CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
ASHER’S POV
Astrid and I hop back to the training center in our wolf forms and when we get there, Rowan signals us both to go into the separate rooms where he had kept our clothes.
Once I get into the room, Kane steps back and let’s my human form take over him. Bones starts cracking and reforming and less than no time, I am a full human, standing on two feet, stark nnaked. I proceed with wearing the clothes that had been placed there for me, but I still look shabby and sweaty. I need to go back home and take a shower immediately.
When I get outside, I see Astrid and Rowan standing together and she’s laughing so hard that it makes me jealous.
How come Rowan is so good at making her laugh?
I walk over to them and when she sees me, she stops laughing, much to my disappointment. I like hearing her angelic voice.
Her laughter sounds like pleasant music in my ears.
“Can I join in the laughter?”
“Nope, you need to go get a shower.” Rowan blasts.
“Why, thanks for the reminder, Rowan”
“So, Astrid just told me she played you dirty in there”
“Oh yeah she did. You teach your students nothing but deceit and mischief! I am not impressed at all!” I pretend to frown and he smiles proudly.
“That’s how we roll around here bro. You’ll get used to it”
“I am not having this conversation with you” I avert my gaze from him to Astrid. “Let’s walk together to the castle, shall we?” I ask formerly and the smile on her face is replaced with a horrified look.
“I’m not sure that’s a great idea. Freya will not be very happy if she sees us…” I cut her off before she can continue”
“Let me worry about Freya. Come on” I urge and start walking away and she comes along.
There is an uncomfortable aura of silence around us as we walk and the only thing audible is our footsteps.
To break the silence, I clear my throat and look at her.
“Why is that you always laugh so hard when you are with Rowan?”
“Because he makes the most hilarious and bone cracking jokes. He’s a clown”
“Oh… so I don’t make any jokes, do I?”
“No you don’t, but your sense of humour is not bad at all. You are just not the very funny type” She replied frankly and a wave of disappointment washes through me.
“I don’t know if I should feel happy or sad about that remark, Astrid.”
“Well, you are an Alpha and you always need to have a serious look on. The last thing you would want is for your subjects yo see you as a clown, but somehow, you have you own way of making people laugh, and it’s still cool”
“So, you are saying that’s a compliment”
“Yes, it is”
“Cool”
The silence creeps in again as we both walk into my chambers. The living room is buzzing with maid servants walking helter-skelter, trying to fix a thing or two. At the end of the flight of stairs, where Astrid and I have to separate to thevarious wings our bedrooms are located in, I stop and look at her.
“I had a great time today”
“Me too” she says smiling with her pink, full lips and I fight my urge to go close to her and kiss them.
I know the time will come when I will be able to do that anytime I please, but for now, I better stay in my lane.
“See you at dinner” I say and take the West Wing that leads to the bedroom Freya and I share.
I didn’t see her in the living room, that should mean she is in the bedroom.
Right now, my mood is so good that she wouldn’t be able to spoil it, no matter how hard she tries.
I’m going to go into a full “ignore Freya” mood the moment I step into that bedroom.
When I step into my bedroom, I poke my head inside to scan the scenario before me. Freya is out of sight.
I open the door fully and step in, wondering where she could have gone to and immediately, the bathroom opens and she steps out of it, completely drenched, with a very short towel tied around her body. The towel exposes the better part of her thighs and her entire hands and shoulders.
Any man in my shoes would freeze on his spot and drool over her, but surprisingly, I’m not moved. I walk straight into the closet without giving her another look.
In the closet, I begin taking off my clothes and I’m about to pull down my pants when she steps in. I stop and pull back my pants up.
She can’t see what’s not hers.
“Is there something wrong with me?” She suddenly asks and I know exactly where she’s coming from.
“Why do you ask?” I open the drawer where my towels have been packed and take out a towel from it.
“Why won’t you even look at me?”
“Because…” I turn around and face her. “There is nothing to look at”
She scoffs and sighs and looks at me in total disbelief.
I know that hurt her.
I know that was a cruel thing to say to her, but I had to say it.
“You can’t be serious. I believe I’m pretty enough to have you look at me, to have you want to hold me, kiss me and make love to me. For Christ sake, I am your fiancé!” She rants on and I walk towards the door. “Asher don’t you dare walk away from me!”
“Freya, I don’t have time for this. I had a long day” then I step out and bang the door hard behind me, giving her a signal to not follow me.
The only thing I want to do right now, is go into my bathroom, step under the shower and reminisce about my training with Astrid earlier today.
There’s no room for Freya’s whining.
ASTRID’S POV
I don’t know how to explain what I feel right now. There’s this burst of emotions in me right now that’s making me confused , happy, excited, and many more.
Today was amazing.
A dream come true.
I actually had fun in the woods with Alpha Asher aand for as long as I live, I will remember this day.
He is such a gentleman and I swear I love him.
I love him so much that I cannot help but blush anytime I think of him. He was gentle with me back there and let me win most fights on purpose.
I can’t wait to go down for dinner and see him again.
Arya was here earlier today and I told her all about what happened and she almost burst my eardrums with screams.
She is one crazy girl.
Me going down for dinner is not a very good idea. Freya is going to freak out, but right now, I don’t care.
She can go to hell. What I know is that I have to go down there and see Alpha Asher again before I go to bed.
“Astrid is here” Arya announces the moment I show up in the dining room and they all turn to look at me, including Freya.
Everyone smiles at me, except Freya who does nothing but stares daggers at me. If looks could kill, I would be dead and forgotten by now.
Too bad for her, she can do nothing to me.
I smile and walk over to the table to meet them.
Alpha Asher is seated at the head of the table, Freya is seated on the first seat on his left while Rowan and Arya are seated on the second and third seat on his right.
My eyes widen when I see that the first seat is empty.
“I can see you have already spotted your seat.” Rowan announces as he rises from his seat and pulls out the seat for me. I don’t even have time to hesitate or protest.
I quickly sat on the chair that had been pulled out for me. I can feel Freya’s burning gaze on me and that makes me really nervous. She’s seated alone on the left side of the table like a piece of stale bread that no one wants to eat.
No matter how much I try to be confident around her, I fail.
She will always intimidate me.
The sound of dishes and clattering snaps me out of my thoughts and that’s when I realize that everyone has begun serving themselves.
“So Asher…” Arya breaks the silence. “How did you enjoy your training with Astrid earlier in the woods today?” She asks out of nowhere and I cast her a frightened look. She smiles and shrugs her shoulders and rides on with serving herself.
I quietly serve myself some white rice and tomato sauce as I wait for Alpha Asher to respond.
“How do you know Astrid and I were in the woods?”
“Well, I paid her a visit earlier today and we had some girl gossip” She rats out and I drop my cutleries on the plate and cover my face with my palms in pure embarrassment.
Arya is just the worst!
“Astrid, is that true?”
My ears start itching and suddenly my body gets all hot.
I look up and the moment my eyes meet with his, I almost choke on my saliva.
“She’s definitely exaggerating a few things.” I defend.
“No, I’m not!” Aryra denies flatly. “Come on Asher, answer me, how was it?” She insists, not looking at Asher, but at Freya who is almost crushing a fork with her palms and that’s when I understand Arya’s motive. She’s trying to get Freya furious, which is not a good thing for me.
“Well, it was okay. Rowan is doing a great job training. Anyone who thinks he or she can bully Astrid right now had better think twice before doing that…” He says looking at Freya. “She has grown quite strong now. Girl had good a very deadly punch”
I hear a chair screech on the floor, I look in the direction of the sound and see Freya rising up from her seat. She storms out of the dining room and there is a brief moment of silence.
“So, you were saying?” Arya comes again, totally ignoring the fact that her future sister-in-law just left out of anger.
“I was saying it was okay, even though she had a few tricks up her sleeves…”
“I did not! Everytime I won, it was genuine!” I disagree and he looks at me in awe.
“Really? I let you win most rounds on purpose”
“No you did not!” I deny flatly and the argument goes on.
We all eat on like no one has left us and I do not feel guilty about it.
Freya has done the same thing to me countless times and it was about time she had a taste of her own medicine.