Asher's P.O.VAnna blatantly refused taking a ride in my car so we were all stuffed into her tiny beat up Cadillac as it rumbled down the dusty road, the morning sun glinting off the chrome bumper. Anna, in the passenger seat, belted out a tune off-key but full of heart, a smile splitting her face. In the back, Evan and Ivan bounced like popcorn kernels, their backpacks overflowing with snacks and mismatched socks."Faster, faster!" Ivan shrieked, his face pressed against the window. "I wanna see the big, blue boat!"I chuckled, glancing over at Anna. Her eyes sparkled with a joy that was contagious. This… this felt different. Like a real family. The drive to the riverbank was a blur of excited chatter and singalongs. Through the rearview mirror, I could see a black S.U.V following behind. That was Sen. When we finally pulled up, a rickety wooden pier jutting out into a shimmering expanse of water, the boys practically exploded out of the car.A weathered man with a sun-baked face ap
(Anna’s Pov) The cabin floor scraped against my back as Asher lowered me and I bit my lip to hold back a scream of agony when my feet thudded against the wood flooring. My vision swam in a dizzying cocktail of pain and exhaustion. Through the haze, I felt him pull my boot off, the rough tug sending a fresh jolt of agony shooting up my leg. Tears stung my eyes and my fingers tightened into fists. Why me?A gasp tore from my throat as his hands, surprisingly gentle brushed against my ankle. But gentle wasn't the word for what came next. A searing pain ripped through me, a scream dying in my throat as a bone clicked back into place."It's broken, Anna," his voice, rough with strain, reached my ears. "It needs to be put back in llace if it's going to heal right."The world narrowed to the white-hot point of pain in my leg, his words a distant echo. But a fear flickered to life within me– not of the pain, but of what might happen if it didn't heal right. Then, a surprisingly tend
(Anna's Pov) The first rays of dawn peeked through the cracks in the cabin walls, painting the smoke-filled air with a soft, golden glow. The storm had finally passed, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. Embarrassment flooded my cheeks as I became aware of my nakedness, sprawled across the makeshift bed of furs. Asher lay beside me, his arm wrapped possessively around my waist, his chest rising and falling with each slow breath. He was naked too. very naked. I tried to ease away, to slip out from under his touch, but his grip tightened around my hand, anchoring me in place. I held my breath as his eyes fluttered open, and a sleepy smile spread across his face. "Good morning," he mumbled, his voice rumbly with sleep. "Where are you going?"My cheeks burned even hotter. This was… unexpected. He seemed completely at ease, unfazed by our tangled bodies. I, on the other hand, felt like I was on fire. Scrambling to my knees, I fumbled for the discarded cloak, desperate to cover
Asher's P.O.VFrustration gnawed at me like a hungry beast. Anna's sharp words, her accusations, echoed in my head, making it hard to focus on anything else. Why was it so easy for her to paint me as the villain, the heartless alpha who only saw her as a convenient bedwarmer? Didn't she feel anything for me? Didn't the heat that scorched between us mean anything to her? The raw need that pulsed between us wasn't a just a simple undeniable attraction as she'd so flimsyly put it.But before I could unravel the tangled mess of my emotions, I watched her from the corner of the room as she struggled to pull on her boots. Her face contorted in pain as she tried to pull them on her injured ankle. Anger simmered inside of me, threatening to boil over, but concern quickly eclipsed it as a whimper escaped her lips."Here, let me help" I growled, kneeling in front of her before she could utter another protest.She flinched and then defiance flashed in her eyes. "I can do it myself, Asher." s
ASHER'S POV~The car slowly pulled into the parking lot in front of Anna's complex. The engine sputtered and died. Anna tried to step through the door, but I stopped her, placing my hand on her thighs as my shocked eyes stared at the figures right in front of her apartment.When her eyesight trailed mine, she stiffened, a gasp flying from her throat and her hand on the door's handle slipping away."Stay here, Anna!" I ordered her, quickly pulling off my seat belt, but Anna wasn't about to adhere."I'm following you, you don't get to boss me around right now, Asher. Please," her voice shook despite being raised.I threw her a scorching glare, my jaw ticking. I had no other choice but to let her out too.I slammed the door with a bang, glowering at the figures whose gaze were intently on us.There was a smug smile of satisfaction on my fucking stepmother's face, a look that seemed to say she had long been expecting us.My eyes traveled to my father who stood with a brooding expression,
Asher's P.O.VThe helicopter blades whirr a deafening rhythm against my skull, each thwack a physical manifestation of the rage churning in my gut. Across from me, Derek sat nonchalantly, his face a mask of smug satisfaction. The roar of the engine drowned out everything except the pounding of my own blood."You think it's nothing, don't you?" I practically spat the words at him, my voice hoarse over the din. "Threatening children! Like flicking flies off a picnic blanket! You clearly had no qualms about getting rid of my mother either!"He just smiled, a dark, humorless twist of his lips. "Proof, Asher? You have no proof."My body tensed. No proof? They'd as good as admitted it! "Everyone knew!" I bellowed. "Everyone knew you drove Mom to…" I choked on the words, the memory still raw after all these years."Suicide," Derek finished coolly with a chilling glint in his eyes. "A mental breakdown. It's quite clear to anyone with half a brain."Fury choked me, rendering me speechless
The next few days passed in a blur and thankfully after I told Vira to fuck off out of my pack, she hadn't returned. The only problem I had was my stepmother announcing wedding dates between Vira and me.News that I had my stepmother under house arrest traveled all the way to Mallory and I had to let her out.Since then, she'd been a menace but from the glimpse of what I'd seen that night when we arrived at Mallory, I was sure Camila wasn't acting on her own. She was like a damned puppet.Suddenly I was jerked out of my thoughts when the abandoned fax machine in my study began whirring.What the fuck?At the same time, the new replacement for my mobile phone vibrated with a new notification.Frowning, I picked it up and saw it was a text message from Sen.–YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT I FUCKING FOUND! Check the fax and your mailbox too. Remember to save the images once you're done viewing. I placed a view timer on it.Frowning, I slowly stood up from my desk, approaching the fax machine tha
Asher's P.O.VMaking myself comfortable on the pillow before the throne, I rested my palms on my knees, deliberately taking my time before raising my head to meet my father's gaze. His Ruddy face was scrunched into a heavy frown and he was glaring daggers at me.I bet he'd wished I was a minute late so he could have his Beta announce that visiting time before "his Majesty" was over.I intentionally stayed back until the last minute before coming in, knowing he would be prepared to retire for his evening seclusion. It was a small victory, a subtle act of defiance that warmed him from the inside out.Guess I learned how to be a fucking sadist from the best.Honestly, staring at my father, all hunched in his throne seat, he looked pitiful, nothing like the fucking monster he was beyond the courts of this castle. I glanced at his beta over my shoulders, wondering if he knew what monster his Alpha was, if he knew about the experiments, the sick research, the exploitations of innocent girls
ASHER'S POV~“Let me go! Let me go, you stupid disgusting things! I'm going to ruin you! You're going to regret putting your disgusting hands on me!" The guards dragged Vira towards me as I say quietly in the dark room, my cold eyes on her. Her struggle against their hold was ferocious. Snarls ripped from her throat, her body writhing and twisting, her muscles tensed and coiled like a feral beast. But the guards were impassive, their faces stoic as they held her securely in their grasp.“Here you are. I've being wanting to meet you… step mother.” My lips curved upward, the corners of my mouth stretching into a sadistic grin. I watched as the guards hauled Vira towards me, a low, guttural chuckle rumbling in my chest.She gasped in shock before faking a broken expression. “Asher… what's the meaning of this? You asked these cruel assholes to hurl me like a criminal just for us to talk? Couldn't you send a text or something?” Her voice quivered. What a cunning bitch! Her eyes kept dar
ASHER'S POV~Finally, the day had arrived. Yet again, I didn't seem to sleep a wink. I kept turning on the bed, sending several messages to Anna who in turn returned all of them. She was anxious like I was. She was my perfect fit. I watched how the sun slowly began to rise in the sky and for the first time in my life, this was the first time I acknowledged the sun was indeed beautiful. It helped to light up my day.It didn't take me up to an hour to get dressed. I already gave an earlier instruction to Anna's stylists to dress her up quickly, I wouldn't want anything to delay my bride from coming on time. I was fucking dying to see her. I made sure every single thing in the venue was the best. Made from the very best.I wouldn't mind taking a drive to the hotel where she's been dressed up but Sen kicked against it and mentioned it to be a taboo for a groom to see a bride before their wedding day.Finally, I arrived at the venue. Sen made sure to scatter the guards at every station, m
ASHER'S POV~Last night I couldn't bring myself to sleep a wink. Tossing and turning in the bed, I fought against the grip of sleep. Anger, disappointment, and confusion mingled within me, keeping me wide awake.I couldn't think straight. No, I just couldn't. I thought about the several possibilities of me not appearing on time, what could have happened? Anna would have said yes, wouldn't she? My heart instantly clenched, I groaned while I pulled some strands of my hair in anger. Last night, I couldn't face Anna, not now, not while I was still struggling to make sense of it all. So I avoided sleeping in the same room as her. Someone suddenly knocked on the door. My eyes that were shadowed with dark circles lazily made their way to the door before I began to rise. My movements were sluggish and unfocused. “You look like shit, to be honest." I heard Sen mutter the very moment I let the door open for him. I rumbled under my breath, “So you came to taunt me about that?” I raised a br
ANNA'S POV~“For fuck's sake, Anna you're going to get me killed!" Tony groaned, pulling his hair as he turned around and refused to stare at me. I grinned, my cheeks widening and I went ahead to poke Tony's back which faced me but he softly slapped my hands away. “Heavens bear me a witness that I'm clearly the one chasing you away, Anna." The thought of seeing Asher storm into this place like a bull, his face set in a fierce scowl, his brows furrowed, his nostrils flaring, and his steps heavy to come ruin this playdate made adrenaline to curse through my veins. It made me so excited and I was looking forward to it. “Come on… Asher doesn't bite!” I brushed past him, only coming to stand right in front of him and I saw him turn around again from me, giving me his back and I barked out a laugh. “Jeez, Anna, go away. Asher would think you're dressed sexily for me when in reality this is just a prank. Go away! I don't want to lose a tooth.” He whined and I giggled more. I intentional
A year laterASHER'S POV~My mind was a swirl of thoughts, each one circling back to Anna. No matter how much I tried to make it stop, try to even focus, my thoughts kept drifting back to her—especially when she declared she was going for a vacation which was absolutely weird. I hated how suspicious it made me feel. I didn't sleep a wink last night and had spent the entire late hours of the day to search on several search engines on their search bars on ‘WHY WOULD A WOMAN SUDDENLY DECIDE TO GO ON A VACATION ALONE WITHOUT HER PARTNER.’My heart kept pounding in my chest as I waited for the results to load. As page after page revealed the same terrifying possibility, my face had gone pale and my fingers trembled. The realization that she might be losing interest in me, that she might have someone else, had filled me with dread and despair.The silence of our room was deafening, every tick of the clock in our room was a cruel reminder that my girl was about not to return to me anymore.
(Anna’s Pov) Darkness. Stifling, all-encompassing darkness. My lungs burned, a primal panic clawing at my throat. I was trapped. A metal cube, cold and unforgiving, held me prisoner, stealing my air bit by agonizing bit. This was it. This was how I'd die. They locked me in this cube that didn't have oxygen in it.As I tried to give up, my fist suddenly tightened around the object in my hand and I froze..A crazy idea, born of desperation, took root. My breath hitched, but not from lack of air. This time, it was anticipation.With trembling fingers, I flicked the lighter and the gas ignited in a blinding explosion, fire and debris hurling me through the air.Pain exploded in my limbs as I hit the ground and the force of the blast turned the room into a chaotic inferno, flames licking the walls.But I forced myself to move, crawling through the debris, my lungs burning with each gasps of smoke filled air. The acrid scent of burning metal and plastic filled my nostrils. Suddenly, a b
Asher’s P.O.VThe crisp white tux felt suffocating as I fumbled with the buttons, my reflection in the mirror absolutely mocking me. Was this really happening? Was I about to marrying a monster? How none-the wiser everyone would be, blind to the truth unfolding beneath their champagne flutes.Just then, a knock on the door startled me. “Alpha.” Came the voice through the heavy wood.“Come in, Sen.” I called in a rough voice.The door creaked open, revealing my Beta’s stoic face. He scanned the room, his gaze landing on the hidden remote nestled right under my sleeve. A flicker of understanding pasted between us and he gave me a curt nod.“Everything is in place, Alpha.” he reported. “The projector and screen are set up in the main hall, discreetly hidden behind the floral arrangements.”I nodded curtly and my stomach tightened in worry. This was the only way to do this. The door cracked open without an introduction this time and Vira appeared at the doorway. In a white silk lace dres
Anna’s P.O.VDrip, Drip, Drip.That’s the mix of sweat and blood running down my spine from where I was hung. Trying to move sent pain like a million darts ripping into my skin. So with gritted teeth, I stood on tiptoes, tears burning behind my lids.Vira was a crazy psychopath, no doubt, but what if her words had some truth to them? After all the million ways her team of doctors had tortured me to activate my phantom powers, I was starting to believe it.But why? Why won’t the so called fucking powers manifest so this torture could end? All my fucking life, I’d felt useless, hating myself for not having a wolf when my peers got theirs. I only had a useless shapeshifting ability. Now I was told I had such great powers at the tip of my fingers and I still couldn’t save myself, my babies and the others.The tear I’d been holding since I was locked in a tube without oxygen poured down my eyes and choked sobs seeped out of me. Goddess, please save my babies. I cried to myself as my sh
Asher’s P.O.V: My knuckles were white-hot around the steering wheel, the leather cool and slick beneath my clammy palms. Every muscle in my body felt coiled tight, a knot of churning anxiety that had taken root in my gut and refused to loosen it grip. It had been days since Anna’s kidnap, days that had stretched into an agoninzing eternity. To make matters worse, the wedding loomed ahead on my calender, a fucking deadline that mocked my helplessness. Marrying Vira. The very thought made my stomach churn. The woman was a viper, a fucking sicko and the last person I’d consider spending the rest of my life with. But what choice did I have? It was the only leverage I had, the only flimsy thread keeeping Anna and the kids alive. Tony had mentioned a possible lead but said I had to come to a hidden location to speak to him. It was a long shot, but fuck, it was all i had. The city soon gave way to sprawling surburbs as I droce, then slowly dissolved into a desolate landscape that h