Asher
I can feel the panic rising in my chest. I can’t just let Ally slip away from me like this, without a fight. How could I have been so careless? I should’ve stayed awake, should’ve watched over her, but no-sleeping like a damn fool while she left me behind. I feel like I’ve failed her, and the thought of her being gone is unbearable.
As I step into the shower, I let the hot water pour over me, the sound of it washing away the chaos in my mind. But nothing can wash away the fear I feel right now. Goddess, please don’t let her leave me. I don’t know how I’ll lead the Redwood Pack without her by my side. I need her more than I’ve ever needed anything in my life.
A low, frustrated growl slips from my lips. My muscles tense as I finish up in the shower, wrapping a towel around my waist. My heart feels heavy with the realization that she might be gone. I can’t let that happen. Not after everything. Not after I bared my soul to her.
I quickly go through my morning routine, trying to get ready with the smallest shred of composure. I need to find her. I need to make things right. I pull on my shirt, leaving the top two buttons undone, not wanting to overdo it, not when everything feels like it’s falling apart.
“Have you seen Ally?” I ask Liam through the pack link, my voice tense and urgent.
“No, Alpha, I haven’t seen her. Is there a problem?” Liam responds quickly, his tone alert.
I almost tell him to go find her, but I stop myself. I don’t want to send anyone after her. If she’s gone, I need to fix this myself.
“Nothing, Liam. I just wanted to know if you’ve seen her,” I reply, and then I cut off the link. I’m too restless to stay still for long. I need to move.
As I make my way down the hallway, I see Kayla coming toward me. The moment I look at her, I know something’s wrong. Her eyes are red and puffy like she’s been crying. A sharp pang of guilt hits me, and my anger flares. What happened? Did someone hurt her?
“You’ve been crying, Kayla?” I ask, my voice strained.
She doesn’t answer right away. She just looks at me, her gaze empty, as if she’s lost all hope.
“Talk to me. Which of those damn pack members made you cry? I swear, I’ll-”
“No, Alpha, no one made me cry,” she interrupts, her voice breaking. “She’s leaving, Alpha. And my heart… it breaks knowing you can let her go without fighting for her.”
Kayla is right. I didn’t fight for Ally. I was too afraid of my own feelings, too afraid of pushing her away. And now I might lose her because I was too damn blind to see what was in front of me.
Kayla breaks down then, sobbing into my chest. I can’t help but hold her, trying to comfort her, but my mind is elsewhere on Ally. I didn’t know she would still want to leave after everything we shared. After I told her how much she meant to me. I thought we were on the same page.
Kayla suddenly pulls away from me, wiping her tears. “I’m not the one who needs comforting. You need to go fix this with Ally. I don’t know how, but if you don’t do something, nothing will be the same between us.”
Her words hit me harder than I expected. She’s right. If I don’t fight for Ally, I don’t deserve her. My heart tightens as Kayla walks away from me, leaving me standing there, helpless.
With a deep breath, I turn toward the door, my mind set on making things right with the woman I love. I won’t stop until she’s back in my arms where she belongs.
My heart tightens in my chest, squeezing harder with each step she takes away from me. It feels like it’s going to tear itself apart. What am I supposed to do? How do I fix this? I feel helpless and lost.
In a flash, I rush out of the pack house, my feet pounding against the ground as I make my way toward the arena. Before I reach the path that leads outside the pack, I see familiar faces of pack members bowing their heads in greeting. I nod at a few, but my mind is elsewhere. My focus is on Ally. I need to fix this. I can’t lose her. Not like this.
Outside, the pack members are going about their business, but my senses are heightened. Then, I catch a whiff of her scent-light, comforting, but somehow it only makes the ache in my chest worse. My heart pounds harder with the realization that she’s leaving, and I’m running out of time to stop her.
I look up and see her. The sight of her takes my breath away. Her eyes widen as they meet mine, and for a moment, everything stops. The world fades away, and it’s just the two of us, locked in this painful gaze. But then, she quickly looks away, avoiding me. My chest tightens even more. Does she not want to see me? Does she think I’m the reason she has to leave?
I watch her take each step toward the exit, my feet frozen in place. I can’t move. I can’t think. My mind is clouded with confusion and panic. What do I do now? What can I say to make her stay? Should I shout? Should I beg? The words get stuck in my throat, trapped inside me like a prison.
I want to scream. I want to call out her name, to tell her that I love her, that I need her, but nothing comes out. It’s like I’m paralyzed. The pack members stand around, watching, but I can’t look away from Ally. I can’t stop her from leaving, but I want to. I need to do something.
She’s almost at the exit now. Almost out of my life, and I’m too late. The thought of that… it tears me apart. My heart feels like it’s bleeding, and I can’t do anything to stop it.
I feel completely frozen, my body refusing to move as I watch Ally walk away, each step tearing me apart. My heart is pounding in my chest, my mind scrambling for something, anything to stop her, but all I can do is watch her get farther and farther away.
Then, something inside me snaps. Without thinking, I drop to one knee and before I even realize it, my other knee hits the ground. The earth beneath me seems to shake like the very ground is aware of how broken I am.
I don’t know what I’m doing-it’s like a desperate, primal urge takes over, and I can’t stop myself. The only thing I know is that I can’t lose her. I can’t let her slip away without doing everything in my power to make her stay.
Just as the last of my thoughts fade, she stops. I see her My eyes widen in surprise, locking onto mine. For a moment, the world falls away. It’s just me and her, both of us suspended in this heavy silence. Her breath hitches, her eyes darting between me and the ground, disbelief written all over her face.
“Oh, goddess, Asher…” she breathes out with a trembling voice.