57

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
ASHER’S POV
“How many times have I warned you not to go into Astrid’s bedroom?” I scold the moment I barge into the bedroom, causing Freya to jump in fright as she turns around to face me. She is sitting by her mirror stand as usual, with a maid standing by her side and applying her face care products on her face.
“Get out!” She orders the maid rudely and she immediately bows her head down and starts to walk out of the bedroom.
“That is not how to talk to someone, even if that person is a maid. Cassandra!” I call the maid who immediately stops on her tracks and spins around to look at me.
“Alpha Asher”
“Wait right there” I order and walk over to Freya who is looking at me like I just lost my mind. “Right now, you will tell her to excuse us in a polite manner” I say calmly and Freya looks at me in total disbelief.
“I’m not going to do that. That is humiliation of the first order”
“No it’s not and I will show you humiliation of the first order if you do not do as I’ve Instructed immediately!” I threaten and she gasps and looks from me to Cassandra and then back to me.
“Seriously?” She asks, shocked and I raise my brows at her, indicating that I’m serious.
With blood red eyes, she turns to Cassandra who now has her head bowed down and speaks.
“You may excuse us” She says calmly and immediately, Cassandra does a subtle bow and scampers out of the bedroom.
“You didn’t die, did you!”
“Well, I’m about to die of embarrassment right now”
“I don’t understand how being nice to people is an act of humiliation. Did anyone ever teach you good manners while growing up?”
“Don’t you dare insult me, Alpha Asher”
“I don’t even have that kind of time to waste on you, Freya. Now answer me, haven’t I warned you never to go into Astrid’s bedroom?”
“I can go into any bedroom I please in this chamber. You are my fiancé and what belongs to you, belongs to me”
“I have told you time and again to stop having those little fantasies of yours. What belongs to me can never belong to you!”
“Fine! I was mad okay and I still am. Why does everyone like her and not me? Why do you like her and not me? What did I ever do wrong?”
“I think I have answered this question before. You very well know why no one around here likes you.”
“Why do you always take her side?” She cries.
“Because you always victimize her. Because you are a bad person and I will never take the side of a bad person. Freya, I don’t love you, I don’t want to marry you and my greatest wish is that you understand this and go away!” I say it to her face, caring less about the damage I’m causing, caring less about the consequences.
It’s about time she knows that she means nothing to me.
That she means nothing to anyone in this pack.
That we don’t want here, that we wish she would just go away and never show her face again.
“You are cruel. You are so cruel, Asher ” She says as she furiously wipes her tears away. “But you know what? You are stuck with me! You can’t get rid of me. You very well know what my father is capable of doing and because of that, I’m the one calling the shots here. If I say this wedding will push through, it will push through and there’s nothing any of you will be able to do about it. Not you, not Astrid, not your siblings, not even your love for Astrid will stop this wedding from happening. Like I said before, you are such with me! Keep that at the back of your mind!” She explains in fury and I grit my teeth in anger and clench my fists by my side. I swallow hard to suppress the anger that’s boiling within me.
I want to hit her!
I want to hit her so hard that she forgets her name or where she comes from.
I want to hold her by the hair and shove her out of this castle and out of my life!
I want to do every bad thing to her at this moment.
The evil smirk she has only makes me boil even more and I know if I stand here for another second, I will lose my cool and do something I’ll regret for the rest of my life.
She is not worth it.
She is not worth me going against my principles.
She is not worth me breaking all the promises I made to my father.
Without uttering a single word, I turn around and barge out of the bedroom, slamming the door hard behind me.
I leave the West Wing for the East Wing where Astrid’s bedroom is located. I need to see her before I go to bed, else I won’t wake up the next morning.
When I get to her room door, I raise my hand up to knock on it, but I stop midway.
I don’t want her to see me like this.
I don’t want to scare her.
I don’t want to make her think that this issue is more than me to handle, because it is not!
I walk helter-skelter about the hallway, taking in deep breaths, trying to calm myself down.
Freya thinks she has won, but she has no idea who she is up against.
When I’m convinced that I’m calm, I walk towards the door and this time around, I don’t hold myself from knocking.
I knock three times at the door and take a step backwards as I wait for it to be open.
Few moments later, the door is opened by Astrid and the contagious smile plastered on her face causes me to smile as well.
Coming into her bedroom to talk to her at night is my latest favorite thing to do.
“Hello” She greets with a shy wave.
“Hello.” I greet back and before I can ask if I can come in, she steps away from the door and makes way for me.
I’m glad she is happy to see me as well.
We both go into the bedroom and I walk straight to the balcony outside where the cold breeze is blowing.
I need this kind of breeze as well.
“Are you okay?” Astrid’s calm and soothing voice asks from behind and I turn around to face her. She looks perfect in anything she wears, evn in oversized pajamas.
“No, I’m not”
“What’s wrong?” She asks concerned as she walks closer to me.
I let out a heavy sigh of exasperation.
Freya frustrates me, she irritates, and makes me want to die. She does every bad thing to me and I curse the day my father ever said yes to that arranged marriage.
She has caused nothing but chaos ever since she got here.
“Freya!”
“What about Freya?”
“She frustrates me every single time and I just wish she could go away”
“But, she is your fiancé and I thought you loved her, that’s why you got engaged to her, why then do you want her gone”
“I have never loved Freya in my life and I did not engage her on my accord.”
“What do you mean by that? I thought you went over to my father’s pack and got her yourself.”
“Her father suddenly summoned me and when I got there, he told some story about him and my dad agreeing on an arranged marriage between me and Freya. He even showed me my father’s signature on the agreement they signed. He threatened to have this entire pack destroyed if I don’t keep to my father’s word, so here I am”
“Oh… that’s not good at all. That means you are literally stuck with Freya”
“No, I’m not. I’m not stuck with Freya and I never will be”
“Well, what you just explained to me says otherwise ” She insists stubbornly and I just smile.
Anyone who doesn’t know about the dagger will think the same way.
But for some odd reason, I don’t think I’m stuck with Freya because I know there is a way out of this bullshit.
All I need is one tiny explanation from the witch and this will all be over.
“You have every right to think that way”
“But, do you love Freya?” She asks out of nowhere and I actually choke on my saliva.
I cough violently for a whole lot of seconds and she gently rubs my back.
Shock!
When I’m calm again, I give her a furious glance and she bites her lips and chuckles.
“I’m not doing this with you tonight”
“But I wanna know” She cries with a baby voice and I furrow my brows as I give her a surprised look. I have never seen this naughty, baby side of her.
It’s cute.
I hold her and gently pull her into my embrace. Her body is soft and warm and I wish I never have to let go. I kiss her hair and place my chin and my chin on her head.
“I don’t love Freya. Not even as a person.”
“Are you sure?”
“If there’s one thing I’m sure about in this life, it’s the fact that I don’t love Freya. I can even swear”
She chuckles and wraps her arms around my back and I tighten the hug.
I want to stay like this in her arms for the rest of the night.
I thought this was the beginning of our happily ever after story, if only I knew the trouble that was ahead.