Slut for one, princess for another.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU LIKED ME?

Asher’s POV

Her eyes were comforting, she looked so attractive, and her heart was innocent as I’ve surveyed her. She bowed her head again in shyness, probably the twentieth she had done.

She was blushing profusely, all the nerves she had in communicating with Alaric while he went just like that like a flick of a finger. I let out a deep sigh, my brows creased and my lips on a tight line as I tried to study her.

Audrey has been a very beautiful lady whom I’ve admired from afar. l shook my head as I smiled a little, remembering the words she had spouted out back then and those she did when Alaric was here.

Was I that charming? A handsome man who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. My hand flew to my mouth, stopping the little laugh mixed with a scoff that wanted to come out.

“Is there anything wrong, Asher? Is your wrong with your mouth?” She voiced out, her lashes fluttering at me.

I smiled at her, lowering my hand to my sides, Nothing, Princess. I’m fine.”

And just like I’d predicted, her gaze went down to the floor, her cheeks flushed with a red stain, and her fingers biting down at each other.

“I can call you that, right? I think you’ll like it more if I call you that than if–”

“Yeah. It rolls off your tongue well. Like a princess that I am.” She retorted, and a hinge of sadness laced her voice.

I did not want to hear about her parent's death or pacify her with sweet words like Alaric would have done, so instead, I took her hand in mine, bringing her gaze back up with mine, and led her out of the party. I clenched my jaw as her hand held firmly with mine, as if I might slip my hand out and leave her alone.

“For how long?” I asked.

“What?”

I glanced at her, catching her innocent look again, and a groan stifled in my throat. I might think of a place if she looked at me like that again.

“For how long have you liked or loved me?” I asked.

I focused my gaze on her, awaiting her response. Her lips curled up into a smile at first, her head moving everywhere as we kept on walking, her eyes touching every corner of the room without stopping on me.

She was shy. With me, she was nervous, pretty, and innocent. But with Alaric, it seemed like she was wild. Even with her bastard brother, she was agitated.

A thought crept to my mind, one that was too good to be true: maybe she was actually in love with me, shy for just me alone, innocent for me alone. And I smiled at that.

“Since you first came to the moon goddess feast at my parent’s pack.” She replied quietly.

She removed her hand from mine, folding it to herself and sneaking glances at me.

“Have I told you how pretty you look tonight?” And again, another blush. I can send her whole insides going afloat with one word or a compliment.

“And that necklace, it’s pretty, too.”

She kept silent, just blushing, and her cheeks getting redder.

“Did he make it for you?”

She nodded, already knowing who I was referring to. I scoffed lightly. It was the first time Alaric made something for a woman, not to talk of a young lady.

He had his flirts, whom he had just spent a night with, threw money at, and left them. But even with her, that he had done nothing, he was already throwing money.

“Did you meet my brother at your pack? Was that the reason you said last night?”

My brows went up as her heartbeat quickened, making me halt my feet. I took her hand and brought her to face me, raising her chin with one of my fingers to look into my eyes, even though after a second or two, she was looking elsewhere again.

“Did Alaric do anything to you when you saw him?”

“No. Not at all. He dare not.” She retorted.

And there it was, the feisty girl with Alaric, but as quick as it came, she was already meek again.

“So what happened? You seem–”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Asher. We can talk about anything else, but not your brother. I don’t like him for a bit.” She replied.

I smiled at her, staring deep into her brown orbs. It was inviting and misleading at the same time.

“Of course. Is there anything you'd like to discuss with me?”

She smiled, glancing fully at me. Her eyes raked all over me, making me twinge with embarrassment and naughtiness. “Princess–”

“It’s nothing! I was just checking you out! You look far better than Alaric.” She cut me off playfully, laughing a bit.

“Why do you like me?” I asked.

All the playfulness in her eyes died down, her eyes still in mine before she shrugged her shoulders, “It started as a tiny crush, wanting to see you every time. You looked like the boys in my books, and I want the boys in my book–”

“And now you want me?”

She nodded shyly, a cute smile on her face. I heaved a deep sigh before taking a step toward her. She shifted back on her feet, her eyes having a hinge of surprise. “Stay down, princess,” I muttered.

Her throat moved as she gulped down, her eyes frantically searching for where to lie while I took another step toward her. The distance between the both of us started getting heated.

Soon, leaving us to nothing. Her not-too-chubby cheeks were warm on my palm as I cupped both sides, helping her eyes find a perfect place to land.

“You are a charming lady, Audrey,” I muttered.

My eyes scanned her face, searching for anything that would want me to step back, but there was none. I stopped my eyes on her pink lips, which were wet with whatever had been used on them and a bit open.

My wolf growled inside me, wanting me to take the final step. Obviously, she wanted it too, her heartbeat racing, the excitement and nervousness in her eyes that she was trying so hard to keep.

I dropped her cheeks and stepped back, smiling at her before taking her hand. “Let’s go inside.”

I could sense the disappointment in her when I first dropped her cheeks, but it seemed my words sent them all off, and anticipation soon filled her.

We held hands as we climbed the stairs. She didn’t protest wherever I was taking her, making me wonder if this was how much she loved me.

The guards bowed as they saw us approaching, opening the door to the small living room for us and closing it as we both entered. I halted in my steps, facing her again but with a large gap between us.

“Audrey...” I started, pausing to search her face before continuing.

“You’re my mate. And it would be a lie to tell you that I don’t feel anything for you, to want to touch or kiss your face, especially since you’ve been inviting me to do it. But…”

I had struck a nerve with how her eyes shaped up again, a sense of urgency and fear. I gulped down as I walked towards her, cupping her cheeks up again and staring into her eyes, “you’re very beautiful, Audrey.” I muttered, lowering my head to her neck.

I nibbled on it gently, her scents driving me crazy. My wolf growled in me, wanting more of it. My teeth grazed slightly on the exposed part of her shoulder, wanting to bite in at the same time, wanting not to do it. She was my mate, but at the same time, my brother’s mate.

“Asher…” she breathed out a bit of her fearlessness and humility in one sound.

I raised my head and looked at her again, various thoughts roaming my head. My lips started from her forehead, kissing it, trailing it down to the bridge of her nose, to the gap between her nose and upper lips, before settling on her lips.

Without even nibbling her lips to pry them open, she gave way, sucking down on my lips as I did the same to hers. She wanted more, her whole body screamed it out, and at the same time, she wanted me to take the lead with her as if keeping a part of her away from me.

The kiss was light, just me and the girl from the other pack, entangled with different emotions. And just when I was about to pull out and stop it before we did something rash, a resounding clap echoed from our back, and a voice we both knew too well followed,

“What a nice play!” Alaric boomed out.