Kayla
It was the first light of dawn, the sun was barely rising. Birds were flying high, chirping a beautiful morning melody. I woke up earlier than usual, I just couldn’t get enough sleep, and I was worried. There was a shivering in the air that sent a jolt down my spine. I could feel something was wrong and I didn’t know why Asher would hide it from me.
Could it be that those rogue wolves were back but that could not possibly be the reason for that deeply rooted fear, I saw in his gaze yesterday. Maybe it is something extremely dangerous. My eyes danced from left to right as I tried to find pieces of this giant puzzle and fit them together. I was clenching and unclenching my fists as I thought about this, theorizing everything in my head and yet I couldn’t come up with anything, and the only solution to this was to find out what was really going on.
I abandoned my clothes, took a quick shower after which I wore a fresh set of clothes, and left my chamber. I walked down the long hallway of the castle alone, wearing a long blue velvet dress and I made my way to Asher’s study. The door was slightly ajar. I creased my brows and stood at the entrance, peering inside but there was no sign of him so I decided to go in.
I pulled down the woolen hood covering my shiny black hair as I stepped through the black gigantic door. I breathed in calmly, the fresh air gliding into my nose, releasing the restlessness that had clogged my chest on the way here.
Asher’s study was filled with books and maps, and the scent of parchment filled the air. There was a huge map on the wall, with intricate details etched in ink. The various regions of the Council were depicted with different colors, indicating the various territories and provinces.
I moved closer to the mahogany table and there were different books and manuscripts littered on it. I pulled out his chair and sat down to keep myself busy while waiting for him but unfortunately, my dress got stuck in one of the cabinets, and in the process of removing it the cabinets pulled open and some of its contents poured out. There was something like a picture frame on the floor, I reached down on the ground and picked up the fallen object. I stared in shock at the picture of a woman with a bright smile and her hands wrapped around Asher’s waist.
It was as if a drum of ice was dashed to my face. That was her, his dead mate. She was extremely beautiful with her long silken brown hair glittering in the sun and her smile matched that of Asher’s. I had never seen him so happy and cheerful before. I looked away and tried not to cry, knowing that I felt something for a man who already had his entire heart for another woman was such a horrible and painful feeling.
My hands shook as I crushed the picture frame with my fingers, the emotions suffocating my chest were too intense to bear. It was unbearable.
I pulled out of my shock immediately I heard the galloping of horses entering the castle ground. I was up on my feet, moving to the window bars, and opening the draperies, I saw Asher returning with his brother and two of his warriors.
Where could he have gone this early morning?
I quickly moved back to his desk, taking one last glance at the picture. I shoved it inside the cabinet and packed up the remaining items on the floor. I knew it was only a matter of time before Asher would enter his study.
Oh my God! How would he feel seeing me snooping around his stuff without permission?
I felt my pulse plummeting, my heart striking so fast that it caused me to breathe heavily. I vibrated in fear at the rough manner in which the door burst open. But I forced my body to stop trembling, my eyes slowly moving to Asher. Immediately his eyes settled on me, I was surprised to see the elation and relief on his face. Releasing an exhausted sigh, his eyes wandered over my body for the briefest seconds.
Was he worried about me while he was out? My heart warmed at that thought and my stomach stirred with a fluttering feeling.
But that feeling didn’t last long as he turned and was about to leave without uttering a single word to me. I quickly followed him, I could tell by the way his shoulders tensed that he wasn’t in the mood to entertain any form of discussion but I couldn’t help it, I needed answers.
I expected him to keep going but to my surprise, he turned and I almost bumped into him.
“You’ve been avoiding me and I want to know why?” I said, forcing my emotions out of my voice, and steeled myself for whatever information he would reveal.
“I’m not in any way avoiding you, I just have a lot of council matters to sort out.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You are lying to me, Asher. I want to know the truth. What could you possibly be hiding from me?”
My eyes were trained on him and I could see the internal struggle going on in his mind. I subconsciously thrust forward, my right hand caressing his cheek gently. His eyes fluttered shut at my touch and his expression was of pure bliss. At that moment, he looked just like an innocent little boy, not the dark vile Alpha everybody was afraid of.
The light dusting of stubble on his jaw was too tempting so I gently rolled my fingers around it.
His hands snaked around my waist and I feared he would push me away instead from him. But his hand pulled me into his chest and his eyes fluttered open. His face had an expression of pure yearning.
He leaned down, so close that our noses were almost touching.
“I don’t want to talk about this now Kayla. Please, I would appreciate it if you would just let it go.” His voice cracked with raw emotion, as he pulled away from me and scanned my body once more before he stormed out of the study.
I didn’t understand him, he had just started to confide in me, and all of a sudden he was putting a restraint around him. What could have changed in a matter of seconds?