Chapter 2 – Asher Bennett

Asher's POV  

"Eliminate them. Show no mercy." My voice was calm but firm as I stared at the two rogues who had foolishly crossed into my land.  

Terror filled their eyes, but it was too late for regret.  

"Yes, Alpha," Grayson, one of my most capable warriors, responded before I turned away, already losing interest.  

I had wasted enough time dealing with intruders. My mother, Margot, was waiting for me, and I hated making her wait. Since my father, Henry, passed away, she hadn’t been the same. Truthfully, neither had I. His death changed everything. Not long after, my mother fell gravely ill, barely able to leave her bed. I missed the days when she would wake up early, smiling as she prepared breakfast for the entire pack.  

Losing my father left a hole in my heart, making me even more ruthless than before. But my mother’s suffering—watching her waste away—fueled an anger in me I couldn’t contain. People say when a mate dies, the one left behind experiences unbearable pain, sometimes enough to make them sick. Seeing my mother like this, I knew those stories were true.  

I had yet to meet my mate, but when I did, I hoped she would be both strong and beautiful. Then again, a part of me dreaded finding her. My mother’s pain was proof of how dangerous love could be. I wasn’t weak, and I never wanted to experience the kind of loss that could destroy me. Still, my wolf had already sworn to protect her, whoever she was, no matter what.  

As I walked toward my home, my mind was consumed with these thoughts. I climbed the stairs to my mother’s room and entered quietly.  

"Hey, Mom," I greeted softly, pressing a kiss to her forehead.  

"Hello, my love," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. She sounded weaker than yesterday.  

Despite visiting every doctor I could find, none had given me hope. They all said the same thing—it was the price of losing her mate. That answer wasn’t good enough for me. I even sought out witches, hoping magic could help, but they refused to interfere. Even threats didn’t change their minds. Witches were powerful, but not even they could break the laws of nature.  

"You’ll get better, Mom," I murmured, pressing another kiss to her frail hands.  

A tired smile crossed her face as she gently cupped my cheek. "Tell me, have you found your mate yet?"  

That faint smile reminded me of the past—when she was healthy, when life was simpler.  

I chuckled lightly. "Just because I leave the house doesn’t mean I’m searching for her."  

My mother sighed, withdrawing her hands and sitting up with effort. "I know, but you need someone, Asher. You spend all your time here or leading the pack. It’s time you had something for yourself."  

I shook my head, amused. "First of all, you’re not old. And second, my mate can wait. Right now, my focus is on you and the pack." As I spoke, I walked over to the window and pulled the curtains open, letting sunlight spill into the dim room.  

Her expression softened. "When I met your father, it was love at first sight. That was the second-best day of my life."  

I turned back to her, intrigued. "What was the first?"  

A distant, bittersweet look appeared in her eyes. "The day you were born. Your father held you in his arms and told me, ‘Now my life is complete.’ That was the best day of my life."  

A rare smile tugged at my lips, but my heart ached at the thought of my father. Pushing past the emotion, I wrapped my arms around my mother, pulling her into a warm embrace.  

After a while, I left her to rest. Duty called—Grayson had reported more rogue sightings near our borders, and my wolf was already on high alert.  

Shifting mid-air, I landed on all fours, my massive black wolf form moving swiftly through the dense forest. Ahead, Grayson stood surrounded by four rogues. Without hesitation, I lunged, my powerful jaws snapping around one of their necks, ending the fight before it even began.  

Grayson and I took down the rest, but soon, more enemies appeared. Reinforcements arrived just in time, and knowing my warriors could handle the rest, I turned and sprinted toward the pack house.  

Reaching the back entrance, I shifted back into human form, grabbing fresh clothes from a nearby bin before stepping inside.  

Laughter echoed from the kitchen. At first, I ignored it, but as I entered, someone turned sharply and bumped into me.  

Elena Morgan.  

The pack’s runt.  

I had heard the stories—her parents had abandoned her, leaving her to fend for herself. She was small, fragile, and weak. But as my eyes flickered to her bloody nose and then to the group laughing behind her, something in my chest tightened.  

"I-I'm s-sorry," she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper before she quickly stepped around me and hurried away.  

As soon as she was gone, the room fell into complete silence. I let my gaze sweep across the crowd, my irritation growing.  

"So this is what you were doing?" My voice was dangerously low. "Laughing in the kitchen while rogues attacked my land?"  

Fear flickered in their eyes.  

"Um… we’re sorry, Alpha, we got caught up—" Connor began, but I cut him off.  

"Alpha," I corrected coldly. "And ‘sorry’ won’t protect this pack. Or did my Beta forget that?"  

Connor quickly bowed his head in submission. "No, Alpha."  

"Make sure it doesn’t happen again," I warned, my voice firm. "Because next time, I won’t be so forgiving."  

Satisfied that my message had been received, I turned on my heel and strode toward the forest.  

Something was wrong.  

My wolf, Leo, was restless—on edge in a way I couldn’t explain. He had been fine earlier, but ever since we bumped into Elena, he had been agitated.  

I tried speaking to him, but his only response was, "Just wait. Soon, you won’t have to wonder."  

His cryptic words left me uneasy. It felt like he wasn’t even speaking to me, but to someone else entirely.  

Just what exactly was going on?  

Another problem to add to the long list of things weighing on my shoulders.