Chapter-9

                                                                        Ivy

The lake house was at the far end of the endless forest that stretched out around the GrayCrest territory. The lake was beautiful, stretching out as far as eyes could see, and built on its bank was a pretty wooden lake house. As Eli told me, it was recently rebuilt because the old one was burned down in an accident not too long ago. Whatever it was, it was a pretty and peaceful place, which I would often visit when there wasn’t any training or anything else to do.

But it looked far from peaceful at the moment.

The thundering music could be heard all the way to the primary perimeter, that is the area closest to the pack house, and the lake house was near the final perimeter, which was at the very end. As we got closer, I could hear a lot of noises, people shouting and whistling, those annoying lights they have at the clubs and, of course, the stench of alcohol. It immediately repulsed me, not because of the alcohol, but I just hated noise with a passion.

“I want to go back,” I muttered under my breath.

“Oh, come on,” Eli said, dragging me by the arm.

“Yeah, let’s get drunk,” the girl beside me exclaimed, excitement radiating off her in waves. Naya was my age and, unlike Eli, with that goofy, kind vibe to him, she was kind of the opposite. But she was super sweet and fun.

“Sure,” Eli shot her that brotherly look which immediately reminded me of Ivan, making that familiar tinge of pain crush through my chest.

“It’s annoying when you act all older brotherly,” she grimaced. “We are the same age and I have a mate unlike you,”

Naya was mated to the leader of the hunters, Reed. Eli threw her a dark look but didn’t comment as we reached the lake house. My repulsion intensified as my eyes scanned the crowd. So many people and so many unknown faces. The music against the usual peaceful backdrop of the forest and mountains was like that ugly food stain on a spotless white cloth. It pissed me off because somehow I had got used to this place as my safe haven. And now the asshole was polluting it.

“Technically, it’s his property,” Silver muttered. “Just saying,” I ignored her and had Eli not been holding my hand so tightly, I would have turned and ran away.

“This can’t be just the pack members,” I mumbled. “I don't think the pack has such a large female population.”

“No, they are, er…Asher’s friends,” Eli said, a bit hesitant. I peeked up at him, and he shot me an apologetic smile.

“Regretting bringing me here now?”

“Everyone has a past, Ivy.” My eyes reflexively stopped scanning the crowd, falling on him, and immediately a strange feeling engulfed me as I watched him.

“So much for the past,” I hissed under my breath, my body heating up.

Silver let out a growl, but it was more on the verge of hurt. Eli followed my gaze and swore under his breath. A few feet away stood my mate, his arms around some blonde in a tiny red dress and heels that could kill. My scalp prickled as he poured whatever the fuck he was drinking down her throat and then, leaning down, sucked at her neck, making her moan and giggle at the same time. I was overcome with an urge to hit him, but also annoyed that it even brought out a reaction in me.

Suddenly, Asher stopped and whirled around and instantly our eyes met. I bit the inside of my cheek, that unfamiliar, dark feeling at the pit of my stomach returning. Asher mumbled something to the blonde, and I stilled as he strode towards us. I inched closer to Eli, making no attempt to hide the disgust I felt. But I did mask the other unfamiliar emotions that hit me full force.

“What took you so long?” Asher’s question was directed at Eli, but I noticed his eyes swiftly falling on the former’s hands wrapped around mine before he averted his gaze.

“Was looking for Ivy,” Eli answered gruffly, and I don’t know why it felt like they were having some unspoken conversation between them. “I need a drink. It’s damn hot here. Ivy, what would you drink?”

“Am good,” I answered, looking everywhere but at the man in front of me.

“You will have a beer then. Be right back,” Eli said. “Stay here, Ivy!”

No, don't go!

Eli gave me a wink and disappeared into the crowd while I stood there with the almighty alpha towering in front of me. To say it was awkward and uncomfortable would be an understatement. Especially when his scent mixed with whatever scent he was wearing, along with that of cigarettes and alcohol, invaded my senses. I held my breath, struggling to stand my ground as Asher took a step towards me.

“Seems like my delta is very fond of you,” he remarked, an edge to his deep, masculine voice, almost a command prompting me to turn my eyes at him.

Bad idea.

Deep dark eyes gazed down at me intently as he almost stood on top of me, his face unreadable but his eyes turning darker. He wore a flimsy white shirt, most of whose buttons were open, revealing a mosaic of ink on his smooth, tanned skin and a slight peek of what could be perfectly sculpted six packs along with a shiny gold chain with a diamond-encrusted wolf-pendant around his neck.

“Not as much as you are fond of that blonde,” I shot back. “Go, don’t stop at my expense. Quench your thirst,” Asher turned around and sure the blonde was watching us, boring holes in my head. Turning his attention back to me, Asher cocked his head to the side, and I almost wanted to scratch his face when he shot me a smirk.

“Jealousy does smell good,” he murmured. I hated how close he was standing. “If you want that, all you need to do is ask, baby girl.”

“Oh,” Silver gasped. My wolf was literally salivating.

“You gotta be kidding me,” I hissed, blown at his audacity. “And don’t you dare call me stupid names. I am not one of your conquests or some silly little idiot who would melt at your fake flirty innuendos,”

“Is that it?” Ash murmured. “I wonder why your heart is beating so hard then, or why are you holding your breath, Ivyanka? To stop yourself from melting for me?” I clenched my jaw, glaring up at him. I could feel the heat flooding through my cheeks as we both stared at each other. My breath hitched when my eyes reflexively fell on his full lips. Asher leaned closer, and I shuddered as he whispered in my ear, “You really can’t hide from me.”

Moving back, he gave me a scorching look before turning on his heels and walking away while I stood there, my mind and wits scattered. But it didn’t take long for me to get my shit together. I grit my teeth, annoyed and furious both with him and myself, realizing I needed a drink after all. Unable to find Eli or even Naya, I made my way to the makeshift bar and grabbed a can of chilled beer.

It was so damn crowded I had to squeeze my way through all the bodies and the array of scents that made my head hurt, making my way to the edge of the lake where it was much less crowded. At a distance, I spotted Asher making out with the blondie against a giant ass tree. There was no way I would ever believe Eli or anyone who claimed him to be a good person or even a decent one. His brothers sure were, but he…he was an asshole. And I was going to find a way to get rid of this invisible thread between us. Opening the beer can, I chugged down almost the entire content in one go, hoping the cold bitterness would help calm the throbbing in my temples.

“And here’s the new Luna of GrayCrest…”

I knew that voice, but before I could turn around and look, I felt firm hands on my back, pushing me forward. My legs slipped, my eyes widened, and a scream escaped my throat as I toppled straight into the cold, dark water.

Fuck.