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"What do you mean by that?" Alaric tightened his grip on Violet’s wrist, a deep, gnawing fear settling in his gut.

He didn’t want to let go, not when Violet looked like she might slip away forever. Alaric didn’t know what this encounter would mean for them—for their relationship—and he was scared to find out.

Violet squeezed her eyes shut, her breathing shaky as she tried to calm herself. The panic was clawing at her throat again, and she was holding on by a thread.

And then she looked him dead in the eyes, she said, "Days ago, when Asher and I hung out, he told me straight to the face, ’You, my purple queen, will take Elsie’s place.’"

Her lips parted with a humorless laugh. "What do you think he meant by that, Alaric? I’m his rebellion against the Alpha King. And he wants all of you in it. What better way to make that happen than through me?"

Almost immediately, a hollow laugh escaped her lips, one of bitter understanding. "Lila was right. Asher’s a fucking puppet master. This whole time, you thought you were winning, but look where we are. Both of you, vying for my attention, and he never even had to lift a damn finger."

"Fuck." Violet cursed, her hands tangling into her hair, tugging as if she could yank out the thoughts that had latched onto her mind.

"What if this attraction I feel for all of you isn’t real? What if it’s his manipulation? Oh, god—" Her voice cracked as horror spread across her face.

"Is he in my head? I thought he promised!" Her frantic gaze darted back to Alaric, wide and desperate, searching for answers he couldn’t give her. One that left her disappointed.

Violet’s breath was coming too fast, too shallow. Her chest heaved violently, her vision tunneling, her world crashing down.

"Alaric," Griffin warned, his voice edged with concern. "She’s losing it."

Alaric swore under his breath, his eyes now wide with realization. "Fuck."

He moved swiftly, grasping her cheeks, forcing her to focus on him.

"Alright, Violet," he said seriously. "I need you to calm down."

But Violet shook her head, stubborn and frantic. "No, I’m fine. I just—I just need to see Asher. I need to know what he did to me."

Violet didn’t even realize that she was in the middle of a breakdown.

But Alaric did.

He tilted his head slightly, his ears twitching as his wolf senses honed in on her heartbeat. It was racing faster than it should be. Wild and erratic.

"Violet, I can hear your heart pounding. You are not okay."

A racing heart in a panic response meant a dangerous spike in adrenaline, and with her stress levels this high, her body was running on overdrive. If this continued, she’d collapse, or worse, send herself into shock.

But Violet was being her stubborn self.

"No, I’m good," she insisted, desperate to get away. The walls were closing in. The air was too thick. She needed to breathe, to move.

She turned sharply, but Alaric stepped in her path.

"I think I can help you," he said. "I need to calm you down first, and then we can talk."

Alaric reached for her chest, fingers brushing lightly over her sternum, ready to channel his power to steady her frenzied heartbeat.

But to Violet who was already drowning in panic, she saw the move as a hindrance. A threat.

Her instincts took over and in a blur of motion, her hand shot out as she karate chopped him on the throat.

Alaric jerked back immediately, coughing hard, his body recoiling from the sudden hit.

"What the fuck?" He wheezed, the pain stinging hot.

Violet didn’t wait to see the aftermath because she was already on the move.

"Get her!" Alaric choked out, his hand still grasping his throat. Even as a werewolf with fast healing, that hurt like a bitch. Where does she learn all that moves?

Griffin chased after her immediately.

Violet was fast, but Griffin was faster. Like a Fangball player on a mission, he barreled straight into her, taking her down hard. They hit the dirt hard, a sharp oof escaping her as the air rushed from her lungs.

But she didn’t go down easy. Violet kicked, twisted, fought with everything she had.

"Violet!" Griffin roared, using his Alpha command. "Calm down! We’re only trying to help you!"

For a brief second, her body stilled, her breathing slowing. Griffin thought it worked and she had submitted. Except he was wrong.

Without warning, Violet’s knee shot up, ramming straight into the one place no man wanted to be hit.

Griffin’s eyes went wide as pain exploded

through his lower half. Even with all his strength, it goes without saying that particular spot was soft and full of meat.

He doubled over with a strangled groan, his hands flying to his junk as he collapsed beside her.

Holy fuck.

Violet kneed him while trying to get her to date him. His mother would absolutely love Violet if she ever heard this story.

But Griffin had bigger problems. He had given her an Alpha command. And she had resisted it.

No one resisted an Alpha command. Not unless they were an Alpha themselves.

Or someone with a power equal to a Cardinal Alpha. What the fuck was she?

But that unsettling discovery barely had time to settle before Violet was running again. But

Alaric wasn’t going to let her escape this time.

He tackled her next, but unlike Griffin, he had learned from the mistake. He pinned her fast, making sure she had no leverage to knee him where it hurt. His grip was like iron, his body caging hers beneath him.

"Let me go!" She struggled with him.

A crackle of electricity rippled from his fingertips, not enough to harm her, but enough to send a gentle pulse of energy against her skin. It was enough to slow her racing heart and to pull her back from the edge.

Alaric focused, careful not to use too much power, and push her body into overload.

Gradually, he heard the erratic drum of her heartbeat slowing, settling, and evening out into a steady rhythm.

Violet slumped beneath him, tired.

Alaric exhaled in relief just as Griffin, who had recovered from the attack, came beside him to check on her. It worked.

But the damage was done.

A lone tear slipped from Violet’s lashes, trailing down her cheek. She met Griffin’s gaze, and in that moment, he knew.

This was it.

Her voice cracked, raw and full of quiet devastation. "I’m sorry, but I can’t do this."

Griffin went still.

"This isn’t who I am. I can’t live like this. I like you, Griffin, but I’m not like you guys. I’m human. I don’t belong in this... this way of life."

Her voice wavered, but her gaze remained firm. "If I do this, people will see me as nothing more than a whore. They’ll say I’m like her. Like Nancy. I can’t—" her breath hitched. "I won’t be like her."

Griffin felt his chest tighten, disappointed.

Alaric’s stomach dropped too, but then, this was a possibility they saw coming. But somehow, he had hoped.....

Violet wasn’t done.

"And even if I did..." she inhaled sharply. "I don’t know if what I feel is real. What if this is all Asher’s doing? What if none of this feelings belong to me? I can’t handle it."

Silence stretched between them. Long. Painful. Final.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Griffin exhaled. There was only one thing he could say.

His voice was soft. Resigned.

"...Okay."

And he let her go.