AphroditeAsher's footsteps halted by the door as soon as he walked in, and I held my breath in apprehension. Covering my mouth with my hands, I tried to slow my racing heartbeat, afraid that he'd hear and discover I was hiding in his bedroom.Goddess knows what he'd do then, and I couldn't even come up with a suitable excuse because my brain was jumbled up with worries. I heard the door shut after some time, then his footsteps moving around in the room.I shut my eyes tightly, hoping and praying that he wouldn't sense that something was off. I heard the bathroom door open, and I deduced he'd gone in to freshen up. I couldn't come out just yet, though, because I didn't hear the door shut and was paranoid he'd catch me.When I heard the shower turn on, I exhaled in relief. I had a chance to leave, but I had to be very quiet about it. Even though the noise from the shower could mask my footsteps, I still wasn't entirely in the clear.I summoned courage and pulled back the curtain, sighi
AsherAs I stared at the white pattern on the ceiling in the silence of my office, my mind drifted back to the moment I shared with my mate. I didn't question what she was doing in my bedroom in the first place, but instead, I found myself completely captivated by her eyes, which seemed to make me lose all sense of reality.For the life of me, I couldn't understand why she wanted nothing to do with me when it was clear she felt the same attraction. Contrary to the rumours of my supposed ugliness, women were actually dying to be in my arms.A knock on the door made me sigh and roll my swivel chair back to face my desk. The door opened shortly after I mumbled a 'come in' and George walked in. There was something amiss, though, because he was clenching and unclenching his fist, his chest heaving as he tried to contain his wolf.I furrowed my brows in worry, watching him walk in front of my desk before taking a seat. I observed him for a while, waiting for him to calm down from whatever h
AphroditeOur taxi pulled into the mansion's driveway and parked. Biting my lips nervously, I turned to Lara and gently touched her shoulder to wake her from her short slumber, signalling that we had arrived. She yawned, nodded, and sniffled before getting out of the car with me in tow.I quickly paid the cab driver and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as we walked inside. By the time we reached our bedroom, she had calmed down considerably, which I was thankful for.Never in my wildest imagination did I think this night would end the way it did. I couldn't wrap my head around how Asher had brutally murdered that poor man for no reason. I sighed and went to sit beside my best friend, trying as best as I could to be a support system.It was silent for a while before Lara stood up to freshen up, and I went to sit at the dressing table. I took some wipes and cleaned off my makeup before going into the closet to find something comfortable to wear after I showered.Lara came out af
Asher;For the first time in my life, I felt fear as I watched my mate seize helplessly and foam at the mouth. All I could do was hold her down to prevent her from hurting herself, while confusion, worry, anger, and, most of all, fear mixed into one dangerous concoction."What the hell is happening?" I screamed at no one in particular, barely registering the shuffle of feet behind me."Aphrodite," I called, touching her face with a shaking hand as she continued to seize in my arms. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she stopped seizing abruptly, going limp in my arms."No, no, no, wake up!” I shook her limp body violently, but when I didn't get a physical response, I screamed."Get the doctor!" I yelled at a maid, who jumped in fear and rushed out. I looked down at my mate, terrified that I might lose her. I could hear her heart, but it was faint. I didn't know if it would last, but the thought of losing her made me want to pull my hair out in frustration.The memory of losi
Aphrodite:Prying my eyes open took more effort than it should, but when I finally managed, I realised I was lying on a bed as soft as clouds. The only sound I could hear was the steady beeping of a heart monitor. As my gaze roamed the room, I recognised it as Asher's bedroom.The realisation made me sit up so fast that I felt dizzy for a second, but it quickly cleared. I looked around in confusion, wondering how the hell I had ended up in his room and on his bed. The last thing I remembered was drinking coffee while watching Asher flirt with Sophia on their stupid date. Nothing else.The door opened, and I snapped my attention to it. Asher walked in, his eyes widening when he saw me. He rushed to my side, enveloping me in a hug that left me both speechless and breathless at the same time.He pulled back and held my face with both hands, his eyes searching mine as if to make sure it was really me. He smiled tenderly, and I furrowed my brows in confusion."You're awake. How?" he mumble
AsherThe moment Aphrodite fainted in my arms, I roared in fury. My wolf growled angrily as I scanned the crowd, which had stopped to watch the scene unfold with shocked faces.“You!” I snarled at Harold; he was the community council head, and I knew he'd instigated this whole thing. I wanted to wring his neck so badly, but I couldn't leave my unconscious bleeding mate.“M—my King,” he stuttered, falling to his knees and shaking in fear.“Arrest him now,” I growled at George, who quickly sprung into action, ordering a warrior to take him away. Two warriors grabbed Harold by the arms, dragging him away as he continued to stutter out excuses and pleas.“Get the Devil Wolf out of here to a secure room,” I ordered, quickly lifting my mate and heading straight to my parked car.What was Aphrodite thinking when she decided to protect the Devil Wolf? She'd refused my offer to go out, but at the mere mention of Devil Wolf, she changed her mind.I glanced at her unconscious form in the passeng
AsherI almost bumped into Matilda on my way to the front door; she looked surprised by my abrupt departure, and I had to mask the seething rage that was simmering just beneath the surface of my skin. "You're leaving so soon?" She asked, frowning, her brown eyes dropping in disappointment. I gritted my teeth in anger at the fact that dinner could have ended a lot better, but as usual, the old man had to ruin it."I'm so sorry, Matilda. I have an emergency that requires my immediate attention," I lied smoothly. She nodded in understanding. I felt guilty for lying to her, but I couldn't stand being under the same roof as the man I called my father without wanting to break something."Just take care of yourself, my boy," she said with a warm smile, adjusting the collar of my dress shirt. I could feel the warmth radiating off her in waves, and it made me feel oddly safe."And Hilda too; I know she's always been obsessed with following you around, even as a child, but she'll outgrow it,"
AphroditeI watched with satisfaction as Asher agreed to my claim, turning to Sophia with a smirk. Even though I couldn't be with Asher due to my circumstances, I was determined that making Sophia my replacement would never happen.Over my dead body, would I let that happen.Sophia’s face twisted into a knowing smile, as though she had thought of something deviously clever. “Since other ladies are competing, I will be the best of the candidates and compete for a place by Asher's side,” she said, her eyes gleaming with malice as she sized me up, and I nearly scoffed.“I’m staying either way, and there is nothing you can do about it.” Her tone was laced with venom as she glared at me, daring me to counter her. She wasted no time in snatching her hand luggage off the floor and intentionally bumping my shoulder as she stormed up the stairs.I gritted my teeth in anger, suppressing the urge to go after her and drag her back by her hair, screaming. My gaze snapped back to Asher's, and I gla
Aphrodite “Why the fuck isn't she waking up? Do something!” A familiar deep voice growled, his tone suggesting irritation.“I—I’ve done everything I can, Your Highness,” a shaky voice responded quickly, clearly unnerved by Asher’s fury. “It’s up to her now. She’s fighting, but it may take some time. Her body is making a remarkable recovery,” he added nervously under Asher’s intense aura.“That’s not good enough. I need her to wake up now,” he snapped, his voice filled with desperation as the tension radiated off him in waves. “I understand, Your Highness,” the doctor replied cautiously, “but these things can’t be rushed. Her vitals are stabilising, which is a positive sign. We just need to give her time.”“Time? She doesn’t have time! If anything happens to her or our baby…” His voice cracked, the anger giving way to fear. I sighed softly, fighting to pry my eyes open. The effort felt monumental, but eventually I managed to crack them open, only to wince when the bright white light
Aphrodite It had been a few days since I found Brielle's severed finger in my jewellery box, and the news of her kidnapping had spread like wildfire throughout the werewolf world.No matter how hard I tried to reach Elijah over the past few days, I failed. I was scared and confused, praying that Brielle was still alive.Brielle was like the super star of the werewolf world, so when I started receiving death threats at the office, I wasn’t too shocked. It got to the point where Lara and I could no longer show up at work because there was always an angry mob waiting for us. Somehow, they had found out that I had matched her with the psychopath responsible for her kidnapping—Elijah.The revelation caused a massive uproar in the werewolf community, leading to a campaign calling for the cancellation of my matchmaking app. I was devastated by the news, breaking down in tears as I was transported back to the day we received that lawsuit.The last straw was when I received a call from Briell
Aphrodite "Turn right to get to your destination." The GPS announced my arrival.I frowned at the sound of my car's GPS navigation pulling up to a stop in front of a narrow dirt road that led deeper into the dense trees.The road was almost invisible, a barely-there path cutting through the woods, and it was getting dark fast. I didn’t have much time before Asher would start calling, so I had to do this now. Pushing aside my unease, I turned onto the dirt road and drove up the hill at a cautious pace.I tried to convince myself that Elijah was just a puny human—there was nothing to be afraid of, but the quick palpitations of my heart told a different story.“You have arrived at your destination,” the GPS declared. I pulled into a small clearing where a quaint little cabin sat in the centre, surrounded by trees. The isolation was unsettling. I turned off the car, silenced the GPS, and stepped out, shutting the door behind me with a quiet click.“Hello?” I called out, spinning slowly t
AsherI walked back into the meeting room, only to find Aphrodite so deep in thought that she didn’t even notice my presence.“Hey, love,” I called gently, but she seemed too lost in her own world to hear me. I stepped closer and placed a soft hand on her shoulder. She jolted at the contact, her eyes snapping up to meet mine.“You scared me,” she breathed out, clutching her chest as she exhaled slowly. Concerned, I pulled back the chair beside her and sat down, facing her directly.“What has you so distracted that you didn’t hear me come in?” I asked softly, searching her face for any sign of what might be troubling her. She shook her head and forced a smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.“It’s nothing,” she replied, but I wasn’t convinced. Something in her tone, in the way she avoided my gaze, told me it was far from nothing.“Are you sure?” I pressed, my voice gentle but firm. She nodded, her smile still forced.“It’s nothing, I promise,” she repeated, reaching for her purse b
Aphrodite Mom returned home hours later, grinning from ear to ear when she saw how Asher was glued to my side, fussing over the smallest things. I thought his constant fussing might irritate me, but instead, I found myself secretly loving it. Call me crazy, but getting attention from my mate felt like a drug I couldn't get enough of.When we broke the news of my pregnancy to Mom, she was both shocked and overjoyed. She was absolutely thrilled to be a grandmother, and it warmed my heart. She wouldn’t stop bragging about how the herbs she had given me worked wonders, even though, in truth, they had nothing to do with my miracle baby. Everything felt perfect, and I wished it could stay that way.We spent the night at Mom’s place and drove back to the pack the next morning. We decided to keep my pregnancy a secret, informing only a select few.Asher refused to tell Ronan the news, but I felt he deserved to know, even if he was a douchebag. It took a lot of convincing on my part before A
AsherI pulled into my mother-in-law's driveway and parked before killing the engine. I took a deep, nervous breath as I stared at the empty front porch. My fingers unconsciously tapped on the steering wheel as I tried to muster the courage I needed.After giving myself a brief pep talk, I reached over to the passenger seat and grabbed the enormous bouquet of red roses I had George prepare, along with a basket of chocolates.Shutting the car door behind me, I made my way up the steps to the front door. I still hadn’t figured out a perfect explanation that would make her forgive me. Maybe the truth would be enough, wouldn’t it?I raised my fist to knock, but the door suddenly swung open, revealing Mrs. Johnson. Her eyes widened in surprise at finding me on her doorstep, but they quickly narrowed when she noticed the flowers and chocolates in my hands."Hello, Mrs. Johnson." I started with a tight smile on my lips, but she rolled her eyes and promptly shut the door in my face. I blinked
AsherI met George halfway to the edge of the pack territory, where, as expected, more than a dozen warriors were patrolling the perimeter."My King," George bowed as he approached, and I gave a curt nod in acknowledgement."What am I looking at?" I asked, scanning the clearing but seeing nothing out of the ordinary."This way," he directed, leading me towards the boundary between my territory and the unclaimed lands. As we neared a large oak tree in the middle of the clearing, the stench of rotting flesh hit me full force, nearly choking me on my breath.I scrunched my nose but remained silent as we approached the tree. There, pinned to the bark with an arrow, was the head of a wolf. The nauseating stench confirmed it had been dead for some time, but what truly caught my attention was that this was no ordinary wolf. It was a Devil Wolf, and this only solidified my suspicions about the experiments being conducted on them.I stepped forward and removed a small note that was attached to
Aphrodite I rushed up the stairs in excitement, eager to break the good news to Asher. I imagined how ecstatic he would be to hear he was soon going to be a father, and that thought alone propelled me forward.I swung our bedroom door open, fully expecting him to be there, but I was met with a cold, empty room. My excitement instantly dampened, and I shut the door slowly behind me, staring at the untouched bed in the centre of the room.I walked towards the nightstand and checked the time. It read 10:47 PM, which meant he would be back soon. With an excited grin on my face, I climbed into the bed, leaning my back against the headboard as I stared at the door, patiently waiting for his return.Minutes turned into an hour, and the excitement slowly turned into a deep yearning. The room felt unbearably empty without him. I needed him beside me to share in this incredible moment and to feel his arms around me, reassuring me that everything was real and wonderful.I blinked back the haze
Aphrodite I sighed the moment Asher walked out the door, leaving me alone. I emerged from the closet just as Lara entered the bedroom, softly closing the door behind her. She beamed when our eyes met, but I could only muster a faint smile in return.I slumped down on the edge of the bed with a deep groan. The bed dipped as Lara joined me, her smile fading when she saw the forlorn look in my eyes.She rubbed my shoulder soothingly without saying a word, silently encouraging me to open up to her.“He just left, Lara, and I understand he had to go, but why does it still hurt so much?” I murmured, tears blurring my vision. The pain of his absence cut deeper than I wanted to admit because he should be with me instead of going to work, but maybe I was being too dramatic crying about it.“Oh, honey,” Lara cooed, her voice soft and full of empathy. “You have every right to feel this way. He's your mate, and he should be here with you right now.”I sighed, wiping away the tear that had slippe