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Any strong warrior would flinch under that gaze, but not my
mother. She met his gaze without hesitation. I had to give her
the credit.
“I am not manipulating you, King Asher. I am a mother. And if
anyone understands the weight of losing a child, it should be
you because you have a family and a child too. Put yourself in
my place and you’ll understand my choice. Am I really
challenging your authority?” Her voice softened, but her
resolve remained firm. “I won’t apologize for fighting for my
son.”‘
A sharp pain twisted inside me. If she had fought this hard for
us back then–if she had stood between us and the world when
we were children–would we still be standing here now,
drowning in the aftermath of blood and vengeance? I don’t
think so.
I wished she had shown even a fraction of this devotion and
love for us when we were younger. Maybe then none of this
would happen.
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Asher let out a quiet, humorless chuckle, shaking his head. “He
tried to kill me. More than once. There is no world where I can
forgive that!”
It made me hurt to hear how much he hated my brother. But I
couldn’t blame him. He had his reasons.
“I understand your concern. But here’s the deal,” my mother
said. “I promise you that as long as you spare his life, he will
never ever come close to you and your family again. It’ll be like
he never existed. I will make sure he never leaves Nightshade
Pack. He’ll take my place and become the Alpha of my
members.”
A murmur swept through the gathered Alphas. I rounded my
eyes as well. It was a bold proposal. But if it could actually
work.We could punish Michael and keep him alive. This was a
win–win.
“Can you destroy the follower? Does it do any damage to your
pack?” I asked.
I seriously wanted to know the answer, but maybe my tone
was too skeptical that it sounded like I was questioning her
intention. She turned to me, her face all serious.
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“I know you don’t trust me Violet. And you probably think I’m
evil and stupid to go against your husband’s order. But I am
willing to sacrifice anything for family, and I’d do the same for
you.” she said matter–of–factly.
I swallowed. At this moment, I actually bought her words.
“You can destroy the flower and you definitely should. But I
won’t strike a deal with you. Michael must be punished for
what he had done. The jury had spoken. I had spoken.” Asher
said icily. My heart sank.
“If Michael can’t live, then no destruction of the flower.” my
mother looked stubbornly back at Asher, “And you know very
well that not a single flower will be destroyed without my help.
If you want to eliminate that threat, let my son live.”
There’s a short silence after that. They glared at each other,
both unwilling to back down, the air thick with tension.
Everyone was holding their breaths.
“We’ll do it.” The words left my mouth before I realized. My
heart was pounding like crazy.
The moment I spoke, Asher’s entire body tensed. His head
snapped toward me, eyes widening in shock. For a split second,
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he looked at me as if I had just betrayed him.
“You. agreed to this?” His voice was low, but I could hear the
disbelief, the sting of betrayal buried beneath the question.
I forced myself to meet his gaze. “It’s the best choice for the
kingdom,” I said, though my voice lacked conviction.
His stare pierced through me like a blade. “He tried to kill me,
Violet,” he said, his voice tight. “And yet, you’re still choosing to
fight for him?”
I clenched my fists at my sides. “I am not defending what he
did,” I said, keeping my voice level. “I simply think the flower is
dangerous and we should totally get rid of it.”
His jaw tightened. “You think I’ll believe in this? Look at me in
the eyes and tell me that you are agreeing to this because you
want to destroy the flower and not to save your brother!”
I bit my lips, frustrated. Why was he yelling at me? I wasn’t the
one making the proposal. And after a long day of emotional
roller coaster, I was exhausted as well. “Don’t blame it on me,
Asher! Everyone makes mistakes. And I’m simply weighing our
options here. Don’t make it sound like I have betrayed you.”
He sneered, a sarcastic expression on his face. “Well, you are the
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Queen, I guess we all have to do things your way”
“What’s that supposed to mean? I didn’t-”
