Alpha's Chosen Mate

18

The pains from his rejection have dulled into faint stings, and I think I have Asher’s mark to thank for that. It blocks out the pain, though I don’t understand how or why. Frankly, when it comes to Asher, nothing makes sense.

When footsteps shuffle outside my door, I turn, expecting to see Enya walk in with her mocking smile and foul tongue, ready to throw insults at me. Instead, I’m greeted by a sterner face.

I sit up straight. “B-Beta Talon.” The guards stationed at my door walk in behind him, and I glance from his face to theirs, fear slowly crawling into my heart. Did something happen? Has Asher decided he doesn’t want me around anymore?

Talon lowers his head in an awkward bow. “Luna.” He jerks his head toward the chains. “Take them off her.”

I stare wide-eyed as they unlock the cuffs. Shuffling forward, I look up at Talon. “Is something wrong? D-Did Asher change his mind?” My voice drops to a tiny whisper. “Is he going to…” I use my finger to draw a shaky line across my neck.

Talon doesn’t smile. Instead, he addresses the guards. “Lead her to the alpha’s chambers.”

“Lead me—lead me where?” I croak, backing toward the far end of the room, but a strong hand around my wrist stops me. “Hey, let go of—I don’t want to see him! I like it here! I love it here, I swear!” I yell as they pull me out of my room, not roughly, but firmly enough that I can’t slip away.

Rather than down the stairs, they take me up. Sweat coats my skin as we draw closer to the landing. Is this how I die? My heart thuds painfully in my chest and my legs stop moving, but the guards easily drag me across the floors. I swear Talon’s shoulders shake as I yell for help, but he doesn’t turn around. No one stops to help me—not the guests milling around, not the guards who watch me like I’m an alien in a nightdress, not the maids who acknowledge me with small bows, as if I’m not in obvious distress.

Our steps slow when we reach a hallway decorated with tasteful art pieces I would drool over if I wasn’t about to die. There are three doors along this hallway. Two are on the left side of the stairs, facing each other, but I’m led to the door on the other end.

My appeals to Talon fall on deaf ears, and my heart leaps into my mouth as the beta opens the door.

Talon turns to look at me, and the guards let me go as he ushers me into the room with a dramatic sweep of hands. “Your new rooms, luna.”

I blink slowly. “M-Mine?”

Beta Talon arches an expectant brow and I eye him warily, taking the first step past the doorway. When I cross the threshold, my jaw hits the ground.

The room encompasses half of the hallway, stretching farther than the hall in my father’s packhouse. I turn in a circle, unsure where to look first. The bed is so large that looks like it’d be better suited for orgies than sleep. Classy furniture fills up the rest of the space, but I’m most interested in the bookshelf. By the fresh smell of wood and paint, I can tell it’s a new addition. Beneath the shelf, there’s a modern workspace. It’s a cozy little nook, and I already know the rocking chair is my favorite part.

“Woah,” I mutter under my breath, noticing the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook a small paradise of cultivated gardens and a stunning waterfall. “It’s...beautiful.”

My fingers press against the glass surface of what I thought was the window, but it suddenly swings open, and I stumble onto a balcony. Goddess, it just keeps getting better.

I return inside and flutter about, opening every door I can get my hands on. There’s a closet the size of my bedroom in my father’s house, filled with extravagant clothes. My bathroom is a dream.

The last door sits on the left wall, close to my dressing table. “Where does this lead to?” I ask myself as I push the handle and open it.

It’s another bedroom, decorated in darker shades and even bigger than mine. But the man standing in front of me makes it look tiny enough to give me claustrophobia.

It’s Asher. His bare back is turned to me, and the only thing he’s wearing is a towel wrapped around his tapered waist.

Just like that, I can’t breathe anymore. Steam rises from his freshly showered skin and water drips from his black hair. I’m painfully aware of the droplets running down his broad back until they get absorbed by his towel.

My face flames as thoughts assault me. Thoughts of running my fingers and lips across that back. Peppering his skin with kisses. Sinking my teeth into his flesh as he pushes into me⁠—

“They can smell you, Leilani,” my husband says without turning around.

My heart jumps and I shut the door, hard. Of course it’s an adjoining room. Why didn’t someone warn me?

“Enya will be here soon to tend your needs,” Talon says, as if he doesn’t notice my face has turned a bright shade of red. “Until a private guard is assigned to you, Cayden will be your escort.”

“Why do I need an escort when this place is crawling with guards? You very well know there’s no way I can escape,” I say, loud enough for Asher to hear me.

Something soft flickers in his brown eyes for a split second. Then Talon blinks and lowers his gaze. “If that’s all…?”

“Talon?” I say softly, and he looks at me skeptically. “Can I...speak to my father?” His eyes harden and I add swiftly, “Just one call. One minute is all I need. I haven’t heard from him in weeks. I just want to know he’s alright. Please?”

Talon straightens and heads to the door. “I’ll inform the alpha of your request.”

So that’s a no.

I’m left alone, with nothing to protect me from the big, bad monster on the other side of the oak door. I slide the bolts into place, barring his way into my room, and jam a chair under the handle for good measure.

But I know that if Alpha Asher wanted to be in my room, a flimsy chair and a lock wouldn’t stop him.

Which begs the question—why did he bring me here? To smother me in my sleep, or...?

I let my imagination run wild on what the other options may be, and I find that I like none of them.

New rooms aren’t the only thing I receive from Asher in the following days, which only heightens my worries. There’s something wrong with my husband.