4: The Brother’s Dilemma

Asher’s POV

I drummed my fingers on the desk, trying to focus on the papers in front of me, but my mind kept wandering. 

Eight years!

It had been eight long years since Willow vanished into thin air. Eight years of searching, of hoping, of praying. Eight years of guilt eating away at us like cancer, knowing we are the cause of our mate's disappearance.

I don’t know where she is now, if she is better or if she’s… I don’t want to think about it. I groaned and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to collect my breathing and perhaps concentrate on work.

Just then, Aiden and Axel walked in, their faces etched with concern. "Any news?" Aiden asked, his voice laced with a mix of hope and desperation.

I shook my head. "Not yet. But I promised to let you know as soon as I hear anything."

Axel sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's like she disappeared from the face of the earth. We've employed the best agents, searched every corner of the country...it's like she never existed."

"I know," I said, frustration etched in my voice. "I feel like we're running out of options. We've tried everything - social media, private investigators, even reaching out to old pack members...nothing."

Aiden leaned against the wall, his eyes fixed on the floor. "Do you think she's still alive?"

I hesitated, unsure of how to answer. "I want to believe she is. I have to believe she is. But sometimes...sometimes I wonder if we're just holding onto false hope."

Axel's expression turned grim. "We can't give up. We owe it to her, to ourselves, to keep searching."

Just then, my phone rang, shrill in the silence. I snatched it up, my heart racing as I saw the name on the screen. “Alpha Asher." He said as soon as I picked up the call.

“Yes?” I mumbled gently rubbing my eyes, my frustration slowly eating on me. 

"Sir, it's Agent Thompson. I'm afraid I have no news. I've searched every lead, I have been in this line of work for years, and by now we should have had a lead, I have searched every hint...I'm starting to think she might not be alive anymore."

My vision blurred, my ears ringing. "Don't ever say that again," I growled, my voice low and deadly. "You have no idea what you're dealing with. Find her, Agent Thompson. Find her, or so help me..."

"I understand, sir," Agent Thompson said, his voice trembling. "But we've tried everything. We've followed every lead, interviewed every witness...it's like she vanished into thin air."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "I don't pay you to think, Agent Thompson. I pay you to find results. Get back to work."

I ended the call, my hands shaking with rage. Aiden and Axel exchanged worried glances.

"Asher, calm down," Aiden said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I shrugged him off. "Calm down? Do you think I can calm down when that agent is telling me Willow might be dead? No, I won't calm down. I won't rest until I find her."

Axel's eyes narrowed. "We'll find her, Asher. We won't give up."

I nodded a cold determination settling in my chest. We would find her. No matter what it took. No matter how long it took. We would find Willow, and we would bring her home.

"We need to think outside the box," Aiden said, his brow furrowed in thought. "Maybe we're looking in the wrong places. Maybe she's not even in the country anymore."

I raised an eyebrow. "What are you suggesting?"

Aiden shrugged. "I don't know. But we need to try something new. We can't keep doing the same thing and expecting different results."

"Aiden, you're always talking about trying a new plan, but you never come up with anything," I snapped, my anger boiling over.

Aiden's face reddened, his eyes flashing with anger. "That's because you never listen, Asher. You're too caught up in your own guilt to think clearly."

My eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

“You both should calm down! This shouldn’t result in a fight, I know we are all worried and frustrated, don’t let our anger get the better part of us,” Axel said trying to come in between the both of us but we were both caught up in our anger to listen. 

Aiden's voice rose ignoring everything Axel had said. "I'm talking about Willow. It's your fault she's missing. If only we hadn't gone through with your plan to reject her, to humiliate her like that...she might still be here."

I felt a pang of guilt, but I refused to back down, not after doing that for her own sake, it was better she was missing than her being dead. "What was I supposed to do, Aiden? Father was threatening to kill her. We had to show him we didn't care about her."

Aiden's expression twisted in anguish. "That's just it, Asher. We did care about her. We loved her. And we threw her away like she meant nothing to us."

“You won’t understand a shit Aiden! Do you think that decision was easy for me? I just sat down and made that decision hastily, I weighed everything knowing the kind of person father was, I can’t just sit back down and watch her die, we know that father will definitely kill her; he will do everything he wants to do without a second thought. We all know how he hates her and he will definitely not let a traitor’s daughter or slave become the next Luna of the pack!” I growled loudly running my hand through my hair. 

Wondering if they didn’t understand what that meant we were only eighteen then and we couldn’t do anything, there was no way we would be able to stop Father if he decided to go on with his plans.

I sat back down on my chair and thought back to the night we discovered Willow was our mate. I had always liked her, but she was the daughter of a traitor. I couldn't get close to her. But when we found out she was ours, I was overjoyed. We couldn't wait to claim her, to make her ours. And when we did, it was the best night of our lives.

But our happiness was short-lived. Father saw us leaving her room, his eyes blazing with anger. "What are you doing in her room?" he thundered.

Aiden stepped forward, his voice steady. "We were just...talking to her, Father."

We tried to explain but Father wasn't having it. He sniffed the air, his expression twisting in disgust. "You've claimed her. You've marked her."

I stood tall, meeting his gaze. "Yes, Father. We have. She's our mate."

Father's face turned red with rage. "How could you be with the daughter of a traitor? She's beneath us!"

Axel spoke up, his voice firm. "She's our mate, Father. We can't help how we feel."

But Father wouldn't listen. "You'll reject her, now. Or I'll kill her. The choice is yours."

I felt a chill run down my spine. "Father, please...listen to us..."

But he cut me off, his voice cold. "No, Asher. I won't listen. You'll do as I say, or suffer the consequences."

We tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't listen. He drove us out of his office.

And now, Aiden was blaming me for Willow's disappearance. I couldn't take it. "You're one to talk, Aiden. You were right there with me, rejecting her, humiliating her. Don't try to shift the blame now."

Aiden's eyes filled with tears. "I know, Asher. I'm guilty too. But at least I can admit it. You're still trying to justify what we did."

I felt a lump form in my throat. Maybe Aiden was right. Maybe I was still trying to justify our actions. But what choice did we have? Father would have killed her.

"We did what we thought was best at the time," I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper.

Aiden shook his head. "No, Asher. We did what we thought would save our own skins."

His words cut deep. I knew he was right. We had sacrificed Willow, and now she was gone.

I was too stunned to say anything, no better words could come out of my mouth, Aiden gaze was on me waiting for me to talk but I decided to keep quiet, I knew he was only reacting due to the excessive anger he was feeling. 

Just then our secretary knocked on the door. "Excuse me, gentlemen," she said, entering with a file in her hand.

I glared at her, annoyed. "Can't you see we're in the middle of something?"

She apologized hastily. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Asher. I didn't mean to interrupt. But this file was returned untouched, and I thought you should see it."

I snatched the file from her, still irritated. But as I opened it, my anger turned to shock. "Willow Jenkins," I read aloud, my heart racing.

Aiden and Axel leaned in, curious. "What is it?" Aiden asked.

I couldn't believe my eyes. "It's Willow. She owns a start-up company, and they're seeking collaboration."

Axel's eyes widened. "That's her? We've found her?"

“I am not sure yet if it’s her or not, but this is good perfect we finally come to the end of our search,” I replied and Aiden stepped closer. 

“This better be true!” He mumbled and I smiled faintly. 

I turned to look at my secretary, a wide smile spreading across my face, for the very first time I was glad she had interrupted me. "Set up a meeting with this company immediately,"