That wasn’t surprising.
“Do you remember that witch who hid Violet’s mate bond?” I asked.
Jayden frowned but nodded.
“Find her. Tell her I need her.” If she knew about all of this, then
she might hold the key to stopping Xavier. And if I had any
chance of winning this war before it began, I needed to be ready to work with the witches.
“I’m on it,” Jayden said before turning to leave.
“Be discreet,” I warned. “We don’t know who might be
watching or listening.”
He scoffed but nodded. “I figured as much. Don’t worry–I’ll be
careful.”
Once Jayden was gone, the weight of exhaustion hit me. I
hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since I came back. And the
worst part? I hadn’t even seen Mia. Hadn’t checked on her. The
realization made me feel like a terrible father.
Determined to change that, I headed toward Olivia and Philip’s
wing, knowing Olivia had been taking care of Mia.
As soon as I stepped inside, Olivia greeted me with a reassuring
smile. “You don’t have to worry about your little girl,” she said.
“I have her tucked in and asleep.”
Relief flooded through me. “Thank you.”
She studied me for a moment before speaking again. “You look
like hell, Asher. What’s going on?”
I let out a tired chuckle. “Things are about to get crazier, and I
need to make sure my family is safe. You’re the only one I trust
with Mia and Violet right now.”
“I won’t take that trust for granted,” she promised, though I
could see the concern in her eyes.
I hesitated before continuing. ” Olivia, I know you don’t owe me
anything, and you have every right to say no. But I need you to
think carefully before you answer. I need you to take Mia and
Violet to Nightshade Pack.”
Her brows shot up. “Nightshade Pack?”
Chapter160
I nodded. “They’ll be safer there. Things are getting worse, and I don’t know how long I can keep them protected here. I need you to take them and make sure they’re okay!”
“But-”
“You don’t want to leave Philip behind, I know,” I cut in, “but if
you both stay here, then you’ll always be at risk. And I need to
know that at least some of the people I love will be safe.”
She looked torn, her lips pressing into a thin line.
“If you think it’s the right thing to do, then sure, I trust you.” she
finally said.
I exhaled, nodding. “Good.”
Because no matter what happened, I couldn’t afford to lose
them.
Violet’s POV
The moment I heard his footsteps approaching, a fresh wave of
anger surged through me. Just feeling his presence made me
want to scream. If I had my way, I would have sent him as far
away from me as possible.
Chapter160
“You know, if you want me gone so badly, I can make that
happen,” Asher muttered as he stepped into the room.
I groaned in frustration. “Stay out of my head.” The last thing I
needed was him poking around in my thoughts. I didn’t try to
read his mind, so he had no business trying to read mine.
Asher sighed and pulled a chair up to the bed, sitting down in
front of me. “I can tell you’re mad.”
I crossed my arms, refusing to look at him. “I’m not mad. I’m just
disappointed that you thought it was okay to talk to me the
way you did.” My voice wavered, but I held my ground. “You
were rude, Asher. And you were disrespectful. I hated every
second of it.”
He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling heavily. “You have
every right to be upset with me. I never should have spoken to
you that way! His expression softened, remorse evident in his
eyes. “But, Violet. you know I’m dealing with a lot right now.”
“Oh, here we go again,” I cut in, rolling my eyes. “Same cycle,
different day. You lash out, say something hurtful, and then
come back with an apology because you’re ‘going through a lot!
Well, guess what? I’m tired of it.” I sat up straighter, shaking my
head. “I refuse to let you walk all over me.”
Chapter 160
His jaw tightened, and he hesitated before responding. “I don’t want to keep hurting you. I swear, I’m trying to do better.”
I scoffed. “I don’t want your apologies anymore, Asher. I’m
exhausted.”
“I know I’m not perfect,” he admitted, reaching for my hands, but I pulled away. “But I’ll try to be more sensitive.”
I shook my head, my patience running thin. “I don’t want you to try, Asher. I want you to actually do it. Because you owe me
that much.”
