Ashley's POV"Jayden…" I drew in a breath, my eyes wide, stepping back, barely above a whisper, my heart pounding. "I can't do this." I spat the words out, acidic, charged, spilling like a confession, my chest tightening in fear and loss, Sarah's death still tearing me in half, mixed with visions of Jayden fucking me, hard and brutal, his hands leaving their mark on me, now tainted by Ella's lies that I screwed David to ruin my life.The pack sucked in air, some clenching their fists in shock, their muttering a hum like bees. What right did I have to turn down the Oakwood Pack's Alpha? Some had looked at me as his first mate, the one he had spurned, so was I spurning him now? It was darn near funny, their staring wide-eyed, passing judgment, but I didn't care. Maybe it was Ella's cold glare, maybe something else entirely, but I couldn't envision myself tied to him, not in the long term, not with my children—Rhea, Jace, Niko—waiting for me in the mortal realm, my only anchor.“Ashley,”
Ashley's POVWe lay there, tangled on the ground, the world fading to a blur, the chaos of the crashed horse and shouting pack members melting away. Jayden's chest was rigid under me, his beating heart thumping against my ribs, in time with the crazy thud in mine. His arms around me, holding me tight, warm, possessive, and for an instant, nothing else existed—just us."You all right, Ash?" Jayden whispered, his voice low, raspy, a husky sound that sent shivers down my spine, his black eyes sparkling with amusement and worry, scanning mine.I nodded, dazed still, my legs humming with the adrenaline of the crash, his warmth seeping into me, holding my thighs, my whimpers quivering. We sat there, noses inches from one another, air heavy, time crawling, each sound hushed, like the world holding its breath waiting for us to make a move."Your horse lost its mind, eh?" he teased, the laughter warm, coaxing, eyes glinting, pulling me in deeper.I grinned, contained, my gaze locked on his, s
Ashley's POV"We need to return to the pack. No use chasing shadows," David said, his voice harsh as he retracted his claws, walking towards the horses, his gaze raking the trees for danger. My heart was still racing with the loss of Sarah, her screams still echoing in my head, compounded by visions of Jayden's hands, hungry and coarse, screwing me raw, a memory now twisted by Ella's deceptions of me screwing David on the ground to break me.David reached his horse, glancing around either side, his body springs quick, warded. before leaping into the saddle. We rode hard, urging our horses out onto the road homeward, their hooves beating a steady rhythm on the ground. David led. his shoulders stiff, and we followed him, the rhythm of the ride urging us on, the forest blurring past.Silence fell around us again, thick and oppressive, Sarah's death and that strange car haunting our thoughts. None of us wanted to talk, all of us stuck in our own heads, attempting to cope with the weight o
Ashley's POV"I'm so damn sorry, Ashley," David growled, his voice rough as we moved away from the gorge, the rocky walls receding behind us. "Shouldn't have dragged you all into this mess." The words were rough, each syllable covered in guilt, his eyes trained on the ground ahead of him.I did not glance at him, my eyes lowered, my boots kicking up dust. "Sarah did not deserve that," I stated, my voice hollow, without emotion. "Not one bit." My chest ached, her screams still echoing in my head, mingling with images of Jayden's hands, wild and urgent, fucking me until I forgot no fears, now marred by Ella's lies about me fucking David in public to ruin me.David didn't speak, the forest consuming our words, the silence oppressive and weighted, bearing down on us like a physical presence. The marauding wolves fell silent, their growls suffocated, and there was only the seemingly infinite green of the forest expanding, the branches of the trees swaying softly in a faint wind, all of whi
Ashley's POVWe pressed deeper into the chasm, the sound of our boots on the jagged rocks echoing back off the vertical walls like a chorus of ghostly whispers. The thrill of finding the Silverbloom had been lost, replaced by a crazy need to get the hell out of this cursed forest. My breasts ached, my mind working over Jayden's calloused hands, pinching, fucking me to gasping, the memory now soured by Ella's lies of me fucking David on the pavement, her poison strangling my existence."Oh, Rhea," I panted, shaking over a full breath of sodden air, freezing my lungs, the mist swirling thick around us, erasing everything."Worth it, Ashley," Sarah wheezed into my ear, her voice soft, trying to lift me up. "We'll be done in a minute, I promise." Comforting words, but they didn't work. I had to get out—out of the Oakwood Pack, out of its deceit and dishonesty.We stood stock-still, our eyes fixed on what was ahead of us, our breathing suspended. "What the devil is that?" David whispered,
Ashley’s POVDavid’s eyes squinted, his face skeptical as he glanced at me, the monkey still clutching the shimmering flower in the tree. “You sure that’s the Silverbloom, Ashley? Looks fake as hell to me.” His voice dripped with doubt, his arms crossed tight.I gasped, my chest heaving, clutching the worn map, my eyes flicking between him and the paper. “I’m telling you, David, it’s the real deal. The smudges on the map, the narration, the silver glow—all refer to that flower on the monkey's paw." I said it in a chilly, rapid voice, my mind recalling Jayden's hand, coarse and hungry, screwing me out of all knowledge of the world, now tainted by Ella's falsehoods that I slept with David in the woods to ruin my life.I kept going, poking at the marks on the map, until David raised his hand and halted me. "Wait up, Ashley. Don't have to rush this," he told the monkey, his own eyes narrowed, his stare cold, feral. "Goddamn if I had a gun," he muttered to himself, his hand trembling as if
Ashley's POV"David!" I shouted, my parched throat, as I fled through the forest from the rogues, whose ugly bodies closed in on him like vultures. No way was I going to lose anyone on this mission, not David, not after all of this—Jayden's confession, his hands on me in flashbacks of us fucking, hard and desperate, his growls in my ear, now sullied by Ella's lies of me fucking David in the middle of town to destroy me.David's life was draining out, pinned under the rogues, claws raised to kill. His warriors were barely coming to, dazed by the black magic bolt, so I was his last hope. My claws were stretched out, ready and sharp, and I launched myself at the rogue who was going to take his life, my heart pounding, fury and fear mixed in my blood.The rebel did not even see me approaching, retreating as I slammed into it, my claws ripping through its chest, gouging deep, bloody cuts that dripped black, corrupted goo. It shrieked a screaming, gut-wracked scream of pain and rage, its ag
Ashley's POV"They're… " I began, scowling out into the dark woods, my voice trembling as the distorted bodies moved in closer to us, their horrific smiles glinting in the fading light."Rogues! Take cover!" David shouted, finishing my sentence, his voice slicing as he motioned us towards a huge tree trunk, bark thick and mossy. We scurried, hugging the wood, low, my heart pounding like a drumbeat, my mind remembering Jayden's hands on me, warm and rough, fucking me until I forgot my fear, a memory shrouded by Ella's lies about me humping David in public to ruin me.The rogues came towards our position, their ground-shaking steps shaking the earth, their muzzle sniffing the air like a dog. David, the surprise kicker, raised his arms, warning us to be quiet, his eyes on the beasts. We took a breath, my chest constricted, hoping that their senses were blunted, my ears ready, my wolf growling low, ready to battle.They were blind, snorting frantically but to us, their heads crashing back
Ashley's POV"This is a good place to tie the horses," David said softly as we reached the edge of the pack, the woods before us like a hungry, dark beast. We tied our horses to a gnarled, thick tree, their hooves striking the dirt, snorting gently as we cinched the knots so they wouldn't run.My heart had been broken, all tender because of Jayden's secret, his words reminding me of us fucking, boiling and brutal, his fists planted against my shoulders until I collapsed, only to be shattered by Ella with lies—to call me slut for supposedly screwing David in public."This matches the description," I grumbled, looking out into the forest, their vision flashing by distorted trunks and dark ferns as we parted from the track to enter the forest.The overhead canopy was heavy, smothering the light, casting complicated shadows that ghosted like specters. The air was rich with the odor, damp earth and rotting leaves, the scent growing stronger the deeper we descended, invading my system, aggr