Asher
“That can wait,” I say firmly, staring at my phone as it continues to ring. Julian can wait. Right now, I need answers.
I watch Kayla carefully, searching for any flicker of emotion, and tell. But there’s nothing.
She’s a mystery I’m still trying to unravel. She had doubts about Maya, and as if the universe was backing her suspicions, Maya turned out to be someone none of us truly knew.
“Please,” I say, my voice dropping to a desperate tone.
Her expression remains unreadable, her steady gaze locked onto mine. Kayla isn’t one to show emotions easily.
But I’ve seen her with Ally-she’s always been more open, more free-spirited when it comes to her. Now, though, she stands firm, unreadable.
“No,” she finally says, shaking her head.
“Ally doesn’t have a child. Not that I’m aware of.”
She glances between me and Liam as if searching for something neither of us understands.
My heart sinks. I was bracing for confirmation, preparing for the truth, but instead, I was left with more doubt.
“Are you sure?” I press, needing to hear it again.
“Alpha, I’m not aware,” she repeats, her tone unwavering.
“Maybe I didn’t notice any changes, so I never asked. And besides, Ally never told me anything about a child.”
Liam’s voice echoes in my head through the mind-link. “Do you think she’s telling the truth?”
I exhale sharply, frustration and confusion twisting inside me. “I don’t know, Liam. But judging by her body language… nothing seems off. She’s telling the truth.”
Kayla’s voice pulls me back. “Did you see Ally?”
I knew she’d ask. She cares about Ally more than anything.
“Yes,” I answered flatly. “She’s in Tarship, working at my mother’s Eat and Roll.”
Kayla’s eyes widened in shock. “Oh, my goodness. My poor Ally…” She pauses, her brows furrowing. “Can I go with you the next time you visit?”
I watch her closely, studying her reaction. Is she genuinely surprised? Or is she covering for Ally? But there’s no hesitation in her concern-it’s real.
“Yes, of course,” I say, waving my hand in dismissal.
She nods and turns to leave. But as the door closes behind her, my mind refuses to rest.
Something isn’t adding up.
By now, I am drained of emotion, my mind running in endless circles. I don’t know what to do next, but one thing is certain-I need to wait for Julian’s report.
With a deep sigh, I sink further into my chair, my fingers pinching the bridge of my nose as my thoughts drift back to my encounter with Ally.
The way she looked at me… the hatred in her eyes wasn’t just surface-level. It ran deeper, deeper than I could have ever imagined.
I want to make things right. I need to explain my actions, to help her understand.
Just then, my phone rings again, breaking me from my thoughts. My pulse quickens-it’s the call I’ve been waiting for.
I didn’t hesitate. I swipe to answer, cutting straight to the point.
“Julian, what did you find?”
His voice is steady as he delivers the news. “She has a son, but the father is unknown.”
My chest tightens at the confirmation. She has a child. And she never told me.
I swallow hard, my grip on the phone tightening. “Maybe the child isn’t mine,” I think to myself. “Maybe that’s why she never said anything.” But Ally is my mate.
Something like this-something this important should never have been kept a secret.
“Any trace of a romantic affair with another man?” I ask, dreading the answer but I need to hear it.
Julian hesitates for only a second before responding. “Yes. She was involved with a man named Xavier Sterling. But there’s no information confirming that he’s the father of the child.”
Xavier Sterling.
The name feels oddly familiar. My gut twists with unease as I rack my brain for the connection. And then it clicks.
“Wait… Xavier Sterling?” I repeat, my voice laced with suspicion. “You don’t mean the same Xavier who was involved with Maya?”
Julian’s silence is enough of an answer.
I clench my jaw. “Who is Xavier Sterling?”
“He’s the Bloodmoon Pack’s Beta,” Julian explains. But then he trails off as if hesitating to say more.
That hesitation only fuels my rage.
“What else, Julian?” I demand. “Is there any deeper connection between Xavier and Ally? That’s my concern.”
Julian exhales sharply. “The only connection is that they were involved with each other… but nothing else was found.” A brief pause. “Because Xavier is Maya’s mate.”
Everything around me blurs.
The phone suddenly feels too heavy in my hand, and before I even realize it, it slips from my grip. But before it can smash onto the floor, Liam stretches out his arm and catches it just in time.
I barely register the movement. My eyes are wide in shock, my mind racing with possibilities.
Liam looks at me with deep concern. He isn’t sure what Julian just told me, but he knows it’s something big.
Without hesitation, he presses the red button, ending the call.
I didn’t move. I didn’t speak.
But one thing is clear.
I need to get to the bottom of this.
“What did he say, Alpha?”
Liam’s voice pulls me back, but I don’t answer right away. My thoughts are tangled, my emotions raw.
I stare into the distance, my chest tightening with pain so sharp it almost takes my breath away.
“He said many things, Liam… and I’m not sure which ones I even want to share.”
My jaw clenches as anger coils inside me. So, Ally had been with Xavier. And Xavier-Maya’s mate-the same man who once schemed to take my position as Alpha of Redwood Pack.
Betrayal burns through me like wildfire.
“Leave me alone.” My voice is low, controlled but the warning is there.
Liam hesitates, clearly unsure whether to push or give me space. He studies my face for a moment, but whatever he sees there convinces him to back off. With a slow nod, he raises his hands in surrender and silently exits my office.
The moment he’s gone, I drop my head onto my mahogany desk. The pressure in my skull is unbearable.
A headache is building, a dull, relentless ache that spreads through my entire body.
I know I should take a cold bath and let the water wash away some of this tension, but exhaustion wraps around me like a heavy cloak. I close my eyes, and before I know it, sleep drags me under.
It doesn’t last long.
In my dream, I see her.
Ally.
My pulse quickens at the sight of her, but I force myself to stay composed. I can’t let her see how broken I am. I can’t let her know the war raging inside me.
Yet, there’s one question I can’t hold back.
My voice is quiet, but it carries all the weight of my pain.
“Why do you hate me so much that the thought of having my child repulses you?”