Chapter 9- Alternate bride

Kayla 

I felt a pang of guilt in my heart at that, I don’t know why I had said it. Getting on his nerves was not what I was trying to do or maybe that's exactly what I wanted. I had no idea what had hurt me the most. The fact that he had a lover or the fact he went ahead and got married to me. What was he planning to achieve? I wanted to rile him up. I want him to be as frustrated as I am. I bet he only wanted to humiliate me but I will never humiliate myself further by going to the party. 

He stalked towards me, each heavy step of his leaving a hard thud in my chest. I felt my pulse plummeting, my heart striking so fast that it caused me to breathe heavily. I forced my body to stop trembling, my eyes slowly moving to Asher. I pressed my lips tightly together to stop the whimpers that wanted to be heard while under his dark, menacing glare. His breathing was labored, and in a flash, he reached for me, pinning me in his arms and shooting cold glares at me. 

“ How dare you?” were his words. His voice was loud enough for even the heavens above to hear. They held an unmistakable rage. His veins were popping out and his eyes were turning crimson red, anger taking a toll on them. 

I couldn't speak, I didn't know exactly what to say. His grip on me tightened and swiftly I felt my back against the cold, unfeeling wall, but Asher’s hold on me was not rough. 

“Speak Kayla,” He growled, frustratingly, his amber eyes sinking deep into my soul. It was like two lightning cracking over one another in a stormy sky. Aside from being angry, I couldn't even figure out his emotions. They were all over the place. A mixture of pain, rage, confusion, and sadness. But why? 

Shouldn't he be happy that I am giving chance to take his lover to the party instead? But my feet felt glued to the ground and my mouth had unexpectedly gone dry. I could feel his heated gaze on me. Looking at him was hard and not looking at him was not an option. Asher had a way of making me want to both run away from him and lean on his arms, and run my tongue over his rock-hard chest. I blinked furiously to push back the indecent images away from my mind. 

Suddenly the door knob clicked open, and I felt my body stiffen as Asher’s lover Elena walked into our chamber. My blue eyes met up with the dark gleam in her eyes and the smug on her face upon seeing me.

Ugh, I hated seeing her scrawny-looking face. Although I hated to admit it, she was far from ugly, she was beautiful, and her red curly hair was decorated with ornaments, giving highlight to her naturally pale face. But all her beauty was sadly infused with bitterness. I narrowed my eyes as she walked over to Asher with a soft smile on her face.

“ Alpha, your presence is needed. The courtiers have assembled in the castle hall waiting for you.”  She informed

Asher turned to me and his penetrating gaze went straight through my false composure. “Don’t test my patience, Kayla. Be ready for tonight’s party.”  And with that, he stormed out of our chamber leaving his lover behind with me. Elena turned and her eyes were upon me. Striking a stance as she watched me with bored yet envious eyes. Her astute brown eyes had a dangerous glow in them. And she had an annoying smirk on her lips.

“ You’re the woman that Asher was forced to take as a bride,” she said, breaking the eerie silence in the chamber. I felt the raging banging of my heart in my chest, making it hard to breathe, even though it caused chaos in my soul. I tried my hardest to hide it all away. I wasn't going to give her the opportunity to see how much her words affected me.

“ You should be ashamed of yourself for agreeing to be an alternate bride. And the earlier you realize that you mean absolutely nothing to him, the better for you.” Elena cackled. She seemed pleased with herself and her words. And her persistent smirk was still glued to her lips. I finally decided to indulge her with the attention that she so desperately wanted. 

“ Why should I be? After all, he was the one who chose me as his bride. If anyone should be ashamed, it's you. After all, you are the one who serves as nothing but a plaything for Asher, so you better shut the hell up and hide your head in shame,” I retorted at her, getting her to keep quiet for a moment. Damn, she was super annoying. 

“ Asher has known me, way longer than you. Trust me, he will always choose me over you.” She exclaimed, seemingly hurt. I must have hit her where it hurts and that gave me lots of ideas. 

I quirked a brow and crossed my arms over my chest, meeting her gaze. “Is that really what you believe? Looks like I need to remind you that I am the one wearing his wedding ring. I'm also the one sharing his bed and his chamber. I'm also the one he will be hosting tonight. So, just stop lying to yourself. It’s embarrassing,” I said calmly. “And I don't understand why a woman like you should be comfortable with being someone’s side piece, a second option. Isn’t it shameful?” 

“ How dare you say that to me?” She said,

 She was fuming mad. You could tell by the killer look she shot at me. I bet if you looked closely, you could see smoke flying out of her ears. 

I chuckled, she was the one that wanted to play dirty in the first place and now she couldn't keep up with what she started.She glared fiercely at me and without another word she stormed out of the chamber leaving me alone. I huffed out some air, and muttered to myself  “ So much for the first day.”