Don't Drink This, Don't Drink That

Asher Walker sulked for three more days. During this period, Sabrina ensured to avoid him, lest she end up with a hole in her head. She had so many jokes to make about his condition but knew better.

Eventually, the man threw himself into work. His Beta reported to him constantly, and he was always on his computer. He never looked at her whenever she passed by. Sabrina didn’t like being cooped up here; she wished she were back home, working tirelessly in the hospital with her colleagues.

On the fourth day, she received a call from her mom.

“Where the hell are you?” the woman asked worriedly. “Your friend called. She says she hasn’t seen you for days.”

“Sorry about that, Mom. I’m… away on a work-related trip.”

“You’ve barely been working at the hospital for a month. What kind of trips do they send you on?”

“Mom, I can’t really tell you the details. Just know that I’m taking care of a pregnant… person. Don’t worry, I’m safe.”

Her mom still had lots of questions, but Sabrina easily avoided giving out too much information. After ending the call, she went downstairs to the kitchen to make breakfast. She happened to see Asher there. She greeted him, but all she got was a glare as the man grabbed a beer from the fridge.

Sabrina rushed forward in panic. “You can’t drink that!”

“Why the fuck not?” Asher was about to take a sip.

“Are you seriously asking me that? Drinking alcohol is bad for the baby!” She couldn’t believe Asher was being so careless. Though this situation wasn’t ideal for either of them, they could at least act maturely and avoid certain risks. “What if the baby is born retarded?”

Asher swore he hated this woman more each time she opened her mouth and spewed garbage. “Shut the fuck up!” The man stormed out of the room, but at least he tossed aside the beer.

Sabrina went about making breakfast for herself and the Alpha douchebag in her care. She’d learned from the very first day that Asher couldn’t do anything for himself. She understood his inability to cook due to being raised as the Alpha of his pack. He was spoiled—but to an overwhelming extent. The man treated her more as a slave than a companion, and it pissed her off because she hadn’t wanted to come here. He forced her to, and she was doing her best to take care of him. If only he would be just a bit cooperative.

When she finished making breakfast, she went to check on Asher and found him with company.

“Alpha, please,” the middle-aged man kneeling before Asher trembled. “I beg you to spare my pack. We… we will be loyal to you, whatever you want, but please don’t take our home.”

Asher wasn’t affected by the pleading. His heart was unmoved by the man’s pathetic begging. In fact, he felt disgusted that an Alpha would so easily submit to another. The other packs he’d conquered had fought to their very last breath. They went down with honor, as it was supposed to be.

“I do not need your loyalty. What I need is your land. If you want to preserve your pack so badly, move away. I won’t stop you from leaving. But the land is mine.”

This was power: expanding his territory and forming new alliances with stronger packs. Others might think he was coldhearted, but Asher was only ambitious. He wouldn’t submit to anybody, not even the Moon Goddess.

The Alpha begged for mercy, but all his words fell on deaf ears. In the end, he could only leave in disappointment, knowing his pack couldn’t be saved from Asher’s clutches.

Sabrina, who had witnessed the scene, was both frustrated and angry. She couldn’t believe that, despite everything, Asher could still be so cruel.

“How can you be so cruel?!” Sabrina confronted him. “After everything, you still haven’t changed one bit.”

Asher scoffed. “I’m only doing what’s best for my people—for my pack. Why should I change?”

“You know what? Continue being cruel. After all, it’s just the first three weeks. Let’s wait a couple more months. I want to see whether you can still act so cocky.”

By the time he had a big belly and was forced to deal with nausea, pain, a bad appetite, and other pregnancy-related issues, she bet he wouldn’t still be cocky. She stormed out of the room, ensuring to toss Asher’s portion of breakfast into the trash.

They avoided each other for about a week. Sabrina only left her room for food, and that was usually at times when she knew Asher would be in his own bedroom. A week later, Asher confronted her directly. He was gloomier than she had ever seen him.

“We’ll be going out tonight,” he said.

“Where?”

“The Lycan King is holding a banquet. I can’t afford to miss it.”

“Sure, but why do you have to drag me along?”

“If I have to put up with this, so do you!”

Sabrina didn’t understand what he meant. Later, while at the banquet, she realized the celebration was held in Asher’s honor. Bella had leaked the news that her mate was expecting a child—only they all thought Sabrina was the one carrying the baby. The whole thing was so damn funny, and she couldn’t help laughing hard as she received congratulations from people she didn’t even know.

Asher’s hand tightened around his glass of untouched wine until the glass cracked. But he remained mute, glaring at the people who tried to approach him.

“Congratulations, Alpha Asher,” the handsome Lycan King smiled kindly at him. There was animosity between them, but they both hid it well in public. The King was no doubt happy about this turn of events. After all, cheating on one’s destined mate was regarded as a disrespectful act against the Moon Goddess. If Asher had been an ordinary Alpha, he would have been criticized harshly and might even risk banishment.

Even though no one dared to say anything disrespectful in his presence, this was still considered a shameful act. Those who had supported his rise to power would withdraw. This single mistake had cost him a lot of support, making him less of a threat to the Lycan King. No wonder the other man was happy enough to throw a celebration on his behalf.

Asher’s hand trembled, and he had the urge to dig his claws into the King’s neck. He forced out a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“When the child is born, I will personally come to greet you.”

“Of course.” Feeling bitter, Asher wanted to drown himself in alcohol. Before he could sip from his drink, a hand snatched the glass away.

Sabrina took the glass of alcohol from Asher and gave him a disapproving look. “I said before that drinking alcohol in your condition isn’t good.”

Though she had whispered this, the Lycan King, with better hearing than the average wolf, asked curiously, “Oh, and what condition is that?”