Chapter 69
Violet’s POV
Despite the heaviness in my heart, I knew we had to go back.
Asher had his duties, and we couldn’t stay trapped in grief. I felt torn. Part of me wanted to remain here with Jayden and my family, wanted to shield him from the weight of the world. But the reality of the situation was clear: we had no choice. We were King and Queen now.
On the way back, I gazed out of the window thinking about what Charlotte said about duty over family. Was I choosing
duty over my family right now? Were we the same type of
person?
I knew Asher had been stealing glances at me. He was worried,
just like the rest of my family. They were all worried that I
would be crushed by what happened. But all I needed was a
little time to process everything alone. I was ready to talk to
anyone yet.
And Asher had been very cool about this. He didn’t push me to
open up, which I really felt grateful.
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Just a little bit more time, my love. Then I would go back to you.
“Hey.”
Asher’s voice was soft and gentle, like I was some delicate china
and he was afraid of breaking me. He leaned over and
whispered, “There’s another 4 hours ahead. Do you want to
take it quick break before-”
SCREECH!
Without warning, the car swerved sharply to the right, veering
off the road. I cried and fell into Asher’s arms. The car skidded
to the left again, and we both tumbled onto the back seat.
“What’s going on!” I cried.
Asher straightened up, his posture stiffened, and I saw him
glance in the rearview mirror, his eyes narrowing as he
scanned the area around us.
“They are here. We are ambushed,” he snapped.
My heart skipped a beat. I looked out the window, trying to see
what he saw, but all I could make out were the familiar trees
and the empty stretch of road ahead.
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There was nothing–no one. But Asher was certain. I could tell
from the way his jaw clenched, the way his muscles tensed.
“Who’s there?” I asked, my voice shaking. “Is it hunters?
Rogues?”
Asher’s eyes flicked to the side mirror, and then to the road
ahead. “Stay alert.”
८
I wanted to ask more. Yet suddenly, the sound of a sharp pop
echoed through the car. I felt the vehicle lurch again, and
before I could react, the tire exploded, and the car swerved
violently to the side.
My heart was in my throat, and my hands gripped the seat for
dear life.
“Hold tight!” Asher shouted.
But it was too late.
The car slammed into a tree with a deafening crash!
At the very last second, I saw Philip turn around from the front
seat, using his body to shield us from the splashing glasses. I
wanted to scream at him telling him to protect himself, but it
was too late.
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Everything went black.
I woke up to pain.
Sharp, overwhelming pain. My head throbbed, my body
bruised. Someone was pulling me out of that crashed car.
But what tore through me the most was the panic as I
remembered everything that happened.
The explosion. The crash. Philip. My brother.
“Asher!” I screamed, my voice hoarse with terror. “Philip’s still
in the car!”
I tried to move, but everything felt sluggish, as though the
world were moving in slow motion. Asher was by my side, his
strong hands pulling me out of the wreckage, but all I could
think about was Philip.
“Philip! Where’s Philip?” I cried, struggling to break free of
Asher’s grip.
“Violet, calm down! He’s coming. He’s alive,” Asher said, his
voice steady, but there was an edge to it. “We need to get you
away from here first.”
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I fought him, my mind refusing to let go of the image of my brother, trapped and hurt. The wreckage. The fire. It was all too
much to bear. My breath came in ragged gasps, my heart
pounding in my chest.
“Let me see him!” I screamed, trying to push past Asher. “He’s still in the car. Go save him! Please, I’m begging you Asher…”
But Asher still dragged me out first, ignoring my pleading. The royal guards and medical team arrived soon after that. They
began to work quickly and rescued my brother. I gazed over Asher’s shoulder and saw it-
The scene felt like a nightmare. Philip was unconscious and
bloodied. He was pale and quiet, almost like he had stopped
breathing.
“God no…” I covered my mouth, choking.
My brother was surrounded by people trying to save him. They
gently put him on a stretcher and was about to take him away.
But I couldn’t watch them take him. What if I never see him
again? What if something happened again when I wasn’t there.
No, No I can’t-
“Please, let me go with him!” I cried, trying to push past the
Chapter 69
medical team.
Asher caught my arm before I could move, “Violet don’t! He
needs medical attention. We’ll get there as soon as we can, but
you need to calm down. We can’t help him if you’re not stable.”
“But he’s my brother! He might–he might-” My voice broke as
I tried to explain, but the fear was choking me.
“Violet, listen to me!” Asher gripped my shoulders, forcing me to
meet his gaze. “He’s hurt. He’s going to be fine, but he needs
help. We can’t let him die because we’re being reckless.”
Tears streamed down my face as I looked at him. I could see the
determination in his eyes, the unspoken promise.
“I–I’m scared,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “I can’t lose him,
Asher. I can’t…Not after everything…Not him too do you
understand?”
“Yes, baby. Yes I do,” He kissed my forehead, his fingers
tightening around my shoulders. “He’s going to be alright. Trust
me.”
I clung to him, my body trembling, and broke into tears. I could
still hear the explosion in my ears, still see the flames licking at
the edges of my vision. I would never forget this day.
The medical teams took Philip away first. Asher said we needed to go down to the hospital too, but I couldn’t get into the car. The trauma was still too fresh. Asher promised that the people ambushing us had gone. But I just couldn’t shake off the fear.
When we finally got to the hospital, Olivia was already there, her face pale and streaked with tears. She collapsed into my arms the moment she saw me, her sobs loud and heartbreaking.
I almost couldn’t face her. Philip got hurt trying to protect me. I felt guilty. I wished it could be me in the ICU.
“Violet! Philip… Philip…” she gasped between sobs.
“I know…They’re working on him. He’ll be okay,” I whispered, though even I wasn’t sure.
Asher stepped in behind me, his expression grim. “He’s getting
the care he needs. We’ll know more soon.”
Olivia looked up at him, her eyes wide with terror. “How could
this happen? Who did this?”
I could feel the knot in my stomach tighten at the question.
“This was a message,” Asher said, his voice cold. “Isaac. He’s
sending a signal.”
