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Adele stood before the Cardinal Alphas, her eyes blazing with fury. Asher, Roman, Alaric, and Griffin seated like chastised children, their usual dominant energy dulled under the healer’s scathing glare.

"What the hell were you all thinking?!" Adele’s voice rose, resounding through the room. "Do you know I had to give her five heat suppressant shots? Five of them just to ease her from her torment!"

Roman shifted uncomfortably, his head hanging low. Guilt weighed heavily on him, after all, he had come the closest to crossing the line.

"We’re sorry," he said quietly, his voice laced with regret.

"Sorry?" Adele’s voice sharpened like a whip. "Does sorry make up for the induced heat you all forced the poor girl into? The trauma she might carry?"

Alaric frowned, his tone defensive. "How is that even possible? Humans don’t go into heat. She’s human, right?" He looked at his cardinal brothers for confirmation.

Adele shot him a withering look. "Forgive my phrasing, Alaric," she said, her voice cold but controlled. "Humans don’t experience heat like werewolves, but I’ve never seen pheromones that strong, strong enough to affect all four of you.

" Her accusing gaze swept over each of them, as if daring them to challenge her.

She continued, "But since she’s a human, I can theorize that Asher mentally drugged her." Adele finished by giving Asher a pointed look.

Asher in question raised his hands in mock surrender, his tone bordering on indifference. "She was only supposed to desire me," he argued, his confidence slipping when Griffin growled low in his throat.

"So you’re not denying it," Griffin snapped, his eyes burning with anger. "You mentally blitzed her, didn’t you?"

"I didn’t drug her!" Asher shot back, his own growl rising to match Griffin’s. "It was only a suggestion. A small game. One that shouldn’t have escalated like this."

Alaric eyes narrowed. "So your ego’s so fragile now that you have to compel women to sleep with you?" he challenged, his voice dripping with disdain.

"Mind your tongue, thunder boy," Asher snarled, his gray eyes darkening dangerously behind his shade. "Let’s not forget that she was perfectly fine until she ended up alone with you in that classroom. For all we know, you’re the reason my purple flower—"

"Your what?" Griffin interrupted, disgust plain on his face.

Asher ignored him, pressing his accusation toward Alaric. "You’re the one who knows exactly what I said to her that night. Did you torture her to get that out of her? Or did your wretched lightning fry her mind and now you’re conveniently blaming me?"

A snarl tore from Alaric’s throat as he shot to his feet, his lightning crackling faintly in the air. He looked ready to pounce, but Griffin was quicker, grabbing his arm and yanking him back into his seat.

Alaric had not told anyone of the shocking incident and for good reasons. Especially with Asher around. Who knows what that bastard would do with that knowledge.

"That’s enough!" Griffin barked, his voice carrying the weight of an Alpha command. His sharp glare silenced both Alaric and Asher.

Adele stood unmoving, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her expression unreadable. After a tense pause, she spoke again, her voice colder than before.

"Perhaps I should report this entire incident to the Alpha King. Maybe then you’ll take this seriously before a dead girl or, rather, a zombie...." She looked precisely at Asher, " ends up on my doorstep."

"No!" Asher’s voice was immediate, raw with panic.

Griffin, Roman, and Alaric repeated the same, all of them rising to their feet in unison, their urgency written on their faces.

Adele raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by their sudden unity. "Oh, now you care? Sit down before you make this worse."

But none of them sat, standing with determination.

Alaric broke the silence, saying with a foreboding tone. "You know what would happen if the Alpha King heard about this."

Adele’s expression didn’t waver. "I’m sure Elijah would only be concerned about his heirs, not some girl."

"He would care about the safety of his heirs enough to eliminate any threat to his plans," Asher interjected, his voice tinged with a mocking edge. "Perhaps then, a dead girl would end up on your doorstep after all."

Adele’s eyes narrowed, her tone cutting. "Don’t push your luck, Asher."

Griffin stepped forward, his voice carrying command. "This ends now. The only solution to this problem is for Asher to stop messing with Violet’s mind. We won’t entertain another Lucille."

"I second that," Alaric said firmly, his lightning still faintly crackling in the tension.

Asher growled, his gray eyes dark with defiance. "Violet is not Lucille and will never be."

"Yet, it’s all heading down the same path," Roman said, his voice quieter but no less impactful.

Asher turned to Roman, shock flickering in his expression. Roman had always been his wingman, the one who supported him through everything. This felt like a betrayal.

Roman didn’t flinch. "You went too far this time, Asher."

Adele took the opportunity to impose her terms. "Fine. I won’t report this incident, but only if Asher swears to never get into her head again."

All four Cardinal Alphas turned their eyes on Asher, waiting for his decision.

After a beat, Asher sighed dramatically, lifting his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, I swear never to get into her head again, at least consciously." A dark smile spread across his face. "You all know my power has a mind of its own."

Griffin and Alaric exchanged exasperated glares, disbelief clear in their expressions. They knew Asher was technically telling the truth. His power was unpredictable and could manipulate even without his direct intent.

Just as they were reluctantly about to agree, Asher added with a smirk, "Also, unless she wants me to."

The room erupted into chaos.

"What woman in her right mind would want you screwing around in her head?" Griffin snapped.

Asher’s smirk widened. "Everyone has their kink."

Alaric shook his head, his tone resolute. "We can’t agree to that. He’s going to manipulate Violet into wanting it."

Roman, now seemingly back on Asher’s side, crossed his arms and countered, "Then that’s on Violet, isn’t it?"