Defy The Alpha(s) - Chapter 276

Chapter 276: The Goddess’ Game

The first thought that came to Violet’s mind was that Asher wanted to kill her. That he had finally lost it and was ready to silence her for good.

But then she caught his glowing eyes in the dark and realized his pupils were unfocused. He wasn’t seeing her at all.

Oh fuck. It hit her like a slap. He was still caught up in the nightmare. Asher was going to kill her, and he wouldn’t even know it.

So she began to struggle, panic clawing up her spine. And that was when it hit Violet just how wide the gap between their strength really was.

Asher was like a boulder crushing her windpipe, and no matter how she pushed, nothing budged. It dawned on her that Asher had let her win that day in combat training, because right now, she couldn’t even move him an inch.

“Asher, wake up! It’s me!” Violet cried desperately, her fingers clawing at the arm crushing her windpipe. If anything, his grip only tightened, her vision beginning to blur at the edges.

Goddess help her, she was actually going to die.

Violet thrashed with all she had left, kicking beneath Asher in a fit of desperation. Then, summoning her last ounce of strength, she slapped him hard across the face.

“Wake up, you asshole! Wake up right now!” she screamed.

And it worked.

She caught the flash of panic in his eyes right before the tension drained from his body. Asher jerked back, horror dawning on his face as he scrambled off her, stumbling to the side table and flipping on the lamp.

The glow wasn’t enough to light the whole room, but it was enough for her to see him clearly. Not that Violet could focus, not when she was busy coughing, and dragging in air into her raw, burning lungs. That was a close brush with death. Too damn close.

“Asher,” she rasped, reaching for him.

But he flinched like she’d burned him. Asher backed away, wide-eyed and his chest heaving. Violet watched him slowly unravel, his hand raking through his hair over and over again. He was shirtless, dressed in nothing but black boxers, and he looked completely, utterly lost.

“How did you get in here?” he demanded, voice rough. “How did you get into my head?!”

“I don’t know,” Violet answered honestly, still trying to calm her breath. “I was asleep in my room when suddenly I started moving. At first I thought I was sleepwalking, but I couldn’t stop it. I tried, but then I ended up here. You were having a nightmare, and I just wanted to comfort you… that’s when it happened.”

There was thick silence until Asher suddenly laughed. But it wasn’t a kind laugh, rather it was hollow and bitter.

“These fucking powers,” he said, his voice dripping with self-loathing.

Violet bit her lip. So it was true. He had called out to her. Yes, it was not intentionally, but his mental powers ensnared her all the same.

In the past, she would have been angry at the manipulation. But how could she after what she’d seen? She couldn’t blame him. Not after the hell that monster of a father had put him through.

Asher had already suffered too much.

“Asher, I—”

“No. Don’t.” He cut her off, immediately, having sensed what she was about to say. He didn’t need her pity.

“You should leave. Right now.”

“What?!” Violet blinked in disbelief. Then her face hardened. “No. I won’t.”

She wasn’t going to abandon him. Asher needed her. Violet knew it in her bones. He had summoned her right into his broken memories. That was a sign. He may not say it, but his soul had screamed for her.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she told him fiercely. “You called me because you needed me. So I’m staying.”

Asher blinked, as though her words genuinely shocked him. But then his expression hardened again, reverting to that cold, guarded mask.

“Fine,” he said flatly. “Knock yourself out.”

Before she could respond, he turned on his heel and stormed away.

Wait—what?

Violet tried to go after him, but he was already in the bathroom, the door slamming shut before she could reach it.

“Asher?” she called, banging on the door. “Asher, come on! You can’t hide in there forever!”

Silence.

“You can’t carry this pain alone! You brought me here! Isn’t that proof enough you want someone to share it with? It’s not a weakness to be vulnerable, Asher. It’s human.” Violet said, her voice gentler now.

And yet, there was still nothing.

“Fine,” she muttered. “Suit yourself. Hide behind your damn ice wall. But know this, Asher—none of what happened was your fault. I don’t blame you. And no one who matters ever will.”

With those words, Violet stepped away from the door. She couldn’t push him any further. As much as she wanted to help, the decision to let her in had to come from him.

Inside the bathroom, Asher leaned back against the door, breathing hard. Although he heard her footsteps retreat, the damage was already done.

Fuck. She knew. She knew everything.

Violet had seen it all. His past, his scars, his demons. The darkness he buried so deep inside it was now part of him. And now it was laid bare and she had watched it all like a damn movie.

Not even his cardinal brothers had gotten this close. All they heard was rumors and saw mere fragments when in company of his wonderful father.

So how could his powers betray him like that? It made his skin crawl.

Asher stumbled to the sink, turned on the tap, and splashed his face with water over and over again. He gripped the sides of the porcelain, chest heaving, and then he stared at his reflection in the mirror.

And what he saw scared him.

Asher Nightingale Nightshade looked afraid.

His right hand trembled. He clutched it to his chest to stop it, holding it with his other hand. But the trembling wouldn’t stop.

And that’s when it hit him.

Mary’s prophecy.

“For tonight, your tonight will gleam.”

Was this the truth she talked about?

Fuck his life.

That prophecy wasn’t for him. It couldn’t be. Even when Mary had whispered, “Blood of my blood” —a phrase only he would recognize. He had told himself it was coincidence and brushed it off.

But now, Asher was not so sure anymore.

His jaw clenched, his teeth grinding together as it became clear to him.

The goddess was playing a cruel game with him. And he didn’t know the rules.