Page 253

"Don’t worry about Elsie." Asher said suddenly, breaking the silence, "She won’t be a problem from now on. I handled it."

Asher’s words said so deceptively calm should have comforted them, instead

a prickle of dread slipped down each Alpha’s spine.

Alaric shot Asher a wary look. "What did you do?"

There was no mistaking the implication of those words: Asher had been on campus last night, and he must have done something to Elsie.

Even Roman, usually quick with a joke, turned serious. "We’ve broken a lot of rules, Asher, but if you’ve tampered with her mind, Elijah will kill you. This time, literally."

Everyone knew the deal. Because they were all rivals for Elsie’s hand, Asher’s ability created an unfair advantage as he could compel her to fall in love with him if he wished.

For that reason, Asher was absolutely forbidden from entering her mind.

Any power left a trace, and if the witches ever scoured Elsie and found even a hint of his manipulation, Asher would be as good as dead.

In short, he could use his compulsion on anyone else, even his fellow cardinal brothers, but not Elsie. She was strictly off-limits.

Asher growled low, clearly insulted. "I didn’t touch her mind. I only gave her a little warning. That’s all. She’ll be a good little girl now. Trust me."

Griffin didn’t look convinced. "I don’t like this," he muttered. He didn’t care for Elsie, but Asher’s methods were infamous.

"Look. Even the thought of trusting him is giving me goosebumps. " Roman lifted his arms to show him.

Asher smirked, showing too much teeth. "Relax. She won’t end up in a body bag... though it’s tempting. After all, how can I kill Elijah’s choice?"

"Better," Griffin said, but his tone was dry. "I don’t trust you, Asher, but you know what’s at stake. If anything happens to Elsie, Elijah might spare us as his heirs, but not Violet. The sick bastard would make an example of her and force us to watch."

Alaric raised a hand, thoughtful. "Maybe we’re overthinking things.

Elijah knew about Lucille for a while, and yet he didn’t act.

Not until it got out of hand. In the end, he just sent her away.

I’m not saying I want that fate for Violet, but maybe.

.. maybe we don’t need to go to extremes to keep Elsie in line. "

Before Asher could respond, Roman cut in, brows furrowed. "Elijah let Lucille tear us apart for sport. She was useful to him. Unfortunately, Violet isn’t like that. Not so far."

"My purple queen is goodness personified," Asher said proudly. "Elijah wouldn’t want her here. He wants us at each other’s throat, not united and she’s a threat to that."

"If that’s the case... " Griffin said slowly, coming to realization, "... doesn’t chasing after Violet openly risk drawing Elijah’s attention? That man would sniff out any upheaval in a heartbeat."

"Maybe," Asher allowed, "but Elijah is still the Alpha King. He’s got bigger problems than teenage drama from Lunaris Academy. Still, if we want to keep Violet under the radar, we need to keep his attention elsewhere."

"How?" Roman asked.

Asher reached into his pocket of his jacket and pulled out two small bottles. The other three instantly perked up.

Alaric took one with a frown. "What is this?"

"A little discovery from my trip," Asher said. "It’s called Ignis. Some lab out there’s making it and intends to sell it. It gives humans werewolf-like abilities."

"What?!" Griffin snatched the other vial from Roman and sniffed it cautiously.

"No way," Alaric said. "The only way a human can have our traits is through a bite, that is if they even survive the brutal transition, or being half-breed."

"I fought one of the subjects," Asher said grimly. "Trust me, it wasn’t an easy fight. The stuff sends them into a frenzy. But it wears off fast. They crash afterward. Hard."

By the time he finished, disbelief, and anxiety filled the room.

"If this is real," Alaric said, lifting the vial to the light, watching the milky liquid, "then chaos is already on the horizon."

He turned to Asher. "I assume you plan to send this to Elijah?"

"That’s the plan," Asher replied smugly. "

It’ll keep him busy. So with him worrying about humans matching our strength, he won’t be poking around our dating life."

"Alright. I’ll run my own analysis too. I need to confirm it’s real, not a hoax.

And if it’s real, I need to know and study its composition and possible ways to negate it if possible.

" Alaric said with a little bit of excitement in his tone. As a science nerd, he couldn’t wait to get started on the project.

"And you’ll share your findings with me," Asher stated, more a command than a request.

There was a brief pause.

"Sure," Alaric agreed at last, knowing Asher would take it if he didn’t. It was better than nothing.

"Now that we’re done with that," Roman leaned forward, grinning, "how about you tell us what you found out about Violet in District One?"

Griffin and Alaric looked at Asher expectantly.

But Asher simply said to them. "Sorry, gentlemen. That part’s off the table. Whatever I discovered about my purple queen stays with me. You want answers? Go dig for your own."

"Asher—" Griffin growled, clearly annoyed. "We’re supposed to work together now," he added. "If there’s something about Violet we need to know—something that could protect her—you should tell us."

"Mmhmm," Asher hummed, utterly unmoved. He stood up, brushed off his jacket, and looked down on them with that infuriating smug glint in his eyes.

"Instead of worrying about what I know," he said smoothly, "maybe you should focus on getting back into her good graces." His gaze flicked between Roman and Alaric.

Then, with a wicked smile, he continued, "I’ve heard she’s not open to sharing right now. So I’d start convincing her if I were you. Or I can just claim her for myself." He winked. "Your choice. Either way, may the best player win."

And with that, Asher Nightshade strolled off like a king who had already won the war.