Defy The Alpha(s) novel Chapter 196

Chapter 196: [Bonus Chapter] Parasite

Adele was busy peering into her microscope, her eyes narrowed in intense concentration as she furiously scribbled down notes. A sudden gust of wind swept through the room, causing her to jump and whip around.

"Asher..." she gasped, clutching her chest as her heart pounded. "You should have knocked."

"Of course, I would," Asher replied casually, stepping further into the room. He pointed behind, "But then, you put out the ’Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door. So, I figured I’d bypass the rule." He said as though ignoring boundaries was a normal thing.

Adele slowly shifted her body, trying to block the experiment behind her, but Asher’s eyes had already locked onto it. Before she could get a word out, Asher already wolf-sped across the room, so quick it was almost a blur.

"No—Don’t!" she tried to stop him, reaching out, but Asher easily brushed her aside.

His eyes fell on the table and spread across it were slides, notes, tubes of dark, clotted liquid, and a single jar containing what looked like a blood sample in an advanced state of decay. Asher’s frown deepened at the sight, his stare lingering on the bizarre texture and color of the blood.

He scanned the piles of paper, picking one up. The corner of his mouth tensed. "You’re running a test on Violet?" he asked with a clipped tone.

"Yes," Adele confirmed quietly, silently bracing herself. She knew exactly how obsessed Asher was with Violet, and she fully expected a reaction.

"Good," Asher said simply.

"Good?" Adele blinked in disbelief.

"What did you find out?" he pressed, not bothering to give her time to gather her wits.

"What?" Adele stammered, still taken aback by his calm reaction. Then realization dawned, and she inhaled. "You know, don’t you? You suspect she isn’t human?"

"If you can suspect it, then you already have the answer. What do the results say?" He tapped the paper in his hand, impatiently.

At once, Adele brightened, her excitement returning. "I did find out something but that’s where the issue begins."

"Issues?" Asher repeated, brows knitting together.

Stepping to one side, Adele snatched the remaining vial of blood off the rack and handed it to him. "I drew this sample from Violet just a few days ago. Look closely. Tell me what you notice."

Asher accepted the vial and tilted it in the light. The blood inside had coagulated into a dense, semi-solid mass with a dark, almost tar-like color. He brought it closer to his nose, only to grimace in disgust. "It stinks," he pointed out. "Are you sure this is fresh blood?"

"Exactly. I thought I was losing my mind. But minutes after Violet left my office, the sample degraded into this."

"That’s impossible," Asher snapped. "Even minimal knowledge of biology would tell you blood doesn’t degrade like that without an extreme catalyst."