52

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
ASHER’S POV
I give Astrid one last glance before switching off the light and walking out of her bedroom. The past hours have not been pleasant for her. Her ankle had to be treated and bandaged and she has cried so much that I’m scared she might catch a fever.
In a few hours, she is going to feel a lot better. She’s an Alpha, so she is going to heal fast.
I instructed the doctor to give her some sedatives so she could sleep well without having to feel any pain, and right now, I have decided against my better judgment to go back to work. If it were left to me I would sit by her bedpost and watch her sleep all day, but as an Alpha, I do not have that kind of luxury.
However, I’m going to spend some time with her tonight.
“How is she?” A familiar voice asks from behind and when I turn to look, I see Arya staring up at me with her big brown eyes and all I see is concern, swimming in them.
“She will be a lot better when she wakes up”
“That sounds relieving”
“How did you know she had been hurt”
“Rowan told me. The guy looks miserable right now. He knows you are going to punish him” She reports and I’ll chuckle in amusement.
“I’m not going to punish him, I just want us to have a little chit-chat ”
“You do know it wasn’t intentional, right? Rowan loves Astrid and he would never hurt her on purpose”
“I know that, Arya. I just want him to be more cautious with her. I understand that she is an Alpha and that gives her some great deal of strength, but it doesn’t change the fact that she’s a girl and is vulnerable. That’s just all I want to let him know”
“Are you sure”
“I swear on our mother’s grave. That’s all I want to say to him. I’m not going to scold or punish him. He’s my brother and I love him very much”
“You can’t go back on your word”
“You know I will never do that”
“Cool, that said, I better return to what I was doing. See you at dusk”
“Take care out there”
“I will” She turns around and starts walking away, but halfway, she turns to face me again. “By the way, your fiancé has returned. She should be waiting for you in your bedroom.”
All my organs, tissues, and cells shut down on hearing that. I watch blankly as she smiles and strolls away, leaving me numb and dumbfounded.
Why did Freya return so soon? I expected her to spend about a week with her family. Why was she so much in a haste to come back?
Dang it!
I lifelessly make my way to the West Wing of my chambers, headed for my bedroom, so I c. an see for myself if what Arya said is true and the moment I perceive Freya’s familiar cologne, my doubts are confirmed.
I let out an exasperated sigh as I stop my door and rub my forehead with my palms as I shake my head.
Having Freya around here is one of my greatest nemeses right now.
I gently raise my hand and knock at the door and wait for her to signal me to get in. The last thing I want is to get in there and see her naked.
When she gives the signal from within, I gently creak open the door and majestically walk into the bedroom. I am not surprised by what I’m seeing. There are clothes sprawled all over the bed and shoes as well and she seems to be adding more lotions to those already present at her mirror stand.
She’s too much.
“Hey babe” She greets cheerfully as makes her way towards me. As she tries to kiss my lips, I turn my face away and the kiss lands on my jaw.
I don’t like having any form of contact with her.
“Come on love, I just came home and you won’t even give me a welcome kiss?” She asks bothered and I just stand still and stare at her in silence.
The only thing I want to do right now is throw her out of here this minute, but I can’t.
When she notices that her tricks won’t work on me, she walks back to the bed where she proceeds with packing her clothes.
“How did you know I was back?” She asks curtly.
“Arya told me”
“Oh, and you came to check me?” She asks amused and I can see a glimpse of happiness in her eyes.
I snort and shove both my hands in trouser pockets.
“Don’t flatter yourself. I would never leave work just to come to see you, even if you were dying” I spit out bitterly and the happiness in her eyes fades away as disappointment replaces it.
What exactly was she thinking?
Silly!
“Asher…” She calls but I cut her off before she can ride on.
“I have to get back to work.” With that, I exit the bedroom before she can utter another word.
I don’t have time to stand there and listen to her nonsense shenanigans.
She is either a bore or a nag, none of which I like about her.
I like absolutely nothing about her, not even her emerald green eyes.
I head straight to my office and when I get there, I meet Rowan, sitting in the sitting area, waiting for me.
I take calculated steps over to him, but he doesn’t lift his head to look at me, even though he has heard me come in. I can tell from a distance that he is breathing hard out of nervousness and the way he is playing with his sweaty fingers makes me understand that he is terribly sorry for hurting Astrid.
My humble brother.
Without uttering a word, I sit down by his side on the same couch he is seated on and I pop my knuckles.
My brother has, however, refused to acknowledge my presence.
“The level of awkwardness we are both currently experiencing is entirely genuine” I break the silence and that does the trick to make him look at me and that’s when I notice that he has been crying.
Poor thing.
“It wasn’t intentional”
“I know that”
“But you’re still mad at me, right?”
“A little,” I say shrugging my shoulders.
“Does that mean you are going to have me punished?”
“Not if you apologize to Astrid”
“So, you mean if I apologize to Astrid, we are going to be even?”
“Why do you sound like you had no plans of doing so”
“Go away!” He says pushing me playfully, provoking me to laugh out loud.
“You just have to be more careful next time. I know the fact that she is an Alpha makes her fierce and all, but it doesn’t change the fact that she is a woman and she needs to be treated with utmost care because she is fragile and vulnerable. Is that clear?” I ask giving him an intense loom and he nods his head in agreement.
“Good boy, now you can go back…” I stop mid-sentence and give him a gentle pat on his shoulder. “By the way, Freya just returned”
“Can’t she just die one of these days?” He asks angrily as he rises from the couch and marches out of the office.
Nobody wants Freya around here and that’s so sad to know.
I just wish she could understand this and go away!