Chapter 2- Poisoned wine

Asher 

There were gasps throughout the entire hall. Everyone looked completely shocked by this sudden change.  What had I done? My entire body felt like it had been struck by lightning and my senses were on overdrive. I couldn't think. Just a minute ago I had vehemently refused her as my bride but why then did I have a sudden change of mind? I sincerely don't know the answer to it.

“You rejected her and were….” the elder wolf Philip stuttered

I know what I just said, and don't fucking act dumb with me. I will marry Kayla Wright and her alone. And the wedding will commence immediately like right away. I growled, trying to mask my emotions, but I couldn't quell my fears. 

I closed my eyes, huffing into the air, something about me was different today. Fear was not a usual emotion for me. After the death of my mate and pup, I grew cold, ruthless, and emotionless. It was the mask I had to wear to survive the cruel heartbreak of losing a mate and an unborn pup.  This act was something I had learned in the past few years. I became more ruthless, killed mercilessly without batting an eye, and dished out brutality like a pack of candy. Even though some of my unforgivable deeds still haunted me. But it shaped me to be able to go through life without constantly feeling miserable and pain. 

The images of my dead mate and pup flashed through my mind, the scar that had been left on my heart by their death was still raw and this was a memory I had shoved down in deeper pits of my heart, though it always finds its way back to claw at me like a curse that was violently imprinted in my soul. I felt immediate anger and regret overpowered any other emotions within me. An unrecognizable rage and frustration intensified within me, I had promised myself never to feel anything for another woman ever again. It was an oath, I had sworn to abide till my last breath. And here I was, willingly breaking my promise and going against my rules. I ran furious fingers through the thick forest of my blonde hair, I balled my hands into a fist, not pleased with the decision I had taken today. 

What was going on with me? Why did I do it? Why did I go against everything I stood for? Why did I go ahead to break the last promise I made to my dead mate? What in the Goddess name was I thinking when I accepted Kayla as my bride? 

I was not sure why I had made that decision but when my eyes fell on Kayla’s perfect face, something fluttered in my chest. As much as I hated to admit it, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Never had anyone looked at me with such innocence and purity. And there was something about the way she stood in the hall with her chin held high, and not cowering in fear. And then she had been bold enough to not just meet my gaze but hold it. Nobody so far had done that, not even my family or friends. 

Everybody was afraid of me, the ruthless Alpha, the devil whom everybody despised and loathed but they were too terrified of my wrath to say that out loud. When I laid my eyes on her something within the walls of my heart stirred, it was a foreign wave of calmness, something I hadn't felt in years. Something I was not permitted to feel. Something I thought I’d never feel again. The emotion I had chosen to bury all the years suddenly awakened just by staring into those ocean-blue eyes of hers that had managed to haunt my thoughts for the past few hours. Her stare had caused my heart to lose rhythm and my breathing started coming out unevenly. The way her eyes caressed my skin and a delicate shiver of pleasure worked its way up and shot straight to my heart making it flutter wildly. Suddenly my heart that does not feel anything except coldness was crumbling. She was like the poisoned wine, sweet on the tongue yet left the throat burning. And I was burning. 

This was the reason why I was so eager to choose her sister Celia over her. I wanted a woman in my life, that meant nothing to me. A woman that I am incapable of loving. The only thing I wanted was a woman who possessed the qualities of a good wife. That's why I had agreed to marry into the Wright family when the elder wolves had suggested it to me.

I had women in my life, multiple mistresses that helped in satisfying my sexual needs but none of them have been able to remove the cloak of loneliness from my life. 

Despite having the most beautiful and most endowed women as my mistresses, I still felt lonely. The loneliness was taking a toll on me and I wanted that feeling to go, and it was my main reason for wanting a wife. I sighed, burying my head in my palm. A new wave of immense pain crushed my insides, forcing me to release an internal groan. Just staring at her seemed to fill a void within me which made my heart pound in both excitement and fear. I couldn't help but remember the look on her face when I had wanted to pick someone else, the way those magnetic blue eyes of hers were boring straight at me, imprinting my soul. I couldn't pull through, something in her eyes stopped me. The hurt and shock I had seen in her eyes had kept me on the edge. I wanted to uncover more of her, find out what went on in her little mind. It sounded insane but I couldn't shake out the feeling in my gut. I couldn't explain it but there was something about her that felt different. 

No, she was different. Everything about her was different.