The table fell into an awkward silence as they ate, until Dion lifted his head and seemed to stare at something intently, his brows furrowed in confusion. He muttered, “Isn’t that your boyfriend, Violet? Also, why is he coming our way looking like that?”
Even without a name being mentioned, Violet knew instinctively who it was, and when she turned, there he was.
Asher freaking Nightshade.
But Violet’s expression did not show anger over his earlier actions, instead she looked bewildered. What in the moon was going on here?
Asher was still in his sports gear from earlier, but it was now bloodied and torn in several places. But that wasn’t all.
The cardinal Alpha of the west was covered in dirt from head to toe, evidence of his brutal fight with Griffin’s beast side.
However, his appearance was unsettling; his lip was busted, his face marred by cuts, and both eyes were blackened. But even with the severity of his injuries, his body was already beginning to heal.
Minor wounds had already vanished, and the deeper gashes were slowly closing up, all thanks to his superior Alpha healing abilities. Still, his disheveled, bloodied appearance unnerved anyone who looked at him.
He was walking towards them causing a sudden tension to swell in the air. Violet couldn’t deny, Asher looked intimidating with all the blood streaks, the torn fabric, the wildness in his eyes. It was enough to send anyone running. But she was furious and an angry Violet was a fearless one.
And perhaps, Asher knew that because he came to a stop a short distance away, his eyes never leaving her. He didn’t even say a word. Instead, he simply hooked a finger towards himself, gesturing for her to come over, as if she were some dog summoned by its master.
What the….?
Violet ground her jaw in fury. Who did this asshole think he was? The nerve of him! Her blood boiled at the sheer arrogance Asher exude, a tightening feeling in her chest.
Yet, even with her murderous gaze, Asher inclined his head, watching her, as if he was expecting her to obediently approach.
Violet scoffed, as if she would ever yield to his will. No. Not today. Not ever.
With an sickly sweet yet defiant smile, Violet turned her back to Asher, a deliberate, bold move.
It was considered a grave insult to turn one’s back on a wolf, most especially an Alpha like the likes of Asher. But Violet didn’t care. Let him seethe. Let him throw a tantrum. He could go rot in hell for all she cared.
She took a deep breath, trying to ignore the stares of the students around them, who were now wide-eyed at the audacity she displayed.
She knew what this meant, defying an Alpha, especially a psycho like Asher, was risky. And yet, she did it with no second thought, standing her ground in her own way.
Perhaps, she was asking for death or simply a sucker for punishment. To be honest, Violet had no idea whatever stirred her! What pushed her into playing this risky game with Asher. He provoked her enough she lost all manner of reasoning around him.
With her back turned to him and her heart racing, Violet half-expected Asher to storm after her, but the seconds passed in silence. She didn’t dare turn to look at him again. She wouldn’t give him that satisfaction – plus she was scared to know what he was up to.
Asher both thrilled and scared her.
Then she heard a low growl behind her, barely audible, the kind that would send chills through anyone else. But Violet held her head high, asserting her refusal to be intimidated even when she felt a warm body press against her back and hands sliding around her waist.
“Hello, my purple queen,” a deep, masculine voice murmured into Violet’s ear, making the hairs on her body stand on end.
The voice was unmistakably Asher’s. It was velvety smooth, yet laced with an underlying edge of danger. The nickname and the warmth of his breath on her skin made Violet’s heart lurch, both in a good and a bad way.
He said to her, “Why do you refuse to answer to your king?”
Violet turned her head just enough to see Asher’s infuriatingly smug face beside her.
“For starters,” she said with intentional coldness, “I am not your queen. Stop calling me that. Secondly, get away from me.” She wrinkled her nose and nudged him with her shoulder, her annoyance showing. “You smell like blood and dirt. I wouldn’t want you to get that on me.”
But like an annoying mosquito, the nudge only seemed to spur Asher on further. His lips curled into a wicked grin, his tone dangerously amused. “Really? Is that so?”
Before Violet could even process what he was about to do, Asher leaned in and rubbed his face against hers. It was a gesture that should’ve seemed intimate, even romantic to everyone watching, but it was anything but. All Asher did was smear his blood, sweat, and grime all over her.
“Aah!!!” Violet screamed, her voice echoing across the lawn like a banshee. She could feel his sweat and the dirt caking her skin, and she recoiled, her face twisted in disgust.
But the psychopath wasn’t finished. Asher, laughing like a child, took it a step further, rubbing his still-bleeding wound all over her, leaving trails of blood smeared across her cheek, neck and uniform.
“Get off me!” Violet yelled, completely losing her composure. She swung her arms wildly, trying to push him away. It felt like her entire world had descended into chaos, the laughter and blood, dirt, and her frustrated screams mingling together.
Asher finally pulled back, a triumphant look on his face as he took a step back. He could barely contain his laughter as Violet glared at him, her face flushed with rage. And just like that, without a word of apology or an ounce of shame, he took off, sprinting away with an agility that only a werewolf could possess.
Violet was beyond furious. Her body shook as she screamed at the top of her lungs, “You fucking asshole! I’m going to kill you today! Do you hear me! You’re dead meat today!”
Fueled by sheer frustration, Violet bolted after Asher across the lawn, desperate to catch him. She was so angry that she could feel her pulse pounding in her ears, and nothing else mattered. Not the looks of the by standing students, not the fact that Asher was a cardinal Alpha. None of it mattered. She just wanted to teach him a lesson.
But Asher seemed to enjoy the chase, his laughter ringing out loudly in the lawn, as he effortlessly dodged her attempts to catch him. Whenever Violet thought she was close enough, each time she stretched out her fingers to grab him, Asher would slip away at the last second, leaving her to groan in frustration.
This wasn’t like his usual games. It wasn’t him toying with others through manipulation. This was different. Asher looked… happy, genuinely enjoying himself, a sight that surprised everyone watching, even those who knew him well.
From a distance, Violet’s friends watched the spectacle unfold, wide-eyed and stunned.
Lila’s jaw dropped as she saw Asher teased Violet by coming close to grab but she shove him away, only for him to come right back, his grin never fading.
“The gods help us all,” Lila muttered, the realization dawning on her. “He likes her.”
Dion, who was leaning casually against the back of the bench, shook his head and spoke ominously. “And that, my dear, means your friend Violet is in deep shit. Of all the cardinal alphas, nothing good ever comes from associating with Asher. The Nightshade household is poison. Anything good dies in their hands.”
He took a slow drink from his water bottle, his gaze still fixed on Violet and Asher. “I would say if you were a good friend, you would advise Violet to stay away from him.” He paused, a contemplative look on his face. “But it’s too late. Asher has his eyes on her. And whatever the Puppet Master wants, he takes.”
Lila glanced at Dion, her heart pounding with worry. There was something chilling about the way Dion spoke, the certainty in his tone. She swallowed hard and asked nervously, “How do you know all that?”
Dion relaxed, his smile widening as if he knew something she didn’t. “You’re a curious one too,” he said smoothly, “so you should already know that information is power in Lunaris.”
Lila fell silent, her gaze flickering back to her friend who was still chasing Asher, the two of them creating a spectacle that no one was forgetting anytime soon, at least till the end of today.
At this point, Lila could only hope that Violet understood the kind of danger she was walking into by associating with Asher, because there was no turning back now.
Meanwhile….
Through sheer luck, Violet managed to tackle Asher to the ground, his laughter ending abruptly.
They both went down with a heavy thud, the force of their fall knocking the air out of Asher for a brief moment.
Without thinking twice, Violet straddled him, her hands going straight for his neck. Her eyes were wide with fury as she leaned over him.
“Die, you asshole!” she growled, squeezing his throat with all the strength she could muster.
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