Chapter 6 - Asher's POV

I ventured into the woods before sunrise, the engine humming beneath me as if sensing the turmoil within my heart. The breeze bit at my skin as I sped along the twisting trails, yet no velocity could quiet the connection gnawing at me. My wolf stirred beneath my flesh agitated and growling craving the one thing I was unable to offer him.

Her.

Enid.

With each blink, her face from the night appeared before me. How she had gazed at me. The noise of her breathing as I made contact with her. The sensation of her lips, on mine. My wolf relived every second as if it were a memory he longed to bite into.

I growled, urging the bike to speed up. The trees became dark forms shadows extending along the path. My wolf was indifferent. He desired her nearby, aimed to shield her, longed to pull her against my chest and keep everyone away from her.

I felt like hitting a tree because of how I grasped his feelings.

“She is, off-limits " I whispered, the phrase leaving a taste. "She is Jasper’s sister.”

He was indifferent. He snarled more louder this time pressing into my ribs attempting to seize command. He craved dominance aimed to reverse direction eager to trail her scent, like a fool lacking any sense of limits.

II shoved him away using all my strength.

“You’re not being helpful " I retorted sharply. "You are the issue.”

He shot back, fury surging through my veins. He was correct in his fierce manner. The connection had rooted itself in my core the instant I accepted the reality. It felt like a string drawing taut, profound than instinct, more ancient than reason. It caused my chest to hurt, made my hands tremble and my mind wander to her when it ought to have stayed on everything.

The woods consumed the glow of the compound lights trailing behind. Shadows cloaked the way. The moon rested low, cold and pale observing me as if she derived some pleasure from it.

“Really hilarious " I grumbled up at the sky. "You might have chosen anyone else.”

Anyone aside from her. Anyone except the girl Jasper relied on me to keep safe. Anyone other than the member of this pack who seemed unscathed by war and violence. She repaired bikes, she laughed without restraint, she debated as if she lacked fear. She embodied all that was tender, in a world that grew increasingly grim.

And somehow she was mine.

Within me my wolf emitted a primal cry that caused my grip opn the handlebars to grow firmer. I eased off the throttle to prevent losing command. The woods were quiet except for my breathing and the gentle drone of the engine.

I despised this. Despised how the connection mellowed me. Despised how it stirred desires within me that I was never entitled to have. Despised how the Moon Goddess set her in my palms as if it were some prank.

“You are heartless " I snarled up at the heavens.

The quiet responded.. The connection cinched closer.

I switched off the engine as I arrived at the cliff, allowing the abrupt quiet to engulf me completely. The atmosphere was chilly and pure biting my lungs sharply with each breath. Beneath me the IronClaw domain spread out like a chart. Homes nestled among the trees, the light of lanterns, the elongated silhouette of the garage, the training fields on the western edge and the boundary that shielded us from all that lay beyond.

All the things I was meant to shield them against.

I lifted my leg off the bicycle and moved nearer to the brink, hands resting on my hips, jaw clenched. The valley lay silent. Silence no longer guaranteed safety. Not these days. Threats could lurk anywhere. Among the trees. Within the darkness. On the faces of wolves who grinned readily during gatherings. The Shadow Syndicate had drilled that truth into me thoroughly.

I ran a hand over my face. My attention should have been on them. On the talks. On the patrol that disappeared last week. On the scent markers we continually discovered along the border, markers that were not from any friendly pack.

However my mind kept returning to her.

Enid.

Her scent. Her breathing. The gentle noise she uttered when I kissed her. The expression, in her eyes as she murmured that word. Mate.

My wolf stirred more eager desperate. I suppressed him before he climbed too high. I couldn’t risk this. Foes lurked in every corner, spies delivering tidbits of information, and a pack relying on me to remain steadfast. The instant I lowered my defenses, if briefly, someone would exploit the weakness.

She was the force able to shatter that defense completely.

I tilted my body forward a bit gazing at the glowing lights of the region. This cliff had always been a place where my mind cleared. Tonight however it only amplified the noise, in my head. My heart still skipped a beat whenever I recalled her kiss. How I had returned it with my own. How I had come back for another even though I had attempted to leave.

Her flavors spirit stayed upon my lips. Tender, heated, yearning. It was more, than a recollection. It seemed like an imprint seared into me. A vow I hadn’t consented to already felt entrapped by.

“You are a menace " I murmured to the darkness. "Absolute menace.”

My wolf exhaled sharply irritated, by my refusal. He desired her. Longed for the bond. Desired all that the Moon Goddess linked to our lineage. I wished to act as if he alone yearned for her. That would be the greatest falsehood I had ever convinced myself of.

I tightened my fists. I couldn’t allow myself to show frailty. Not while the Syndicate edged nearer each day. Not with the adversaries from my father’s reemerging. Not with the pack murmuring fears they acted like they didn’t hold.

Still she had broken through every barrier I erected. Through her laughter. Through her persistence. Through a kiss that destroyed my night my concentration and quite possibly my tranquility forever.

I closed my eyes. I was already lost.