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Alaric, for once, didn’t resist as he steered him away from Jameson’s floor and into one of the vacant classrooms. Classes had been canceled for the day, probably the only blessing in this mess. If Alaric went nuclear again, at least there wouldn’t be any casualties.

Griffin watched as Alaric slid down to the floor with quiet resignation, his back against the wall.

His cardinal brother pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around himself, his shoulders hunched, and his head bowed.

The storm that had once threatened to destroy the school now sat like a broken boy, unraveling from within.

Despite how furious he’d been, seeing Alaric like this made his heart twist painfully. So Griffin sighed, walked over, and lowered himself to the floor beside him in silence.

Alaric lifted his eyes, glassy with emotion, and rasped out, "I fucked up big time, didn’t I?"

He offered a succinct reply, "No point beating yourself up over spilled milk."

Alaric’s throat worked. "She’ll never forgive me. I broke her, Griffin. I destroyed whatever trust she had in me."

Griffin sighed heavily. "You’re right. Violet might never forgive you. But she’s not exactly heartless. If she finds out that Elsie—"

"That’s no excuse," Alaric cut in sharply, shaking his head. "Some part of me wanted to hurt her, Griffin. Deep down, I was angry about her and Roman. I let my emotions get the best of me and Elsie used me just fine."

"You don’t know that," Griffin snapped, eyes narrowing. "This could all be one big misunderstanding. And all of you need to sit down and talk it out with her before you ruin something that could’ve been real."

"Or maybe it’s better this way," Alaric met his eyes, exhaustion etched on his face. "All we’ve done since Violet got here is to make her life miserable. Maybe she’s better off without us."

"So you’re fine leaving her to Asher? You know he won’t give up on her," Griffin pressed, brow furrowing.

The way he looked away said it all. Alaric scrubbed his hands down his face. Guilt and rage warred in his expression.

"I have no idea what to do," he muttered, voice strained.

Griffin said to him. "I for one know what you must do. For starters, you need to apologize to Violet. Find her and make things right, even if your face is the last thing she’d want to see right about that and you’re liable to get one or two punches, or the classic kick to the dick, but I’m sure you can take it.

The point is, make things right." Then his tone turned cold.

"But for now, we’ve got a bigger problem. Elsie Lancaster."

The moment he said her name, Alaric’s face twisted with pure loathing. Whatever pity he once held for Elsie, it was gone after this stunt she pulled.

"It seems we’ve given her too much power since Lucille left," Griffin observed.

"You’re right," Alaric agreed. "Lucille always knew how to keep Elsie in check. Unfortunately, Violet isn’t Lucille, and she’s too hot-tempered to be even half as crafty as that girl was."

Both of them sighed in unison. Then Griffin suddenly perked up, giving him a pointed look.

"You thinking what I’m thinking?"

Alaric was confused at first, only for his eyes to widen the next second. "No. No fucking way. Don’t even say it."

Griffin shrugged. "I didn’t say anything." He added mischievously, "But you were always her favorite."

"I’m not going near that crazy girl. What makes you think she’d give up whatever leverage she has over Elsie just like that? If even Asher couldn’t get it out of her, what makes you think I can?"

"Fine, don’t." Griffin conceded. "Besides, I don’t even know where she is now."

"Good," Alaric whispered. " Just saying her name gives me PTSD," he added wryly, leaning his head against the wall.

"You’re not alone, brother."

At that word, "brother", Alaric paused. Back in the hallway, when Griffin had punched him, he’d thought he’d lost that bond forever.

"I’m sorry," Alaric said, guilt written all over his face. "I should’ve told you what I was planning before pulling that dick move."

Griffin arched a brow, unimpressed. "We might be close friends but you don’t owe me every detail of your life. However, pull another stunt like that, and I swear to the goddess, I’ll pulverize your face so badly Zara and Caspian wouldn’t be able to fix it even with their combined skills."

At the mention of his parents, both boys broke into unexpected laughter, sharing a rare moment of levity.

But it didn’t last.

The door burst open so hard it nearly bounced off the hinges. Jeremiah stumbled in with a grunt, clearly shoved by someone.

And that someone was Roman, who strolled in right after him, calm and collected, and closed the door behind them with a soft click.

Alaric and Griffin jumped to their feet, eyes narrowed, confused. What was the fox up to now?

Jeremiah looked around like a cornered animal. "What the hell is this?"

Roman didn’t answer immediately. He approached Jeremiah slowly, hands folded behind his back, looking every bit like a lion about to pounce on the poor mice.

When Roman finally reached Jeremiah, he clamped a hand on his shoulder, tight enough to make him wince.

"Isn’t it obvious?" Roman said with a calmness that made it more menacing. "I kidnapped you for an interrogation."

Jeremiah’s expression morphed into disbelief before turning defiant. "You want to know where Asher is, don’t you?" He squared his shoulders. "Bring it on. I’ll take your beating before I betray my Alpha."

Then, as if to drive the point home, Roman’s skin shimmered as green scales slithered over his arms and shoulders. He smirked devilishly. "Oh, you won’t just be facing my wrath."

Roman shared a look with the other alphas. At once, Alaric’s palm crackled to life, streaks of lightning dancing between his fingers. Griffin at the same time, cracked his knuckles with a booming snap.

"Trust me," he said darkly, "you don’t want me swinging at you."

Jeremiah looked between the three alphas, one scaled, one sparking, and the other built like a battering ram. He swallowed hard.

Shit.

Now he was in real trouble.