5. Asher

Chapter five

Asher

As I lumbered down the hallways, my mind swirled with different thoughts. When Tayla hit her head on the rock and lost consciousness, the pack doctor warned us that she might not survive the traumatic wound. She lay unconscious for a whole week, not improving at all until finally waking up.

As I sat down on the couch in my chambers, I recalled the shock written on her face when she heard that we were married.

I clenched my right hand into a fist as I glared into empty space. While I’d met different women from across the pack, I had never been interested in relationships.

There was nothing remarkable about Tayla…yet I found myself falling in love with her. It was crazy, wasn’t it? While attempting to convince myself that she was no different from other women, I couldn't ignore her appearance.

Her long, silky hair beckoned me to wrap my arms around her and breathe in her scent. Her doe-like brown eyes possessed the power to humble a man's ego. A single glance from her could bring men to their knees, but not me. No, not me.

I punched the wall in front of me in a surge of frustration.

Deciding to stay for a while, I laid on the bed. After a while, I stepped out of the room and went back to her room.

I walked inside and saw her standing in front of the dressing mirror. She was admiring herself in the mirror, her slender fingers holding the edge of a silver satin gown.

I felt my heart skip a beat, something that hadn't happened for a long time now.

When our eyes locked, I felt bolts of shock run throughout my whole body. I had never been invested in a woman like this before. I stepped closer to her, hearing the sound of her heart thumping intensely against her chest.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, taking a couple of steps away from me until her back collided with the hard wall.

“I came to see you,” I said, a small smile appearing on my face as her scent drifted into my nostrils.

“Why don't you want me to leave the castle and talk to other people?” she asked.

“I’m trying to protect you,” I replied, running my fingers through her hair.

“What are you protecting me from?” She narrowed her eyes.

I sighed. “You have been through a traumatic experience, and I don't want any harm to come to you again. The pack is not safe for you at the moment.”

She shook her head. “I don't understand why you are keeping me here. Don't I have any friends? Maybe bonding with them would help me regain my lost memories.”

I clenched my jaw, my brows furrowing in concern. “You are not leaving the castle. Not now when you have just woken up.”

She stared at me for a moment before replying. “Then, at least let me tour the castle. I need some fresh air…to stretch my legs.”

I nodded my head, feeling relieved that she wasn't pushing it further. “Let’s tour.”

We left the room together, her eyes darting around as she took the expanse of the castle’s innards.

"So, I'm your Luna?" she asked, surprise evident in her voice.

"Yes," I nodded.

Her brow furrowed slightly. "Then why can't I find any paintings of us in the castle?”

“Why does it feel like we are not connected?” she asked. “If we are married, as you said, why doesn't my wolf feel anything around you?”

If I had been planning to tell such a huge lie, I would have prepared myself better. As I opened my mouth to respond, she lost her balance as she tripped over the edge of a wool rug, nearly falling to the ground. Instinctively, I caught her petite waist.

She gasped in shock before a smile spread across her face. "Thank you," she said gratefully.

I pulled her upright and released my grip on her waist, and we continued walking. Descending downstairs to the entrance of the castle, I led her outside.

After guiding her around the castle and its grounds and spending an hour exploring, we sat down next to each other on a cushioned bench in the dining hall. She had loved the flowers and lushness of the landscape—I would exploit this truth, with a lie.

"You used to love coming to the garden often," I lied.

“That feels right but my mind won’t accept that this is my life and we are married?” she asked, shaking her head slowly.

"You just regained consciousness, Tayla. Everything is still new to you. Forget about the past, and let us love each other like we did when we first met," I suggested earnestly.

"I know, but..." she began, her brow furrowing slightly as she looked up at me with those beautiful eyes.

"Forget about the past, Tayla," I interrupted gently, bringing my hand to touch her face.

She shook her head and stood up. “How can I forget about the past when I have no memory of you? What about your family? You haven't spoken about them since I woke up," she observed, her tone gentle.

My expression turned cold at the mention of my family. I didn't want to delve into that topic, as it would unearth memories I had long since buried.

"What about your father?" she pressed, her curiosity evident.

I frowned, feeling a surge of anger bubbling within me. My hands clenched, but I gently beckoned her to sit on the bench again.

“Why do you care? My family and my lineage are my business. Just because you are curious doesn't mean I owe you an explanation. Not before and not now.” It was too gruff, and I knew it.

Confusion clouded her expression. "Did I say something to upset you? What's wrong?" she asked, concern laced her voice.

“Why would you think that?” I asked, my expression softened as I brought my hand to touch her cheek.

“You seem angry, and you don't want to answer any of my questions,” she responded.

“You are healthy, and that is all that matters,” I told her calmly. “You've been through so much already. Just let me take care of you.” I tried to shift the conversation while observing her expression clearly. I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her closer to me. She laid her head on my chest and shut her eyes.

Her long brunette hair cascaded calmly around her, and her brown doe eyes held no trace of malice.

The sound of the door opening snapped me out of my thoughts, and I turned to see two maids entering with large trays of steaming vegetables and meats.

"Tayla," I softly called, turning my attention back to her. “Dinner is ready.”

She glanced at me, her eyes softening before she sat down at the expansive table. As she began to eat, I walked out of the room to give her some time while I went to see Damien, my Beta.

“Is the girl alright?” he asked. “I heard she regained consciousness.”

“Yes, Damien,” I nodded.

“Then she will be leaving soon?” Damien pressed. “The Elders are under the impression that she's your mate. Is this true?”

“She is not my mate, but she is not leaving,” I uttered. “When she regained consciousness, she suffered amnesia, so I made up a story that we had been married for a year.”

“What?” His eyes widened with surprise. “Why would you say that? What if she finds out?”

“She won't find out,” I asserted. “Not unless anyone spills the beans to her. Go back to the Elders and announce to them that we have a new Luna,” I declared. “Announce to the maids and our people, also. Everyone should be aware of her so no one ruins the cover story.”

“But that would–”

“Damien,” I narrowed my eyes.

Without saying another word, he bowed his head before leaving.

The next morning, when I returned from the Beta house, I walked upstairs to meet Tayla in her room. I carried a black box in my hand.

“This is for you,” I told her, handing the polished box to her.

She opened it, and when she saw the wool sweater dress, her eyes widened in surprise. It was of a soft red color and knitted expertly. A small smile came to her lips, and she raised her head to look at me.

“Thank you,” she smiled. “Let me go try it out.”

She then turned around and began walking towards the bathroom.

“You should put it on here. I'd love to see how it looks on you,” I smiled.

She turned around with a raised brow, and I nodded my head.

“Asher, I can't–”

“Are you trying to hide your body from me? Have you forgotten we are married?” I frowned.

“I just can't accept everything when I have no memory of you. What if—”

I clenched my jaw and closed the distance between us. She took a couple of steps away from me, and I followed her until her back pressed against the wall.

“Are you accusing me of lying to you about us being married?” I tilted my head in anger.

“I never accused you of lying. I was only–”

“Fine. Put on the sweater in the bathroom, then,” I said, taking a step backward.

She slowly padded past me to the bathroom, where she removed the dress she was wearing. In the mirror’s reflection, I caught a glimpse of her figure. When my eyes moved to her bare stomach, I gulped softly, with dirty thoughts roaming in my head that I couldn’t suppress. The urge to explore her body parts with my fingers was overwhelming. I longed to touch and kiss her relentlessly.

She quickly donned the sweater before taking a step out into the bedroom, looking a bit shy. The red of the knit dress looked tantalizing against her pale skin, but I said nothing. We left the room and walked downstairs to the castle entrance.

"You have to give me some time to grasp everything better. It's all still very new to me," she requested.

Before stepping out, a maid hurried to my back and wrapped a dark navy coat around my shoulders. We then headed to the carriage.

As the coachman drove the horses outside the gates, I glanced down at the leather flats on her feet and noticed a small wound on top of her foot.

“How did you sustain that wound?” I asked, nodding toward her small injury.

“It was, uhm... It was when I was touring the castle with the maid,” she said.

“Give me your foot,” I muttered.

“Asher?” She looked at me as if I had gone insane.

“Are you deaf? Give me your foot,” I insisted.

She slowly nodded her head before placing her foot on the carriage seat. I removed her shoe delicately.

I observed the wound and tenderly rubbed the uninjured area of her tiny foot. My gaze slowly returned to her. I already didn’t like seeing her hurt.

“There's something I need to warn you about,” I said, my attention back to her eyes.

“This is your first time going to the werewolf gathering, and I want you to be well-behaved. One wrong move from you, and I'll make sure you receive a far worse punishment when we return to the castle, am I understood?” I needed her to be careful with her words.

She hesitated for a while before slowly nodding her head.

“We will treat that wound later,” I said, releasing her foot. She quickly put her shoe back on.

“Alpha Asher,” hearing the coachman's hoarse voice, I peeped through the window before stepping down.

Our people, just like always, were gathered and waiting.

I turned to Tayla; beads of sweat covered her forehead. We stepped down and walked until we reached where my Beta, Mason, stood with his mate, who was about Tayla's age. The young woman, whom he had just found as his mate a few months ago, appeared to be around the age of eighteen. My eyes landed on the mark on her neck; Mason already claimed her as his mate.

The thought of marking Tayla and claiming her as my mate sent a pleasurable shiver down my spine. That would be the final step once she was in love with me—if indeed we were fated mates.

“Alpha Asher,” he raised his hand for a handshake. “I thought you wouldn't come today.”

“Why wouldn't I when it concerns Tayla?” I asked, nodding my head towards her.

“I received your message about what happened to her,” he said, his sharp eyes moving to Tayla.

The young red-headed woman at his side slowly took a step forward with a bright smile on her face.

“Nice meeting you,” she introduced. “My name is Angelica.”

Tayla smiled warmly, stretching her hand for a handshake. Just before she could open her mouth to speak up, I warned her.

“Don't,” and that was all it took for her to drop her hand back to her side with an awkward smile.

The meeting felt tense to me because I knew Tayla wanted to say more…ask more. But she kept quiet and we wrapped clan business up as quickly as possible.

Back in the carriage, as we were returning to the castle, I turned to Tayla.

“Didn't you remember my warnings before stepping out of the carriage?” I asked.

“But I didn't do anything wrong,” she mumbled.

“You can't trust anyone,” I said. “She might seem friendly, but who knows if she's a witch.”

She slowly nodded in acknowledgment. “Asher, I understand you, but you are friends with the man, and I thought it would be nice to introduce myself to her. How was that wrong?”

I took her slender hands into mine as I stared into her brown eyes.

“Being nice could get you hurt in this pack,” I uttered.

“But Asher, I've been unconscious for a long time, and I just woke up. I need someone to confide in and make friends,” she pleaded.

I slowly narrowed my eyes on her. “You don't need anyone when I'm here with you. I'm everything you need. You see when you were first involved in the carriage accident, I thought I lost you,” I explained. “I blamed myself and then everyone in the pack. It was foolish. I made a promise that if you survived this, I would always be there to protect you from anything or anyone.”

She nodded, her sullen expression turning into a smile. “I understand.”

“I will do anything to make sure you are safe, my dear,” I whispered, pulling her closer to me. I placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head.