Defy The Alpha(s)

Chapter 506: The Animal Story Roman was full of surprises.

"So, you can control animals?" Violet arched a brow at him. "How did I not know? You don't seem to invest in that particular skill." They sat on the bed with their backs to the wall. Sure, the room was wrecked, but where else could they go? It was just a gaping hole in the wall, not the apocalypse. Outside, night air slipped through the break, carrying the faint hum of the temple beyond. The bed at least was still intact, and that was enough.

Besides, the mating fever had cooled to a dull ember, no longer suffocating her thoughts. By morning, she'd be out of here. She couldn't wait another hour. After that witch's attack, Violet needed to see the rest of her men and make sure they were alive, breathing, and preferably not doing anything stupid. Then she'd figure out the rest of this madness.

One thing was clear: Angus hadn't made a move until her powers were free. That alone made her pause and dulled whatever anger she'd been holding toward her birth mother. If Angus was this insane, she could only imagine the kind of fear her mother had lived with, probably the kind that drove her to bind her own daughter's magic.

So yeah, Violet couldn't exactly blher.

Roman said, "My mother didn't like it." At the mention of his mother's name, Violet shifted on the bed, bracing herself for the bitter turn this story was about to take. Alexa Draven had never been a steady presence in Roman's life, and Violet could only imagine what she'd done to make him avoid honing this skill altogether.

She leaned in until her head rested on his shoulder, their fingers intertwining. A silent gesture meant to anchor him and offer the support she knew he probably wouldn't ask for. Roman wasn't Asher and would have taken it regardless, even if she hadn't offered.

Roman continued. "My powers practically madean animal magnet. I could walk past a pet store, and the animals would go haywire-not in a bad way though. It was like they could sense a kindred spirit..." He gave a careless scoff. "Probably a god. I was the fucking god of animals." Violet couldn't tell if the laugh that followed was genuine or if it was the kind of laugh people used to cover a bruise they didn't want touched. It was too quick, and thin around the edges. She didn't call him on it though, and stayed quiet, letting him hold onto the humor if that was all he had right now.

"They all wanted to leave withand wouldn't calm until I touched and soothed them. Unfortunately, this only worked on the caged ones, so you can imagine the animals that were free..." Although the story was edging into sad territory, the way Roman said it made a small laugh escape Violet's lips. He smirked at her reaction and went on, "I turned our hinto a fucking zoo. There wasn't a week when the pack staff didn't find one or two raccoons raiding the kitchen. I once walked into my room to find a deer asleep on my bed. Don't even getstarted on the birds? Flocks would followlike I was Snow White, only they were louder and far more annoying. I opened the bathroom door once, and there was a fox sitting there in my tub as if it paid rent." He shook his head at the memory. "And then there was the day a lion decided to 'drop by.' The pack had to full- on evacuate the pack house. The deltas were panicking because there I was, sitting on the porch feeding it raw steak like we were old friends." Violet tried-she really did-to keep a straight face, but the mental image of all of those encounters was too much. Before she knew it, her shoulders shook, and finally she burst into full-blown laughter, leaning into him as the sound broke out, unrestrained and warm.

"This is crazy," Violet said, wiping the tears from her eyes, still catching her breath from laughing.

"Oh, there was worse," Roman replied, savoring the memory until his expression suddenly soured. "And then it happened." Violet's smile faded instantly, her posture straightening. She could feel the story was about to turn, and whatever cnext had ended the laughter for good.

Roman scratched at his scalp. "I think I was about ten at the time. My mother was dead tired of my 'antics' and decided it was better to givea space of my own where I could entertain my 'friends.' So they movedinto this smaller quarters on the estate, far enough for her peace of mind, but close enough to keep an eye on me. I had all the space I wanted." A faint smirk tugged at his lips. "And... I was also crushing on this girl in my pack. I went to confess and impress her with a grand gesture." Violet's brows lifted, amusement gleaming in her eyes. Someone had a crush.

Roman kept a straight face as he went on. "It sounds crazy, but I was a kid, what were you expecting m planned this concert where the birds would sing a mind-blowing orchestra, and the smaller animals would do a little dance. The way I had it all in my head, it was going to be out of this world.

"Then I decided to invite my mother to witness the event firsthand. Except when I walked into her room, I saw something that would change my life forever." Violet's expression shifted, already sensing where this was going.

"My mother was in bed with another man," Roman said in a hollow voice.

It was a difficult confession, obvious in the way he licked his lips and swallowed. "I didn't know the nature of my parents' relationship at the time, so you can imagine what went through my head when I saw another man naked beside my mother. A man who wasn't my father." He paused. "Betrayal." The word hung between them.

"I lost it," Roman admitted, his voice tightening. "And I set my animals loose on them."