༇ CHAPTER SIX

꧁ ASHER'S POV

I stared at the woman sleeping in my bed, and for the first time in fifteen years, I felt something.

Actually felt something.

It should have been impossible. 

The curse which had turned me into the famous ice king was very clear…you will never feel for anyone…not until you find your mate.

I rubbed my face, ignoring the way my chest tightened at the memory.

I’d been ten, just about two years younger than the little witch who uttered the words. She too was a child and had no idea what she was doing. We were young, reckless, playing around when she got offended and lashed out at me.

Of course she never meant any big harm.

But that curse had changed my life because even more than a decade later no one could reverse it…which meant that I grew up devoid of emotion…cold and icy indifference that had earned me the nickname - THE ICE KING.

For fifteen years, I'd been numb to it all. I'd learned to fake interest when necessary, to smile at appropriate moments, but inside? Nothing.

Until last night.

Until her.

I'd been at Midnight Den conducting business—a meeting with a supplier that required the kind of privacy only a loud club could provide. I'd just ended the call when she'd appeared in front of me like a vision, all wild dark hair and desperate courage, and kissed me.

And I'd felt it.

The shock of it had frozen me for a heartbeat before instinct took over. When I'd kissed her back, it was like breaking through ice into warm water. Every nerve ending had come alive. Every dormant sense had roared to life. For the first time since I was twelve years old, I'd wanted someone with a hunger that bordered on primal.

My wolf had recognized her instantly. Mate, it had growled with absolute certainty. Ours.

I'd barely been able to think straight enough to get us to the penthouse. And when I'd finally had her beneath me, when I'd heard her gasp my name and felt her come apart in my arms—it had been like being reborn.

She stirred now, and I found myself holding my breath, watching the way morning light played across her features. She was beautiful, yes, but it was more than that. There was something fierce in her, even in sleep. Something that called to the predator in me.

My mate.

My fucking mate.

She had made me come alive, for the first time in years…and I didn’t even need to search for her.

Bless the merciful moon goddess 

My phone buzzed from the bathroom where I'd left it. I glanced at the sleeping woman—Lyra, she'd said her name was Lyra—then carefully extracted myself from the bed.

She didn't wake, just curled into the warm spot I'd left behind.

I grabbed my phone and closed the bathroom door quietly behind me.

"This better be important, Grace," I snapped the moment I answered the call.

My personal assistant's crisp voice came through immediately. "I'm sorry to disturb you, Alpha, but there's an urgent board meeting. Your uncles are already at the office."

Of course they were. Like vultures circling a dying animal.

"What time?" I asked, already knowing I wasn't going to like the answer.

"Nine AM. They insisted it couldn't wait."

I glanced at my watch. It was barely seven. "Tell them I'll be there."

"There's something else," Grace said carefully. "They've invited external council members. The Elders."

My jaw clenched. Bringing in the Elders meant this wasn't just a company meeting and I could bet my favorite watch that I knew why they had called this meeting.

"Understood. I'll be there in an hour."

I ended the call and leaned against the sink, staring at my reflection in the mirror. For the first time in years, my eyes didn't look dead. There was heat there now, life that hadn't existed yesterday.

All because of the woman sleeping in my bed.

I returned to the bedroom, moving quietly to where she'd left her purse on the chair. My wolf snarled at the invasion of privacy, but I ignored it. I needed to know who she was, where to find her again.

Her wallet was easy to locate. I flipped it open, pulling out her ID card.

Lyra Stone.

The name sent a jolt through me. Stone. As in Thomas Stone, Beta of the Crescent Moon Pack—the pack that fell under my territory. I knew Thomas, though he didn't know the Alpha's true identity. Few people did. I preferred to rule from the shadows, using intermediaries and masks to keep my face unknown.

But I knew his family. Knew he had a son named Jaxon and... a daughter. An adopted daughter.

I looked back at the sleeping woman, pieces clicking into place. So this was the Stone family's adopted daughter. The one who'd been raised alongside their son.

Interesting.

I committed her address to memory, then carefully returned the wallet to her purse. She'd wake soon, and I'd be gone. Better that way. I needed time to think, to plan.

We'd meet again—sooner than she expected.

I dressed quickly, watching her sleep as I buttoned my shirt. Part of me wanted to wake her, to taste her lips one more time, to hear that breathless way she'd said my name. But duty called, and I'd been Alpha long enough to know that some battles couldn't be delayed.

Still, I allowed myself one moment of indulgence. I leaned down, brushing a strand of hair from her face, and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

She sighed in her sleep, and my wolf purred with satisfaction.

Soon, I promised silently. Very soon.

Then I left, forcing myself not to look back.

༺༺༒༻༻

The Greyson Corporation tower dominated the skyline, all steel and glass and power. I took the private elevator to the top floor, my mind already shifting into Alpha mode. Whatever warmth Lyra had awakened in me was carefully locked away. The board would be looking for weakness, and I couldn't afford to give them any.

The conference room doors were already open when I arrived. The board members sat around the massive table—ten wolves who'd served my father and now questioned whether I was fit to lead. And at the head of the table, looking entirely too comfortable, sat my uncles.

Marcus Greyson, my father's younger brother, leaned back in his chair with a smug smile. Beside him, his brother Dominic watched me with calculating eyes.

"Nephew," Marcus drawled. "So good of you to join us."

"It's my company," I said coolly, taking my seat at the opposite head of the table. "And my pack. Where else would I be?"

"We were beginning to wonder," Dominic said. "You're not usually so... difficult to reach."

Translation: they'd been trying to ambush me earlier and I hadn't answered.

"I'm here now," I said. "What's this about?"

Marcus exchanged glances with the Elders who sat along the sides of the table.

"We want an update," Marcus said. "On your progress toward fulfilling the succession requirements."

Ah. There it was.

When I'd assumed the Alpha title at twenty-five after my father's death, the Elders had imposed conditions. I had to produce an heir within five years or the title would pass to the next in line—which happened to be Marcus's son.

I'd been fine with the arrangement initially. Five years seemed like plenty of time. But then the curse had made finding a mate impossible, and time had slipped away faster than I'd anticipated.

"I have three months left," I said evenly. "I'm aware of the timeline."

"Three months," Dominic repeated. "And yet you're no closer to taking a mate than you were four years ago. The pack is getting restless, Asher. They need stability. They need to know their Alpha can provide an heir."

"The pack is fine," I countered. "Territory disputes are at an all-time low. Our economic growth has exceeded every projection. Crime is down thirty percent. What exactly is unstable?"

"Leadership without legacy," one of the Elders spoke up, his voice creaky with age. "Is no leadership at all. Your father understood this. Your grandfather understood this. Why do you resist?"

Because I literally couldn't feel attraction to anyone until last night, I thought but didn't say.

"I haven't been resisting," I said instead. "I've been selective. The woman I choose as Luna will be my partner for life. That's not a decision to be made lightly."

"Selective," Marcus scoffed. "Is that what we're calling it? Asher, you haven't been seen with a woman in years. There are rumors—"

"I don't care about rumors," I cut him off sharply. "All I care about is running this pack effectively. Which I've done. Successfully."

"For now," Dominic said quietly. "But you will need a legacy. Family. Heirs. You have three months to produce a mate and begin working toward an heir, or the title passes to Cameron."

Cameron. Marcus's son. A spoiled, vicious wolf who'd make a terrible Alpha and an even worse leader.

"The terms were that I needed to produce an heir within five years," I said carefully. "Not find a mate within five years."

"Semantics," Marcus waved his hand dismissively. "You can't produce an heir without a mate. Unless you're planning on—"

"I've found her," I said.

The room went silent.

Marcus's smile faltered. "What?"

"My mate," I said, letting a small smile curve my lips. "I've found her. We... connected last night."

It wasn't technically a lie. We had connected. In every sense of the word.

"Who is she?" one of the board members demanded.

"That's not your concern yet," I said. "But rest assured, I will fulfill the succession requirements. Within the allotted time."

Marcus leaned forward, his eyes narrowed. "We want proof. You are to bring her to the next board meeting. Introduce her properly. Let the pack see that you're serious about this."

"Fine," I agreed, already planning. "You'll meet her soon enough."

I just had to convince Lyra to marry me first.

A small detail.

The meeting continued for another hour, but my mind was elsewhere. On a woman with fierce eyes and a kiss that had broken a fifteen-year curse. On the way she'd said my name. On the fact that fate had literally dropped my mate into my lap exactly when I needed her most.

The Moon Goddess had a twisted sense of humor.

But I wasn't complaining.

By the time I left the building, I'd already formed a plan. I knew where Lyra lived. I knew her family. And in a few days, when the Stone family least expected it, their Alpha would come calling.

I pulled out my phone and called Grace.

"I need you to arrange a visit to the Stone residence today. We are going to pay them a visit.”