Chapter-4

                                                                               Asher

What were the odds of running into the same woman I ran away from two years ago? The woman whose face was a blur in my memory but who has still managed to haunt my dreams every single night since I collided into her.

How was that even possible?

“It’s her,” Mac whispered. “I will never forget the scent.”

I felt doomed, nausea hitting me hard as I met her sparkling blue eyes that simmered with annoyance. The way she held my gaze, the hold much stronger than just eye contact, it made me want to turn and run for the hills.

Approximately two years ago, I was on my usual clubbing spree, getting drunk and looking for the next pussy to fuck when I caught a glimpse of her. Just a glimpse. I was instantly drawn to her and followed her like a lost puppy but somehow ended up losing her. However, it was when I was making out with my fuck-mate for the night outside the ladies room, that I crashed into her again. One whiff of that intoxicating scent and I was sent rolling into shock as my wolf claimed her as his mate.

So I ran.

Yeah, me being an Alpha ran from my mate. There was no way to make-up for this mortification. I couldn’t remember a thing the next morning. It was all a haze, with the scent lingering in my mind, my senses. I went back and tried to find her but she was gone. I had dismissed it as a bad dream then and left. But here I was two years later, the dream turning into my reality.

"No way!” Ivy exclaimed, scowling at me. She was tall with cinnamon hair that was slightly wavy at the end and reached up to her breast. She wore a black camisole and cargo pants, and it wasn’t hard to tell that she possessed those God-gifted curves just at the right places. However, her arms were muscular and there were tattoos on them. She was literally far, far different from the women I preferred.

“What do you mean, no way?” Logan frowned.

“I don’t want him as my mate,” Ivy said, shooting me a dirty look. It was obvious she was already judging me. Not that I didn’t deserve it.

“Do you know who you are talking about?” my mother demanded. “That’s the Alpha of GrayCrest.”

“Sure he is,” Ivy said, her voice firm and even. “But I don’t want a man who runs away from his mate like a damn coward. I don’t care if he is an Alpha. A man who can’t claim his mate isn’t worth having a mate, Luna Grace,”

“That was a mistake!” I growled, my scalp prickling with irritation.

“Doesn’t matter…” she said flatly.

“And what made you think I want you as my mate?” I demanded. “I would have accepted you just to make up for my honest mistake, but I have little to no patience for an insolent, arrogant woman like you. So you can kiss the thought of being my mate out of your tiny head,”

“Oh dear,” I heard my mother somewhere behind me.

“You are a dick,” Ivy spat. “Let’s just get this over with then. I have taken an oath to never take a mate anyway as the Lunas guard. I don’t intend to break it for a prick like you.” No one, simply no one has ever had the audacity to talk to me like that. My blood boiled with rage and it was an effort to remember my manners.

“Rose or I can always free you from it, Ivy,” Cora offered, sounding hopeful.

“No. I am a warrior, Luna,” she responded. “I take oaths seriously, and once I have given my word, there is no going back.”

“Suit yourself,” I grimaced. “I am gonna reject you and end this mess right here.”

“And why should you be the one to reject me?” Ivy demanded. By now, more than half of the pack were watching us and the expression on my family’s faces was epic. They looked stunned, surprised and helpless.

“Because I am the Alpha and the Alpha always comes first.”

“After what you did last time, you have no right to reject me first. You are the one who deserves to be rejected, Asher Gray.”

This woman was crazy.

“Are you sure this is our mate?” I demanded from my wolf.

“Positive,” my wolf said, his entire focus on her. Through his eyes, she seemed like some sort of goddess. To me she was a blue-eyed devil I needed to stay away from. We were not on the same page.

“In your dreams,” I hissed.

“Would the two of you stop?” Logan protested, looking bewildered. “What is wrong with you two? You think rejection is funny?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I scowled. “This is a mutual decision. We don’t want each other, so why bother? Just get this done with. In fact, I am gonna do it right away. I, Alpha Asher Gray, son of Alpha Joseph Gray and the Alpha of GrayCrest pack, reject you…Ivy ...”

“No,” I halted, my eyes widening at the terrifying growl that escaped from my wolf.

“Mac…” I began and almost cried out when a shooting pain erupted through my body.

“This is more my decision than yours and I refuse this…”

“What do you mean, refuse this?” I exclaimed.

“I will not reject her,” Mac whispered. “I want…my mate. She’s…perfect. There will be no rejection,” My eyes widened as I stared blankly at this strange, blue-eyed girl...

Oh fuck.