Chapter 10
ten
It’s Ivy.
Addison .
Whatever the fuck her name is.
Our maid is here. In a gown.
Our maid is here in a gown ?
And, Jesus. She is beautiful .
This isn’t news to me. I noticed the first day I met her. I’ve noticed every damn day since. And that night.
Shh, little dove.
Would you really say no to a duke?
I loathe the memory of what I said, but recalling her reaction is always worse. She was scared . And then, when I grabbed her wrist…
Don’t leave me. Please .
I hate that I begged.
I hate that I would do it again.
Now, it all makes horrible, perfect sense.
She sways slightly, reaching for Bast’s offered hand to steady herself as she steps onto the marble floor. Those gathered nearby turn to watch, no doubt taking note of the way she’s captured Bast’s complete focus.
And Asher’s.
And mine .
God fucking damn it.
No , I argue with my Alpha, though it sort of sounds like a plea. No. It can’t be her . Because that would mean ? —
That would mean I’ve already fucked this whole thing to hell and back.
Yeah , he snorts, like I am the biggest idiot on Earth. Exactly, dipshit. The fuck did you think I was trying to tell you?
All the times I looked at her and felt violent.
All the nights I had to take three or four other women to bed just to numb the need that burned through me.
All the things I said when she had me vulnerable and open.
This is why.
The maid is our mate .
And—oh Christ —the things I’ve said . The things I’ve made her do . The ways I tried to push her away.
I can never take any of it back.
Self-preservation kicks in. Those desperate, feral instincts that take over when someone’s been stabbed or something. Denial floods my system. Arguing that this makes no sense. Can’t be possible. She’s a beta…
But no.
She isn’t .
And I know that on a cellular level. Even from across this goddamn ballroom.
Shit. Fuck.
Someone touches my arm and I snap my head to the side, snarling instinctually. Until I see it’s Asher. Looking just as pale as I feel.
He curses under his breath, casting Bast and Ivy a quick, strained glance before meeting my wild eyes under this mask.
On the verge of losing my shit, I reach up and rip the stupid thing off. Asher doesn’t pause before following suit, shooting me an urgent glare. “You feel it, too?”
If by “it” he means this world-ending crater in my middle?
Then, yeah.
I fucking feel it.
When I open my mouth, though, that self-protective denial comes pouring out. “No. Asher. It can’t—that—she?—”
Am I stammering ? I don’t think that’s ever happened. Not even when my father used to “teach me a lesson.”
Asher takes half a second for surprise before frustration pushes down his brows. He looks irritated, but his eyes still roll over me, concerned. When they work their way back to mine, he gives me a long, wry look.
“Are you honestly going to fight this?”
He’s truly asking. Trying to gauge how difficult I’ll be. And maybe—shit—even determining if he needs to keep me away from the omega.
The beta.
Ivy.
I can’t process what’s happening. None of it makes sense .
Baring my teeth, I bite back a snarl and grit, “Asher, listen to me, that’s not?—”
His growl is so vicious, I might be proud under different circumstances. It’s a true pack leader sound. My body twitches as I maintain eye contact and try to argue again.
Asher’s answering bark knocks me back a step. “ Enough . You do this every time. I’m not going to ignore what my Alpha is saying right now. If you want to stay here, then stay. I’m going to meet her.”
If he hadn’t silenced me so effectively, I would tell him he already has.