Chapter 88
“Hello Adele, ”
Adele turned from her desk, her sharp gaze landing on Violet, then drifting down to her bleeding hand. She sighed heavily, muttering under her breath, “You have got to be kidding me.”
Violet attempted a dry joke. “I know, surprise, surprise, right?”
But Adele wasn’t in the mood. Abandoning the thick book she’d been reading, she stood and approached Violet, her face a picture of exasperation. “You and Alaric,” Adele began, shaking her head, “I don’t know which of you is worse at this point. You must really love me so much you can’t wait to visit me every day.”
Violet smirked, not one to let sarcasm slide past her. “Yes, I miss you so much my balls are beginning to ache.”
Adele raised a brow, her lips twitching. “Gutter kids and their foul mouths,” she muttered with mock annoyance, shaking her head.
Had it been anyone else, Violet might have snapped back, but coming from Adele, it didn’t sting. If anything, it felt oddly neutral. She followed Adele’s gesture to one of the beds and sat down without protest. Adele wasn’t exactly a friend, but she wasn’t an enemy either, their relationship right now was somewhere in that liminal space of indifference and obligation.
Lila had not followed Violet to the infirmary because she had sent her to class. She would not let the girl follow her along at the expense of her education. Lunaris might be many things but their education was topnotch.
Moreover, Lila was her friend, not her servant. Not that the elites at Lunaris understood that seeing they literally had fellow “students” serving them as “servants”.
She watched as Adele cleaned the wound just as the question came. “So what happened this time? Which of the alphas is responsible for this one?”
“None, actually,” Violet admitted. “I was the one who got distracted and crushed a glass of water.”
Adele paused, one brow lifting. “You crushed a glass? With your bare hands?”
“Yes. Stupid, right?”
“Hmmm,” Adele mused, resuming her work. “You’re stronger than you look. It’s not easy to crush that with bare hands .”
“I was… emotional,” Violet grimaced slightly when she recalled what led to the outburst while Adele worked. “People do stupid things when they’re angry.”
“And let me guess,” Adele said dryly, “Asher?”
Violet exhaled sharply. “The one and only. However, he had a little help this time.”
Adele said nothing, her focus on cleaning the wound. After a moment, she leaned back and said, “No glass embedded. I’ll seal it up.”
Taking Violet’s hand, Adele began channeling her healing energy. The warmth seeped into her skin, soothing and tingling at the same time.
“So,” Adele asked suddenly, her tone
far too casual, “do you like Asher?”
The question startled Violet, and she instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but Adele held firm. After all, she was not done with the healing process.
“Ha,” Violet laughed nervously. “You do realize this is emotional manipulation, right? Aren’t you supposed to be ethical?”
“Answer the question, Violet. Yes or no.”
“No,” Violet snapped defensively.
“Liar.”
“But I—” Violet stopped mid-sentence, realizing werewolves could sniff out lies. She sighed, defeated. “Okay, fine. I might have been attracted to him,” she admitted reluctantly. “At first,” she emphasized, “but the guy is a nutcase, and there’s no way in hell I’m starting anything with that lunatic.”
Adele scrutinized her for a moment longer before finally releasing her hand. Violet glanced down to see her skin flawless, as if nothing had happened. Although it was not the first time, it still took her by surprise.
“Teenagers,” Adele muttered, cleaning up her tools like a disapproving parent. “Always drawn to the bad ones. At least you still have your senses and it shows Asher hasn’t stolen those away too.”
“You mean like Lucille?” Violet asked cautiously, her voice a whisper. She noticed how Adele, who had been organizing her stuff, stiffened at the mention of the name.
“And where did you hear that?” Adele’s voice was steady, betraying no emotion as she continued her task, not turning to face Violet.
At least she hadn’t denied it, Violet thought, sensing an opportunity.
“Griffin isn’t as tightlipped as the others,” Violet continued, trying to sound nonchalant. “Though he didn’t dive into details.”
“And you expect me to dive into those details?” Adele finally turned around, her arms crossed over her chest, her expression unreadable. “What makes you think I would divulge a story that isn’t mine to tell?”
Violet stood up, closing the distance between them with a few determined steps. “Because you care about the Cardinal Alphas, and you’re particularly concerned about Asher’s recent actions. Maybe if the ’second one’ understands the history of the ’first one,’ she can avoid a similar fate.”
For a moment, it looked like Violet’s plea had reached Adele, but then the healer’s expression hardened. “You needn’t worry about repeating history; precautions are in place to ensure Asher doesn’t tamper with your mind, not without your consent,” Adele replied, her tone final.
“So your fears won’t happen, Violet Purple. You can go back to class now; your hand is healed,” Adele concluded, signaling the end of their conversation as she turned to leave.
But just as Adele reached her desk, likely to resume her reading, Violet called out, driven by a sudden impulse. “I’m starting to have visions about him.”
Adele paused, turning sharply. “Visions? Of him?”
“Not just him. All of them,” Violet confessed. She gulped hard, aware of the potential consequences of her revelation. The piece of information might find its way on the Oracle’s article tomorrow if care was not taken.
“When did the vision start?”
“Today.” Violet answered.
“Since today, you said?” Adele repeated, her tone probing.
Violet nodded. “Yes, right after I bathed. I was staring at the mirror, and then it just… happened.” She hesitated, swallowing hard, her cheeks burning as she struggled to find the words. “I saw them… and they were—”
“Say no more,” Adele interrupted sharply, holding up a hand to stop her.
Violet felt a wave of relief wash over her. As embarrassing as it was to admit, at least she didn’t have to describe the graphic details. Still, she couldn’t shake the unease in Adele’s demeanor.
“Did Lucille have the same visions as me?” Violet asked cautiously, watching Adele’s reaction closely. “Did Asher lie when he said he wouldn’t mess with my head again? Is he still doing it, even unknowingly?”