Asher
“It’s gone towards the south perimeter!” I mindlinked to the guys, dashing through the forest, tracing the god-awful scent that was left behind by the lurker while trying to sort through the noises in my head. Reed, Graham, Eli, the hunters, different images and interpretations of the scent left behind coming from each one of them.
Someone was watching Ivy and me, and someone has dared to cross into our territory. This kind of activity was very common with rogues, but as I traced the disgusting scent, it didn’t feel like a rogue. Mac sprinted through the forest at top speed, trying to catch up with the shadow that we spotted but halfway through, it had just vanished.
“We are on our way,” Eli mindlinked as I tried to keep up with the trail of scent that was left. It was weird how the scent was scattered. Mac had to sniff from tree to tree to keep up with the path that the intruder took, with the scent lingering across the trees as well.
“Ugh, what a dirty scent,” Mac grimaced. “Makes me want to puke,”
My warriors were all huddled together near the south perimeter as I rushed over. The wolves lowered their heads in a bow before Eli’s wolf emerged from the crowd, flanked by Reed and Graham, their eyes glowing in the dark.
“Did we find it?” I demanded.
“No, we lost it. It crossed over our territory and went towards Crescent Moon,” Eli answered. “Whatever it was, it was really fast,”
“The scent was too strong and fucking disgusting,” I muttered. “I am not familiar with a rogue scent like that,”
“It might not be a rogue,” Eli said. “We didn’t find any paw-prints on the ground.”
“But we did find footprints, maybe the rogue didn’t shift,” Reed said. “Maybe a lone wolf who got lost or something?”
“It has to be incredibly fast for that,” I said. “I was right behind it and then it just…disappeared. The scents were scattered all over, even on trees. I have yet to meet a werewolf, in human form, who can climb a tree at that speed and then run zig-zag as if intentionally trying to scatter its scent to misguide us.”
“Are you hinting at it being a…?” He trailed off but we both understood what I was implying. All of us did.
“We won’t know until we have checked thoroughly,” I grimaced. “Reed, send your hunters over and see if CrescentMoon hunters have seen it, whatever the hell it was. If yes, then I will talk to Alpha Natalie myself. Graham, search around thoroughly, see if you can find anything else. And I believe we need to have a serious conversation about patrolling,”
My tone was commanding enough for his wolf to lower its head further. I wasn’t yet over the fact that he asked Ivy to strip but personal grudges aside, he was a strong and capable warrior and loyal to the pack just as his father had been. I didn’t want to ruin that.
“I won’t be so sure about my tolerance if he tried to get her in trouble again,” Mac warned, feral possessiveness dripping from his voice.
“Yes, Alpha,” Graham muttered.
“Back to your duties then,” I commanded. “I will be on patrol tonight as well. Be back in an hour.”
“You don’t have to, Alpha…we got this,” Reed offered.
“Yeah,” Eli agreed. “You don’t have to,”
“No, if my hunch is right, I should be here. I just have something to take care of and then I will be back,” I said.
“Yes, Alpha,” everyone said in unison before departing back to their respective positions.
“See you soon,” Eli affirmed, giving him a nod, I turned on my heels and Mac sprinted at top speed towards the hilltop where Ivy was waiting. Even though the invader headed south, a part of me was still worried. What blew my mind was that it came naturally to me. It wasn’t like I was putting a conscious effort into worrying about her. I just was. It was natural, like breathing.
“Because she is your mate. It’s embedded in your DNA,” Mac commented. “All that bullshit you told her earlier, mark my words, it’s going to bite you in the ass.”
“Shut up, I didn’t ask for your advice,” I grimaced.
I think my plan was perfect. Marrying Ivy was the best option. Yes, she was a pain in the ass and made me want to pull my hair out after five seconds of conversation, but she was also…real? I can't imagine, spending even one day with one of those bratty, make-up-caked-face alpha daughters. Ivy, I can deal with and rightfully so, the throne of the third Luna of GrayCrest was hers. If it was her against those girls, then I’d rather deal with her snarkiness and insults than endure the drama those other women would bring. Plus, she was strong, she had integrity, and she is smart, at least from what I have seen so far — not to mention, she has no interest in any kind of emotional attachment to me.
Perfect luna candidate.
“If delusion had a face, it would be the two of you,” Mac said with disdain. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“What are you so bitter about? You get to be with your mate. It’s all good for you,” I pointed out.
“You don’t understand yet,” he replied glumly.
I really didn’t, so I let it pass. I just needed to get Ivy to agree so dad could stop bothering me. Marriage means nothing if two people don’t love each other and I don’t know how other mates do it, but Ivy and I were far from loving each other. To me, the bond was all about attraction. And there are other ways to deal with that.
But love—now that’s something to be avoided at all costs. And I was a firm believer that the bond doesn’t make you fall in love until you allow it to, until you get all enamored by the idea of some eternal, glowing thread holding you to your mate and that your story has to end there. I believe the matebond is just a theory painted into our minds in vivid colors since childhood, when in reality, it is only black and white.
There are plenty of loopholes. It's just that nobody wants to explore it in fear of some kind of punishment from the moon goddess or fear of losing the only option they might have.
“Listening to your bullshit sometimes is like consuming wolfsbane,” Mac grimaced, grunting with disdain and as always I ignored.
Finally, I reached the nook where I left my clothes hanging on the tree branch and shifted . The weather was turning colder with each day, I idly realized. Winter isn’t really my thing, even if it barely has any effect on us. But still I hated hunting in the snow. Once clothed, I jogged back to where I left Ivy, an unspoken restlessness gnawedat my chest, making the little distance from the nook to the hilltop feel like miles.
“You are worried about her,” Mac said flatly.
“I don’t trust her to follow my command and…” I trailed off because I knew my wolf didn’t need explanation. We don’t know who or what that lurker was. But if my hunch is right, then the last thing I want is for Ivy to face it alone. And she is too stubborn to listen to me .
When I reached the hilltop, Ivy was standing by the car, her back to me. There was no one around and from where I stood, she seemed fine, gazing out blankly at the sprawling dark forests at our feet.
“Hey,” I muttered, jogging over to her.
As she turned around, I did a quick, inconspicuous scan of her from head to toe and, much to my relief, she seemed fine. Yet she didn’t. Her face seemed to have lost color and there were beads of sweat on her forehead, eyes wide as if she had seen a ghost or something. I could also hear her raging heart as she tried to steady herself.
“Everything alright?” I raised a brow. Ivy clenched her jaw and nodded.
“Yeah,” she said, seeming somewhat nervous.
“Did you, by any chance…see anyone here? A wolf…human…anything odd?”
“No,” she shook her head, and I wasn’t sure if it was me, but she didn’t meet my eyes, looking everywhere but at me. “Why? Is everything alright? What was with all that howling?”
“Right…you don’t have the mindlink,” I mumbled. Natural pack-born already have the mindlink that connects them to the members of the pack. But Ivy was an outsider, hence she didn’t have it to understand what was going on. And the only way for her to have the mindlink was to be marked by me. My eyes reflexively fell on her neck and I gulped, a furious desire to sink my canines into her soft flesh spreading through my veins. The need almost made my throat burn.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, some trespasser,” I waved my hand. “Come on, let’s go. I have to get back to patrol-duty. I will drop you home.”
"Why? Shouldn’t I be coming as well?” Ivy said, the annoying scowl appearing again. “I am a warrior too,”
“Not trained enough to be on patrol duty,” I replied, opening the passenger side door.
“Says who?” she demanded, glaring at me.
“Me” I said flatly, turning around to face her.
“Alpha Logan and…” she began, but I placed my finger on her lips and shook my head.
“It doesn’t matter what Logan said. I am the one in-charge of the army and I will decide who is responsible for what. You are not ready for patrolling duty yet so you will go home and sleep. That’s an order,”
“You are an asshole,” she hissed, starting to walk away on her own. I sighed, pinching my eyes with fatigue. Goddess, I needed infinite patience with this woman.
“Where the hell do you think you are going?” I scowled, grabbing her arm.
“That’s none of your business,” she snapped. “Go, do your alpha stuff…don’t bother with me,”
“Do you even know where we are and how to get back?” I asked, trying my best to control my temper from rising.
“I will find my way. And if I don’t…” she clenched her jaw and looked away. “Then expect it to be the moon goddess’s blessing for you…” Her voice trembled as she spoke the last words and before I could react or respond, she was already running away into the darkness. I stood there, staring blankly at the empty space.
What was that supposed to mean?
IvyI wiped my eyes haphazardly with the back of my hand as I ran away from Asher, rushing into the darkness to hide the guilt gnawing at my chest. I was so angry that it hurt but I wasn’t angry at him for not letting me on patrol duty. I was angry at myself for being so weak and helpless at the clutches of a man I knew absolutely nothing about except for his name was: Alpha Killian Price.A few moments ago:“Ki…Killian,” I stuttered, my voice sounding like I was being choked. What was he doing here? How did he even get here? I didn’t even hear him coming.“Did you miss me, my little Alpha?” he whispered in my ear, his voice raspy and his breath tinged with the scent of alcohol.The usual repulsion spread through my chest again and I moved back, trying to steady myself. I quickly glanced behind me, hoping to the moon goddess that Asher won’t return just yet. I had no idea how I would explain myself if he found me with Killian. And also, a part of me didn’t want him anywhere near this m
Asher“What are you doing?” Mac snapped, startling me. “Go after her! Find her! She doesn’t know her way around here. It’s dark!” “She made her choice. Why would I go after her?” I scowled. “I don’t have to deal with her bullshit just because she is my mate. I have better things to do with my life than babysit a grown-ass woman,”“So you are fine with her wandering around in the dark with some untraceable intruder in the loose?” he demanded.“She is a warrior. I am sure she can defend herself if needed,” I said.“Fine, if you don’t go after her, then I will,” he hissed.“What do…” I couldn’t complete the rest as a startling pain erupted through my body. It hurt so bad that I had to bend over to hold myself together.“Mac, stop it!” I wailed. “Stop trying to phase! Stopppp!”“Somebody needs to be the man,” my wolf roared. “I am not letting her wander around in this darkness on her own!” “Fine! Fine…I’ll go!” I exclaime
Note: Mature Content AheadI dragged my eyes back to hers and yet, there was no reaction from her. Her expression was impassive as she watched me…and I watched her. There was no possible way to hide the animalistic desire and raw need I felt. I was pretty sure it was written all over my face. But I just can’t help it. She was my mate and she was …gorgeous. I am sure even if there was no matebond between us, my reaction would still be the same.Ivy was the kind of beautiful that words can’t do justice. She was her own kind of beautiful. A beauty that transcends words or colors or anyone’s imagination. The kind of beauty I have never had the privilege to experience until now. My heart was a frantic tempo as she slowly walked over to me, no prominent expression on her face but stunning blue eyes holding me in invisible shackles.“I…I didn’t mean to…I wa…” I was stuttering, my mind refusing to cooperate as she gazed up at me. “I…am so sorry, Ivy. I just…I was looking for you and didn’t kn
AsherMy head throbbed violently as I dragged myself downstairs for breakfast the next morning. I couldn’t sleep, nor could I go back to patrolling after what happened, because my mind was reeling. So I spent the majority of it emptying the bar and trying to figure out what happened at the lakehouse and if I dreamed all of it. But the marks on my back from her nails were confirmation that I didn’t. It all happened between us, none of it was a dream and the worse part…she initiated it.And then left me feeling like a fucking villain. Like I was the one forcing myself on her when in fact, she was the one who used and manipulated me. The fucking matebond stripped me of all m
“What are you guys waiting for?” I snapped, making everyone jump. “Off to training.” They all nodded and, murmuring to themselves, started with the daily routine.“Meeting in ten,” I muttered to Eli and started to head back inside, but I knew my delta had something to say as he trailed behind me.“What’s going on? Why are you treating Ivy like that?” Eli demanded. “She is your mate.”“Exactly! She is my mate…” I said, turning around and shooting him an icy look. “So let me deal with her, Delta,”“Two hundred laps? That’s insane, Asher,” he protested again. “And almost impossible to complete in the time you gave her,”“Again, that’s none of your concern. I know a warrior when I see one and I have my doubts about her. If she indeed is a true warrior, then this will be a piece of cake for her. If
IvyMy lungs were just a brink away from bursting out of my chest and at this point, my feet hurt too. The afternoon sun shone brightly even though the air already hinted at the winter standing right at the door. Sweat trickled down my forehead and my camisole was drenched. The dry leaves scrunched beneath my feet as I kept counting in my head. It’s been hours since I started jogging around the perimeter yet I was nowhere close to reaching two hundred.Time was running out and I had only until sunset which after a glance at my watch I realized was a mere four hours away. If I failed, I would have to leave. The hardness in Asher’s voice was an indication enough that he meant what he said.“He is angry,” Silver muttered. “And he has every right to be,” “And whose fault was it?” I grimaced. “You started it, Silver! How could you?”“Don’t completely blame me,” Silver snapped back. “Yes, maybe I started it but you we
“Ki…Kilian,” I croaked. “How do…do you? How did you even get my number?” This was an old cellphone of Naya’s. I had no use of it but just because she insisted, I agreed to keep it.“Ivyanka, always the same question sweetheart,” he tsked. “I know everything, every breath you take. Now, I am happy that you are trying to lure Asher in. Good job indeed…”“I am not trying to lure anyone in!” I snapped.“Hmm, well, if not then you better get on with it, sweetheart. Do you think I have that much time to waste? I had given you three months to get cozy now it’s time to work. Have you thought about what I said last night? When are you going to tell Asher that you are ready to marry him?”“Killian please…” I begged. “Please…just let me go. I cannot betray Asher or this pack…it’s wrong, please…”“Oh, well yes, that’s sad, isn’t it?” he murmured. “ Even more so because you have nothing to do with any of this. It’s really not fair,”“Exactly…” I nodded, hoping he would understand. “I will do anyth
Asher“Bowling alley?” I grimaced as my brothers pulled outside our usual place. We had VIP access here so we didn’t need to wait in line.“Let’s get some heat off you,” Logan smirked, striding inside.“Yeah you seem to be burning,” Noah chuckled, nudging me with his elbow. I scowled, but regardless, followed my brothers.“Mr. Gray, welcome,” the young woman at the reception smiled. She fluttered her lashes, giving all three of us doe-eyed looks and making me roll my eyes inwardly. All three of us were committed…well, kind of. Immediately, the memories of those uncanny blue eyes erupted through my mind, and I scowled harder. I wished she would fail to complete the task so I could punish her more.“Are you sure?” Mac prompted. “Not even a teeny bit worried?” “No,” I snapped, trailing behind Logan and Noah as a young guy ushered us to the private alley.“Enjoy your time,” the guy smiled, even though I could sense he was