Asher’s POV
Violet was still soundly asleep when the sun came up. The
fever seemed to have calmed down a little, and her breathing
had evened out.
I watched her for a moment longer, feeling the weight of
everything settle into my bones. The guilt was still there, a
heavy reminder of the pain I had caused her, but there was also
joy. I learnt how much she needed me, just like how I needed
her.
I got up, careful not to disturb her, and slipped out of the room. I
needed to be in the office. A lot must have happened while I
was gone.
I spent the next few hours handling the affairs that Violet had
taken care of in my absence. She had done an amazing job, and I
couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride as I went through the
reports.
She had been everything a Luna should be–strong, dependable,
and wise. I was so proud of her. It made me feel even worse for
not being there. She had carried so much on her own, and those should have been my job.
While I was working, Jayden found me. He looked a bit
embarrassed. I knew it was because of how he lashed out on me
yesterday.
“You did the right thing,” I spoke up first. “What I did…I was a total jerk. I should thank you for yelling at me.”
The tension in his shoulder eased. He sat down across me,
“How’s Violet now?”
“The fever is gone. She’s sleeping now. I was just going through the reports. She was…amazing. I don’t deserve her.” I sighed.
“I thought Violet would be the one to tell you this. But she’s still
asleep now so I guess I should do it.” He paused, and then a faint smile touched his lips. “The Royal Council has decided to make
you the new Wolf King. Congratulation, King Asher.”
“Thank you.”
I wasn’t surprised. I knew the royal council wouldn’t punish me
for killing my uncle. They knew that man was guilty as hell, and they also needed a strong hand to lead this country. I happened to be their best option.
“Anything you want to do right after you become King?”
“Get rid of the Royal Council,” I said icily.
Jayden raised an eyebrow, “You mean the same group of people who handed you the crown?”
“They’ve been trying to dictate everyone’s lives for far too long.
It’s time for a change. I’ll take the title, but I won’t let them
continue with their old ways. I’m going to dismantle their
power, Jayden. They’ve ruled for long enough.”
Jayden laughed. I knew he liked this idea. My Beta seemed like
a solid man but I knew that deep down he was as rebellious as
- me.
“One more thing. They also said that Isaac will take over your
pack.”
I frowned at that, the name bringing an uneasy feeling, “Isaac?”
“Yeah. Violet fought hard against it. She didn’t trust him. So we
have waiting for you to be back here before go head with the
transition of power.”
My heart swelled. Once again my Luna stopped a crisis for me.
How did I do to deserve her.
Chapter 56
“Violet is right. Although Isaac is my brother, he can’t be trusted to lead a pack.” I looked at Jayden, my voice serious. “I’d rather
have you take over as Alpha. You’ve proven yourself time and
time again. I know you’d lead them well.”
Jayden’s face tightened. I thought he would be thrilled with the
idea. But instead I saw the turmoil in his eyes, the uncertainty
that had never been there before. After a long silence, he shook
his head, letting out a sigh.
“I don’t know…I mean, I…” he said, his voice low. “I can’t do that
right now, Asher. I’ve got too much going on.”
“You’re one of the best leaders I know. You’ll be great. If you are just worried about the Royal Council’s opinion-”
“No, it’s not that.”
Jayden took in a deep breath as though he was steeling himself
for what he was going to say.
“We just found out…” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Me, Violet, the others–we just found out that our mother isn’t
who we thought she was. Our real mother is someone else
entirely.”
“WHAT?!” I cried out.
Then he threw another bomb at me, “And we found out from
Isaac.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. “Isaac told you this?” I
asked, my mind struggling to catch up. “How did he know
about this?”
Jayden nodded, his eyes clouded with confusion and pain, “He
told us. And it makes sense, Asher. Everything fits. Our mother
never treated us the same way she treated Kylie. Kylie was
always her favorite, and now we know why. Kylie’s the only
one who’s really hers.”
I sat back in my chair, my mind a turmoil. This was too much to
process.
“Are you sure about this? Maybe he made it up to mess with
you.”
Jayden let out a bitter laugh, “100% sure. After Isaac told us, we
went home to confront with our father, and he admitted it. It
struck Violet pretty hard. That was when she passed out.”
The thought of Isaac being the one to tell them this, of him
being the one to bring so much pain to Violet, made my blood
boil.
Chapter 56
I couldn’t understand why he would do something like that,
why he would hurt them like this. And the worst part was that
I hadn’t been there. I had left her alone to deal with something
that no one should have to face on their own.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.
“We’ll figure this out, Jayden,” I said, my voice firm. “You’re
strong. I know you are. And Violet is too. She’s been through so
much, and she’s still standing. She’s stronger than anyone gives
her credit for.”
Jayden sighed again. He looked tired, the lines on his face
deeper, his eyes heavy with a weight I hadn’t seen before.
“I don’t know if Violet can take it. And I don’t blame her if she
can’t. There have been a lot of crazy shits lately…Elena’s death,
Kylie’s challenge, your parent’s passes and then this. It just
keeps coming at her. She may act strong. But I know she has
been suffering internally. And sooner or later, she will reach
her breaking point.”
My chest clenched, and it made me hard to breath to imagine
her pain.
“I know Jayden…I know. But I will be there with her from now
- on. She won’t have to face any of these alone anymore.”
Just then there was a knock on the door. A soldier came in and
told us that we got a visitor.
Isaac was here.
