Page 6 of Alpha's Chosen Mate (Wolf Billionaire #2)
CHAPTER 6
ASHER
I go through the pages for what feels like the hundredth time, but I don’t see the words or figures. I only see Leilani Stone. I feel the sting of her palm against my cheek and taste her blood in my mouth.
Marking her hadn’t been intentional. I’d been driven by my wolf, and by an urgency to stake a claim on her to curb my growing hunger.
Visiting one of the many clubs I run in the human territory to find release didn’t help. The blondes I once favored no longer appeared attractive, and not even the view of a naked woman on her knees unbuckling my pants could make me as hard as kissing the annoying woman—or even just seeing her. I, Asher Wilde, walked away from a bed of ravishing women and their bouncing tits, to go to my wife’s room instead. To my mate.
And fuck me, she had her tiny fingers buried inside her, her cheeks flushed, her lip caught between her teeth. She wasn’t the only one plagued with the dreams. I can’t sleep without being woken by nightmares of my father being burned to death or my wife riding my cock.
I’ve never wanted anyone as badly as I want her, and I’ve never despised anyone as much. It drives me crazy.
It’s infuriating that she challenged me in front of the whole pack. She slapped me. Anyone else would have left that encounter without hands. I’d let her go, and as I watched her flee, all I felt instead of wrath and humiliation was a fucking hard-on. Repressing the urge to punish her was torture, and I had to lock myself in a cold shower for hours before I could think straight again.
She made me look weak in front of the pack. I see the questions in their eyes. Why am I keeping her alive? Why did I bring the enemy into my home, the one place they’re supposed to be safe? Why spare the constant reminder of all we’ve lost to Mardoc Stone, all we’ve sacrificed? I can’t answer those questions truthfully. I refuse to admit that she’s my mate. I can’t afford to lose their trust because of some useless bond.
As if hearing my thoughts, someone knocks, and I freeze at the scent that permeates the air. Talon enters first, and following him is my lovely wife. My nostrils flare at the sight of her in a white nightgown. I picked it out for her, but I never thought I would see her in it.
Her round ass and wide hips stick out like a sore thumb. I’ve caught my men staring at her more times than I can count. It isn’t that they aren’t loyal. It’s that she’s carved in a way that incites temptation. While I usually love my women with a little bit of makeup on, I’ve never seen anyone wear a natural look as beautifully as she does.
A pure, devastating beauty—all mine for devouring, corrupting, ruining. I can’t comprehend how Anderson let a woman with as much appeal as her slip through his fingers.
“Who gave the order to let her out of her room?” I ask with deadly calm, redirecting my stare at Talon. I don’t like the softness I see in his eyes as he looks at what belongs only to me.
“I did,” Talon answers, and he lowers his gaze. “I apologize, but the luna kept asking to see you.”
My eyebrows rise at that. I’d much sooner believe there’s a knife hidden under her sleeve to murder me with than whatever nonsense she must have concocted to leave her room. I’m more surprised Talon fell for her obvious trick. He was always opposed to the idea of her staying here.
I cock my head at her and watch as she turns a bright shade of scarlet. “Leave us,” I tell Talon, without looking away from Leilani. Her shoulders tense as she watches Talon leave, like she’s uncomfortable with being left alone with me. I don’t blame her. I wouldn’t trust me, either.
I point at the chair across from my desk. “Sit.”
She doesn’t, but I’m not surprised. “I’m good,” she whispers, rubbing her wrists nervously. She doesn’t seem as sad and agitated as she was two days ago after dinner. I suppose that’s a good thing, though I’m unsure why.
I stare at her damp hair and imagine the silky, rich strands curled around my fists as I pound into her. Sweat breaks out on my forehead and I force in a sharp breath. This isn’t good. Turning my back on her for sanity’s sake, I whirl around in my chair and reach for the closest bottle of whiskey. “What do you need?”
“Out. I can’t…stay in there anymore. ”
I pause with one hand on my glass and glance over my shoulder. A sardonic feeling pulls in my chest at the hope in her siren eyes. “I’m a businessman, Leilani. I deal in exchanges. What do you have to offer me?”
She sucks in her bottom lip and bites it. Fire spreads in my chest, burning hotter as I track the movement, craving another taste of that mouth. Turning fully to face her, I bring the rim of the glass to my lips, letting the smell of whiskey cover hers, and I take pleasure in knowing that I’m causing the subtle blush running up her neck. “I have nothing to offer you.”
My eyes rake over her figure, settling on her breasts, and she squirms under my scrutiny. “You must not be desperate enough.”
“You can’t possibly be serious. All I’m asking for is a few minutes outside. In the gardens, maybe. I don’t mind the guards or the shackles. I won’t run. I have nowhere to go, and you damn well know it.” She dares a step forward, and I choke on the scent of lavender. “Ten minutes. You don’t need to fuck me to give me that much.”
I run a thumb over the glass as I set it down. “Who said anything about fucking, princess? Although…” I pause, standing and prowling toward her. She retreats three steps back for every one I take forward. She reminds me of a mouse trying to outrun a wildcat. “I’ve been considering it more than I’d like to admit.”
Her chest heaves and her eyes widen to the size of saucers. “C-considering what?”
I eye my mahogany desk. “I’ve never brought a woman in here before, much less fucked one against this desk. Would you like to be the first? I’ll even take you on a little trip if you spread your legs for me. ”
In my defense, I’m kidding. But she doesn’t know that, because she crosses the distance between us and tries to pummel my face with her small fist. But I’ve gotten used to her speed, so catching her wrist is no hassle. I yank her forward and swallow a groan when her soft breasts collide with my chest. “Bastard,” she seethes.
Bloody hell, she’s even hotter when she’s mad, with eyes filled with liquid fire, snarling lips, and a body that was made for sin. Her strong will and defiance are the most arousing traits of all.
I lick my lips, and her pupils dilate as she watches my mouth. “I get that a lot.”
She blinks, gathering herself enough to pull out of my grip. I let her, and her voice is a husky rasp as she says, “Maybe if you weren’t such a pretentious asshole, you wouldn’t.”
I don’t hide my grin. “It isn’t pretentious to ask your wife to fulfill her duties.” My fingers twitch, and I touch her hair before I can stop myself. “You have such beautiful hair,” I muse, twisting the strands around my fingers, watching the distinct shade of red contrast my skin tone. I feel the silky curls between my fingertips, and I get the sudden urge to sniff her.
She smacks my hand off, eyeing me warily, and I blink, startled.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
Turning away sharply, I head back to the bottle of whiskey, abandoning the glass altogether. “I’ll let you out, but only if you perform your duties to me, and to this pack. Abandon every thought of returning home, every thought of Christian.” I’ll never forget her words from that night, the ones that pushed me into marking her: Christian. He’s who I dreamed about, not you. And it wasn’t just his fingers.
My fists clench around the bottle until it cracks. I redirect my frustration at her, letting her see it flare in my gaze. “You want out of that room? You fucking earn it. We consummate our marriage. You bear me an heir.” My voice turns dark and mocking. “Swear allegiance to me and help me ruin your father.”
Anger reddens her cheeks and venom spills from her mouth in a voice made to tip men over the edge of pleasure. “I’d rather die, Asher Wilde.”
I expected that, but it steals a husky laugh from me. I nod, crossing my arms. “There’s a different way, though. One that doesn’t entail as much… effort . It’s pretty simple, actually.”
I can tell I have her interest when the anger fizzles out of her eyes and her jaw sets with eagerness. I nod at the ground at my feet. “Kneel and beg for it.”
Leilani pauses. “Excuse me?”
I shrug. “Pick your poison, princess. It doesn’t matter to me how it gets done. It’s the result that matters to you, no?” I smirk. “Make it convincing.”
Leilani grabs the flower vase Mallory bought me for my birthday last year and hurls it at my head. I move at the last minute and it crashes into the wall, shattering into pieces. “I’ve got a better suggestion for you,” she pants, sobbing and wiping at her tears angrily. “Why don’t you just die? You’re already dead on the inside.”
She storms away and slams the door behind her. For a while after she leaves, I remain rooted to that spot, replaying her words in my mind. Dead on the inside ? I have been for longer than I can remember. My happiest memories are tied to the saddest, haunting me.
My fingers start to tremble, and sweat breaks out on my skin. The shadows in the room seem to grow larger, louder, and I shut my eyes. They’re everywhere, pressing down on me from all sides. Avenge me. Kill them all. Kill the girl. Asher, please!
I gasp at the pain in my chest and I stumble, grabbing the table’s edge to keep me upright. The sound of fabric ripping follows a haunting scream. Mom! Asher! Goddess, no!
The table cracks and I wheeze, trying to force air into my lungs, but that just makes it worse. I think I’m about to pass out from the pain, but then the doorknob twists. The shadows retreat, releasing their hold on me, and I straighten in time to see Talon come in. His boots slam against the marble floors angrily. “Don’t you think you’re being too hard on her?”
I hide my trembling fingers in my pockets and blink the last of the shadows away. “She deserves the same hostility as any other prisoner.”
Talon’s eyes flash. “No, she doesn’t, and that makes it harder, doesn’t it? Kill her or let her go, Asher, but make a choice. This isn’t our way. The plan was to make it painless and swift. Keeping her locked up in there is torture.”
His words send a rush of anger through me. “What changed, Tal? Why the sudden interest in her wellbeing?” I tilt my head, observing him. His fists are clenched, like he walked in here expecting to exchange blows. He’s angry over a woman he wanted me to kill only days ago. I stare at my closest friend coldly. “You want her.”
It isn’t so much a question as it is an observation .
Talon rears back like my words have stung him. “Fuck that, Ash. I would never think of your woman that way. You know that.”
The dark beast in me doesn’t agree with that, but I say nothing and let him finish. “The longer she stays, the harder it’ll be to get rid of her. Do it now, or be ready to face the wrath of the council, because I assure you, they have quite a lot to say.”