Page 32 of Rejected by My Stepbrother Alpha (Billionaire Shifter Club #1)

A Team

Ivy

Asher stared at me incredulously for a few moments. As he processed what I said, a car alarm went off below us, adding to the sounds of the busy city. But he didn’t even look down at the noisy sound. Instead, he kept his eyes on me.

“I only met Adrian a few days ago…” Asher said with a betrayed look in his eye. “I only just found out he’s my son. Why do you want to take him away from me?”

I opened my mouth to answer his question, but he kept going.

“Do you not trust me? Haven’t I proved that I’d go to any lengths to protect him, even when I knew that he wasn't my son?” Asher continued, his voice rising slightly. But his tone was steady, not argumentative, which I appreciated.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. Every point that he was making was valid. “Asher, I don’t want to take our son away from you. I have to.”

“Why?” he asked. His tone was still patient, but I could tell that he had to force himself to be calm.

The backs of my eyes prickled with emotion. The fact that he was reacting so strongly to just the thought of Adrian being away from him meant a lot to me. Asher had only known Adrian was his son for less than half an hour, and it was evident how much he cared for him.

But I had no choice.

“It’s not safe in Sun Fire for Adrian,” I said.

“It seems like we’ve been in danger ever since Adrian and I got into town, and I'm including you when I say that.” I laid my hand gently on his arm.

My pulse quickened from even that simple contact, so I dropped my hand.

I needed a clear head to get my point across.

“First, was that wolf attacking me. What if Adrian had been with me then? It terrifies me to think what could have happened if he had been.”

His hazel eyes dilated with panic. I knew the awful image of that wolf attacking our son was going through his head, too.

“Then, Riggs cut your brakes,” I continued. “If the circumstances had been different, you could have died in that accident, Asher. Just because you’re an Alpha, doesn’t make you indestructible.”

My chest became heavy, and I swallowed past the intense emotions that just talking about his car accident brought back.

The severe anxiety was never far away, even though he was standing right in front of me, perfectly healthy.

Did he know how much I worried about him?

Even those seven years when we were apart.

Even when I hated him, I worried for him.

“And, now, my own mother has sent someone to kidnap my son,” I said, my hands trembling and my voice rising with hysteria.

After everything that I’d been through tonight, it was no surprise that I was on the verge of another breakdown.

“We don’t even know if my mother sent that wolf to attack me.

I think that’s what scares me the most, not knowing how many possible threats there are out there that I have to worry about. ”

My heart raced as my thoughts spiraled, imagining trying to shield my son when danger was coming at him from all sides.

“I know that we have that big presentation for the Alpha king project soon, but my son’s safety is more important than any business arrangement," I said, my voice shaking as my panic for Adrian’s safety increased.

“Don’t you understand? He was almost taken away from me twice today, and it’s my fault.

I’m his mother. I’m the one who’s supposed to protect him. ”

Asher stepped closer and enveloped me into a tight hug.

Immediately, my body relaxed into him. Just like earlier tonight, his touch soothed me.

I buried my face into his shirt and inhaled his familiar scent.

He always smelled like cut wood and freshly mown grass, a heady, intoxicating combination that somehow managed to excite and calm me at the same time.

He put his lips right beside my ear. “Adrian is our son. That makes his protection both of our responsibilities. When it comes to Adrian, we’re a team now.

You don’t have to shoulder that worry alone anymore.

” He ran his hands gently down my back, making my tense muscles loosen slightly.

“Take some of that stress you’re feeling and give it to me. I can take it.”

I let out a sigh, and my racing pulse lowered. After a moment, I pulled back to look at him. His eyes were brimming with concern.

“Thank you for saying that,” I murmured.

“It really means a lot to me to know that I’m not alone.

I’ve always had my dad, Damian, and his wife to help me with Adrian, but it’s different than…

” I paused and wiped a few tears off my cheeks.

I hadn’t even realized I was crying. “It’s different to have you. ”

A small smile crossed his face, and he gently swiped more of my tears away with his thumb. “I’m here for Adrian and for you.”

The mood changed between us. Asher glanced down at my lips, and my heart slammed in my chest. The mating bond pulsed with happiness.

Most of my instincts were urging me to lean forward and press my lips against his.

My body was screaming at me to lead Asher back into my room and forget about all of my problems and lose myself in him.

But I listened to my motherly instinct and stepped out of the warm circle of his arms. His embrace had succeeded in calming me down enough, but I couldn’t think rationally when I was in Asher’s arms. And right now, I had to think about what was best for my son.

“Adrian and I have to go back to the ColdCrest Pack,” I said firmly.

“It’s the only way to ensure his safety.

” Then, an idea came to me that made my heart lift slightly.

“Hey, why don’t you come back with us! You can help me protect Adrian, and the ColdCrest Pack would be a safe place for you, too. ”

But even before the words were out of my mouth, my hope deflated like an old balloon. Asher was an Alpha. He would never leave his territory and run from a fight.

Asher grabbed my hands, and a jolt went down my spine from the warmth of his body heat. “Thank you for inviting me back to ColdCrest…” His tense features softened for a moment. “You don’t know how much your invitation means to me. Just the fact that you would want me there..”

Then, his demeanor changed. His posture straightened, and his gaze grew serious.

Now, he was thinking like the leader of a pack.

I was dealing with Alpha Asher. “Your mom must be working with someone with a lot of connections and help. Evelyn would be able to track you and Adrian anywhere. Even if you left our kingdom, she would probably be able to find you.”

My mouth opened in shock as I processed what he was saying.

Asher was right. My mother had to be working with someone whom had resources.

She couldn’t be doing this alone. And wasn’t that her signature move?

Manipulate a man to get what she wanted?

How far would my mom go for revenge on Asher and I?

“She could be working with someone in the BloodMoon Pack,” I said.

“What if that’s how Riggs and that wolf who attacked me got into your territory?

Do you think a guard let him in? Or someone who is working at your company?

I know firsthand how tight the security around Sun Fire is.

It took them so long to verify our identities when we first got here to attend that meeting with your company.

We were waiting at the border for almost an hour. ”

This time, it was Asher who broke our contact, dropping my hands and stepping away from me. My heart lurched, urging me to close the small distance between us. But I ignored our bond that still seemed to be trying to mend itself.

Asher paced the balcony, and I could practically hear his mind whirling. His eyes had darkened. Now they were more brown than green. His large muscles were tensed, bulging against the white fabric of his shirt. My mouth became dry, and I had to remind myself to focus.

“Just the thought of someone on my staff working with Evelyn to harm Adrian or you makes me…livid,” he snarled, then stopped pacing and faced me.

The enraged expression on his face made my heart skip a beat, even though it wasn’t directed at me. His eyes were narrowed into slits and his upper lip was curling into a snarl.

Asher took his phone out of his pocket, hit a button, and then put it to his ear.

He only had to wait one moment before the person he called answered.

“Do an internal investigation using an outside team of all of my staff, whether they work for my company or for the pack. And tell them to keep an eye out for anything unusual around Sun Fire or within the pack.”

When he hung up, his expression was only slightly less tense. “My Beta is going to conduct an investigation into everyone who works for me. I will find out if one of them is helping Evelyn,” he said in a steely voice.

“Wow,” I replied, astonished. “You’re very efficient.“Wait, isn't your Beta part of your team, too?

“I'm going to conduct an investigation on him myself,” he explained, then smirked. Asher reached out his hand, trailing it softly down my cheek, leaving a trail of heat from his touch. “I’m not cutting any corners when it comes to Adrian or your safety,” he muttered, looking deep into my eyes.

“I’m going to buy the hotel and book all the rooms until the threat is neutralized.

I don't want anyone near you or Adrian whom I haven't conducted a background check on. I can conduct most of my business remotely from the hotel. I will not be far away from Adrian or you while Evelyn or anyone else is after you both.”

His strong hands cupped my cheeks gently, and my heart skipped a beat.

“I’ll bring in guards to act as round-the-clock security for you and our son,” he promised, and brought my face closer to his, lowering his head until our eyes met. “I’ll protect you both with every resource available to me. I’ll protect you and Adrian with my life.”

“Thank you, Asher. Having that kind of protection makes me feel a little better.”

My heart exploded with emotion as we leaned slightly closer to each other. Without thinking, I pressed my body against his, biting my lip so I wouldn’t moan at the feeling of his warm, muscular body against mine.

Asher’s hands trailed down my cheeks to my neck and then circled around my waist, pressing me even tighter against him. I flattened my palms against his strong back, making my chest press against his stomach.

“You are so important to me, Ivy. If anything happened to you or Adrian…I don’t know what I’d do,” Asher whispered.

His hot breath against my skin made my stomach swoop with desire.

“Am I important to you because I’m Adrian’s mom or because I’m…me?”

My voice was breathless, and my subconscious was scolding me for asking a question like that. But as I looked into his gorgeous eyes, I couldn’t make myself regret it.

“Come on, baby,” he murmured and glanced down at my lips again.

Holy shit.

My hands began to tremble just from Asher using that pet name.

“You must know by now how much I care for you,” he said and used his finger to tilt my chin up. His eyes searched my face as if he were memorizing every detail. “Goddess, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

My breath caught in my throat, and the bond between us urged me to lean forward and remind myself what his strong, yet soft lips felt like against mine.

Instead, I stepped back, cutting off our contact for the third and final time. My subconscious was pissed that I’d already taken things this far, and I was finally listening to my rational side.

Even though my body was still trembling with a need only Asher could satisfy.

Asher’s eyes flew open, and he cleared his throat.

“This,” I gestured between us, “is just too much too fast. ”

“You’re right,” he said. “After everything that happened today…and things are still complicated between us. I’m sorry.”

I shook my head and blew out a long breath. “There’s nothing to apologize for. It wasn’t just you.”

My words hung in the air, and we stared at each other for an endless moment.

“Right now, we need to focus on how best to protect Adrian and learn to trust each other again,” I said, and he nodded in agreement.

“We should get some sleep,” I said and looked through the glass door into my bedroom.

I flushed when I realized how my words could have been taken. “In separate rooms.”

Asher let out a low chuckle. “I assumed that’s what you meant.” A lock of his light brown hair fell onto his forehead, and the gold flecks in his eyes sparked with humor.

He’s too handsome for his own good.

We walked back into my room, and even though he wasn’t touching me, I could sense his warm body behind me.

My hands clenched, and I sped up, but I was still overly aware of his presence.

I bit my lip as Asher shut the sliding door. I could already feel the walls around my heart shattering when it came to my former Mate.

But if I trusted him again with my heart, would he break it just like last time?