Asher
I want to run my hands through her hair, to kiss her until she has no breath left-until she’s consumed by me the way I’m consumed by her.
Damn this pull.
Every time I try to avoid her, I end up seeking her out. It’s like my body betrays me, drawn to her even when my mind tells me to stay away.
I know she’s mad at me. These past few days have been hell without her. I want us to work, I really do-but every time I try, something holds me back. Doubts creep in, fueled by the history of my ancestors, the choices they made, and the chaos they left behind.
Six generations before me, my forefathers-strong, feared Alphas-lost control after marking their mates.
They abandoned their duties, neglecting their packs, consumed by the bond. I’ve spent hours in the archives, reading their stories, trying to understand.
Do I want that for myself?
Hell no.
I swore an oath to my pack, to protect them above all else. I can’t let anything cloud that, not even her.
But Ally… she has sacrificed so much for me. her unhappiness presses on my chest, making it harder to breathe. I see the sadness in her eyes, the pain she tries to hide, and it tears me apart.
And now, with the Blue Moon approaching, my worry only grows.
In just a few weeks, she’ll go into heat, her scent stronger, her pull impossible to resist. Every unmated wolf will feel it, and will crave her. The thought alone sends a low growl rumbling through my chest.
I shake my head, trying to clear the image from my mind.
I don’t want to think about it. I don’t want to picture anyone else near her.
But I can’t stop.
“Liam, watch over Ally and guard her with your life,” I command through the mind link, sensing that something is off with her.
“Understood, Alpha,” he responds without hesitation. I know Liam, he would lay down his life to protect her, and that alone brings me a sliver of peace.
The meeting drags on, but my mind is elsewhere. Strategies, defenses, territory reinforcement-it all blurs together. I try to focus, but my thoughts keep drifting back to Ally. Something feels wrong, and I hate being stuck in this room instead of by her side.
“Get a grip, Asher.”
Forcing myself to concentrate, I turn my attention back to the discussion.
“The north and south borders-those are the weak points,” I remind them. “That’s where the rogues have been slipping through. We’ve already purged the traitors from our ranks, but we need to strengthen security. Reinforce patrols, tighten the shifts. No one gets in unnoticed.”
A murmur of agreement ripples through the room. “Understood, Alpha. We’ll work on it immediately.”
I nod. “Good. Anything else?”
Silence.
The pack elders glance at one another, hesitation thick in the air.
I narrow my eyes. “What is it?” My voice cuts through the tension like a blade.
More silence. More glances exchanged.
I can feel it-something is off.
“Someone better start talking,” I warn, my patience wearing thin.
“Alpha, we need to know when you plan to complete the mating rite with Alethea.”
At the mention of her name, a strange sensation courses through me straight from my brain to my groin. A low growl rumbles in my chest, quiet yet powerful enough to send a ripple of fear through the room.
I glare at them. They dare question me about this?
“You don’t dictate when I complete the mating bond,” I say, my voice cold and authoritative. “For years, you’ve been obsessed with the idea of an heir. Now I have one. So when I choose to mark Ally should be none of your concern, shouldn’t it?”
I let my gaze sweep over each elder, my Alpha aura thickening in the room. They immediately shake their heads, retreating from their boldness-except for one.
Caspian.
His sharp eyes meet mine, and I can tell he has something to say.
“The pack is weak, Alpha. We need a Luna. If you complete the mating bond, your strength as an Alpha will increase.”
I narrow my eyes. “Have I ever failed in battle?” My voice is a quiet challenge. “I’ve always led from the front. I’ve protected this pack with everything I have. So tell me, Caspian, what exactly are you implying?”
He let out a sigh. “You know what I mean, Alpha-unless you want to deny the truth. A Luna completes the Alpha. That’s how it has always been.”
I clench my jaw. Or is having a marked Luna doomed for an Alpha like me? The thought stays, but I push it away.
I take a deep breath, reigning in my irritation. “Enough of this. Let’s get back to the real reason I called this meeting.”
“Caspian, you’ll be in charge of security in the north, while Diego, you’ll handle the south,” I commanded, rising to my feet. Without waiting for a response, I stride out of the conference room and head straight to my office.
Stacks of old journals and faded papers cover my desk-records Liam dug up from the library. I flip through them, searching for answers, for some kind of pattern that will explain this curse, but each entry I read only confirms my worst fears.
Time after time, history repeats itself. Every Alpha before me-six generations back-abandoned the pack the moment they marked their mate.
I don’t bother checking my father’s records. I don’t need to. I remember that night too well.
The memory surges forward, unbidden and unwelcome. My fists clench as I try to shove it down, but it’s too late. I was eighteen. Still just a boy.
“Dad, please don’t leave me,” I begged, as my voice broke, my pride long forgotten. “I have no one else.”
He wouldn’t look at me. Wouldn’t meet my eyes.
Desperate, I turned to my mother. “What kind of mother are you? How can you just agree to leave with him? Do I mean nothing to you?”
She smiled, but I saw the sadness beneath it. “He is my better half, Asher. Whatever he chooses, I will stand by him.”
I had never felt rage like I did that night.
I stormed out, as I slammed the door so hard it rattled the walls. I ran to the gym, threw punches at the bag until my knuckles bled, but nothing dulled the ache in my chest.
The same ache that still lingers today.
Just as my thoughts begin to consume me, Liam’s voice cuts through the mind-link.
“I found something, Alpha.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up.