Chapter 5

Arielle’s POV

It was a dry morning, the air had a scent of pine and lilies and in the distance a hum of crickets filled the air making it feel like night was still on us.

I walked beside Alpha Asher, feeling the warmth radiating from him beside me,  my heart pounding a little too fast in my chest but I couldn’t help it neither could I stop it. I had loved this man for as long as I could remember—long before I had found out that Damian was my mate and longer before he had rejected me in front of so many people.

The pain of that rejection still burned me to the core but Asher being here was like a balm soothing me and pull me out of the darkness that threatened to consume me.

Today, he had done something I had never expected him to do definitely not this early in the morning, he had come knocking on my door to take me out he said –I finally had his attention and it felt like a dream, one I didn’t want to wake up from. But a dream nonetheless.

It wasn’t anything extravagant, just a simple walk along the pack’s border, he wanted us to watch the sunrise together, some led me to a spot, near a bubbling brook, we laid a blanket over the ground and emptied the basket of it's food, and as we ate both of us barely said a word to one another. We just sat there enjoying the others company.

This was something I had always wanted  but had never dared reach for and the fact that he had dom it for me meant everything to me.

"You’ve been quiet," Asher remarked, his deep voice smooth like velvet. I turned to look at him, my lips parting slightly as I met those piercing green eyes.

They weren’t hard like Damian’s had been when he looked at me but they looked at me with something that could barely be recognized in them for me.

"I’m just…" I hesitated, unsure how to put it into words without sounding pathetic.

"Happy." His lips twitched in amusement.

"Happy?"  I nodded.

"You didn’t have to do this. But you did for me, and I'm grateful.” His expression darkened for a brief moment before he shook his head.

"You think I did this out of pity?"  I flinched at the words, I had thought that, it was hard not to when he had barely paid me any attention before.

"No. I just… I know what people say and they haven't forgotten that he rejected me and many of them think that I am weak for getting rejected.”

"And what does that have to do with us " he asked and I shook my head.

"Nothing, just no one would believe it. You wanting to be with me.” I murmured. Asher stopped walking. The sudden halt made me look up at him, startled by the intensity in his gaze.

"Arielle," he murmured, stepping closer.

"You’re not weak. Damian was an idiot to let you go."

The sincerity in his voice made my breath hitch for a moment, I wanted to believe him to pretend that I wasn’t still shattered by Damian's refusal and that the wounds weren’t still fresh.

But having him this close to me having him say those things, made me feel something I hadn’t felt in a long time.

Want. Pain.

Before I could over think it, I smiled.

"Thank you, Asher. For tonight."  He reached out, his fingers brushing against mine briefly before he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Come on. It’s getting late. I’ll walk you home."  he urged and helped me pack up the blanket and food soon we continued down a path in comfortable silence.

The closer we got to my house, the more reluctant I felt to go back inside, I  wasn’t ready for the night to end.

To loose connection with him, no matter how faint it was, the feeling of belonging, I didn't want that to happen. I stole a glance at him, my stomach twisting with all the unspoken words that I wouldn't say today.

Would he ever see me the way I saw him? Was I just a distraction for him or was this just charity a way to keep me from spiraling because he felt sorry for me?

I didn't want to dwell on it, so I  pushed the thought from my mind. We reached my doorstep. I turned to face him, hesitating,  I wasn’t ready for the night to end and he didn't seem to want that either was he, he lifted a hand and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering just a second too long.

“You don’t deserve what happened with Damian,” he said suddenly, leaning in so close that I was certain that he would kiss me. I gulped softly.

“He’s a fool for rejecting you.”  The words sent a shiver through me. I wanted to believe them, but the wound Damian had left still festered beneath the surface.

“I don’t want to talk about him,” I murmured, stepping closer to him looking up at him because it made me feel safer.

"I wish I could ask if you liked to come in?"  I murmured lowly because I really did. I wished I could tell him to come inside with me. His gaze flickered to the door before returning to me something unreadable passing through his expression, before he shook his head.

"Not tonight."

Disappointment curled in my chest,even though I wouldn't have been able to ask anyway, so I forced a nod.

"Okay."  Asher reached out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"Get some rest, Arielle."

And just like that, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there with my heart hammering in my chest.  I exhaled shakily my hands gripping the doorknob tightly, maybe this wasn’t hopeless.

Maybe this was the start of something new. Something better. But before I could step inside, a sharp voice cut through the night.

"Well, isn’t that sweet?" I stiffened, my stomach dropping.

“Vanessa.”