moon hide out of jealousy. They shone with a strange depth, as if layers of silver and smoke lived beneath the surface, constantly shifting with every flicker of light. And then there were his slitted pupils, cutting through that gray like dark silk drawn through liquid metal.

Up close, they were unreal. Dangerous in a way that didn’t seem meant for the mortal world. But it wasn’t just danger that lived in those eyes. There was beauty there too — cold, haunting beauty that seemed to see right through her skin and straight into her soul.

Violet’s chest rose and fell, breathless, caught in the gravity of him and unable to look away even if she wanted to. There was something intimate in the way those eyes looked back at her — sharp and soft at once, dangerous yet tender. It was unfair, the way a single look could undo her so easily.

she could do was drown in the beauty of those eyes until the rest of the

her hair, his fingers slow and careful, the movement soothing in its tenderness. Violet’s eyes instinctively fluttered closed, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she melted into the touch, relishing

awkward, rather it was peaceful, and the kind of quiet that said more than words ever

comfort of each other, until sleep came softly, wrapping her like a warm blanket. Her breathing steadied, and with one final exhale, Violet slipped

gently massaging her scalp. He could go on forever if she wanted him to. The ache in his fingers was nothing compared to the pain of ever

much she meant to him at this point. She was his life, the one thing

disappeared from his world,

would she live? Fae lived hundreds of years. Surely, as half-Fae,

had lived up to three hundred years. But he would

but the day Violet died would be the day he died

their other half perished. But he didn’t need a matebond to lose

the reason he endured. Hence, he would protect her even if it meant losing everything, even

his

fleeting, reverent touch. Then he leaned in and pressed his lips against

his heart almost leaped out of his chest because Griffin was awake,

made it worse. The intensity in his gaze felt like it stripped Asher bare, exposing every part of him he tried to keep

had never sat well

broke the

will snap into place soon,"

voice edged

"You’re scared," Griffin observed.