h4Chapter 275: The Broken Heir/h4

iHenry had Brian killed. Public execution style./i

iHe brought the man out in front of the entire pack, dragging him like a sacrifice meant to appease the gods of his own paranoia. Then, with his usual ir for theatrics and thatmanding voice that made people forget how twisted he was, Henry made his speech./i

i"If I hadn’t been fast enough, I would have lost both my son and wife," he said, tone righteous, like he was the victim here. "I still don’t know Brian’s true intentions, but I suspect he nned to hand them over to my enemies./i

i"I know not many of you like how I rule. I don’t care. I don’t need your approval. My intention has always been to make the West House great again. And to do that, some thorns need to be pulled from the garden."/i

iThen he ended with the words that made Violet’s stomach churn./i

i"I am your Alpha. I know what’s best for my people. And I will make the West House thrive."/i

iOf course, some fools pped. Some even cheered. But not everyone. Others stood frozen, confused, even shocked, while Brian’s family sobbed quietly in the corner. It had to be set up, the sympathetic ones thought. Brian was kind. Loyal. A good man. And he would never have done something like that./i

iAnd yet he confessed his crimes right before Henry decapitated his head in front of everyone. And just like that, he was gone./i

iSome suspected foul y, but there was no proof, just their whispers, and a crowd too scared to voice them./i

iBut the truth was this :/i

iThe same way Henry had Asherpel his mother, he also had himpel Brain too. He set him up for death./i

iIt had never been about justice for Henry. /i

iOnly control./i

iThe scene shifted again, and this time, Violet’s eyes widened with horror as she spotted Asher with his arms suspended above his head, chained to the ceiling. He waspletely bare, save for the ck shorts he wore./i

iAnd right there, standing before Asher was his own father, Henry Nightshade, with a wicked-looking whip in hand, and a gleam of twisted anticipation lighting up his eyes. /i

iThe sight alone made Violet’s skin crawl. No, no, he wasn’t actually going to hurt him. /i

iBut of course, he was./i

i"Have I not taught you that women are merely a means to an end? And yet..." He shot Asher a look full of disdain, "you tried to run away with your mother?"/i

iThe first crack of the whipshed across Asher’s back, and though his body jerked slightly, he didn’t utter a word. There was no scream. No cry. Just a quiet endurance that made Violet’s chest feel like it was being crushed under a mountain of stone./i

iViolet couldn’t look away from the punishment, even though her brains urged her to. She needed this moment burned into her memory as fuel for the fire of hatred she had for this monster that was Asher’s father./i

iShe watched the red mark bloom across Asher’s skin, followed by the second and thirdsh. This time, they broke the skin. Blood ran in thin rivers, yet only then did Henry pause to give the boy some reprieve./i

iHenry moved in closer, grabbed Asher by the chin, and forced him to meet his eyes. Those slitted eyes were ssy from pain, yet still held on./i

i"You are my heir, Asher Nightshade," Henry said, voice like poisonced with honey. "This pack, this legacy, it’ll all be yours one day..." Then his voice suddenly dropped, eyes narrowing. "And yet you were willing to throw that all away? For what?! A little moment of pleasure?!"/i

iHe backhanded Asher, splitting his lip. The boy staggered but didn’t fall. Didn’t even whimper. Violet couldn’t tell whether Henry was more impressed or enraged./i

i"My sweet little soldier," he cooed coldly. "Pain is just a note away from pleasure. And you must learn to take it well."/i

iThen, Henry lost himself, whipping the boy over and over again until Asher’s body sagged, blood soaking his shorts and trailing down his legs. Until Henry’s arms were tired, and his breathing came in short, ragged bursts./i

iOnly then did he toss the whip aside and unshackle his son./i

iAs soon as Asher was free, he stumbled slightly, but caught himself. And then, little Asher looked up and stared Henry dead in the eyes. That quiet defiance sent a shiver down Violet’s spine./i

iBut Henry was not scared. Instead, he leaned forward, pressing his forehead to his son’s with eerie affection. "Always remember, you’re my heir. And this is for your good."/i

iThen he stepped back./i

i"Go to your mother," he ordered. "I’m sure she’d like to clean you up."/i

iAsher nodded without a word and left./i

iThe scene changed swiftly again./i

iViolet now stood in front of a half-opened door, cold dread seeping in before she even touched it. Something was wrong. Very wrong. /i

iShe stepped inside./i

iInside, Asher stood motionless at the foot of the bed. So still he could be mistaken for a statue./i

iViolet stepped forward, her heart pounding, and gasped before she even reached the bed./i

iMaria./i

iAsher’s mothery on the bed, her eyes open, staring at nothing. Her wrists were slit. The de was beside her, the sheets stained with blood that had already dried./i

iBeside her pillow was a note. Violet staggered toward it, her breath caught in her chest. She picked up the note with trembling hands, expecting answers, but it only read :/i

i"Sing loud now, my little Nightingale."/i

iThe words punched a hole through her soul, her vision blurring with tears. /i

iHer gaze flicked back to Asher. He hadn’t moved and worse, was still bloodied from his father’s beating yet he stood there, staring at his mother’s corpse as if unable to process it./i

i"Oh, Asher..." Violet whispered, stepping toward him. She reached out instinctively to pull him into a hug, and froze./i

iThis time, she didn’t pass through him. Her arms wrapped around something solid. Real./i

iViolet pulled back slowly, staring at him. And for the first time, Asher was staring back at her./i

iWhat the...?/i

iBefore she could ask a thing, Asher’s face twisted into rage, venom dripping from his voice./i

i"How the fuck did you get into my head?!"/i

iViolet opened her mouth, but before she could exin—hell, before she could even understand what was happening—a powerful force mmed into her./i

The next thing Violet knew, she was being yanked out of the memory and straight into reality.

Except her nightmare had only just begun.

Because a certain West House Alpha was hovering over her, his hand wrapped tightly around her throat and choking the life out of her.