Defy The Alpha(s) - Chapter 282

Chapter 282: Villains And Second Chances

Violet expected a thousand questions from Jeremiah, but he didn’t utter a word. Not until he brought her safely back to the Rogue house. Then, like a soldier who had completed his mission perfectly, he simply turned and left with style.

However, Violet barely stepped into the shack before her roommates descended on her like hounds.

“Where have you been?! Do you know how worried I’ve been? I almost thought something had happened and I might have failed in protecting the princess!” Lila peppered her with questions, rapid-fire.

Then her gaze dragged down the length of Violet’s body and locked on the oversize shirt she wore. Without a seer to tell her, she knew instantly that it was Asher’s shirt. Violet might as well have walked in with a neon sign flashing “Slept with the enemy.”

Ivy added sternly before Lila could explode, “You have a lot of explaining to do, young lady.”

Violet didn’t flinch under their scrutiny. Instead, she calmly smoothed the hem of the shirt and asked, “I’ll explain later. Where’s Alaric?”

Lila’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “He left.”

“Shit!” Violet cursed, dragging a hand through her tangled hair. She had hoped to catch him before he stormed off, to explain, or at least ease whatever chaotic assumptions were brewing in his head.

“That’s not all,” Lila said.

Violet turned to her, brow arching. “What do you mean, that’s not all?”

And moments later, Violet got her answer.

She stood frozen outside her bedroom door, her jaw slightly unhinged, and her eyes sweeping across the wreckage before her.

“What the actual fuck happened here?” she demanded, whirling toward Lila with a look that screamed ‘explain this carnage’.

Chunks of ceiling littered the floor and the bed looked like it had survived a war and lost while dust still hung in the air like smoke from an explosion.

“Apparently,” Lila said dryly, “the curse was stronger than I thought.”

Violet blinked, stunned. “Stronger than—Lila, that could’ve killed him!”

Daisy, leaning in the doorway rolled her eyes. “Injure him, maybe. But kill a werewolf? Please. You don’t give them enough credit.”

Violet scowled. Of course she knew that. But seeing this ruin and knowing Alaric had been in the middle of it sent a fresh stab of guilt through her chest. She had wanted him to be punished a little, not possible concussions and curse-induced PTSD.

She turned to Lila, voice tight. “Is there a way to reduce it? Cancel the curse early?”

Lila winced. “Too late. He absorbed the whole thing. It’s following him now like a shadow. He has to live it out.”

Seeing the worry in Violet’s eyes, Lila added quickly, “But don’t worry. The curse wasn’t meant to kill him. Just torment him. It won’t go too far.”

Violet didn’t know what to say neither could she blame Lila. They were in this together. But one look at the state of her room and she could already tell Alaric Storm was in for hell today. And damn it, she was really, truly sorry.

“Well, now that this drama’s over…” Daisy drawled, “why don’t you tell us where the hell you’ve been?”

“Indeed,” Ivy nodded in agreement. “Seriously. We were this close to thinking something horrible happened. Like maybe Elsie finally snapped and kidnapped you to murder you in secret while we were asleep.”

Violet let out a sigh, rubbing her temple. “Well, thankfully nothing like that happened but you might want to sit down for this.”

The three girls exchanged glances, then shuffled into the living room with anticipation. Once they settled and the room quieted, Violet began.

“I sleepwalked last night,” she started slowly. “And ended up at the West House.”

Lila shot to her feet so fast the chair creaked in protest. “I knew it! That manipulative bastard compelled you again, didn’t he?! I thought he promised not to get into your head again!”

“Lila,” Violet cut her off sharply, her voice slicing through the air. “Would you let me finish?”

Lila pressed her lips together, clearly fuming but respecting Violet enough to sit back down and listen.

So Violet told them everything, leaving nothing out. She narrated the abuse Asher suffered in Henry’s hands. She painted the story just the same way she had seen in the memories. And finally finished with the death of his mother — the incident that had broken the young Asher.

By the time Violet finished, the silence was deafening.

“Fuck,” Daisy muttered, her voice raspy. “That’s messed up. I always knew something had to have happened to make Asher the way he is. But what you just told us? Henry deserves to rot in the deepest pit of hell.”

“I know,” Violet concurred, her hands clenching into fist. “And he will. One day. I’ll make sure of it.”

Ivy sniffled, wiping the tears from under her eyes with her sleeve. “How could his father do that to him? How could anyone treat a child like that? It’s so… it’s so heartbreaking.”

But Lila narrowed her eyes. “I sympathize with him, Violet. I really do. But what now? Do we just toss the plan aside? Forget everything? We’ve come too far to fold now.”

Violet shook her head slowly, her expression unreadable. “No. We won’t give up.”

The girls straightened.

“But I need you all to understand,” she continued, her voice gentler now, and her eyes glinting fiercely. “Asher Nightshade is not who we thought he was. Yes, he’s dangerous. Yes, he’s unpredictable. But I saw the boy behind the power. I felt his pain. And if we’re fighting for justice, then we should remember that even villains deserve second chances too.”

The room stayed silent for a heartbeat longer until Daisy clapped her hands together with a wicked grin. “Speaking of villains…”

Her eyes sparkled.

“I guess it’s Elsie’s turn now.”

Violet’s golden eyes lit up. She nodded once.

“It’s time Elsie learned what karma tastes like.”

She turned to Lila, “How’s our plan going?”

Lila smirked. “About that…”