Chapter 51: Chapter 51: The Alternate

Asher

“Please, I’m all ears. Seems like our plans are crumbling as we speak,” I reply, resting my hands on my hips. “How could Gen have strengthened herself so much, so quickly?”

“I’m not sure it matters,” she replies, grabbing my face and pausing for a second. “Because we have Rose.”

“Rose?” I ask, stepping back. “What’re you talking about?”

“She could challenge Genevieve.”

“Margaery,” I snap. “I know you’re nervous about this, but you’re crossing a line with this. I will not throw my mate against someone we’ve discovered is deadly. How dare you suggest that?”

“I wouldn’t suggest it if I didn’t think Rose could win,” she insists.

“What’re you talking about?” I cry. “Rose is strong, yes, but she’s a vampire. Under normal circumstances, it’d be an even match. But with Genevieve being enhanced? We’d be sending her to her slaughter!”

“Asher, think for a minute. Haven’t you ever wondered if there was something different about Rose?” She asks. “That’s what I looked up at the table. When she joined the Clan and when she took power.”

I lick my lips, scratching my head.

“Isn’t it a little strange that she was able to rise through the ranks so quickly? So seamlessly?”

“I-I… I guess?”

“Have you noticed anything about her that’s off? That’s different?”

“I mean, she’s a lot stronger and faster than the average vampire,” I admit. “Especially from the stories I’ve heard. But that could just be because she’s exceptional.”

“I think it’s more,” Margaery insists. “There’s something special about her. Something different. How else could she be your mate?”

“Strange mate pairings have happened before.”

“With Caelynn and Erik, yes, I know the story. But do you remember what Caelynn had inside her?” She asks. “A phantom wolf granted by the Moon Goddess. She was no normal human.”

“What’re you implying? That Rose has a phantom wolf, too?” I ask. “That the Moon Goddess created another human with one, and she just so happened to be bitten and turned into a vampire? Wouldn’t she have realized she has the voice of a wolf by now? And I thought the Moon Goddess made Caelynn and Erik relinquish their powers to keep it out of people’s hands! Why would She then create another?”

“I don’t claim to know what power she has,” Margaery says. “But there’s got to be something. There are too many strange things about her for it to be a coincidence. The vague past, the quick rise to power, her vastly superior skillset, her mate pairing to you.”

“We still don’t know what’s going on with Gen, though.”

“Whatever it is, it’s otherworldy!” Margaery cries. “Who knows, but I’m not sure if it matters. We may never know. We need someone who can beat Gen, with or without her newfound powers.”

“I can’t ask Rose to do that,” I refuse. “I can’t put her in any more danger than I already have. That’s too much to ask.”

“This may be our only chance!”

“Based on a hunch!” I cry. “Based on your suspicion that she might be special. Even if that is the case and there is something different about her, that doesn’t mean her powers match Gen’s. That doesn’t mean I can risk her life on a bet!”

“Has she told you anything about it? About any powers she may have?”

“No!” I cry. “If she had, I would have told you.”

“Then, is there anything you sense that she’s hiding?”

I pause, letting out a breath I’ve been holding. Could Margaery be right? Could Rose have otherworldly powers? How would that be possible?

And why hasn’t she told me?

“I mean, yes. There is something I can sense she’s holding back, but I have no idea what it is.”

“You need to ask her, then.”

“No, I don’t!” I argue. “She is my mate! I can’t force things out of her or interrogate her.”

“I’m not suggesting that you do. I’m just saying you should ask about it because something is going on. And she might be our only shot to take down Gen.”

“Even if she is, I won’t allow it.”

“That’s awfully chauvinistic of you, Asher.”

“Are you serious?” I ask, my voice cracking. “How do you figure that?”

“It’s not your decision to make!” She insists. “It’s her decision. We won't make her if she doesn’t want to fight Gen. Of course. But, if there is something special about her, if she does have power we don’t understand… She has a vested interest in getting Gen out of power, too. She wants to see you as Alpha. You could rule together.”

“You’re tying this up with a very pretty bow as if I wouldn’t be risking the life of my mate. Asking her to risk her life for me.”

“That’s her choice to make,” Margaery replies. “She has agency. She’s a powerful woman, and she always has been. You can’t make that decision for her.”

“But-”

“No buts!” She interrupts. “All I’m asking is you talk to Rose about this and see what she says. And listen to what she wants. If she doesn’t want to risk it, that’s alright. But if she does… She may be our last chance to win. There may not be anyone else.”

I stomp my foot on the ground, gritting my teeth.

If Margaery is right about Rose, and there is something different about her, which part of me knows there is, then she could be the only one who can beat Gen.

She may be our only shot.

But is that a risk I’m willing to take?

I know Rose well enough to know she’d jump at the chance to challenge Gen. I’m shocked she hasn’t asked to do it already. Maybe just because the optics of a vampire challenging a werewolf would be strange, and her Council may disapprove. She’d have to have a long talk with them, asking for their permission or forgiveness.

But she’d do it if I asked. She’s brave, fierce, and a competitor at heart. She also loves me and wants vengeance for me. She wants to free my pack almost as much as I do. She wants me to reunite with my family almost as much as I do.

She’d say yes.

And that’s what scares me.

“Please, Asher,” Margaery begs. “Just talk to her about it. At the very least, figure out if my suspicions are true. You may want to know this about her since she is your fated mate.”

I gulp down the lump in my throat, my stomach churning with guilt.

What should I do? Do I ask Rose? Do I tell her about this conversation?

Or do I keep it from her? Tell Margaery that she’s wrong or Rose refused the challenge offer. Lie and say we’ve got to come up with something else.

Prioritize my need to protect the woman I love, or do what needs to be done for my pack? Be a mate or a leader?

But, if I keep this from Rose, am I being a good mate? Is Margaery right? Am I stealing her autonomy if I don’t allow her to choose?

And what is it that she’s hiding?

I pull out my phone, texting Rose to tell her I need to see her urgently. I’ll be at her office in ten minutes. Victor can help make sure the coast is clear.

“I’ll speak with her,” I tell Margaery reluctantly. “I can’t promise anything, though.”

“A conversation with her is all I ask for,” she replies, closing her eyes and letting out a long breath. “Let’s hope she could be the ace up our sleeve.”

“Yeah,” I answer half-heartedly, part of me hoping she’s wrong. Begging the Moon Goddess that Rose does not have this power.

That way, she won’t have to challenge Gen. I won’t have to live with this choice.

Because if anything happened to Rose…

The guilt alone would kill me.