I hated being man-handled!
I was a fucking person!
Daylight blinded me as we left the cells behind, but I did not cease my need to escape. I punched and kicked at Asra's body, and he allowed me to do so until I landed a good kick at his groin. Cursing, he hoisted me higher until I was halfway down his back. His right arm secured itself around my knees, locking them tightly to his shoulder.
Pushing my hands into his lower back, I scrambled my way up, using his shirt until I was nearly horizontal. Looking at my surroundings, I saw we were approaching the pack house.
"Put me down! You-you arsehole!" I snapped, beating on his back.
I noticed prying eyes when they burned into my skull, but Asra was too high on his horse to care. He carried me like I was nothing more than cargo, one hand gripping me tightly to him as the other clenched at his side.
I could feel his warmth seeping into my skin, and I hated how much I was enjoying it. I was supposed to be angry, but the bond was trying to calm me down. Touch healed, and it was doing its damn best to get me to forget.
It wouldn't win.
I needed to get off him.
I writhed some more, trying to drop myself backward. It didn't work and didn't even mess with his stride. Going for a different tactic, I threw myself sideways. It actually caught him off guard. My body tumbled from his shoulder as his arm gave way. He didn't let me fall, though, steadying me by the waist as my knees crumbled. I was fast to push him away, straightening my spine. Damn him for still being able to catch me!
Brushing my hair out of my face, I swivelled around. "You are such a dick!"
"Ailia..."
"No! No!" I spat. "You cannot force me here. You do not get to control me!"
His eyes twitched, a sign my words agitated him.
"Just go inside the damn house!"
"No! I won't!"
"Stop being so stubborn!"
"Stop telling me what to fucking do! You are not my mother, and I am not back in Evermore!" I screeched. "I am stubborn but at least I admit it, I know my weaknesses. Get over it!"
"Ailia..." He frowned, realising where I was coming from as his face turned guilty.
"I do not care right now, Asra." I glared and turned away.
"Where do you think you are going?" His voice was a murmur, hand wrapping around my bicep.
I grunted, pushing him back by the chest. He actually stumbled as I got in his face, staggering back three steps before he came to a stop.
I think I was going to explode.
My mind was finally losing its plot. It had gone off course long ago, but now, I wasn't sure if I could find the track again.
"You may be an alpha, but you are not my alpha. You seem to forget, Asra, that I am your mate. That means I am your equal, and I am the luna." I glared at him. "That means we work together and means we rule this pack together. The night I marked you, I accepted this, and right now, I stand by my choices."
He remained stoic, blinking down at me.
"You cannot imprison someone based on a hunch. My sister has done nothing. You have eyes everywhere. Mya may be her friend but I know it's to keep an eye on her! It is obvious." I continued. "I have tried to explain myself multiple times, tried to tell you my reasoning, but you will not listen and act rash. As a human, I do not understand many wolf politics, but I know you do not belittle somebody who is supposed to be your equal. And I know you do not treat pack members so harshly with no free will. You beat up Caleb! I thought you were just going to ask him questions!"
"Arabella is not part of the pack." Asra grumbled, eyes flickering to glare at any wandering eyes.
"That's all you have to say?" I scoffed. "When will you open your eyes, Asra? It is not Arabella who is betraying you. She cannot use a phone, cannot send a letter so quickly, and barely has a backbone around wolves. Darius is a terrible man who will use any method to get what he wants. That means he will stoop as low as to use spies and work with the enemy."
"I trust my wolves to not betray me." Asra shook his head.
He was hiding something; he wouldn't meet my gaze.
"And I trust my sister," I stated, crossing my arms. "You have nothing against her. She is a child, Asra, locked in a freezing cold cell. How you felt about me being in there, I feel about her. Have some empathy and realise that I have just as much of an opinion as you do."
His blue eyes were dark, but they held mine with a twinge of curiosity. His jaw tightened as he inhaled deeply and held it, observing me. I stood my ground, keeping my eyes locked onto his and summoning as much of my truth into my stance as I did my words.
Asra exhaled, grinding his teeth, and I held my breath when he muttered a decision.
"Fine."
"Fine?" I raised an eyebrow. "All I get is a fine?"
"Look, can we not talk about this here?" He muttered, gesturing to the wandering pack members.
I inhaled sharply, crossing my arms. "Fine."
He took me by the elbow and together we walked toward his office. The moment he shut the door; he let go of me and walked to the other side of the room. His hands fell to his hair, his body tense with frustration. I watched him quietly, my anger steaming to a guilty hum as the frigid chill seeped into my bones.
Sighing, I dropped my gaze. "Asra, I'm sorry-
"No, don't be sorry." He mumbled. "You were right. I should have listened to you."
I pursed my lips, intent on listening to his reasonings. He sighed, placing his hands on his desk as he stared down at the wood.
"I did act rash, and ignored you. I only did what I thought was best." He muttered. "I should've let you speak. Arabella is your sister, I know that, but I could not help but jump to conclusions. After what I did to Caleb... it riled me up, and I just wanted to protect you."
"I understand," I sighed, hovering a few feet away. "What happened with Caleb that made you so angry?"
"Not much." He raised his eyes to mine. "When I found he was innocent, it meant I had no other lead. It riled me up, and I jumped to conclusions."
"Stupid conclusions." I muttered.
"Smart conclusions." He quirked an eyebrow. "I fear your health and wellbeing, Ailia. You are my mate. I vow to protect you with my life, no matter who gets in the way."
My heart warmed slightly, melting away the icy chill. "Even my sister?"
"If she is deemed a threat, yes." He nodded. "But she is not. I see your reasoning and I have dealt with it."
Nodding, I understood his thinking. We both were hot-headed.
A smirk twitched at my lips, but I cleared my throat to hide it. "So, now what?"
"We come to a decision,"
"We do? What kind?"
"About your sister and about where we look next." He shrugged, sitting in his armchair.
I hovered by a chair myself but stayed standing. "My sister?"
"I do not feel comfortable knowing she could still be involved in all of this." He explained. "I have men looking into things."
I pursed my lips with slight annoyance, but kept them shut.
"I understand she cannot stay in the cells. Not only is it unhealthy, but there is no evidence against her. The guard is taking her to her room as we speak." Asra met my gaze, and I had a hard time holding back my surprise. "Instead, I propose a deal."
"What kind of deal?" I wondered.
"Guard duty."
"What? Like a babysitter?" My nose crinkled. "Isn't that what Mya is?"
He shrugged, lacing his fingers together on his lap as he leaned toward me. My heart raced slightly when he smirked, and I cursed internally at how my body reacted so dirty to all of his movements. How was simply changing how you stood or sat so attractively?
Wolf magic.
That was my answer.
"In a way." Asra continued. "I would have people watching her at all times. More than just Mya."
"Even when she sleeps or showers?" I grimaced.
"No, I can have a guard at her door for that." He shook his head. "Any calls, letters, or suspicious movement will be tracked for at least a month. Within the entire pack, not just from your sister."
"Arabella doesn't have a phone." I muttered.
"She could've received one." He pointed out. "We wouldn't know."
"She wouldn't know how to use one; Evermore doesn't have phone towers." I sighed, falling into the chair opposite his desk. "Okay, fine. Babysitting it is. Arabella may look sweet and baby like, but when she is irritated, she can destroy a bedroom in two seconds."
His lips quirked, eyes sparkling as he looked at me. "Don't worry, only the best will watch over her."
"Good." I mused, entranced. "Now, next order of business."
"Yes, right." He nodded, breaking the spell. "Where we look next."
I hummed with agreement, and we fell into silence. I wasn't sure where we looked next because I did not know who would rat me out to Darius. As far as I am aware, only a handful of people in this pack knew about my connection with him.
Unless they were not from this pack...
Unless they stumbled past us through the forest.
Unless they were not a wolf.
I gasped, eyes wide.
"I know that look." Asra piped up when I turned to him with wide eyes. "What is the reasoning behind it?"
"You said you trust this pack, yeah?" I asked, and he nodded. "So, what if it is not a wolf? What if it is not someone in this pack at all?"
"What do you mean?" Asra grimaced. "Who else would it be?"
"Who else knows of our relationship other than the pack? Who else found you so close to human land it became suspicious?" I probed, and his eyes glossed over.
"Eris." He growled.
I sucked in a sharp breath. "It would make sense, right? She saw us that night escaping from Evermore. She was close to the border. Why?"
"She never said," Asra frowned. "Perhaps she followed us."
"Perhaps she was already near the area for another reason." I pointed out. "She said she was full, yet she had never been to that village. But the village was well hidden, miles away from civilisation, so how did she feed so much to be full? Or was she bluffing?"
"You are a genius, Tulip." Asra smirked, grabbing some paper and a pen. "So smart."
I grinned, faux whipping my hair behind my back. "Thanks."
He chuckled softly, writing some things down. "I will track her down. She is difficult to find, but it is worth it."
"Asra..." I cocked my head. "How... In the clearing, you knew her name, and she appeared to know you and your... past."
His jaw tightened and his eyes flickered away. "I have known Eris for some years."
I sucked in a deep breath. "In... Intimately or..."
Asra grimaced, shaking his head. "Nothing sexual. She was a friend of my father. He would often invite her and her master to join in on their hunts. This was before the settlement of mates, back when wolves would rampage villages during the blood moon."
"So, she's a bad guy?"
"Yes, she is dangerous. She is old, strong, and cunning." He ran his hand over his jaw, pausing his pen. "I am surprised you resisted her charms, though."
"Charms?" I frowned, trying to recall that day.
"She has an uncanny ability to have people submit to her. It is how she feeds so easily." He sighed. "With her age came her power and wisdom. Vampires can often have powerful gifts such as that, mostly some kind of sensory control on weaker species. Otherwise, their dinner would never submit so easily."
I swallowed down the lump in my throat. "Right, point taken. She was scary, but not to the point I would roll over and submit to her."
"Perhaps it's the luna in you."
"I hadn't marked you yet, though."
"You are strong, Tulip, strong enough to be my Luna."
I blushed, dropping my eyes. "Maybe, but she spoke of my blood. Commented on the difference between Arabella and me..."
My voice drifted away as my mind drifted back to the night we rescued Arabella. The room fell silent, Asra jotting down notes, but a confusion settled over me as I recalled Eris' words. She had wondered why I did not cower like the human with similar blood. What did that mean?
"Asra..."
"Yes, Tulip?" He wondered, looking up from his desk.
"Does Arabella smell like me?"