Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 432: No Matebond Without You Loneliness had always been his companion, but this tit hurt more than ever. All Alaric wanted was to let it go. And he did.

Dark, angry clouds choked the sky above Pine Ridge Lodge, swirling ominously. It wasn't raining, but the air was heavy with moisture, the scent of ozone thick enough to taste.

Alaric stood shirtless and barefoot on the rooftop, his eyes glowing silver, crackling with power as lightning coiled above his head like a crown.

No one had truly loved him. Not his parents, for whom he always had to beg for attention. Not the girls, who approached him only because he was a cardinal Alpha. Even in the end, Julia had chosen Roman, the fun, handsone, over him, the dorky one.

And then there was Violet, the one girl who accepted him despite his flaws. But even she had been taken away, leaving him to wonder if he was destined to be alone after all.

Thunder rumbled through the sky, a fitting backdrop to Alaric's rebellion against the heavens. It would have hurt less if they had mated Violet to someone else, but Griffin? One of the cardinal alphas? Why not him? Was he truly that unworthy? Another mighty thunderclap echoed, followed by another and another. The next bolt struck close, scorching the ground, yet Alaric didn't flinch.

This was why he had booked the lodge for the entirety of his stay, sending away the guards and staff. Here, he could unleash his pain without fear of collateral damage.

Alaric closed his eyes, surrendering to the tempest within him. The energy rushed through his veins, a wild current that ignited every nerve ending. Lightning cracked across the sky, illuminating the dark clouds, while thunder roared like a beast unleashed, shaking the very ground beneath him.

In that moment, he felt invincible, a god among mortals, cloaked in the fury of the storm. The world could burn around him, and he wouldn't care. Heartbreak twisted inside him like a knife, but the power was intoxicating, drowning out the pain.

Alaric embraced the chaos, feeling the air crackle with energy. He was teetering between despair and the thrill of destruction, letting the storm conshim.

"Alaric?" At first, he thought it was a figment of his imagination. But when he heard his nagain, the silver in his eyes faded, and the storm of destruction he had summoned eased just a little as he turned around.

And there she stood. Violet purple.

No way.

Alaric shook his head, trying to dispel the vision. Had he descended into madness? "It's me," Violet said.

Great. He wasn't hallucinating.

"What are you doing here?!" Alaric was flabbergasted. Violet was on the srooftop with him.

She stood there, drenched, her hair plastered to her scalp like dark tendrils. She must have been caught in the storm he had summoned. Alaric knew the areas outside the lodge bore the brunt of his punishment, and deep down, it soothed him to know he was not suffering alone.

Until now.

"I cto see you." Violet said.

Her words made his heart skip a beat, a flicker of hope igniting within him until reality crashed down.

"Oh right, you're here to break up within person." Thunder cracked loudly, a bolt striking just in front of Violet.

"Could you tone down the storm a bit, Alaric? I need to talk to you." She cautiously stepped closer, wary of being roasted alive.

"Don't bother, Violet. Just go. We're over. Do whatever you want." His voice dripped with resignation, accepting his fate.

"Could you just shut up and hearout first?" Violet's voice rose with frustration.

"Just go!" Alaric roared, his command punctuated by a thunderbolt that struck so close to her that she yelped, startled.

"You're already with Griffin. Don't make this hurt more than it has to." His eyes pleaded, filled with pain and hurt. Alaric was breaking, and Violet could see it. The right thing to do would have been to leave him alone, but she was done with stubborn men deciding her fate for her! With her lips set in determination, Violet stomped over to Alaric, ignoring the violent thunderbolts around them. If she perished, then so be it.

"What are you doing?" Alaric felt a surge of fear at the fire in her eyes and whatever reckless idea was brewing in her mind.

But Violet ignored him and walked over, grabbing his face and kissing him firmly on the lips. She didn't deepen the kiss; she simply pressed her lips against his and held them there.

Alaric froze.

What was happening? This didn't make sense. Violet shouldn't be kissing him.

As if recovering his senses, Alaric jerked away, staring at her in shock. What had she done? She shouldn't be kissing someone who wasn't her mate.

Then Violet said, "I don't have a mate bond, not without you in it." And then she kissed him again.

Alaric hesitated, his body tense, unsure of what to do. This didn't make any sense and shouldn't be happening at all.

But then Violet deepened the kiss, her lips moving against his with a fervor that ignited something in him. Alaric's instincts kicked in and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close as if afraid she might slip away.

Thunder rumbled in the distance as m Moangd he kissed her back, hard and desperate. Violet moaned into the kiss, the familiar zing of lightning coursing through her, sending shivers down her spine. She clutched his hair, pulling him closer, pouring all her longing into the kiss. She missed this. She missed him.

When they broke apart, Alaric's eyes were wide with wonder.

"How is this possible?" he whispered.

Violet smiled, a playful glint in her eyes. "You seriously didn't think you'd be rid ofthat easily, did you? Not even the goddess can separate us, you knucklehead." She leaned in to kiss him again, but Alaric shifted away. "What about Griffin?" he asked, wanting to be sure.

Violet's expression softened. "Not just Griffin. The others can't wait to see you too."