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That only made things more confusing.
Asher suddenly smirked. “The council think everyone is their pawn on the cheeseboard but it’s time to prove them wrong.”
“Do you have a plan?” Jayden asked.
Asher nodded. “I made a deal with the council a while back. But
since they decided not to honor it, I’ll let them know the
consequence of betraying me.”
“What kind of deal?” I asked, curious.
“You know what they say–ask no questions, get no lies.” Asher’s response made it clear he wasn’t going to share more. And it pissed me off–first he didn’t tell me Grace was here and now this? How many more secrets did he have?
“Asher, we need to know so we can back you up.” I insisted, but he just shook his head.
Instead, he turned to Jose. “Set up a meeting between me and one of the council members.” Without hesitation, Jose left to do
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exactly that.
“Kade, track down all the packs involved in this mess,” Asher ordered. Kade gave a firm nod before disappearing to handle
the task.
Then finally he turned to Michael, his expression dark. “I swore
to myself never to forgive you because I can never forget what
you did to me. But if you want to redeem yourself and truly
protect Violet, you need to help us figure out what Xavier is
really after.”
Michael looked down, his voice subdued. “I know you’re mad.
You have every reason to be. But Xavier didn’t leave me much
of a choice–he threatened me with my sibling’s life.”
“You should’ve come to me,” Asher snapped. “Or if not me, at
least Jayden!”
Michael let out a shaky breath. “I didn’t know who to trust. Or I
thought I could handle it by myself. Sorry I made a mistake.” A
single tear slipped down his cheek.
Jayden was nearby listening to us. He folded his arms and
scoffed, “I don’t want to hear excuses. I want to know the truth.
What exactly is your connection to Xavier?”
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Michael hesitated. “He wanted my blood. He swore that if I gave
it to him, he wouldn’t hurt you. I had no other choice.”
Jayden narrowed his eyes. “You’re still not telling us enough,
Michael. We get that he wanted your blood, but why? What
makes our blood so valuable?“.
“Because it’s not just any blood.” My mother approached us
with a sigh, “Everyone knew your blood is golden.”
But Jayden wasn’t in the mood for her vague comments.
“I know our blood carries magic, but if Xavier isn’t aiming for
the throne, then why does he want such power? Just to be the
strongest Alpha? That doesn’t make any sense,” he questioned.
“Revenge is a powerful motivator,” Asher mused.
Jayden frowned. “Revenge? Who does he hate? And what
happened?”
“When I met him, he didn’t seem particularly aggressive,” I said, thinking back to our brief encounter. “It felt like he wasn’t after
power for power’s sake. He wants something beyond that.”
Jayden sneered. “Yeah, because you’re such a great judge of
character”
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I crossed my arms. “You act like you’re any better. You stayed
by his side for years and never realized what he was planning.
That’s just as bad.”
“Enough,” my mother interrupted. “We have bigger problems
than this petty back–and–forth. So stop fighting and focus.”
“Look at you being a good mother teaching your children
disciplines.” Jayden rolled his eyes and I snickered. At least we
were on the same ground when it came to my mother.
“Alpha Charlotte is right. We should not waste time on
meaningless fighting,” Asher said sternly. But him being all
condescending and Alpha–like just did not agree with me today.
We were going to have a serious fight about Grace later.
“Xavier’s past was the key. We all knew it.” Asher continued,
“Alpha Charlotte, your pack is more knowledgeable about
history than most. Find out whatever you can about Xavier’s
background. In the meantime, I’ll deal with the council.”
“I’ll do that,‘ my mother agreed, but she shot him a warning
glance. “Be careful when it comes to them.”
Asher nodded and then turned to Jayden. “I know there’s
tension between you two,” he said, nodding toward Michael.
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“But we can’t afford division right now. Work together. Figure
out what connection Xavier had to Michael. Then meet me
back here in thirty minutes.”
Jayden and Michael exchanged a tense look before leaving
together.
Once they were gone, I finally had a chance to launch my
attack, “So, what is Grace doing here? I specifically told you I
didn’t want her anywhere near you.“”
“I get that you’re my mate, but that doesn’t mean you get to
control who I speak to,” Asher countered. His words stung more
than I cared to admit.
“Oh is that right?” my tears were welling up. But I fought them
back.
“Oh, so now you want to act like you care about personal freedom? That’s rich because you practically just lost it at me
when I left the castle.”
His expression darkened. “That’s not the same thing. Your life could be in danger. You went there, and you didn’t even think it was important to tell me. Do you have any idea how reckless that was?”
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“If I can’t decide who you talk to, then you don’t get to stop me
from going places I want to go. “I shot back.
“You think safety is a joke?” His frustration was obvious, but I
was too mad to care. I turned and walked away, leaving him
fuming behind me.
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Chapter 157
