delusion

“Skywalker.” He called out to me again from behind the desk and it made me thirsty, seeing him sit there looking at me from below and in my defense I wasn’t the one in control of my body, and this thirsty feeling was from my wolf. I broke free from whatever had me in a chokehold, my expression becoming stoic.

He directed me with his eyes to sit down while looking at me like he was inspecting new shipment, seeing as I didn’t move an inch he spoke to me and said flatly, “take a sit Skywalker.”

“Emily ..Emily Skywalker.” I corrected him before sitting down at the only free chair at his desk. He looked at me dryly without saying anything.

“What’s your age?” He asked in a cold voice while flipping through a portfolio, on the front was my picture. I wondered if he took me as a fool or he didn’t care.

“Eighteen.” I said quietly, it was beginning to feel like a job interview.

Asher’s expression changed slightly when I spoke, and I was unsure if my age was the reason or something else. He looked at me through dark lashes with an unreadable expression and I couldn’t help but think about his age. He looked like he was in his early twenties, but I couldn’t be sure after all my father looked younger than his age.

Asher began to talk in an uninterested tone, “I made some enquiries about this special situation of ours and although it isn’t the first but it is also a rare occurrence in…”

I was confused and had to cut him off, “What do you mean by special situation…Alpha?” In as much as I would like to disrespect this him and make him do something as rash as sending me back to my pack, I still had to show him a bit of respect in his territory. I think I knew what he meant but I prefer to wait for his explanation.

He leaned back on his chair while folding his large arms across his broad chest and frowned, his face showing his displeasure at my inability to comprehend his words. “ Us,” he looked me straight in the eyes, “we shouldn’t have happened.”

Wow. He did not think that we could be together? That we could be mates? My face turning red at the prospect of being rejected, did he not feel anything? Feeling my questioning gaze on him, he further explained.

“My mate is dead.” He glanced at me, still in that relaxed position scrutinizing me knowing that this was old news to me.

My heart stopped. His words rang in my ear, his mate was dead so what did he mean by telling me this? That I should forget about having anything to do with him and shouldn’t be delusional?

I finally found my voice after a while. “Then why did you bring me here? Why did you take me away from my friends and family to an unfamiliar territory?”

Asher opened his mouth but paused, considering how to put his words to me, “I strongly believe that we cannot be mate and there must have been some sort of mistake but my wolf thinks we are and its best to keep you close by until everything is handled.”

Oh. Some sort of mistake? Being mates has somehow become calculus. my already uncomfortable heart had become worse, I was in a strange place and the only person I assumed to have my back turned out to have other plans. I didn’t speak to him again and just sat there.

“I don’t want to be kept close by, take me home. I want out.” I didn’t care what his wolf felt, it was after all none of my business.

Asher stared at me and to avoid his stare and the uncomfortable feeling of shame or perhaps the smell of freedom; I diverted my attention to his bookshelves. I preferred to go into a staring contest with an inanimate object that to look at Asher, who I might have consciously forgotten.

A book on the shelf stood out, it was inconspicuously standing out among its peers; Jane Eyre. A classic I had gotten as a gift for my eighteenth birthday from Reene, thinking of my Reene my eyes began to tear up. I hadn’t contacted any one from home since and although it was barely twelve hours since I left, I could not help thinking of them.

The image in front of me moved, I wiped my tears that was about to drop and everything looked the same so I just thought it was due to my teary eyes that the bookshelf looked like it moved. Then it happened again, someone was behind one of the shelf. I quickly redrew my eyes from that particular shelf, this was an alpha’s private study, whoever was here without permission will definitely be severely punished.

Asher suddenly growled and his eyes lost focus and it was a look I was familiar with, someone was communicating with him through mind link. His face contorted into anger and he got up and stormed past me, he spoke to Ari who for some reason was still outside although she claimed to be busy; before leaving.

Ari glanced at me, looking tired and unable to speak, but still letting me know what was up. “Asher has other pack businesses to attend to, nothing you should be worrying about. He said I should let you spend a few minutes in here to get yourself together and pick some books, I’ll come for you in five.”

Asher misunderstood my actions. I didn’t need to get myself together, he already told me I was just a joke and unimportant to him. There was no action for me to gather myself together from after all I also saw myself as a joke.

Ari looked at me with pity; like she wanted to console me, but she thought otherwise and left the room instead. I immediately stood up and went to a shelf close to me and picked up a book written in Dutch, in order to pretend like I knew what I was holding; I read out whatever came to my head first.

“There is no happiness like that of being loved by your fellow creatures, and feeling that your presence is an addition to their comfort,” I smiled slightly like I understood what I was reading. “I expected nothing less from a classic like this.”

“You’re holding it wrongly.” A light voice with no maliciousness in it came from the shelf housing Jane Eyre, I grimaced and quickly closed the book and indeed it was upside down.

Cautiously, I turned around, prepared to fight if I got attacked but let out a low laugh in order not to alert Ari who was standing right outside the door. The intruder was a young looking man, at least I could tell that through the layer of dirt he had on him. He didn’t fit in this room and I couldn’t help but wonder how Asher had not noticed him.

“That’s the most useless quote from Jane Eyre, from what I just witnessed it should be your least favorite quote.” He spoke to me in the same light voice like he was scared of making too much sound.

He was right, Asher had just dropped a bomb down my throat but what can I do about it? “You’re right but I would not call myself a smart person if I let such trivial thing affect the rest of my day.” A blatant lie, it had already left a shadow on my mood. Maybe I should run away.

“I have a better one- dread remorse when you are tempted to err,.. remorse is the poison of life.” His words stunned me and made me assume he could read my mind, either he could or my thoughts were written on my face.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, I returned the book I was holding and walked towards him and took the text he held out towards me with a smile plastered on my face in an attempt to look harmless, “well, to each his own prefers and shouldn’t you be introducing yourself and explaining what you were doing here.”

He kept quiet for a moment, contemplating whether he should tell me the truth or not but eventually conceded. “I came to see you..”

My eyes widened, “me, why?” I was certain I didn’t know him and this was also my first time in the silver pack territory.

“You have to help me get out of here, please you are the only one who can.” He lunged forward and tried to grab my hand and I immediately got defensive and reached for the pen knife in my pocket but paused midway upon realization that his hand passed through mine.

“What the fuck just happened?” my voice went up a few tones, I had completely forgotten about Ari who was standing outside waiting for me. Him asking me for help was already strange but now his hands went through mine?

“Emily? Are you alright?” Ari must have heard my voice and thought something happened.

He moved closer to me, ”I’ll explain everything when we meet again, I promise. All you need to know and remember right now is not to trust anyone in silver pack, no one at all. I’ll come find you again, wait for me.”

“Emily, I’m coming in.” Ari pushed the door open and I hurriedly turned towards my strange companion to ask him to hide but he had disappeared into nothing. Ari walked in and saw me standing in the middle of the room awkwardly.

“Are you alright? I heard your scream from outside” she asked while looking around the room and the windows in case any was opened.

I laughed, “Oh it was nothing… I was just surprised to see a copy of my favorite book here,” I stated, trying not to make my voice shaky. I raised the copy of Jane Eyre in my hand at her. “The five minutes is up right? We should be on our way out.”

I pushed her out of the room, took one quick look at the study before shutting the door behind me.

“You haven’t taken me to have a look at your territory yet, you know? We should go now or I could go watch you train your team.” I flashed my teeth at Ari while she looked at me strangely before conceding.

I let out a shaky breathe, there goes my number one principle of not telling lies.