<h4>Chapter 454: Dreamwalking</h4>
There was silence in the main lounge. The thick, heavy kind of silence that seemed to stretch into every corner of the room. All four alphas were seatedfortably, yet there was nothing rxed about it.
Asher and Roman sat directly across from each other, both of their arms folded and jaws clenched. The air between them crackled with tension and neither of them would meet the other’s eyes.
Griffin and ric exchanged a nce that was equal parts awkward and wary. Although Violet had brought them together, it didn’t erase the fact that Asher and Roman had been the closest, hence seeing them fight like this was simply weird.
Violet in question stood in the middle of it all, looking like the only adult in a room full of sulking, power-packed man-children.
She exhaled, loud enough to break the silence.
"So." She said the word inly, her tone clipped. "Does anyone have anything to say?"
She didn’t need to rify. The question was aimed directly at Asher and Roman. And as expected, the both of them said nothing.
Violet then pped her hands, saying,
"Well, since none of you is willing to talk, let me then."
"You." Violet started with Asher, her eyes zing. "You punched Roman in the face, which ispletely out of control and absolutely uneptable. I will not tolerate violence in this harem, no matter how heated things get."
Asher’s jaw flexed, but he didn’t argue.
"And bridle your tongue, Asher," Violet added, her tone cooling into steel. "This is going to be a healthy rtionship. No one is dragging the other down with words I’m sure they don’t even mean."
Asher let out a reluctant groan, and looked away in shame. Violet knew she’d struck the chord, he hadn’t meant the words he said, and it was eating at him. <i>Okay he meant it. Just a little. </i>
Before he could getfortable in his guilt, Violet turned.
"And you." She pointed now at Roman, who looked like he might slink under the nearest cushion. "You’ve been used of being impulsive. And God, how true is that."
Roman opened his mouth, probably to defend himself, but Violet pressed her finger against her lips in a hush. He stopped instantly. She had given them the chance to speak, he didn’t, so it was her turn.
"I love your spontaneity, Roman. I do," she said, "but if it turns into recklessness, especially when it puts others in danger, then we’ve got a problem. You have to learn how to curb it."
Roman swallowed, his head dipped in shame. "I’ll work on it."
"Good," Violet nodded, then turned back to Asher expectantly. "Well?"
For a moment, it looked like Asher might stay stubborn, but then he muttered, "Fine. I’ll be less harsh."
Violet raised a brow, grinning. "Aren’t you just a ray of sunshine."
Then, before either of them could catch on, she said, "Alright. Kiss and make up."
"What?" Asher and Roman chorused in horror.
"I meant it literally," Violet said sweetly, folding her arms.
Asher recoiled like she’d asked him to lick a toilet seat. Roman, on the other hand, lit up like a firecracker and he stood immediately.
"Oh, hell no," Asher backed away, pointing. "Roman. Stay back."
But Roman kepting, his eyes gleaming with the delight of a man on a mission.
"Don’t you—Roman, I’m warning you—"
It was toote because with a feral grin, Roman lunged and tackled Asher to the floor in a heap of limbs and smooched him right on the lips.
Violet doubled over, howling withughter while Griffin clutched his stomach and ric let out an actual wheeze. Asher shoved Roman off him like he’d been lit on fire, his face contorted in sheer horror.
Romany sprawled on the carpet, grinning smugly. "That’s for the punch."
Asher sat up, swiping at his lips with the back of his hand like he’d been poisoned. Then he looked at Violetughing and said, "So are we going to talk about that now?" he referred to the bruise on her neck.
Theughter ceased and the atmosphere shifted immediately. <i>Way to go, Asher. </i>
"I still don’t get how I ended up there," Violet muttered, touching the bruise. "One second I was asleep and the next, I’m standing in the hallway, all of us."
ric nced at Asher and said.
"What if it wasn’t random? What if you didn’t just dreamwalk on your own?"
Violet raised a brow. "I don’t understand."
"Not consciously," ric replied, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "But you said it happened when you were sleeping near him"—he nodded at Asher—"and your powers are still unstable and undefined. If they’re rooted in the mind, and you were lying next to someone whose whole thing is mental maniption—"
"You think I caught it like a flu?" Violet asked dryly.
"More like your power synced with his," ric said. "Think of it like a tuning fork. His mind vibrated at a frequency, and yours fresh, and reactive mirrored it. Maybe for a moment, your subconscious borrowed the framework of how he connects and built your own."
Violet blinked. "So I created that world with Asher’s help and I choose to visit L’s dream?"
Asher looked at her, amazed. "So she dream-walked not because she meant to but because she wanted to with my help. Subconsciously."
"Exactly," ric said. "She just didn’t know the door was open until she walked through it."
Roman lifted his hand. "Can someone exin inme man understanding, please?"
"Second that."Griffin concurred.
ric said. "It’s a theory, alright? But it’s solid. I think Violet’s at risk of dream walking especially when she’s sleeping close to Asher since he’s the only one with mental powers here. If Violet’s awakening psychic abilities, even subconsciously, then he’s basically acting like a live wire. He touches her, she sparks."
Violet squinted at him. "So what? You’re saying I should stay away from Asher now? Seriously?"
"I didn’t say that," ric replied, voice calm but firm. "I’m just saying proximity could be a trigger."
"Well, I’m not avoiding him. We need each other right now more than ever. I’m not pulling away just because things are messy."
Asher then said. "Then let’s figure it out together. I’ll teach you how my powers work. Everything I know. Maybe that’ll help you control it, or at least not get dragged into some freaky fae dreamscape again."