Ashley’s P.O.V.
“I am the Alpha here. Every matter should be reported to me!” Standing tall in his Alpha glory, Vincenzo let out a loud growl, thickening the air with his dominant aura. It was like the room itself recoiled at his existence as he snatched the file from Dr. Thomas’s hand. “Alpha, we were about to inform you after checking on her. She is ...” He tried to explain, but Vincenzo raised his hand, silencing him. The room was engulfed by the deafening silence as I could hear my own frantic heartbeat drumming in my ears. I stared at Vincenzo in a catatonic stupor and prepared myself for the inevitable, enduring the unbearable pain in my body. My fate was in the hands of that hateful, overbearing Alpha in front of me. Just like the day of my mating ceremony five years ago, when he decided to kick me out of his land without a proper trial. Every passing second escalated my panic as I searched for a speck of emotion on Vincenzo’s cold face. It was impossible to guess his intentions from his indifference. He read the test result as if it were an ordinary issue of his pack, requiring a quick solution. He closed the file and spoke icily. “Consult the other physicians for more details!” This order was his indirect method of saying fuck off, and thankfully, Dr. Thomas took his hint and left with his team after bowing. I didn’t wish to deal with Vincenzo’s unnecessary anger before voicing my thoughts. “We need to talk!” Crossing his arms over his chest, Vincenzo looked at me as if awaiting a response from me. If he was expecting me to thank him for bringing me back to his pack, he was truly mistaken. “Yes, I need to say goodbye before leaving. It’s the last time we are seeing each other.” “No! You aren’t going anywhere, Ashley Miller!” He snapped at me angrily. “You are sick. It’s not something we have seen before.” I laughed at Vincenzo’s fake concern and coughed, hard enough to taste blood in my mouth. But it didn't stop me from expressing my repulsion. “Poetic! I finally get to die in the place that killed me before!” Although I taunted him, Vincenzo didn’t rise to the bait like a mature man and continued with his previous statement. “Your illness is trauma induced, endangering your life. Ivory is barely hanging on. So, you have to live in my pack to heal, Ashley!” “I don’t need your charity, Alpha Vincenzo.” I couldn’t help but spit out in disgust. “It’s better to die than be a parasite. I won’t let this bond save me!” “It’s not about letting it.” Vincenzo crossed the room slowly, like he was approaching a wounded animal, and spoke firmly. “The mate-bond is already healing you.” As he stepped closer, I felt the pull of the bond, frayed and bitter, but still alive under all the wreckage. I was stunned to see the broken threads of destiny swirling around us, desperately trying to reconnect. Vincenzo also witnessed the bizarre twist of my rotten fate and sighed. “You were on the brink of death, and your wounds weren’t healing like they should. But as we crossed the border of my Enchanted Gardens pack, your vitals shifted. Ivory was able to breathe properly when you were closer to me ...” His long, horrifying speech made me feel a cold pit in my stomach, freezing my insides. The tornado of realization hit me hard, shaking my world with its magnitude. Like a leech, I relied on Vincenzo’s life source, borrowing his energy to survive while being unconscious. The injustice of heaven crushed my soul into tiny little pieces as I muttered under my breath. “It’s unfair.” “It is what it is, Ashley.” Vincenzo spoke, “As the doctors have recommended, our broken bond is necessary for you to recover. So, here’s the deal. You will work in my mansion as a maid, and in return, I will make sure you won’t die of this illness.” He offered me a work-treatment plan, planning everything ahead. Vincenzo was the Alpha who didn’t have time for his ex and other trivial matters, finding instant solutions for them. However, I wasn’t his responsibility anymore, let alone feasting on his favours. So, I plainly refused his offer. “Don’t bother, Alpha. My stay here won’t be in your pack’s best interest.” With that, I stood up, even as my head spun. Keeping my brave façade intact despite the pain was my only priority. “Thanks for your concern. I will figure out something on my own.” My firm decision set him on fire as Vincenzo growled furiously, asserting his dominance. “You are a part of my pack now, Ashley. Whatever I say, goes. Don’t you dare defy my orders!” Vincenzo’s audacity to call himself my Alpha burned me from the inside out, unleashing years or resentment. I didn’t hold back and hissed at him. “How can I forget you are the Moon Goddess in my life, Alpha Vincenzo Anderson? If you think I am a danger to your pack, you can banish me, depriving me of my life and freedom. And whenever you like, I am again a part of your pack. So, you can see me suffer and enjoy my misery. Is that what you want? Watching me beg you every time I feel unwell, flexing my miserable last days before your pack mates as the Goddess’ justice for previous betrayal?” I felt dizzy as the darkness prevailed before my eyes, spinning the world around its axis. But I didn’t give a damn to my weakness and vented out my frustration. “This work arrangement is just an excuse to see me dying before you. You want me dead, just admit it, Alpha Vincenzo.” Vincenzo’s jaw clenched as he looked pained, barely keeping it together. His blue eyes glowed crimson as his wolf pushed forward in rage. But before he could admit, my knees buckled, making me lose my balance. Vincenzo rushed to support me as I fell into his arms helplessly. “Calm down, Ash. It’s not good for your health.” He whispered against my hairs, pulling me closer to his chest. I squirmed in his hold as the feeble protest, spitting out my hatred as the last thing before the sudden wave of relief lulled me to sleep. “I hate you, Vincenzo!” ... “You are a liability, Ashley. I can’t risk my pack for a mere mate!” The flashback of my rejection haunted me in my dreams, not letting me sleep peacefully. I was jolted awake by the searing pain of rejection cutting through my heart. My body felt heavier, as I couldn’t move, paralyzed in the bed. It wasn’t just fatigue, but the stabbing pain in every bone of my body, tearing me apart. My chest was so tight, suffocating me. I could even see Ivory curling in a corner, fading. “Ivory!” Panic creeped in as tried to shift, just to feel her presence. But a solemn voice resounding in my ears stopped me. “Don’t. Let her rest.” I turned my head and gasped, missing out on breathing. Vincenzo, lying on my right side, leapt my heart to my throat as he spoke softly. “Ash, I don’t want you dead!”Ashley’s P.O.V.Leave now?My heart sank at his statement. The mere mention of leaving made my body tremble. It dawned on me that just within two days, it had become unimaginable to leave this place. I couldn't leave. Not when finally, I found the sense of peace I had been longing for the past two years. Indeed, this pack was my home, the place where I was born and spent my entire life. Even my mate was here, binding my soul to this land. Only the Moon Goddess knew how I had dragged my aching body from one day to another in the Blood Moon Pack. It wasn’t that I hated Grayson’s pack. Nope!In fact, it sheltered me when I was in dire need, helping me hide from my mate. But now, going back there didn’t seem possible, as somehow, the air of the Eastern Gardens Pack had healed the parts of me I didn’t know were broken, making me feel complete again.Looking at Grayson’s gloomy face, I found it difficult to express my thoughts. I couldn’t hurt him, not when he had carried enough pain of
Ashley’s P.O.V.A surprise?Not again!Frowning in confusion, I was going to ask about that surprise, when the door creaked open again and a maid walked in, carrying a familiar bundle of off-white and brown fur. My eyes widened in shock.“Lilly?”Our Moon Shadow, our lovely Lilly, was there, looking around curiously. The moment she saw me, she wiggled out of the maid’s arms with a loud meow, bounding straight into mine. Her warmth pressed against me, her fluffy paws kneading my lap as though scolding me for leaving her for so long. Smiling at her angry meows, I was brushing her fur with soft apologies when Vincenzo’s chill voice echoed into the room. “Ashley, look at the door. The real surprise is here.”Utterly confused, I turned my head and froze, my breath catching in my throat. Three tiny babies toddled across the polished floor, their little paws soundless. My heart swelled at the sight of three kittens, not more than a few weeks old, their soft fur a patchwork of white and war
Ashley’s P.O.V. Vincenzo’s hand slid from the back of my head to my waist, firm and possessive, pulling me flush against him. Heat surged through me, scattering what little control I had left. The world blurred until there was nothing, but his touch, his possessive aura, his mouth demanding mine. The fire burned my core, pushing the limits of my self-restraint, and I gaped, startled by the sudden rush of desire. “No!” A wave of terror jolted me back to reality, replaying the cursed memories of my mate’s betrayal. I broke the kiss and placed my hand on his chest to keep the distance, my body trembling from the bond’s pull. “I-I need to go!” Biting my swollen lips, I managed to utter the refusal, my chest rising and falling rapidly as if I had run miles. Vincenzo’s eyes darkened with disappointment, but he masked it quickly, his arms still holding me close, refusing to let me truly escape. The silence stretched between us, only to be broken by the ragged sounds of our breathi
Ashley’s P.O.V. Terror consumed me as I thrashed in his grip, my nails clawing uselessly at the iron band across my waist and mouth. Whoever it was, his strength was terrifying and unyielding. I tried to breathe and focus on scent, but in vain. I didn’t get any clue about his identity, as he was cloaked, stripped of any trace that gave him away. Then the world blurred in a split second as the wind tore at my face, stinging my eyes. My stomach churned violently with an unbearable speed as he ran, sprinting in an unknown direction. I fought, screaming inside, but my voice was swallowed against his palm. My head grew lighter and lighter until the movement stopped so suddenly that it jolted through my bones. I staggered, my knees nearly buckling under me as he finally released me after some time, removing his hand from my mouth too. My lungs burned as I dragged greedy breaths, the world spinning around me. It took every ounce of will to keep standing. A gust of cold night air care
Ashley’s P.O.V.“No?”Cassidy jerked back as if struck by lightning on a clear, sunny day. Her tear-stained face became an epitome of shock as she squealed.“No? But why?We are mates, Grayson.”She spluttered, squeezing his hand to prove her point. “I-I can feel the bond. And your wolf must be feeling it too.”Her words twisted my guts as I remembered Grayson's struggles for a mate. I wanted to tell her the truth that her mate’s wolf had been broken, dormant because of injuries. Healers had advised him to look for his mate, as the blessings of a bond could heal the deep lacerations of his soul. It ached my chest to even remember how Alpha Carter contacted every pack in the south and begged other Alphas to help them, searching every corner of the vast territories. And look at the goddess’s system: Cassidy was here in the east all the time when Grayson suffered in the south all alone, yearning to be with his soulmate However, it wasn’t my place to speak for his reality. This secret
Ashley’s P.O.V.Forgiveness?I frowned, my lips parted in confusion. Why did she ask for forgiveness from me?My eyes flicked to Vincenzo, searching his face for an explanation, but he looked just as taken aback. Swallowing my unease, I got up with Enzley in my arms, my voice edged with steel as I asked her.“Why are you asking for forgiveness, Cassidy? I think I haven't accused you of something yet.”The room fell silent, the question hanging between us. Neither she nor Vincenzo spoke, and the pause stretched until it began to grate on my nerves. Eventually, Cassidy lifted her face, fear carved into every line of it, her eyes glistening. “I have spent enough time as an omega maid,” she said, her voice cracking but loud enough to reach us, “to know what it meant when Gamma Carson asked me to present myself before Alpha and Luna after my shift. It means something is wrong. Otherwise…”Her piteous gaze darted between the two of us. “Otherwise, why would you call me again, after I ha