Chapter 44 Chapter 50 Violet's POV "Surprise, huh? Then I'm really a master at planning. None of you sensed a damn thing. Not even a sharp guy like Asher." He burst out laughing. But there was no happiness to that laughter. "... You are a piece of shit." I gritted, my voice shaking. "Asher really thought you were his brother. He loved you. Yet you set him up...He would never do these to you if he were you!" Isaac's face darkened. "What the fuck do you know?! Do you have any idea what I have been through? 'Wouldn't do these to me' my ass! That's because both you and him had no idea about the hell I was living in!!!" He snarled, his furious voice sending birds flying from the branches into the sky. "I had to watch Asher be the one my parents doted on. I had to watch him as he enjoyed all the love and caring that should have been mine! And Kylie ...Fuck! Kylie rejected me because of Asher! That man stole my whole life! So don't act like a fucking saint now. You don't know a single thing about betrayal!!!" He paused, breathing roughly. I could see the pain on his face, like he was hoping I'd feel sorry for him. But I didn't. I'd been through something similar. My parents had always loved Kylie over me, always thought she was the better daughter. I knew what it was like to feel like the second choice, the one who wasn't good enough. But I'd never let it drive me to do what Isaac had done. I'd never used my pain as an excuse to hurt my family. "You think I don't get it?" I said, cutting through his words. "I lived the same thing. My parents loved Kylie more than me. They even forced me to give up on my own mate so that they could satisfy Kylie's wish. But you know what? I didn't try to hurt my parents because of it. I didn't try to kill them. I didn't... I Han || ||| XX ww TIX Y "You're the one who put the knife in your own parents' backs, Isaac," I said, locking eyes with him. "It wasn't the King. It wasn' t Asher. It was you. You're the reason they're dead. You let your jealousy blind you, and now there's no coming back from that." Isaac's face twisted with a mix of guilt and something darker. I saw it in his eves-the momont hord || ||| W W W ||| MI 品■ ww M W X.ML ||| || 008 M XX 1 WI 00 WII II W M பண் M M "www. " || || || || || www. |||| ww "ww WW M ww ww TM Wess # ! W M TW 1100 W MW XXX IIW 9811 M ww w M 00 M WW || W WII W■ 冠 W XXXII M MO W ४४ www M W W 88 W M 00 || W M XXX w ||| ww W M W 300 - ווד M But fear wash t enough to bring back the people he'd killed. "... You don't understand," he said, his voice cracking. "Asher... Asher is the one who killed my parents. He's the one who did this to us. He made me do it. He..." His voice broke, and he looked away, like he couldn't bear to face the truth anymore. Then he took a deep breath. When he looked back at me again, the grief and regret was gone, and they were replaced with a new determination in his eyes. "Asher's a criminal," he said, voice steady now, but with a dangerous edge. "He will take responsibility for all of this. And that makes him unfit to lead." I blinked, catching on to his intention, "What the... You want Asher's seat?!" His eyes narrowed. "Why so surprise? I have Alpha's blood as well. Now that Asher's a criminal, I should be the one who steps I couldn't stop myself from laughing, even though the situation was anything but funny and fucking ridiculous! "You really think the pack will follow you?! After everything you've done? You betrayed your own blood, Isaac! You're the last person who should lead. The members will never recognize you, and neither will I!" Isaac's expression faltered, but he quickly recovered. "It doesn't matter. I'll find a way to make them see that I'm the right choice. They'll follow me. They'll have no other choice." I spat, "Bullshit. The pack won't follow someone who stabbed his own family in the back! The only Alpha they'll recognize is Asher. Even if you think you've won, you haven't. Not yet!" "Say that if you want. But when the council sentences Asher guilty, you will have no one to turn to but me." With that, he gave me a cold look and headed into the forest. His back soon disappeared into the shadow again. I watched him leave, my mind racing with everything that had happened. Isaac wanted Asher's seat. And the royal council was back at the packhouse doing investigation on Asher. Things would really go nuts if somebody didn't put a stop to it. I had no idea where Asher had gone. He needed time. Time to process everything. He had just killed his own blood. He needed space to think, to figure out what to do next. I guessed I should deal with the council before Asher was ready to come back. When I got back to the palace, the council was waiting for me. They were all serious, their eyes sharp as they looked me over. I knew they had questions. They were going to ask about Asher, and I'd never let them punish him. "Where is Alpha Asher?" one of them asked, his voice low and commanding. I hid the panic internally and kept a poker face. "If you plan to punish him, I won't tell you where he is. Even if I knew, I wouldn't say." The room went silent, and for a moment, I thought they might argue with me. But then, to my surprise, they nodded, like they had expected this answer. "We won't punish Alpha Asher. I want him for something else." I rounded my eyes, looking at them skeptically. What the hell? They were just going to let it slide? Is this for real? Or just a trick to get me spill where Asher is? Chapter 50 "Considering the testimonies from other Alphas," one of them said, "we believe Asher's actions were justified. He was forced into it." I blinked, not sure if I had heard that right. "You think it was justified?" Another member spoke up. "Yes. Now that the King is gone, we need a new King. Matthew was a bastard, an illegitimate son with no claim to the throne. Asher is innocent. And he has proven his strength and power during the challenge." I held my breath in shock as I gradually understood where he was going with this. "Alpha Asher will be our new Alpha King."