Chapter-22

                                                             Asher

“It’s gone towards the south perimeter!” I mindlinked to the guys, dashing through the forest, tracing the god-awful scent that was left behind by the lurker while trying to sort through the noises in my head. Reed, Graham, Eli, the hunters, different images and interpretations of the scent left behind coming from each one of them.

Someone was watching Ivy and me, and someone has dared to cross into our territory. This kind of activity was very common with rogues, but as I traced the disgusting scent, it didn’t feel like a rogue. Mac sprinted through the forest at top speed, trying to catch up with the shadow that we spotted but halfway through, it had just vanished.

“We are on our way,” Eli mindlinked as I tried to keep up with the trail of scent that was left. It was weird how the scent was scattered. Mac had to sniff from tree to tree to keep up with the path that the intruder took, with the scent lingering across the trees as well.

“Ugh, what a dirty scent,” Mac grimaced. “Makes me want to puke,”

My warriors were all huddled together near the south perimeter as I rushed over. The wolves lowered their heads in a bow before Eli’s wolf emerged from the crowd, flanked by Reed and Graham, their eyes glowing in the dark.

“Did we find it?” I demanded.

“No, we lost it. It crossed over our territory and went towards Crescent Moon,” Eli answered. “Whatever it was, it was really fast,”

“The scent was too strong and fucking disgusting,” I muttered. “I am not familiar with a rogue scent like that,”

“It might not be a rogue,” Eli said. “We didn’t find any paw-prints on the ground.”

“But we did find footprints, maybe the rogue didn’t shift,” Reed said. “Maybe a lone wolf who got lost or something?”

“It has to be incredibly fast for that,” I said. “I was right behind it and then it just…disappeared. The scents were scattered all over, even on trees. I have yet to meet a werewolf, in human form, who can climb a tree at that speed and then run zig-zag as if intentionally trying to scatter its scent to misguide us.”

“Are you hinting at it being a…?” He trailed off but we both understood what I was implying. All of us did.

“We won’t know until we have checked thoroughly,” I grimaced. “Reed, send your hunters over and see if CrescentMoon hunters have seen it, whatever the hell it was. If yes, then I will talk to Alpha Natalie myself. Graham, search around thoroughly, see if you can find anything else. And I believe we need to have a serious conversation about patrolling,”

My tone was commanding enough for his wolf to lower its head further. I wasn’t yet over the fact that he asked Ivy to strip but personal grudges aside, he was a strong and capable warrior and loyal to the pack just as his father had been. I didn’t want to ruin that.

“I won’t be so sure about my tolerance if he tried to get her in trouble again,” Mac warned, feral possessiveness dripping from his voice.

“Yes, Alpha,” Graham muttered.

“Back to your duties then,” I commanded. “I will be on patrol tonight as well. Be back in an hour.”

“You don’t have to, Alpha…we got this,” Reed offered.

“Yeah,” Eli agreed. “You don’t have to,”

“No, if my hunch is right, I should be here. I just have something to take care of and then I will be back,” I said.

“Yes, Alpha,” everyone said in unison before departing back to their respective positions.

“See you soon,” Eli affirmed, giving him a nod, I turned on my heels and Mac sprinted at top speed towards the hilltop where Ivy was waiting. Even though the invader headed south, a part of me was still worried. What blew my mind was that it came naturally to me. It wasn’t like I was putting a conscious effort into worrying about her. I just was. It was natural, like breathing.

“Because she is your mate. It’s embedded in your DNA,” Mac commented. “All that bullshit you told her earlier, mark my words, it’s going to bite you in the ass.”

“Shut up, I didn’t ask for your advice,” I grimaced.

I think my plan was perfect. Marrying Ivy was the best option. Yes, she was a pain in the ass and made me want to pull my hair out after five seconds of conversation, but she was also…real? I can't imagine, spending even one day with one of those bratty, make-up-caked-face alpha daughters. Ivy, I can deal with and rightfully so, the throne of the third Luna of GrayCrest was hers. If it was her against those girls, then I’d rather deal with her snarkiness and insults than endure the drama those other women would bring. Plus, she was strong, she had integrity, and she is smart, at least from what I have seen so far — not to mention, she has no interest in any kind of emotional attachment to me.

Perfect luna candidate‌.

“If delusion had a face, it would be the two of you,” Mac said with disdain. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“What are you so bitter about? You get to be with your mate. It’s all good for you,” I pointed out.

“You don’t understand yet,” he replied glumly.

I really didn’t, so I let it pass. I just needed to get Ivy to agree so dad could stop bothering me. Marriage means nothing if two people don’t love each other and I don’t know how other mates do it, but Ivy and I were far from loving each other. To me, the bond was all about attraction. And there are other ways to deal with that.

But love—now that’s something to be avoided at all costs. And I was a firm believer that the bond doesn’t make you fall in love until you allow it to, until you get all enamored by the idea of some eternal, glowing thread holding you to your mate and that your story has to end there. I believe the matebond is just a theory painted into our minds in vivid colors since childhood, when in reality, it is only black and white.

There are plenty of loopholes. It's just that nobody wants to explore it in fear of some kind of punishment from the moon goddess or fear of losing the only option they might have.

“Listening to your bullshit sometimes is like consuming wolfsbane,” Mac grimaced, grunting with disdain and as always I ignored.

Finally, I reached the nook where I left my clothes hanging on the tree branch and shifted . The weather was turning colder with each day, I idly realized. Winter isn’t really my thing, even if it barely has any effect on us. But still I hated hunting in the snow. Once clothed, I jogged back to where I left Ivy, an unspoken restlessness gnawedat my chest, making the little distance from the nook to the hilltop feel like miles.

“You are worried about her,” Mac said flatly.

“I don’t trust her to follow my command and…” I trailed off because I knew my wolf didn’t need explanation. We don’t know who or what that lurker was. But if my hunch is right, then the last thing I want is for Ivy to face it alone. And she is too stubborn to listen to me .

When I reached the hilltop, Ivy was standing by the car, her back to me. There was no one around and from where I stood, she seemed fine, gazing out blankly at the sprawling dark forests at our feet.

“Hey,” I muttered, jogging over to her.

As she turned around, I did a quick, inconspicuous scan of her from head to toe and, much to my relief, she seemed fine. Yet she didn’t. Her face seemed to have lost color and there were beads of sweat on her forehead, eyes wide as if she had seen a ghost or something. I could also hear her raging heart as she tried to steady herself.

“Everything alright?” I raised a brow. Ivy clenched her jaw and nodded.

“Yeah,” she said, seeming somewhat nervous.

“Did you, by any chance…see anyone here? A wolf…human…anything odd?”

“No,” she shook her head, and I wasn’t sure if it was me, but she didn’t meet my eyes, looking everywhere but at me. “Why? Is everything alright? What was with all that howling?”

“Right…you don’t have the mindlink,” I mumbled. Natural pack-born already have the mindlink that connects them to the members of the pack. But Ivy was an outsider, hence she didn’t have it to understand what was going on. And the only way for her to have the mindlink was to be marked by me. My eyes reflexively fell on her neck and I gulped, a furious desire to sink my canines into her soft flesh spreading through my veins. The need almost made my throat burn.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, some trespasser,” I waved my hand. “Come on, let’s go. I have to get back to patrol-duty. I will drop you home.”

"Why? Shouldn’t I be coming as well?” Ivy said, the annoying scowl appearing again. “I am a warrior too,”

“Not trained enough to be on patrol duty,” I replied, opening the passenger side door.

“Says who?” she demanded, glaring at me.

“Me” I said flatly, turning around to face her.

“Alpha Logan and…” she began, but I placed my finger on her lips and shook my head.

“It doesn’t matter what Logan said. I am the one in-charge of the army and I will decide who is responsible for what. You are not ready for patrolling duty yet so you will go home and sleep. That’s an order,”

“You are an asshole,” she hissed, starting to walk away on her own. I sighed, pinching my eyes with fatigue. Goddess, I needed infinite patience with this woman.

“Where the hell do you think you are going?” I scowled, grabbing her arm.

“That’s none of your business,” she snapped. “Go, do your alpha stuff…don’t bother with me,”

“Do you even know where we are and how to get back?” I asked, trying my best to control my temper from rising.

“I will find my way. And if I don’t…” she clenched her jaw and looked away. “Then expect it to be the moon goddess’s blessing for you…” Her voice trembled as she spoke the last words and before I could react or respond, she was already running away into the darkness. I stood there, staring blankly at the empty space.

What was that supposed to mean?