22. Asher

ASHER

" I 'm bringing her back," I said, looking from my uncle to Taig.

We were in one of the meeting rooms. My tone brooked no argument, but that didn't matter to these two. Their insistence on telling me exactly how they felt was part of the reason I kept them so close—they weren't afraid to stand up to me—but at the moment, that quality was more aggravating than enlightening.

"Right, because that went so well the first time," Taig said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

I glared at him. Ever since Selene and her soldiers left, he'd become more frustrated and shorter with me. I would understand if he was upset because I'd sabotaged an important political alliance, but something told me there was more behind his anger than just that. Maybe it was because we were so close to turning feral, but it seemed like he wasn't even trying to keep his frustrations in check. Though I couldn't put my finger on what his deal was, I would only tolerate his bad attitude for so long.

"Asher, listen," my uncle said. "Why don't you just wait until you've settled the curse? It's too soon after your engagement to Selene. The pack needs time before they get accustomed to seeing you with a new female."

I shook my head. "Edgar knows he has control over us. At any time, he could force us into our wolf forms forever. We don't have time to wait."

"Even more reason not to bring her here. If you care about her, why curse her?" Taig demanded.

"She hasn't been affected by the curse at all. It's almost like she's immune." I didn't want to tell them that I suspected she had the ability to repress our wolf nature. If I told them, they would have questions, but I wouldn't have answers for them.

Taig shook his head. "That's ridiculous. You're being selfish."

My lips started to pull back from my teeth. Inside, my wolf bristled. "Careful, Taig."

"No." His eyes glowed as he glared at me. "This has been on my mind since you said you visited the goddess statue to pray for forgiveness. You want to bring your mate here because you expect to die."

"Taig, stop." My uncle put his hand on Taig's shoulder, but he shrugged it off.

"You don't think you're going to survive this encounter with Edgar," he said, jabbing a finger in my face. "But instead of training or gearing up, you're just bringing some girl here to stroke your ego. It's fucking pathetic."

He'd gone too far. I shoved Taig up against the wall hard enough that the entire room shook. He growled at me, and I met it with an even louder growl.

We stood there like that, locked in each other's glare, until eventually, we both seemed to realize what we were doing. I stepped back, and Taig rubbed his collarbones where my grip had been.

"Take a walk, Taig," I said. "Before we both do something we regret."

He didn't say anything or even look at me as he walked out of the meeting room. For a few moments, my uncle and I stood in silence. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so close to fighting with Taig. We hadn't fought or really wrestled since we were kids and things in the pack were less dire. Now, everything felt different. Would things go back to the way they were if I defeated Edgar in time? Or was our relationship ruined forever? Not just between Taig and me, but for everyone within the Dagger pack. How would we recover from this?

My uncle cleared his throat, getting my attention. "What should I tell the others?" he asked gently. "About your mate, I mean."

"I don't care what you tell them," I said, and then I shook my head because it wasn't true. I cared a great deal about them. "Tell my pack that Phaedra is my mate and that she'll be able to get me into the Salcedo mansion."

He inclined his head, and as he walked out, he said, "For what it's worth, Asher, I'm sorry for what your father put on your shoulders. No one should have to inherit the mess you did. And I think, despite everything, you've done better than what I expected."

I paused at the threshold. His words settled warmly into my chest. It was a bit of validation I wasn't expecting to hear from anyone. Especially now.

A couple of hours later, I met Phaedra in the cave, then we walked back to my cabin. She was quiet the entire way there, her eyebrows scrunched as if she were deep in thought. She felt distant from me as we entered my cabin.

"What's wrong?" I asked at the same time that she said, "I want to talk."

We stopped speaking, exchanging nervous smiles. She was turned slightly from me, her arms crossed. It was like she was trying to protect herself from something. As I looked at her, I realized she still carried the spiced scent of her heat. Was that affecting her mood?

Thinking about her in heat stirred up my own aching need for her. That was what I wanted to talk to her about anyway; making her mine officially. If it was bothering her so much, I wouldn't mind giving her the relief she needed.

"I'm not sure what's on your mind, but I know you're still in heat. When I help you take care of it, will it be okay if I put my knot in you?"

Her eyes went wide, and her arms dropped to her sides. "You're serious?" she asked gently. When her eyes started to glimmer with tears, I worried I'd said the wrong thing. But when I reached for her hand, she let me take it.

I drew her closer. "If I do this, you won't ever feel the pain of being in heat again, but I won't pressure you into anything." If she wanted, we could have sex without the knot. It had taken so much of my willpower not to do it to her the first time, but I could do it again.

She shook her head, her smile wide and bright. "No. No, it's not that I feel pressured or anything." She took my other hand and intertwined our fingers. "It's just that I feel so relieved you want to make things official with me." She moved even closer, her chest pressing against mine. "I know you'll be careful with me."

She kissed me then, and I felt like every tense muscle, every twinge of stress inside me dissolved into nothingness. We went to my bed together and lay on our sides, facing each other. Sparks ignited between us. Her kisses became more insistent and needy, almost as needy as my hands were to get every article of clothing off her.

"What is the point of all this fabric?" I asked, peeling off her shirt. Her pants came next. "These clothes have only ever slowed us down."

She giggled as she moved down to kiss my neck. She wriggled as I inched the fabric down her legs. "Do you have a solution to that problem?" Her question tickled across my throat.

"As a matter of fact…" I pushed her onto her back, her legs spreading beneath me. I nestled between her thighs. Her skin was so smooth, so soft. "After this, I want you naked whenever you're near me."

"Oh?" She grinned. "What about when we're out of your room and with your pack? I can't just wear nothing, can I?"

I grumbled, but I had to acknowledge that she was right. "Fine. Maybe we could find you a long scarf. You could fashion that into a dress, couldn't you?" I stroked her smooth legs, kissing the inside of her knee. A shiver traced through her inner thighs, and it seemed to shoot straight to my cock.

"I could," she said, reaching up to run her hands through my hair. "But I have one condition."

"Name it," I moaned into her thigh, loving the way she was petting me. Her touch was satisfying in ways I'd never known with anyone else.

She sat up so we were at eye-level again. "You are forbidden from wearing a shirt."

I chuckled, rolling so she was on top of me. She blushed at the new position, but her eyes were laughing. Gazing up at her, I could hardly believe we were here, that she was mine, and that she wanted me as badly as I wanted her. Lust and love put my brain in a haze. My wolf was so excited, he was losing his mind. It was distracting, but I was the one in control. I wanted to let instinct take over from here, but I had to be sure we were on the same page.

It was rare for mates to get pregnant right away, but alphas had a better chance because of the knot. Perhaps fated mates increased the odds as well. I wouldn't mind having pups with her. Everything in me told me Phaedra would be a good mother, but was she really ready for the level of commitment that would bring?

I reached up to touch her face, rubbing my thumb over her cheek. "I need to know that you do want this," I told her. "That you understand the full implications of knotting."

She giggled again. "Asher, I was once promised to an alpha's son. I do know that knots make babies." After a pause, she added, "I wish my mother had told me a knot is needed to complete mating rituals for alphas. That would have been nice to know."

My heart twisted. Her expression had taken on a sadness I wanted to drive out of her, hunt it down until there was nothing left of it. Her family had abandoned her, and though our situations were different, I understood the pain of wanting a parent to be there for you but finding only loneliness.

"Hey," I murmured. She looked up to meet my gaze. "You shouldn't talk about another wolf in front of me like that."

"Oh?" Her lips quirked into a smile.

"My jealousy is ferocious and has contributed to my last few wins against Connor." I thought about the stinging defeat Edgar had handed me, but I shoved it away just as quickly. "I don't want to think of a time when you belonged to anyone but me."

That seemed to do the trick. She fell onto me and pressed her mouth to mine. As we kissed, the sound of rumbling thunder filled the cabin followed by the pitter-patter of rain. The ceiling of my cabin used to leak when it rained, and I was glad I'd fixed it weeks ago. What might have been a nuisance became the background noise to the peace of being with Phaedra like this. For now, I could pretend there was nothing and no one around but the two of us.

My hands trailed up her back and into her hair, the strands that fell across my face tickling me. Her taste, her smell, everything about her was divine. I couldn't get enough.

She ran her hands down my chest, leaving goosebumps in their wake. She found the waistband of my pants and tugged at it. I smiled against her lips. I could oblige this request.

I released her hair so I could unzip and unbutton my slacks. She squeaked, startling when I lifted my hips to slip them off. I laughed when she caught herself on the wall above my head.

"Rude," she said, steadying herself again.

"I won't apologize," I said with a grin. "And I won't apologize for this either." I sharpened my nails and sliced through her panties, tossing the useless fabric away. The heady, sweet scent of her filled the room. If I wasn't already rock hard, I would have been then. I slipped my finger under the strap of her bra to do the same.

"Ah-ah," she said, stopping me. "Bras are too expensive." She reached around and unhooked it. "You're such a demanding man."

I dragged my eyes from her hardened, pink nipples to her face. "Hm? If that bothers you, why don't you teach me a lesson?"

Her smile took on a wicked edge. We were both naked now, and the only thing left to do was to allow our bodies to handle the rest.

She kissed me again. Her nipples brushed across my chest, making me shiver. I would have loved a bit of foreplay, but it seemed Phaedra didn't want to wait.

She pulled back, licking her lips as she lifted her hips, teasing me as she stroked her slick opening with the tip of my cock before easing herself slowly down. I shuddered, her velvety warmth wrapping tightly around me.

"Mm," she hummed, and began to rock back and forth, getting used to me. She bit her lip, her eyes hooded with pleasure.

I let out a breath and let myself sink into my mattress. Each movement was sweet, shivering ecstasy, and I was content to let her take control of the pace. I stroked her hips, and one of my hands slipped up to palm her breast—a perfect fit.

"Ash," she breathed, covering my hand with hers. She worked herself slowly up and down my shaft. I loved the way she said my name and how she took her time.

Reaching between us, I stroked her clit. She paused, shuddering, and her head fell back. I bit back a laugh and continued rubbing that sensitive nub.

She looked down at me, her hair sliding over her shoulder. Even in the low light, her face was flushed, and though I couldn't make out each freckle, I'd memorized them by now. I used my free hand to cup her cheek, and she nuzzled into my hand.

With her hands on my chest, she slowly resumed her pace, making such adorably sexy mewling noises. My thumb slipped into her mouth as she opened it to moan. Goosebumps spread across my skin.

When her eyes became unfocused, and her breathing quickened, I knew her climax was close. I added some pressure, and in seconds, her mouth formed a large "O". I groaned as her muscles clenched around me and her back arched.

Overcome by the beauty of her, I pushed myself up on one arm to kiss the salt from her neck and to resume her steady pace. Her arms wrapped tightly around my shoulders, and she whimpered. We rocked like that together, and when she whispered my name again, it sounded like a promise.

She came for a second time with a shuddering, gasping intensity. Her muscles tightened against me, and I felt my knot forming.

"It's time, Phae," I murmured into her neck. "Are you ready?"

"Mm," she whimpered. "Yes."

That was my cue to handle the rest.