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"This is where we learn our greatest lesson that misunderstandings and personal vendettas are able to escalate into disasters that can affect entire civilizations." Professor Alwen summarized the story.

Then he turned to face the class. "Now, I pose a question to you, Who was to blame for this tragedy? Was it Kael, for pursuing his mate despite the risks? Or Was it Minister Gerard, for using his son’s death to incite war? Or was it Elena’s father, whose greed set the stage for disaster?"

The room began to buzz with murmurs as students considered his question and possible answer. Yet none raised their hand, scared of their answer possibly being wrong as Alwen was known to be a stern teacher and lose points.

Surprisingly, Roman was the first to speak up, leaning back in his seat, and answering as if it were a simple answer. "It’s obvious. Gerard is to blame. He used his son’s death as an excuse to justify his hatred of werewolves. He wanted war. And he got it. "

Alaric shook his head and countered him. "It is true that Gerard’s actions were extreme, but Kael is the one who killed William. He knew the risks of pursuing Elena but acted selfishly."

Griffin, always pragmatic, interjected. "But what about Lord Desmond? He treated Elena like a pawn, forcing her into a marriage for his own gain. None of this would’ve happened if he’d respected her wishes."

Violet was surprised as the debate sparked more discussions among the cardinal alphas.

This was the first time she was seeing nearly all of them being this active in class.

Moreover, the story of Elena and Kael felt too personal, too raw.

She couldn’t help but draw parallels to her current situation, caught in the web of the cardinal alphas.

But of course, that awe was shattered the instant a certain Alpha opened his mouth to speak.

"Kael did what any true mate would do." Asher said with his usual smugness, "The bond isn’t something you can ignore. He loved Elena enough to fight for her, even at the cost of everything. That’s not a mistake nor weakness, it’s strength and loyalty."

She should mind her business and not say a word, but Asher fucking Nightshade had a way of getting under her skin and Violet couldn’t hold back.

"Strength? Loyalty?" she scoffed. "Kael’s so-called ’loyalty’ destroyed an entire civilization. Love doesn’t justify murder or war. He let his instincts control him, and innocent people paid the price."

And in that moment, it hit Violet that her response was exactly what Asher wanted.

And it was too late to back down.

She could already feel the smugness coming from the bastard, neither would her pride allow her to concede. Violet was far too competitive to let him win this debate.

"And what would you know about love, Violet Purple?" Asher said pointedly. "You speak of morality as if it exists in a perfect little bubble. Kael wasn’t acting on whim; he was following the natural order of our kind."

"Natural order of your kind that doesn’t destroyed millions of lives," Violet snapped. "Kael could’ve made a choice. Instead, he let his selfishness and emotions wreak havoc, and now, everyone is paying the price for his actions."

"Emotions are not the same as the mate bond, little purple," Asher countered smoothly, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Violet bristled at the nickname but bit her tongue, knowing he was just trying to get a rise out of her.

"The mate bond transcends the trivial consequences you speak of. It’s not just a feeling or a fleeting desire, it’s life itself.

The mate bond is finding the other half of your soul, the completion of your very being.

You can’t understand because you’ve never felt it.

Kael wasn’t just emotional. He was incomplete.

The bond wouldn’t allow him to move on until he claimed what was his.

William’s death was inevitable the moment he married Elena.

You don’t steal someone’s soulmate and expect to walk away unscathed. "

Violet’s lips curled into a sneer, her voice taunting. "You talk as if you’ve experienced it firsthand. Do you even have a mate? Or is this just another one of your manipulative stories?"

The class room fell into a tense silence as Asher’s smirk faded, replaced by a rare, serious expression. Without warning, his voice softened, and for the first time, he spoke without the usual edge of mockery.

"No. Not that I know of. But if I did...

" His eyes bore into hers, deep and piercing, as if stripping her soul bare. "I would treasure her. She’d be my queen, my everything. I’d dedicate my life to making her happy, to protecting her from anything that could harm her. Nothing would matter more than her."

For a moment, the entire class was frozen, captivated by his words and the raw sincerity in his tone.

The air was charged with something Violet couldn’t name but desperately wanted to push away.

She stared back at him, unable to look away from his smoldering gaze, but that was until Roman’s loud, exaggerated whistle shattered the tension.

"Well, that was sexy as hell," Roman declared with a wicked grin. "I think I’m hard right now."

Laughter reverberated through the room, and Violet’s face burned red, her gaze darting away from Asher’s. Her heart was hammering against her ribs and she could feel every eye on her. Even Lila and Alaric were staring at her strangely.

"What?" she snapped, scowling at them.

They quickly averted their gazes, pretending to focus on something else, but Violet knew better. Asher’s words had struck a chord deep within her, and no matter how hard she tried to brush them off, she couldn’t.

He’s playing a game, Violet reminded herself. That’s all this is. Just another one of his manipulations.

Yet the way Asher had looked at her, as if he saw straight into her soul, made Violet’s chest tighten in a way she couldn’t explain, or ignore.