Asher Nightshade must have slipped into the room while they had been asleep, and for a strange, irrational reason, it annoyed Roman that he had waltzed in, uninvited, into a mont that belonged only to him and Violet. He shouldn’t have cared, but damn it, he did.
However, Roman blad the lingering irritation on the residual effects of his animal transformation. Like every Cardinal Alpha, his powers ca with their flaws.
The traits of the animal he morphed into always bled into his human side, influencing his instincts and temperant. He had spent hours as a cat, and cats were territorial by nature which explained why Asher’s uninvited presence in Violet’s room was grating on his last nerve.
Roman sat up, his muscles tense, every inch of him vibrating with the urge to throw the unwelco guest out of the room. He glared at his so-called friend, keeping his voice low enough not to wake Violet.
"Do you sneak into her room like this every day?"
Asher barely blinked. "I keep watch over her."
"Really?" Roman sneered, unconvinced.
Asher could spin lies like silk, wrap them around anyone he pleased, but not him. Roman knew him. Saw through him. He knew the depths of his darkness, the sickness that resided in his soul.
"Are you judging right now? You?" He arched a brow. "Are you any better?"
Roman was ready to argue, only to pause. Fair point. He was, after all, currently naked in Violet’s bed after spending hours as a damn cat. But at least when he sneaked into a woman’s room, it was usually by invitation. Most tis. kind of.
He frowned as he thought back to certain occasions. Okay, maybe not always. Roman exhaled. It seed birds of the sa feather truly flocked together.
But at least his conquests had never involved this level of obsession.
And Asher was obsessed. Completely, dangerously, beyond reason. And the motherfucker was surely never going to forgive him for what he planned to do tonight.
"She’s not Lucille," Roman pointed out, his voice harder than he intended.
"No, she’s not." Asher’s agreent ca smoothly at first, only for him to add, almost reverently, "She’s so much better."
Roman watched as Asher rose to his feet, closing the space between them, his eyes dark with desire as he approached the bed where Violet lay, blissfully unaware of the two wolves hovering over her.
"Look at her," Asher murmured, his voice hushed with an awe that was so dangerously close to worship like one would a goddess. "So beautiful. Strong. Irresistible."
Roman did look. And it was a mistake.
His throat tightened, his tongue suddenly feeling too heavy in his mouth.
Violet was breathtaking, but asleep, she was lethal. His eyes traveled over the soft rising and falling of her chest, the way her hair, black at the roots and fading to purple at the tips, sprawled across the pillow in a wild, untad wave. To the slight part of her lips, full, inviting, sinful. Those lips would look so damn good wrapped around his—
Fucking hell.
Roman tore his eyes away, swallowing thickly. But when he t Asher’s eyes, that knowing, taunting glint told him he knew exactly where his mind had gone.
That bastard!
He snarled, teeth flashing. "Keep out of your ss this ti, Asher. I want no part in it."
"I’m not pulling any strings," Asher replied smoothly.
Liar. Roman didn’t believe him for a damn second. Even when Asher wasn’t spinning, he was spinning. If you understood what he ant.
"I won’t accept her," Roman told him with a tone of finality.
Asher only shrugged, as if it was all the sa to him. "Nor would I be forcing you either. Everything will work itself out. Just like it always does.It’s already happening with the others."
Roman studied him, watching the quiet, calculating intensity in his gaze. Asher always played the long ga—watching, waiting, moving his pieces with the patience of a winning side. And tonight, he had plans. Plans that involved Violet, whether she knew it or not.
Plans that he, himself, planned to disrupt.
"Do you have to fight the Alpha king?" Roman asked out of concern for his friend. "Elsie is not so bad. Neither would Elijah take your disobedience lightly."
Elsie was a bitch, and a proud one at that, sure, but she wasn’t the worst option for a mate. However, she was not ’his’ choice. And if there was anything Asher loathed the most, it was others having control over him. And he would rather burn the whole damn world to the ground than let Elijah decide his fate for the rest of his life.
But even Roman knew the answer before Asher even spoke.
"We’ll see," Asher murmured cryptically before kneeling beside the bed. Without hesitation, he brushed his fingers along Violet’s cheek.
Roman’s eyes widened slightly as Violet leaned into him, chasing his touch even in slumber.
Fuck. This was serious.
A deep, satisfied rumble echoed from Asher’s chest, possessively. She was perfect. He claid her, even now.
Asher straightened up, his piercing gaze finding Roman’s once more. "You already know what’s happening tonight. I take it that I have your support?"
Roman didn’t blink. "Of course." He lied to his face.
Asher studied him for a mont, scanning him for deception. But Roman kept his expression blank, his body still, willing him not to sll the deceit. If Asher did, he gave no sign.
"Good." He nodded, satisfied.
Asher went on to say, "Now that Alaric thinks he’s gotten his paws on her, he’ll try to keep her between himself and Griffin, and away from . I can’t let that happen. Alaric’s too eager and foolish to understand the ga here. I’ll be the one controlling the narrative and ensure everything goes as planned."
A beat of silence passed before Asher moved to stand beside Roman, placing a hand on his shoulder, saying, "Thank you for always supporting , old friend."
"It’s nothing," Roman said, his voice neutral.
Then just as suddenly, Asher’s fingers tightened on his shoulder, the temperature in the room plumting.
Roman’s wolf stirred, rising instinctively to the challenge he sensed from a fellow Alpha. He knew what was the problem even before Asher spoke his next words.
"I don’t care about your antics with her, but her first ti is mine." Asher marked his territory like the possessive wolf he was.
Roman’s grip on his own temper wavered slightly, but he didn’t crack. Instead, his lips curled into a lazy smirk, unbothered on the outside yet seething on the inside from the warning his Alpha side perceived as a challenge.
"I told you already, I don’t intend to claim her." He said. Then, with a casual shrug, he added, "Nonetheless, duly noted."
In that sa mont, the tension in the room snapped, as if it had never been there. Asher’s deadly countenance softened. He looked pleased.
"Good."
Then, as if he hadn’t just made one of the most insane declarations of his life, Asher sniffed the air and crinkled his nose.
"You sll girly."
Roman groaned, running a hand through his hair. Great. He needed a shower. Imdiately. If Asher reacted this way, he didn’t dare to imagine what Alaric would do if he slt his girl on him.
"See you at the party then," Asher announced, strolling toward the door with all the audacity of a man who owned the place. Which he kind of did. West House belonged to him. Literally.
And just like that, Asher Nightshade was gone.
Roman let out a sharp breath. What in the world has he gotten himself into? One thing was for sure, after tonight, he’d be Asher’s enemy and that wasn’t going to bound well for him.
Asher never forgives. It was safe to say today was the last day he’d be friendly to him. From tomorrow, Asher would probably count him amongst his enemies.
It had been fun but it was ti to call it quits. He needed to go, Roman thought as he took one last look at Violet.
But the mont Roman opened the door, he crashed into soone. It was one of Violet’s roommates. The girl with the long blonde hair and the air of an aristocrat
Her blue eyes widened, her jaw nearly hitting the floor as she stared at him. Or rather... stared down.
Roman blinked. Then glanced down at himself.
Oh.
Right.
He was naked.
Her jaw dropped, eyes locked onto that very specific area. When she realized she had been caught staring, her face went beet red.
Roman smirked and winked at her. Then right in front of her horrified eyes, he shifted into his usually small, green snake form. And the shriek that followed was legendary.
The girl jumped back so hard she nearly knocked herself out against the wall.
Satisfied, Roman slithered away into the hallway, leaving behind a traumatized roommate. That should be enough revenge at the purple head.
For now, he had a party to attend.
And a friend to betray.
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