Chapter 44: Ash


    Ash let out a heavy sigh and went all the way into the center of the room, sitting in the exact chair


    where the mystery guest was sitting just a few seconds ago. He sniffed the air around him and his head


    snapped in Riannon’s direction. She simply nodded confirming his suspicions and then sat back into


    the opposite armchair.


    “So?” she looked at him hopefully. It had to be something important if he decided to put away catching


    the intruder personally and stayed to talk to her instead.


    “Do you remember how my mate died?” he asked, and she clenched her lips, giving him a nod again.


    “How can I forget?” Ria lifted her knees all the way to her chest and hugged them, “Chloe was one of


    my best friends at school.”


    “I remember,” he smiled, “She used to call you and Maya her sisters.” “That’s what she was for me,”


    Riannon admitted, “Family.”


    “After she died,” he gulped and looked at her, but meeting her gaze chose to look away and out of the


    open balcony door, “I was shattered. Broken…”


    “I remember that too,” his Luna said quietly.


    “She was my light,” he rested his head on the back of the chair, “My everything. And after her death,


    nothing mattered anymore. I was in the darkness. The darkness that nobody could understand. Nobody


    but you.”


    He looked at her again and she nodded silently. Ash lost his mate a few years after she lost her


    siblings. She did know very well what he was going through. Although they said that losing a mate was


    worse than anything. But still, the experience was simr.


    She remembered that after giving him some space to grieve, she saw that he was slipping away. And


    she remembered how she fought to make him stay and live the life he was supposed to live. As the


    new Beta of their pack.


    Brayden was angry at times because he couldn’t personally get any of this and had tomence his


    Alpha training alone, without his Beta. At some point, he even wanted to choose a different Beta, but


    Riannon talked him out of this. Luckily, back then her opinion mattered to him. He gave them time to


    “fix” his friend while he covered for him.


    Slowly, day by day, Ash was getting stronger. He was never the cheerful guy they used to know back at


    school again, but he remained reliable and loyal, which was way more important.


    But when a tragedy happened and her and Brayden’s parents were killed, Ash suddenly stepped in for


    the sake of them both. They could trust him in their hard time and he performed


    Ria always thought that he found a new purpose in life when Brayden finally became the Alpha and


    named him his Beta. This was Ash’s turning point ording to her.


    “You brought me back to life, Riannon,” Ash told her and this time he pierced her with his hazel eyes, “If


    not you…”


    “Chloe would have wanted that,” she shrugged her shoulders, “I know we never were close friends


    before that, but…”


    “I never wanted to be your friend in the first ce,” he stopped her before she could finish that


    sentence,“This is not how I see you, Riannon. You are not my friend.”


    That hurt her to some extent, but she chose not to show it.


    However, when he kneels before her and took her hands, locking his eyes with hers, she opened her


    mouth in shock.


    “You are mean more to me. Even before Chloe, I saw you more than a friend,” he said, “ When


    Brayden introduced you to me, I was only sorry that I didn’t get to meet you first. No offense, but Bray


    never saw you for who you were. He cared for your looks, your strength and your skills. But not for the


    person that you were.”


    “And when you met Chloe?” she tried to walk away from the ufortable subject.


    “She was my mate,” he sighed, “She filled my heart and soul, made me believe that what I felt for you


    was just a childhood crush. But she was gone, Riannon. And I knew that she would nevere back. I


    fell into despair after her death, thinking that everything was over and there would be nothing good in


    my life ever again. This was when you entered my life again. Do you remember how I tried to push you


    away at first?”


    She nodded, not even trying to say anything anymore. This was a new side of Ash she had no idea


    even existed.


    “This was because I felt that by liking you I betray my Chloe,” he smiled with sadness in his eyes, “She


    was gone and although I remembered our bond, you were the one helping me heal. Even my wolf


    wanted to be close to you for some reason. As if he epted you.”


    Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    She furrowed her brows.


    “But that’s…”


    “Impossible,” he chuckled dryly, “I know. But this is exactly what happened to me. The more time I


    spent with you, the more my old feelings wereing back. Chloe was letting go of me and… To be


    honest, sometimes I think that she blessed us. As if she knew that you were


    “Oh, Ash,” she didn’t know how to get out of this. His confession was a bit too much.


    “Ria,” he squeezed her palms in his, “Just think about it, okay? I know that you didn’t see thating. I


    tried to keep my distance when I could, you were happy with Brayden. But…”


    She stared at him with her lips parted when the realization struck her. But they weren’t happy anymore.


    Everything changed and Ash saw a possibility for them to be together. What if that was why he always


    took Brayden’s side in the past? Each time he did this, it was only breaking her marriage further apart.


    “He is exploring new things now,” Ash went on, “Why can’t you? I would never push you into something


    that you don’t like. You became my peace once, now let me be yours. I am ready to do whatever it


    takes. If you want to keep this fa?ade of marriage and = stay the Luna, will be your lover in the


    shadows. If you want to leave Brayden and start a new life, I will dly be your husband. A wife


    of a Beta is not that bad, right?”


    She licked her lips as they became too dry and his eyes lingered on them. Yet he wasn’t done.


    “And even if you decide to have a new political marriage and marry some Alpha, I would follow you too.


    As your guard or whatever. Just let me be with you.” She stared at him and he did not blink or budge.


    His hands were still holding hers and she knew that she had to be honest with him.


    Not fully, of course. But in regards to him and his feelings.


    “Ash,” Riannon carefully slip her hands out of his grasp, making him sigh from disappointment, “I can’t.


    I just…”


    “Brayden doesn’t even respect you anymore!” he snapped momentarily and then rubbed his eyes,


    trying to focus, “He is shagging his mate all over the ce! It’s over between the two of you.”


    “I know,” she confirmed and saw hope in his eyes which she had to destroy, “But it doesn’t change


    anything. Ash, you… remind me of my dead brother. You don’t see me as a friend, but this is what I see


    you as. And for me, you are Chloe’s mate. I couldn’t do that even after her death. It’s never going to


    work.”


    “We could try,” he stood up and turned away, “Slowly and…”


    “No,” she said firmly and stood up again, “I respect you enough, to be honest with you. This would


    never happen. I need you in my life but as a friend, Ash.”


    “Are you sure that this is all that I am to you?” he asked, his voice dull and lifeless.


    “Yes,” Riannon did not hesitate, “So, this is the decision that you would have to make. Will you take my


    side as my friend and support me until the end? Or will you stay with Brayden? Whatever you choose, I


    will ept. But this is it.”


    “I am his Beta,” he reminded her.


    “I know,” was all she said. And then, without adding anything else, he left the room abruptly.


    Riannon felt so tired as the door closed behind him. But it wasn’t the rest that she needed. She wanted


    at least to hear her mate’s voice.


    So, she went back to her bedside table where she left her phone prior. Only find out that it was missing


    She started searching all over it hectically. But it was nowhere, and she had a very bad feeling about


    this.


    Unfortunately, she did not memorize Gideon’s number yet, so couldn’t call him from the line number.


    She needed her cell back!


    She, however, remembered her own number well. And when she dialed it and heard the phone ringing


    right behind the wall, she knew who was to me.


    There was no point to waste time as now even Brayden knew she was aware that he was in


    possession of her phone. So, when she knocked on his door just a few secondster, he opened the


    door wearing nothing but a pair of boxers.


    “Riannon?” he gave her his most seductive smile, “What a pleasant surprise!”


    “Cut the crap, Brayden!” she hissed at him and pushed him, walking inside, “Why do you have my


    phone?!”


    “One of the maids brought it to me after cleaning the mess in your room,” he was clearly lying, “But I


    d that you are here. Why don’t we talk? I feel like…”


    “The mess you made!” she decided to remind him, “And why would a maid bring My phone to you?!”


    “That’s a question for her and not me,” he shrugged his shoulders, “You can ask her tomorrow. And


    what makes you so worked up about it? It’s just a phone and it’s nighttime already.”


    “Just give it back!” she rolled her eyes, folding her hands on her chest.   going to call? Your lover?!”


    “Should I call your lover ?” she snorted and hit him with her knee where it hurt the most, making him


    groan from the pain. He released her hands and she started looking around.


    Nevertheless, he recuperated fast and moved to his desk, opening one of the drawers and showing her


    the phone.


    “I don’t want you to speak to him!” he growled, “Ever!”


    And with those words, he crashed the device in his palm