Chapter 6 – Happy Birthday

"You're trembling."  

Elena stiffened at the sound of Asher’s voice. His presence was overwhelming, even as he stood a few feet away.  

"I'm fine," she muttered, curling her hands into fists to stop them from shaking.  

Asher didn't move. His golden eyes studied her with an intensity that made her skin prickle. "You're lying."  

Elena swallowed hard. "Does it even matter?"  

Silence.  

Then, "It matters to me."  

She wanted to scoff, to tell him not to pretend. But she couldn't find the strength to fight him right now.  

Asher took a slow step forward. "You don't trust me."  

"Should I?" Her voice was sharp, laced with bitterness.  

He exhaled, a rough, frustrated sound. "I'm not them, Elena."  

She flinched. Them. Connor, Nathan, Harris, Emerson—the ones who had made her life a living nightmare.  

"I know," she whispered.  

But knowing wasn’t the same as believing.  

---  

Elena had long accepted that she was alone.  

She had stopped hoping for friendships, for kindness, for anything beyond the cold indifference of her pack. Once, she had trusted. Once, she had believed that she mattered.  

And then, Connor, Nathan, Harris, and Emerson had shattered that illusion.  

They had turned the entire pack against her.  

The memory of that night still haunted her—the way they had laughed, the way whispers had spread like wildfire. How quickly people she had once called friends had turned their backs on her.  

And now?  

Now, she was supposed to believe that Asher, the Alpha, her mate, was different?  

She couldn't.  

She wouldn't.  

Because believing meant risking everything again.  

---  

 First Interaction with Asher's Wolf  

A sharp growl rumbled through the room.  

Elena tensed.  

Asher’s posture stiffened, but it wasn’t him anymore.  

It was his wolf.  

"Leave," Leo, Asher's wolf, ordered the doctor without looking at him.  

The man hesitated for a split second before scurrying out of the room. The dominance in Leo’s voice left no room for argument.  

Elena pressed her back against the bed frame. "Why are you doing this?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.  

Leo’s golden eyes locked onto hers. "Because you are mine."  

She flinched.  

Not because of his words—but because she didn’t know how to handle them.  

Leo softened his tone. "No one will ever harm you again."  

Elena shook her head. "You don’t understand. I—"  

"I understand enough," Leo interrupted. "And I don’t care what they did. You’re my mate."  

Her breath hitched.  

Why?  

Why did he sound like he meant it?  

Why did he look at her like she was something worth protecting?  

She had spent years believing she was nothing. That she deserved the cruelty.  

And now, here he was, saying the opposite.  

It was terrifying.  

---  

Asher’s control slowly returned, Leo slipping back as his Alpha reassumed command.  

But his expression remained unreadable as he studied her. "Elena… when did you first know I was your mate?"  

She hesitated.  

"I didn’t," she admitted.  

His brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"  

Elena clenched her jaw. "Because… I never felt the bond. Not until recently."  

Asher’s eyes darkened. "That’s not possible."  

She let out a humorless laugh. "And yet, it happened."  

A tense silence filled the space between them.  

Finally, Asher asked, "Why?"  

Elena gripped the sheets beneath her. She couldn’t tell him. Couldn’t say the words out loud.  

He wouldn’t understand.  

He couldn’t understand.  

"I don’t want to talk about it," she said instead.  

Asher’s jaw ticked, frustration evident. "Elena—"  

"Please."  

Something in her voice must have reached him because he exhaled sharply and nodded.  

But the tension between them didn’t fade.  

Asher wasn’t the type to let things go.  

And Elena knew this conversation was far from over.  

____________

Asher’s gaze darkened as he studied Elena, his jaw tightening. “You’re hurt.”  

She quickly looked away. “It’s nothing.”  

His voice dropped lower. “Elena.”  

She swallowed hard, gripping the blanket draped over her lap. “I just get nosebleeds sometimes. It’s not a big deal.”  

Asher’s expression hardened. “Don’t lie to me.”  

Her breath caught.  

“Tell me what happened,” he pressed.  

Elena clenched her hands together. Why did he care? Why was he looking at her like this—as if her pain mattered?  

When she didn’t answer, he exhaled sharply. “Was it Nathan?”  

A tremor ran through her.  

Asher noticed.  

His golden eyes flashed. “What did he do?”  

Elena tried to shake her head, but the words slipped out before she could stop them. “He kicked me.”  

Silence.  

The tension in the room became suffocating. Asher’s entire body went rigid, his fingers curling into tight fists.  

Elena immediately regretted saying anything.  

---  

 Asher’s Controlled Rage :

Asher’s breathing was slow and deliberate, his control hanging by a thread.  

“Nathan,” he repeated, his voice dangerously calm.  

Elena hesitated, suddenly afraid—not of him, but of what he might do.  

She forced herself to continue. “Connor spilled something. I went to clean it up. Nathan… he just—”  

Asher’s fists clenched tighter. “He just what?”  

Elena closed her eyes. “He said I should know my place. Then he kicked me.”  

A deep, guttural growl rumbled through Asher’s chest. His wolf was fighting to take over.  

Elena tensed, instinctively shrinking back.  

Asher immediately turned away, his muscles coiled with barely contained fury. “I’ll be back.”  

Her heart pounded. “Asher—”  

“Rest,” he ordered, his voice clipped.  

Then, without another word, he stormed out.  

---    

The room felt colder without Asher there.  

Minutes later, the doctor entered, setting his bag down beside her. “Alpha’s orders,” he said lightly. “Let’s check your injuries.”  

Elena sighed but didn’t argue.  

The examination was quick but thorough. The doctor’s face remained neutral, but when he finished, he sat back with a sigh.  

“Two broken ribs, mild concussion, deep bruising.” He rummaged through his bag and pulled out a small bottle. “Apply this lotion to the bruises. It’ll help with the pain and swelling.”  

Elena hesitated before taking it.  

As soon as the doctor left, she stared at the bottle in her hands.  

Her fingers traced the edge of the label, but all she could see was her reflection in the window.  

Bruises. Swollen skin. The dull ache in her ribs.  

Ugly.  

She swallowed the lump in her throat.  

A soft knock on the door made her tense.  

Her heart skipped a beat.  

She wanted it to be Asher.

_______________