Defy The Alpha(s) novel Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Sour Gift

~ Asher ~

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"Now, do tell, my king, what do we talk about?" Violet said, the sarcasm in her voice unmistaken.

He stared at her, amused by her lack of self-preservation. Asher couldn’t help but wonder if Violet realized she was the only one who spoke to him like this and got away with it unscathed. But then again, that was precisely what he liked about her and expected, not some cowering, timid soul. If she were such, she wouldn’t be his purple queen after all.

Above all, if there was one thing he loved about her, it was the way she looked at him. To be precise, at his eyes. There was no hint of disgust, no false admiration.

She didn’t pretend to be fascinated; she genuinely saw them for what they were. Those cursed eyes he had always loathed each time he stared at the mirror, Violet gazed at them as if they were beautiful and magical. That alone had won him over, and now, she was his beautiful, magical purple queen.

Violet was everything he had ever longed for. The one good thing the gods had granted him in a long time. He longed to run his fingers through that striking purple hair, to feel its silky softness. And her eyes, those stunning golden eyes that held an unexpected intensity.

It wasn’t usual for a human to possess purple hair and golden eyes. With hybrids on the rise these days as a result of the union between humans and wolves, Asher had his own theory.

Perhaps one of Violet’s ancestors had been entangled with a wolf, if you know what he meant. But since she was an orphan, there was no way to track her genealogy down.

Unfortunately, if his purple queen were part wolf, she showed none of the traits. He had been watching her since today, testing her on the training field to see if she exhibited anything special. Although she was completely unaware of his intentions.

No one ever knew the full extent of his games until they found themselves too deeply entangled to escape.

And as for his purple queen, she didn’t smell like a wolf, nor did she possess the energy. She was just an ordinary human. But "ordinary" didn’t seem to fit when it came to her. She was anything but that. Not to mention, her fiery temper rivaled that of any wolf he’d met.

"Earth to his majesty, what are you thinking?" Violet’s voice broke through his thoughts as she snapped her fingers in front of his face.

Asher turned to her, as she continued, her sarcasm ever-present. "Have you forgotten, your majesty, we are supposed to be having royal talks?"

So, she wasn’t going to let that go. Fine, then. They could have it both ways.

"What about some royal fun?" he responded, his hand slipping to her waist, gliding lower until he cupped her backside.

"Hands. Off. Now." Violet’s voice lost its playful edge and was replaced with such seriousness that he had no choice but to oblige.

"You’re no fun," he lied, though a grin tugged at his lips.

"Then find someone else to bother. I’d be so glad." She shot back, seemingly delighted at the mere thought.

"That’s the point," Asher said, his eyes darkening as they held hers. "You’d be too glad. And that’s exactly why I can’t let you go."

"A pure-blooded she-wolf, for the taking," Asher spat. "For whoever emerges as his heir after graduation. A prize to be won, like a possession. And now Elsie seems to think that she owns me. Us. All of us." His words were filled with loathing.

However, his purple queen remained quiet, taking it all in with an unreadable expression. There was tension in the air with his words having ripped away the usual playful banter, exposing a raw undercurrent of resentment, reserved towards the Alpha King and the situation itself.

"Well," She finally spoke up, "I guess that makes you more of a prisoner than I thought."

"Oh, that’s where you’re wrong, little purple," he chuckled cruelly.

His hand clasped her cheek, fingers curving possessively around her face. Violet didn’t swat him away this time. Whether it was his words or the strange allure of the moment, she found herself frozen, unable to react.

Asher’s gaze bore into hers, intense and unyielding. "I’m the puppet master. No one dictates my role for me. I make the rules. I decide my path," he continued, his voice lowering to a near growl, something predatory lying beneath his words. His thumb brushed her cheek gently, a juxtaposition to the dark energy she could sense radiating from him.

"And that’s where you come in, my little queen," he murmured, his breath warm against her face, the intensity of his proximity drawing every one of her senses to focus on him alone.

Asher leaned in closer, the air around them charged with tension, almost suffocating. His lips hovered so close to hers that anyone watching might have assumed they were about to kiss.

But that wasn’t the intention here, he stared her dead in the eyes instead.

"You, my purple queen, will take Elsie’s place."