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?”
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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.
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“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.”
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He clenched his fists, looking down at the floor. “I know I’m an
ass, and I hate that I keep breaking your heart. I don’t want to
hurt you.”
“But you do.” My voice was small, but the weight of those
words hung between us. “Over and over again.”
Silence stretched between us before I finally said what had
been weighing on me for days. “I’m pregnant, Asher. I need my
mate to be there for me unconditionally. To love me and care
for me. We already have enough enemies out there trying to
destroy us. The last thing I need is for us to be fighting each
other.” My throat tightened. “I can’t do this alone.”
Asher exhaled, rubbing his temples. “I know. And I’ve come up
with a plan that will ensure you and the baby stay safe.”
A bad feeling settled in my stomach. “What are you talking
about?”
“It’s not easy for anyone to attack the Nightshade Pack,” he said
carefully. “I need you and Mia to go there while I handle things
here.”
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I sat up so fast the blanket fell off my lap. “You’re joking, right?”
He shook his head. “Violet, this is for our baby. And for you.
You’re under too much stress. On top of that, Xavier wants you.
I can’t let him get to you.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “This isn’t about protecting me, is
it?” My voice dropped to a whisper. “You just want me out of
the way so you can be alone with her.”
Asher’s brows furrowed. “Violet, this is not about Grace or
anyone else. I don’t see anyone but you.” He stood up, taking my
hands, but I yanked them back.
“I’m not leaving while she’s still here,” I said firmly. “Because all I
can think about is you and her together. And I can’t take it.”
“Violet,” he groaned, exasperated. “I trust you, but you don’t
trust me. Nothing I say will change your mind, will it?”
I glared at him. “It’s not you I don’t trust. It’s her.”
His expression darkened. “Now that we’re talking about Grace,
I’ll admit it. You were right about her.”
That caught me off guard. “What?”
Chapter161
“She asked me something stupid, and it confirmed everything”
My stomach twisted. “What did she say?”
“She asked if I would ever leave my mate for someone else.“”
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “Unbelievable. She actually had
the nerve to ask you that?”
He nodded. “I don’t know what’s going through her head, but
yeah!”
I clenched my fists. “So, she loves you so much that she would
reject her own mate for you?”
Asher’s face turned grim. “That’s what it looks like.””
“She has a mate?” I asked in disbelief.
“I think she found him in our pack. Or maybe one of the warriors who came with Alpha Kade or Jayden.”
I started pacing, but Asher stopped me by wrapping his arms
around me from behind.
“I don’t care what she does or who her mate is,” he murmured
into my hair. “The only person I care about is you.”
Chapter 161
On another day, his words might have comforted me. But right
now? All I could think about was Grace. The audacity of her
approaching my mate.
“I’m not leaving you alone with her.” I said without hesitation.
“You’re not leaving me here with her, but you are still going,” he
corrected me, his tone final.
I stared at him, my heart pounding, and for the first time in a
long time, I realized something.
I might be carrying his child, but that didn’t mean he was going
to let me have the final say in anything.
And that terrified me.
Violet’s POV
Asher had made it abundantly clear that no matter what I said,
his decision wasn’t going to change. All I could do now was
accept it, whether I liked it or not.
“If I ever betrayed you, you’d know it. You’d feel it no matter
where you were.” His voice was steady, but his gaze flickered to
my stomach as I rubbed it, a sharp pang of discomfort making
me wince.
Chapter161
His expression softened immediately. “Are you okay?” Concern
laced his tone as he reached out and guided me toward the bed.
“I’m fine,” I muttered, exhaling slowly. “I just… I feel like the
baby can sense everything. The tension, the stress–it’s like he
knows something isn’t right, and he doesn’t like it.”
་་
Asher sighed, brushing his fingers over my stomach in slow
circles. “That’s exactly why you need to go to Nightshade Pack.
You’re too wound up here. But there, you’ll be able to relax. It’s
peaceful. Safe. And our baby will grow without this constant
chaos.”
