"You’re lying," Griffin growled, his voice rough and feral, teetering on the edge of snapping. His animalistic tone sent shivers down Violet’s spine.
Violet’s entire body went rigid upon recalling that werewolves could tell when one told a lie. They could hear the slightest irregularity in a heartbeat, a telltale sign of deception.
Unfortunately, Violet had no choice. Griffin didn’t like her, and he could never know the truth she had learned. This was a dangerous game, but Violet had to make him believe her lie. Fake it until you make it, that was her only strategy right now.
With no other option, Violet suddenly screamed, her voice loud and filled with anguish. "The gods be damned! Why won’t you believe me?! Why are you doing this to me?! Is it because I’m a human? Is that why you’re bullying me? Why won’t you go ask Asher yourself why he’s doing this to me? I did not do anything wrong by getting accepted into this school, did I?"
Tears began streaming down her face, and Violet let herself go, bawling uncontrollably.
Griffin froze instantly. His hands on her hair stilled as he stared at her, wide-eyed, utterly dumbfounded. It was clear from the startled expression on his face that crying was the last thing he had expected from Violet.
"Griffin..." Alaric’s voice was heard through the commotion, calling his name with a grimace. There was an unmistakable accusation in his gaze, as if silently blaming Griffin for making her cry.
Alaric hadn’t supported this plan in the first place. Griffin had promised only to scare Violet into telling the truth, and Alaric’s role was to ensure things didn’t escalate further. God forbid Violet provoked Griffin into letting his beast out. The heavens knew it would be an unmitigated disaster.
Griffin released Violet at once, almost as if she had burned him. His gaze darted nervously between her and Alaric. Shaking his head desperately, he cried out, "I didn’t even do anything!"
Unfortunately for Griffin, Violet wailed even louder, her wails echoing through the classroom. "Why are you doing this to me?! Why do you hate me so much?! I didn’t even do anything to you!"
"I swear, I only grabbed her hair!" Griffin defended himself, his voice rising in panic.
Alaric face-palmed, groaning in exasperation. "You fool! You must have hurt her with your strength! Humans are much more fragile! How many times do I have to tell you that?!"
"But I—" Griffin started to protest, only to stop dead in his tracks as Violet suddenly threw her arms around him. She buried her face into his massive chest, sobbing as if her world had crumbled.
The room fell into a stunned silence. Even Alaric held his breath, staring at the scene in disbelief. What was supposed to be an interrogation had flipped entirely. Instead of scaring Violet into confessing, the girl was now the one doing the scaring.
Griffin looked utterly lost. He was a giant of a man, his imposing size intimidating everyone he encountered. Most avoided him, too terrified to even get close. Only his closest friends or occasional lovers ever dared to touch him. What many didn’t know was that Griffin had the most tender heart amongst all the cardinal alphas. He was a brute with a teddy bear heart.
And yet, here was this human girl, someone with no relationship to him whatsoever, clinging to him as though he were her lifeline.
For over a minute, Griffin stood frozen, unable to process what was happening. But then, in a shocking turn of events, his massive arms encircled Violet. He began patting her back awkwardly, as though she were a small child in need of comfort.
"Shit," Griffin muttered apologetically. "I’m so sorry, Purplehead. My mama would be so disappointed if she found out I made a girl cry." His tone was genuinely remorseful as he continued to pat her back, his earlier aggression completely gone.
Unfortunately for Griffin and Alaric, neither of them knew that Violet had been pretending all along. Griffin would never have believed her outright, and being headstrong wasn’t going to get her out of this situation.
So Violet relied on a skill women often held an edge in—tears, or rather, emotional manipulation. Like before, she clung to her mantra: fake it till you make it. Except this time, she decided to take it to the next level.
Except what Violet didn’t realize was that tapping into her emotional reservoir was a double-edged sword. The moment Griffin wrapped his massive, muscular arms around her, she didn’t notice when everything shifted. But suddenly, the floodgates opened, and the emotions she had pretended to feel crashed over her like a torrent, turning her act into reality.
Violet had always been tough. But being tough came with its own burdens, there were silent wounds and emotional bandages that weighed her down every single day. She had been holding onto them for so long, never realizing how desperately she needed to let it all out until now.
It had all been a lie, every pretense of strength she clung to. Griffin’s hatred for her, seemingly without reason, hurt more than she wanted to admit. Asher’s unrelenting control over her life, like he was some untouchable god, terrified her. And above all, Violet was homesick. She missed Nancy, missed the trailer, missed the life she had left behind. Here she was in an unfamiliar world with no familiar face, no comfort, no safety net.
"Yes, just like that, little purple girl," Griffin muttered softly, his tone soothing. His massive hand ran gently through her hair, and the sensation was unexpectedly heavenly. "Let it all out. It’s good for the heart. Let the feelings flow."
And just like he ordered, tears streamed down her face, her sobs turning ragged.
"You’re safe," he murmured, his voice dripping with sincerity. "I won’t harm you again."
Even through her tears, Violet could feel the truth in his words. Griffin’s tone held no malice now, only a strange tenderness that she hadn’t expected from him.
Meanwhile, Alaric stood nearby, staring at the scene with a slightly horrified expression. Whatever was unfolding before his eyes, he had no name for it. Relief flickered across his features, at least there was no bloodshed. Not that he would have allowed it; even Alaric had his limits. Still, this? This was something else entirely.
As he observed Violet, a growing suspicion crept into Alaric’s mind. First Asher, now Griffin. It seemed like the girl had both of them wrapped around her finger in some inexplicable way.
Alaric didn’t like it. Not one bit.