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The moment the Alphas stepped out of Jameson’s office, Alaric launched after Elsie like the storm he was, closing in on her. He grabbed her arm and slammed her into the nearest wall with such force the plaster cracked.

"What the hell was that back there?" Alaric snarled, his face mere inches from hers. His breath was hot with rage, muscles rigid beneath his shirt. Energy snapped in the air, the faint static hum of lightning beginning to bleed off his skin.

"You promised to leave her alone!" he seethed. "You said if I humiliated her like you wanted that you’d back off. That you wouldn’t say her name to the Alpha King until graduation!"

His voice thundered in the passageway, and behind him, Griffin, Roman, and Jeremiah halted in place. Griffin, especially, his face was twisted with a dawning realization, like he was finally piecing together the broken puzzle of what Alaric had done and why.

Alaric had not hurt Violet out of raw spite, thank the gods. Because he had planned to hurt him in return, just fine.

Elsie blinked up at Alaric, her face incredibly calm as if nothing moved her.

"I never broke the deal," she said with conviction. "I’m just being proactive. If Violet pushes back, I need the authority to silence her before she ruins everything. I’m protecting what we agreed on."

"Protecting?" Alaric echoed with anger. "You call pushing for her expulsion protecting? You call making me do that to her protection?"

He slammed her harder against the wall, growling, "Don’t fucking play games with me, Elsie."

Elsie’s confidence faltered slightly beneath Alaric’s fury, but she managed to hold her ground. "It’s not a game, Alaric. It’s reality. There can’t be two queens in one kingdom. And in Lunaris? I am the reigning one, not that filth from the slums."

Alaric recoiled like she’d slapped him.

"You made me..." he choked out, the horror dawning across his features, "You made me become her nightmare. I destroyed her in front of everyone—her dignity, her trust— all for you."

"My bad," Elsie said, popping her lips, unapologetic. "It just needed to be done. Now she hates you enough never to bother you again and that’s good enough for me."

Alaric’s head lowered at once as if the fight had gone out of him, his white hair shadowing his eyes. But it did nothing to hide the storm boiling behind them. His whole body trembled with disbelief, then shame, right before fury ignited like a fuse.

When Alaric lifted his gaze again, his eyes were glowing with the dark promise of violence.

"You fucking bitch," he whispered, but there was nothing soft in his tone. "You used me. How dare—"

His claws burst from his gloves, lightning lacing through his veins, and he gripped her shoulders hard—so hard she gasped—blood blooming beneath his fingers.

"Ouch! Alaric! You’re hurting me!" Elsie cried out, her face finally paling as she saw the storm truly build. The air trembled around them, its pressure climbing to a dangerous high.

"Oh shit—Alaric!" Griffin lunged and tackled him away just in time, intercepting the crackling bolt of electricity that erupted from his hand, aimed straight at her.

Griffin groaned, the blast striking his side as he anchored Alaric with a grunt. "Easy!" he growled. "She’s not worth murder!"

Alaric fought him, but Griffin contained his lightning with his extraordinary strength.

Gritting his teeth, Griffin barked at Jeremiah, "Get her out of here!"

But Jeremiah merely raised both hands, stepping away. "Nope. Not touching the bitch. I don’t want to catch whatever darkness is oozing out of her." He added, "Moreover, I’m all for thunderboy roasting her ass."

Griffin shot him a look that screamed, Seriously, now? He wrestled Alaric’s arms down, fighting to keep the lightning from lashing out again.

With a harsh scowl, Roman strode over to Elsie and grabbed her wrist. "Come on," he snapped.

"Ow! You’re hurting me, Roman!" Elsie protested as Roman dragged her down the corridor.

"Good." Roman offered no sympathy, his face twisted in an equal blend of anger and disgust. But at least he had enough control to stop short of murder, unlike the lightning prince.

The commotion must finally reach Jameson’s ears because her door creaked open. She peered out with the expression of a woman two seconds away from a breakdown, only to find Griffin pinning Alaric to the floor, both struggling and snarling.

"What is the meaning of this?" she snapped, eyes sharp as knives.

Jeremiah, who had been enjoying the scene, replied without missing a beat, "Practicing reconciliation. Isn’t that what you want?"

Jameson stared at him, then the two on the ground like she was contemplating early retirement, then slowly, with the weariness of a thousand lifetimes, shook her head and closed the door behind her. She was officially done for the day.

Meanwhile, Roman continued dragging Elsie out of the school building , not stopping even when she tried to slow him down. He didn’t stop until they were outside, somewhere near a side building that offered privacy but not enough to shield them from a few lingering students.

At that point Roman didn’t care if they were stared at. Privacy was a luxury Elsie had forfeited the moment she lit a match and threw it at the bridges they’d barely kept from burning.

He slammed her back against the wall with a thud that echoed off the brick.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" he shouted at her. "I made you a deal! Everything was under control, Elsie! And then you fucking went back on it. You went nuclear without even telling me!"

Elsie bared her teeth, defiant. "That deal was bullshit to begin with!"

Her voice rose, venom in her words. "Who the hell is Violet Purple that I should bend over backwards for her?! She’s nothing—nothing! And don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you all look at her."

She laughed, a dark, humorless sound.

"You’re all fucking obsessed with her! Like she’s some rare gem and I’m just background noise. But I am the one who’s always been here. I’m the one you’re supposed to want. Not some girl dragged from the gutters of some district!"

Roman’s face darkened, and for a moment, the rage in him stilled.

"So this is what I’d have to deal with in the future," the south Alpha said quietly, the realization heavy in his voice. "This is the kind of Luna you’d be to my pack, jealous, bitter, disrespectful, uncontrollable and dangerous."

Elsie flinched, just slightly. Then her pride rose like a tide. "That’s if I even end up in your pack," she snapped, eyes narrowing with challenge.

Roman exhaled sharply, as though accepting a grim truth. He stepped back from her as if her presence sickened him now. "Knock yourself out," he said icily.

He turned and walked away.

"Roman! Roman!" Elsie shouted, eyes widening in belated regret. But he didn’t turn around.

"Damn it," she cursed under her breath, running a shaky hand through her hair.

What had she done?

Fine. He needs time to cool off and then she’d apologize to him.

He’d come back to her.

He always did.