Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 471: Alone With A Monster The last thing Violet ever imagined was sprinting buck-naked through the woods, dodging branches and praying she didn't die with no clothes on.

They hadn't given her a second to breathe, let alone dress. One minute, she and Griffin were lying together, warm and safe, and the next, they were running for their lives.

She didn't know whether to be terrified or oddly grateful that no gunmen had caught up to her yet. Maybe they were far away, or maybe she was just their prey, meant to tire herself out before the real hunt began.

Violet had no idea where she was, nor how to find the others. And if those bastards found her first, unless her unpredictable power decided to show up, she was fucking screwed! Still, more than fear for herself, it was Griffin she couldn't stop thinking about. The only thing keeping her from losing her mind was the bond pulsing in her chest. He was still alive.

But for how long? Violet heard the distant roar of rushing water and she veered toward it on trembling legs and lungs that were on fire. She broke through the treeline and found a quiet pool tucked between the rocks with no one in sight. The moment she saw the water, her body gave up the fight.

She dropped to her knees and cupped handfuls into her mouth, drinking greedily. Her throat burned and her chest heaved but the cold water soothed her.

But even through the haze of thirst, something prickled at the edges of her senses.

Danger.

Every instinct she had screamed run.

She shot upright, ready to bolt, then cried out as something sharp struck her foot. Violet gasped, staggering backward, reaching down only to find a dart lodged in her skin.

A tranquilizer.

"Oh, no..." Panic flared in her chest as a cold numbness spread up her leg. She dragged her foot, fighting it, but didn't make it far before another dart pierced her back.

She gasped, pain flashing bright before the world tilted sideways. She ripped the dart out, but the weakness was spreading fast. Her limbs had already turned to lead and her knees buckled.

The forest tilted as her body hit the earth, skin scraping rock and dirt. She couldn't move and was totally helpless. It was just her heart, thundering against a prison of flesh.

Then footsteps approached her. Violet tried to lift her head to see who it was, but failed until the person stepped into view.

Henry Nightshade.

Violet's blood ran cold.

God, no.

Henry Nightshade stepped into the clearing like a nightmare made flesh. His boots crunched the leaves with unhurried leisure as his eyes dragged over Violet's naked, helpless form.

"Well, well," he drawled, voice slick with amusement. "Finally, just the two of us alone." Violet tried to move but nothing responded. Her fingers barely twitched and her jaw clenched. But even the rage that burned in her blood was no match for the toxin flooding her system.

"What did you do to me?" she bit out, each word gritted between her teeth.

"Oh, that?" Henry cocked his head, then glanced at the tranquilizer rifle slung in his hand, examining it like a trophy. "Gift from an old ally. Patrick. You remember him, don't you?" His smile stretched wider. "He sends his regards." Violet's heart hammered. Patrick the mad doctor. What does he want with her? Was it because she got involved with the cardinal alphas? Violet's heart pounded harder as Henry crouched beside her, close enough for her to smell the metallic tang of blood and smoke on his clothes.

His voice dropped, low and chilling. "You're not going to black out, by the way. No, no." He tapped the gun lightly. "This one's special. You'll stay wide awake and be painfully aware for every single thing that happens to you." Her skin crawled.

Then Henry's gaze slid down her body with perverse slowness. At that point, Violet wanted to scream, to claw his eyes out, to disappear into the forest. But all she could do was lie there exposed and burning with fury.

"I think I see what my son sees in you," he murmured, his smile turning sleazy. Then he leaned in, inhaling deeply.

"You smell," he whispered, "delicious." Goosebumps erupted across Violet's arms and it was not from the cold. That sick glint that told her exactly what kind of monster crouched before her.

From Asher's memories, Violet had seen what Henry Nightshade was capable of and would rather die than let him lay a single hand on her.

Henry saw the fear in her eyes and relished it. But then, almost mockingly gentle, he said, "Relax. I am not interested in a whore like you. Even I have my taste in women." Violet exhaled in relief but that was only for a moment, she was still not safe.

"What do you want with me?" she asked, voice hoarse and shaking.

Henry's grin widened like a wolf baring its teeth. "Foralone?" he said darkly. "I'd end your pathetic life in a heartbeat/ But Patrick wants you alive." His eyes glinted with cruel amusement. "Though, he never specified if you had to be in one piece." Then, without warning, he stood and slammed his boot into Violet's stomach.

The breath wrenched from her lungs could do O.

and pain coursed like fire, but all Violet could do was feelit. Her body remained frozen and paralyzed by the tranquilizers, her limbs numb, and her mouth too slow to even scream. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" Henry roared.

He kicked her again—harder this time—and relished the raw sound of her strangled cry.

He remembered that damn water balloon, the fight and every other ways she had humiliated him so far.

How dare she? Who does she think she was to humiliate him, Henry Nightshade? He could sniffle the life out of her and no one would worry about an insignificant being like her.

Henry stood over Violet, watching her crumpled on the forest floor, gasping in pain and powerless. It was intoxicating, seeing her broken like this. It made him feel powerful. In control.

He bent down and grabbed a fistful of her hair, jerking her upright.

"Let's see if you'll laugh now-" he snarled, raising his hand to strike her across the face when a monstrous Prions the shar ripped through the air as a wolf with wild green fur launched at him.