Alethea
“Asher, put your clothes back on,” I say firmly, crossing my arms. “There’s no way I’m getting into bed with you while you’re just in your briefs, especially with your… erection hanging to the side like that.”
A slow smirk tugs at his lips. “Are you afraid you’ll end up with my dick in your mouth?” he taunts.
I scoff, shaking my head. “I think I’ve had enough of this.” I gesture between us, frustration tightening my chest.
“This thing, whatever it is, doesn’t even have a name. I only agreed to come to bed because I see how exhausted you are. You need rest. And besides, no one will find you here.” I pause, my voice dropping, bitterness creeping in.
“Let’s be honest, Asher. I’m the last person you care about. These past two weeks have made me question why I even agreed to come with you.”
He watches me silently, as his smirk fades.
“You refuse to acknowledge me, not even once,” I continue, my voice cracking slightly.
“Meanwhile, that fragile little Shirley doll is all you seem to care about. Do you have any idea how insignificant that makes me feel?”
Asher opens his mouth, about to interrupt, but I raise a hand, stopping him.
“You didn’t even bother to ask what happened to me earlier,” I say, my anger building.
“And now, here you are, standing in just your briefs, thinking I’ll fall apart just because of the size of your dick? Hell no.
I’m not your rebound, Asher. And I’m not some fuck buddy you can show up for whenever it suits you. If I want to sleep with someone, it’ll be on my terms.”
The words spill out of me in a rush, like I’ve been rehearsing them over and over in my head.
Asher arches a brow, clearly amused.
“Wow. Feisty, much?” He chuckles, but there’s something unreadable in his expression.
Asher sighs, as he pulls on his trousers. His sharp gaze locks onto mine, but I can tell he’s holding something back.
“Happy now?” he asks, his voice laced with amusement.
I cross my arms over my chest, refusing to back down. “This isn’t funny, Asher. You don’t get to ignore me for weeks, act like I don’t exist, then suddenly show up in my room half-naked and expect me to just fall at your feet.”
His jaw clenches. “Ally, it’s not like that.”
“Then tell me what it’s like!” I snap, throwing my hands up. “Tell me why you’ve treated me like nothing, do you even know how humiliating it is to be cast aside while everyone looks at me like I don’t belong here?”
His nostrils flare, and for a second, I think he’s going to snap at me, but instead, he exhales and drags a hand down his face. “It’s complicated.”
I let out a dry laugh. “Of course it is. That’s all you ever say when you don’t want to tell me the truth.”
“You think I don’t care about you?” he asks, with a soft voice, but there is an intensity in it that makes me shiver.
“You think I don’t lose my mind every time I see you with another man?”
I scoff. “Oh, so now you care?”
“I always cared, Ally,” he growls, stepping closer until there’s barely any space between us. “I just… I don’t know how to handle this. You. Us.”
I swallow hard, my heart hammering against my ribs. “Then figure it out, Asher. Because I’m done waiting for you to decide if
Asher sighs loudly, as he runs a hand through his already disheveled hair. His gaze is locked to mine.
“I thought we had moved past this,” he says, with a low firm voice. “I told you, Ally. I want you. I want to make things right.”
“Then act like it, Asher,” I snap, my patience wearing thin.
“Act like you mean those damn words instead of waving your dick in my face, thinking that’s enough to make me forget how you’ve treated me. But you know what? I’ve seared my heart with hot steel. I doubt I will ever want you the way I once did.”
A flash of pain crosses his face, and for a second, I think I see regret, maybe even fear. But he says nothing.
I shake my head, as I let out a bitter laugh.
“I can’t keep up with you, Asher. One minute, you’re all over me, and the next, you act like you’d rather be anywhere else. So tell me, what changed? Why did you suddenly remember where my room is after two weeks?”
He clenches his jaw, avoiding my eyes.
“This past week has been… exhausting. There are too many theories about Maya’s death. And Shirley…”
At the mention of Shirley, my interest piques. No one in the pack knows much about her, only that she left when she was about thirteen.
Asher hesitates before continuing. “Shirley has been through a lot. She was rejected by her mate, and-”
“Sounds familiar,” I cut in with an eye roll, the bitterness in my tone glaring.
Asher’s shoulders drop slightly, and he looks away, disappointed. But I don’t care.
“I know you have every right to still be angry with me,” he says, and I don’t mind paying the consequences every single day if that’s what it takes.”
For the first time in a long while, I see the weight he’s been carrying. A part of me wants to reach out, to tell him that things will be okay, but I pull back.
Instead, I cross my arms and arch a brow. “So what, she needs someone to fall back on? Someone to make her feel important? And you decided to be that person?”
“I’ve been like a big brother to her,” he explains. “She looks up to me.”
I bite my cheek to stop myself from screaming the truth in his face ‘She’s in love with you, Asher. How can you not see it?’
But that still doesn’t answer my question.
“That doesn’t explain why you’re suddenly here now,” I say.
He exhales slowly, holding my gaze. “I realized that I’ve been pushing you away. I needed to make things right. That’s why I’m here.”
I search his face, sensing there’s more he isn’t saying. “And?” I prompt.
Asher steps closer. “I see what she’s doing now. I see how hard she’s trying to keep us apart. I made a mistake with Maya once, I won’t make another mistake with her.” He pauses, taking a deep breath.
“So I’m here, Ally. From the deepest part of my heart, I’m asking you to find it in yours to forgive me.”
His words hit like a wave, breaking against the walls I’ve built around my heart.
“I want you,” he continues, his voice steady, filled with conviction.
“In every sense of the word. As my mate. The mother of my child. My Luna. My everything.” His throat bobs as he swallows hard.
“I have no one else except you, Declan, and Kayla. And I’m not willing to trade you for anything in this world.”
I stare at him, my heart pounding as he steps even closer.
“You made a huge sacrifice leaving everything behind to come with me to Redwood Pack,” he murmurs.
“Because you knew I would need you. Because you were willing to stand by me. And what have I done? I let my pride, my fears, my past control me.” He reaches for my hands, holding them gently between his own.
“No more. I need to stop being a coward and finally man up, to be the mate and father you and our son deserve.”
I take a shaky breath, unsure of what to say. Because for the first time, Asher isn’t just saying what I want to hear. He’s laying his heart bare. And that terrifies me more than anything.
My heart skips a thousand times, my emotions swirling too fast for me to grasp. I don’t know how to respond with words-how to make him feel better after pouring his heart out in one breath. So instead, I rushed to him, wrapping my arms around his torso.
Damn the sparks.
The tingling sensation erupts like wildfire, spreading through every nerve in my body.
I press myself against him, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest.
When I finally gather the courage to look up, I meet his mesmerizing green eyes. They hold nothing back.
For once, Asher isn’t hiding. He’s laying it all bare, silently inviting me to step into his world again, to see just how serious he is.
Slowly, he lowers his head, his lips brushing against my forehead in a lingering kiss. It feels like a vow, a silent promise that he will never let me go.
I close my eyes, allowing myself to sink
into the moment, into the warmth of him.
But just as I begin to surrender, the next words that leave his mouth freeze me in place.
My breath catches as I snap my eyes open, staring up at him in shock.