Alpha's Chosen Mate

11

That comment has no business making my heart squeeze, much less making me feel something as ugly and horrid as jealousy. I know I shouldn’t, but my gaze moves from Enya’s blonde hair to the other maids adding finishing touches to my ensemble. They’re hiding their mocking smiles behind wisps of clearly dyed blonde hair. How many of them know of Asher’s s****l prowess?

Before I can think about that for long, someone knocks. A deep, calming voice resonates from the other side. “This is Beta Talon, luna. I’m here to bring you to dinner.”

Oh cool, I get an escort. “Come right in,” I say dryly. “We’re having a hell of a party in here.”

A soft, raspy chuckle is my only response before the door opens and I’m greeted with the sight of...a dashing stud. Intense brown eyes meet mine...and hold. He has an aura about him that’s dark and mysterious, not nearly as much as Asher’s, but it has enough potential to be a close second. The difference here? His beta’s eyes aren’t cut from pure ice, and he doesn’t seem hell-bent on destroying me.

Beta Talon crosses the room, making it seem absurdly smaller. When he gives me his hand, I take it and let him pull me to my feet. He stares at me then, from the crown of my fiery curls to the hem of the dress pooling around my feet. For a second, I swear I see his gaze heat, but it’s gone too fast for me to be sure.

“You’re taller than I imagined.”

I grin, raising the hem of my skirts in an unladylike manner, and his brows rise with mirth at the sight of the six-inch-tall heels. “Can you walk in those?”

I tentatively take his arm. “Only if you promise not to let go of me. Though, I’m sure everyone here would love it if I fell down the stairs and broke my neck.”

Talon leads me out of the room without a response, and tension rolls off him as we reach the steps, like he’s remembered he shouldn’t be speaking to the enemy.

I hear the guards following close behind us. I wonder if this will be my life from now on, being followed everywhere, even if there’s no chance I’ll be able to escape. Playing dress-up and attending events I have no interest in for the rest of my existence sounds miserable, but I guess it’s better than being holed up in that room, wearing chains and dreaming about Asher.

I swear whenever I think of him, all I see are my thighs spread on the edge of the bed and his fingers hooking inside me. Even now, my insides tighten at the thought of it. I hope Beta Talon doesn’t catch a whiff of my sudden arousal.

If he does, he shows no sign of it, focusing on bringing me down the steps slowly. An uncomfortable question grows inside me, and before I can stamp it down, I find myself saying, “Is he going to kill me?”

Talon refuses to look at me. “Not yet.”

I know he wants me dead, but my blood still runs cold hearing it confirmed. My fingers tighten their grip on Talon’s gray jacket as we take another step down, closer to the sound of the music, closer to Asher and whatever lies in wait for me. “And you would let him kill an innocent for no reason? Wasn’t forcing me into this marriage unjust enough?”

The beta’s head whips to face me and his eyes are suddenly stormy. “Unjust?” he echoes. “You should take that up with your father, Leilani Stone. Ask daddy dearest why you have to suffer for his actions. Ask him if it was unjust to m******e a pack of peaceful people in their sleep, giving them no chance to fight back.”

My eyes widen and I let go of him. “My father would never⁠—”

“My brother was five,” is all he says to me. His eyes are cold as he roughly grabs my arm and drags me down the steps with him. Every trace of warmth is gone, and in its wake is anger and hate so deep, it brings tears to my eyes.

“You’re hurting me,” I tell him as we reach the base of the stairs. Talon doesn’t let me go until we reach a set of large double doors.

I don’t need to see Asher to know that he’s on the other side of them. Something inside me froths at the mouth at the thought of seeing him, and my fingers twitch with need. I resist the urge to clamp my thighs together. I can’t feel like this about someone who wants to kill me.

The guards on either side of the door nod in deference to their beta, and I don’t miss the fact that they barely acknowledge my presence. I might as well be a painting on the wall, but that’s not entirely a bad thing. I’d take a cold shoulder over the sneering hate the maids threw at me earlier.

The doors open and Beta Talon shoves me inside a hall decorated in such a grandiose manner that my mouth falls open. I knew it would be different from the small hall in my father’s home. That was a cozy place, where I wore oversized pajamas and ate my mother’s cooking. Beta Morris gave reports while his wife, Leah, and my mother gossiped about how to have their mates all to themselves. Our house was so relaxed that when Mom whacked Dad in the head with her spoon for calling her porridge too salty, Gamma Patrick burst into laughter.

But this is more than a formal dinner, it’s a...revel. The scent of expensive cologne and fine wine mingle, making me dizzy, and the low hum of conversation is punctuated by clinking glasses and silverware. Gowns shimmer under blindingly bright lights, accompanied by tailored suits of all imaginable colors. The table that runs through the center of the hall is topped with a feast that would feed my entire pack for two months.

I must be pretty late, since everyone is settled in, their wineglasses either almost empty or being refilled by the maids. The food remains untouched, as though they await the alpha’s approval to dine.

One clumsy step forward draws several sets of eyes to me. One I recognize for his cunning ruthlessness, the other...a shade of amber I could never forget.

On one end of the table sits Asher, the heavy weight of his stare coasting down my body so hot it feels like he’s branding me as he toys with the butter knife.

On the other end is my father, his eyes livid, yet relieved.

“Leilani,” he whispers, rising to his feet.

Tears rush to my eyes and I don’t realize I’m walking toward my father’s waiting arms until a single word snaps at me, grabbing me like a leash.

“Wife.”

I halt mid-stride. My skin flares with heat as I turn to meet Asher’s dark gaze. He leans back in his chair and flicks his knife once. “Come sit.”

My gaze travels around the table. There are no free seats around him, thank Goddess. The guests stare at us, sipping from their wineglasses as they watch the drama unfold. I find the empty seat farthest from Asher and closest to my father. It’s right beside...well, f**k me, Beta Manuel. I’m not sure how I didn’t notice him before, but I’ll take him over the unhinged predator watching me like I’m his most fascinating plaything.

One step in that direction and my husband lets out a displeased tsk. I absolutely abhor the way his every move has me on edge—scared and attracted to him at the same time.

“Not there.” I stare at him as he manspreads and pats his right thigh. “Here. Now.”

The retort is past my lips before I think about the consequences. “The f**k I will.”

See, the thing about Asher is he can’t be bothered with being denied what he wants. It isn’t that he’s arrogant or overconfident—it’s that “no” is simply not an option.

I don’t even see him move. I just hear the whirring of a blade as the butter knife he’s been toying with whizzes past my father's ear, nicking him and drawing blood. I scream and run for my father, who seems more rattled than I’ve ever seen him. His chest heaves as he touches his ear and stares at his bloody fingers.

“Leilani,” Asher says, stopping me dead in my tracks. A single tear rolls down my cheek. “Come here.”