All Chapters of After Betrayal, I Married The Cursed Alpha King: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Violetta’s breath caught as Asher’s fingers tightened around her waist, pulling her back into his warmth like he had every right to touch her.“Easy,” he murmured against her neck, voice dripping with heat. “You look like you’re about to faint.”“I’m fine,” she whispered—but her pulse told another story.How could she be fine when he touched her like this? When her body responded before her mind could think?Asher slowly turned her to face him.He wasn’t wearing a mask, but his smile was the same wicked curve that had ruined her in that bar. Dark, confident, hungry.His eyes flicked over her gown, lingering on her curves with open desire.“Well, damn,” he breathed, “my princess came dressed to kill.”Her cheeks burned. “It’s not– I didn’t—”“It’s okay,” he said, leaning closer. “You killed me anyway.”Her heart stuttered violently.She stepped back, dizzy. “Asher… the dance… Draven—”A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. Jealousy.“Did he touch you?” Asher asked softly.Her lips pa

(Violetta POV)The throne room of the King's Palace simmered with a cold, suffocating tension. Alpha Draven stood before his parents, the King and Queen, his obsidian mask reflecting the torchlight. Behind that mask, Asher’s heartbeat thundered—steady, controlled, but burning.He had just returned from helping Violetta. And his parents were not pleased.“You are repeating history, Draven.”The Queen’s voice sliced the air like a blade dipped in ice.The King rose from his throne, towering, powerful, his aura crackling with suppressed dominance.“Going after a woman again. Losing yourself. Disgracing the crown. Have you learned nothing?”Draven’s jaw tightened beneath the mask.“…I didn’t go after her. I saved her.”The Queen laughed softly. Too softly.“Just like you saved your wife?”A knife straight to his lungs.Draven’s hands curled into fists. The memory—his curse slipping, the scent of blood, her lifeless body—flashed like a phantom behind his eyes. He closed his eyes to regain

The third morning felt different. Violetta woke up without dizziness, without that constant ache in her bones, without the guilt sitting heavy on her chest. She ate breakfast properly—slowly, deliberately—ignoring the ghost of every cruel word spoken to her. She wasn’t broken. And she refused to live like she was."I have to stop falling for people's venomous words. This is my lofe and I will live it on my own terms," She said to herself and headed towards the study room where her laptop was present. Draven bought it for her but she didn't use it yet. By noon, she had submitted applications to several companies under her maiden name. She wanted something of her own. A place where she was more than a Luna, more than a womb, more than a topic of royal discussion. That was how she ended up standing in front of the glass-and-crimson façade of The Red Regent Hotel. Luxury. Power. Prestige. She inhaled deeply. I can do this. ****************** The lobby smelled of polished marble

Violetta woke to silence.Not the peaceful kind—but the heavy, pressing kind that made her chest feel tight before her mind even caught up. Her head throbbed dully, and she slowly held her head. The faint scent of antiseptic mixed with something familiar… something warm.Leather with a strong musky scent. She turned her face slightly and froze.Asher was there.Seated beside the bed, head bowed, one hand resting on the edge like he was afraid to touch her too much. His knuckles were scraped raw, faint bruises blooming beneath the skin. His jaw was tight, eyes shadowed, as if he hadn’t slept at all.Her memory returned in fragments.The interview. The water. The dizziness. The room. The fear.Her breath hitched.She pushed herself up too fast and immediately winced.Asher was on his feet in an instant.“Hey—slow down,” he said gently, but his voice carried something sharp beneath it. Fear. Barely contained. “You’re safe.”Safe.The word made her hands tremble.“I… I remember calli

By the time Violetta reached home, exhaustion clung to her bones. She threw her bag on the couch and looked around. She was feeling tired, not the kind that sleep fixed—but the kind that settled deep, born of humiliation, restraint, and pretending not to care. She slipped off her shoes and stood there for a moment, staring at the quiet house.Too quiet.“Asher?” she called softly.No answer.She checked the living room. The kitchen. His absence pressed against her chest in a way she couldn’t explain. He hadn’t been there in the morning. He hadn’t called. A strange unease crawled up her spine. Aunt Brigid wasn’t present in the kitchen either, so all the silence was making her feel creepy. She felt like she heard a noise from downstairs, so he followed it.The stairs leading down were dimly lit, the air growing colder with each step. The basement door stood slightly ajar. She gulped hard, and she knew that Alpha Draven warned her not to go there, but tonight her curiosity got the best