Page 15 of Rejected by My Stepbrother Alpha (Billionaire Shifter Club #1)

C ursed Peace

Asher

I could see the whole city of Sun Fire just from my office window.

The entire south-facing wall was made of glass.

I liked to start every morning here, watching my pack members start their day.

As I watched them drive to work, walk their kids to school, or order a cup of coffee, it reminded me of everything I had to be grateful for in my life.

BloodMoon Enterprises was more successful than ever, and I was the leader of a tight-knit, prestigious pack.

So, why did I not feel fulfilled?

Why did it seem like there was a missing piece in my life? Why was there always this voice in the back of my mind that wouldn't stop insisting that…something was missing?

You know why.

I ignored that annoying, persistent voice in the back of my head.

At least my father would be proud of how I've lived my life so far.

In my very soul, I knew that my father would be happy with the man I became.

This restless feeling wasn't because of him.

If my dad were alive, he would clasp me on the shoulder and tell me how he was so glad that he entrusted his pack and business to me.

He would say that there wasn't anyone better suited for the job.

Shouldn't that be enough for me? The belief that my father would approve of how I continued to build upon his legacy should be all that I cared about.

A small smile crossed my face when I thought of him.

I missed him every single minute of every single day, and grief wasn't linear.

Some days were better than others, but I knew that he was always with me.

I carried him with me in my soul. In the last conversation we had shared, my dad said he hoped that I'd find my Fated Mate. Well, I had.

And I rejected her.

Ivy.

I sighed and stepped away from the warm window.

I put my hands in my pockets and paced my office.

Like always—especially when I thought about Ivy—my wolf was restless in my head.

He ran in circles all day and night as if he were always searching for her, too.

No matter how often or how far I ran in my wolf form, he was always on edge inside of my head.

I went back and forth on my decision to reject Ivy.

When I came back to the house on the day my dad died, Evelyn and Ivy were gone, just like I'd requested.

I wasn't surprised to discover that many valuables from the house were taken.

I checked the camera outside and watched Evelyn load up her car with bags that were no doubt filled with jewelry, cash from the safe, small priceless paintings, and expensive electronics.

When I noticed that Ivy wasn't helping her, I rewound the tape and was shocked to find that Ivy left before her mother and was only carrying one suitcase.

Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying.

I'd paused the tape and stared at that image for over an hour, wondering why she was so upset and if I should go after her or not.

I didn't go after her, but when I went into her room, I saw that she had barely taken anything with her.

It seemed like she had left in a hurry. Ivy hadn't even taken that silver necklace she was always wearing.

It was like she had run away from something or someone.

To this day, I still had so many questions.

If Ivy was working with her mother, why didn't she help her raid the house or leave in the same car with Evelyn?

What had Ivy been so upset about? Could it be because of my rejection?

But if she had been working with her mother to steal from my father, why would she be upset about my rejection?

Over the years, I asked around about her. I reached out to the Alpha of her old pack and all of the surrounding packs close to BloodMoon, but none of them had seen her. Ivy had disappeared without a trace.

I hadn't made peace with my decision to send her away and each night, I pictured her beautiful face before I fell asleep. There was a deep ache within my soul whenever I thought of her name. Sometimes, I’d wake up from a dead sleep, and the first thought in my mind was Ivy. My Ivy.

But she was never mine, was she?

I was cursed to crave her for the rest of my life. How was I supposed to live the rest of my life when my wolf was begging for hers? Thinking of her name made my heart spasm with agony.

My rational mind didn’t want to miss her, but my heart yearned for her.

How was I supposed to move on when Ivy was haunting me around every corner?

Her bright blue, inquisitive eyes were what I saw every time I closed mine.

Why was I always searching for that sense of peace that her presence had given me?

Even though I mostly believed she had been helping her mother steal my father’s assets, whenever I’d been around her, everything seemed like it was going to be all right.

There was a knock at my door.

“Asher?”

I spun around and my breath caught in my throat.

“Ivy? What…”

I couldn’t even finish my question as I eagerly took her in.

She's even more beautiful than I remembered.

“I had to come back,” she said, shutting my office door and locking it. “I had to come back to see you.”

It didn't matter how or why she was here. Just that she was.

We moved for each other at the same time. My hands threaded through her hair and I drew her pink, plump lips to mine. I groaned as my tongue moved with hers, finally finding out what that addictive scent tasted like. She tasted exactly like she smelled—like honey and vanilla.

Without breaking our kiss, I swept everything off my desk, papers flew, my laptop crashed to the floor with a thud, but I didn't care. Grasping her hips, I lifted her on top of my desk, and her legs wrapped tightly around my waist.

I trailed my hands down her beautiful body. Her skin even softer than silk. We undressed quickly, our clothes littering the floor around us. Once we were naked, I pressed my mouth against her smooth neck, her breasts, her stomach...

“Asher,” Ivy moaned when I hovered over her wet center. “Asher, please!”

My dick was rock hard as I gazed at her pretty pussy.

“Please make me feel good with your fingers,” she begged. “Lick me and then make love to me with your hard cock.”

Right before I lowered my mouth to her wet center, I glanced up at her. Her fierce beauty stunned me. The sight of her wild, long auburn hair, her intense blue eyes staring down at me, and her seductive mouth almost knocked me over.

“Asher…please,” she whined and urged my head toward her pussy.

I smirked at her urgency and flicked my tongue over her greedy clit and pumped one finger into her wet—

A real knock interrupted the direction my mind had gone. Somehow, my thoughts about Ivy had turned into a dirty daydream. These fantasies plagued me day and night. They were so vivid, so real. It was almost like they were memories.

“Mr. Callahan, your meeting starts in five minutes,” my assistant said.

“Thank you, Carol.”

You’re at work, Callahan. Get your mind out of the gutter.

I buttoned my black suit jacket and tried to refocus my mind as I picked up my laptop.

Today was an important meeting. Not only could this potential account with the Alpha king be huge for my company, but my father had previously collaborated with Blackwood Inc.

His son—Damian Blackwood—was now the CEO and I hoped to resume working with their company.

It was what my father would have wanted.

I walked to our conference room in the center of our busy office.

The walls were made of glass and I usually left the door open—unless I was discussing a client's sensitive information.

I worked hard to create an open and unified atmosphere for all of my employees.

I wanted everyone who worked with me—from the Board of Directors to every assistant—to feel like they could come to me if they had a problem.

My team was already seated and I greeted them warmly.

“Do we know if Damian is bringing anyone else with him to the meeting?” I asked my vice president, Cooper.

He looked down to consult his notes. “Yes,” Cooper answered and straightened his red tie that had gone slightly crooked. “His vice president, Ivinia, is coming with him. Anya said that the Alpha king wanted them both here for the project.”

My mouth went dry and I almost dropped my laptop.

“Ivinia?” I whispered. A flash of a white dress and red blood running down the palm of my hand crossed my mind.

“Yes,” Cooper confirmed, still looking down at his notes, not noticing my sudden shift in mood.

One of my hands clenched into a tight fist and my heart slammed against my chest.

Goddess, you need to get a grip.

How could a simple name affect me? It wasn't even hers, just a similar name. Would this longing for Ivy ever stop?

“I think that's them now,” a member of the board said and nodded in the direction of the elevators.

My heart skipped a beat and my hands trembled.

Whoa.

That was strange. Usually, I wasn't nervous for a meeting.

I'd been sitting in on meetings since I could walk.

Maybe my body was reacting that way because this particular meeting was very important.

I knew that our company would have a better chance at winning the Alpha King's account if we worked with Blackwood Inc.

The Alpha king was the one who had suggested our pairing.

I turned and fixed a smile onto my face. Cooper stood from his chair and we walked over to the glass door of the conference room.

Carol was leading two people toward the room. When I saw the woman, shock froze me into place.

Oh my…

I clutched my heart as it stopped beating.

It can't be.

I must have dozed off at my desk. This had to be another daydream.

As Carol, Damian, and the woman walked closer, I only had eyes for her.

Her reddish-brown hair was pin-straight, hanging to her shoulders, and long bangs caressed the sides of her cheeks like a lover's touch.

She was dressed in a form-fitting, black power suit that showcased her toned legs and high red stilettos.

The woman clutched her sleek red briefcase and walked with her head held high and her shoulders back.

Someone might assume that she was the CEO of any company that she walked into.

When she looked at me with those intense blue eyes, I knew it was her.

She's really here.

My ex-stepsister. The Mate that I rejected in front of the entire pack. The woman who starred in every single daydream and fantasy that I’ve had for the last seven years.

Ivy. My Ivy.

No, she isn't yours.

But my wolf disagreed as he jumped around in excitement inside of my head. He howled so loudly that I could barely hear myself think.

Something inside of my chest stirred. The hairs on my arms raised and happiness burst inside of my heart. Was this what it felt like to be truly alive?

I hadn't felt this way in…seven years.

Damn it!

I didn't want to react this way to Ivy. She used my late father for his money. That was the only thing she had cared about back then. That was probably still true now .

Why did she have to be the only woman I'd ever felt…anything for?

Our gazes met through the glass wall and seven years of repressed forbidden feelings flowed between us. The heat we shared was intense enough to ignite the entire city of Sun Fire.

Ivy's beautiful eyes were resigned as she took me in.

Of course.

Ivy knew that she would be seeing me today. She knew that I would be the CEO of Bloodmoon Enterprises. After all, her mother and her had tried to steal this company from my father when he was on his deathbed. Jealousy zipped through me. She had been given time to mentally prepare for this moment.

Carol, Damian, and Ivy walked into the conference room and my breath caught in my throat.

What was she doing here? Was she vice president at Blackwood Inc.?

In the back of my mind, I registered Cooper introducing himself to Damian.

Ivy didn't take her eyes off mine as she held out her hand to me.

“I'm Ivinia,” she said in a calm, professional voice.

I paused for a split second.

So, that was how she wanted to play this? Ivy was going to pretend not to know me?

Fine, I could play along.

“Asher Callahan,” I said and gripped her hand. When our skin made contact, a pleasant shock went up my arm and there was a demanding pull in my chest. “It's nice to meet you, Ivinia.”

Ivy’s smile held a little of a bite.

“Likewise,” she said and dropped her hand, ending our contact.

She turned to introduce herself to Cooper, her auburn hair swinging in front of my face.

Oh…

Her sweet honeysuckle smell hit me like a truck.

The Mate that I had rejected had just walked back into my life after seven years and damn if that missing piece inside of me finally felt like it was going to slide back into place.