Chapter Six

ASH

He listened impatiently as Pershing spoke on and on about the strength of their trade route.

In truth, it was of very little importance to Ash. They hardly needed the road after all, but it was the only topic he could think of that could buy him some time.

Where was his mate?

There had been no update from his beta, and he hadn’t scented her presence since he had seen her on the tower, only the remnants he had picked up on the kitchen maid. He was slowly losing his patience.

He considered feigning an end to the meeting all together and searching for her himself in wolf form.

The enhanced sense of smell would lead him to her quickly, and the thought was very tempting.

That would, of course, be extremely foolish of him. But now that Ash had scented his mate, he was having difficulty maintaining control of his wolf.

He finally heard from Luca. ~“She’s here~. ~She just entered the kitchen from outside. She’s a servant.”~

~That makes no sense~, thought Ash. The strength of her blood was clear. But that fact made things easier.

~“Return to me. We will continue the meeting,”~ replied Ash to both Luca and Mateo.

~“I need your help coming up with matters to discuss,”~ he added wryly. ~“I will excuse myself shortly and go to her, offer her a place with us.”~

~“Yes, Alpha,” ~they replied.

Luca and Mateo soon entered the meeting room. Ash gestured for them to join the empty chairs at the table. Pershing barely paused in his speech to acknowledge their arrival.

~He’s really selling this trade route~, thought Ash.

Suddenly he could smell her, and it took every ounce of his control to not rush into the hallway in search of her. He ground his teeth and kept his eyes on Pershing, no longer hearing the words.

He held up his hand sharply, cutting off Pershing’s speech. At this point, he hardly cared about maintaining manners. He turned slightly toward the door, while keeping his sights on Pershing.

He inhaled deeply, savoring the smell of his mate. The scent was strong, and he fought back the desire it stirred in him. She was right outside, eavesdropping on their meeting. He bit back a smile.

“Yes, the trade route is crucial for us,” he suddenly said. “I will give you an additional thousand marks a year for access.” He took a bag of coins from his pocket and threw them on the table.

~“That ought to put an end to it,”~ he linked to Luca, who couldn’t resist a smile, ducking his head and staring at the floor to hide his expression.

He heard a small gasp from outside the door and turned toward the sound. He suddenly locked eyes with her, peering through a small crack in the door, and his wolf purred in his mind.

She was beautiful.

Dark, thick hair in a braid framed a pale face. Her eyes were blue. The color of the sky on a stormy day.

He quickly noted her sunken cheeks and dark circles under her eyes. His wolf whined in concern, and he fought to keep his expression blank.

All the servants here had that same look. They were clearly underfed. But the pull of his mate was strong, and he felt that jolt go through him once more.

He was about to stand and walk out of the room, meeting be damned, when she suddenly turned and ran away.

Ash bit back a growl. He knew he couldn’t just run out of the meeting after her without a word, no matter how much he wanted to.

“King Pershing,” he snapped. “Luca is my…second-in-command. He has something to discuss with you as well. If you will excuse me for a moment.”

~“What do I have to discuss with him, Ash!” ~

Luca was clearly over formality at this point. Ash didn’t blame him.

~“Sorry, my friend. Make something up. I can’t lose her again.”~

Luca grumbled but stood up. Ash didn’t wait to hear what he came up with and rushed out the door. He sniffed the air, following her scent out of the castle.

He hung back for a moment, scanning the courtyard in front of him. There she was, in the corner, bending over the rows of nesting boxes and chickens.

She was calmly and carefully putting eggs into the pockets of her apron, but Ash could see the flush in her cheeks from where he stood and could hear the racing of her heart.

Her fingers were slightly stained with blackberry juice and stood out against the whiteness of the eggs.

Her eyes suddenly met his across the courtyard, though he hadn’t made a sound. She was beginning to sense the mate bond as well, he thought, despite not yet being marked.

This pleased him greatly. It meant their bond was a strong one, if she could already sense him so acutely.

She frowned and went back to collecting eggs, ignoring him.

Ash smiled at her stubbornness and walked quickly toward her. But when he got close, she surprised him, speaking first.

“Why did you pay that much for the trade route?” she asked angrily.

“P-pardon?” asked Ash in confusion. He certainly didn’t expect these to be the first words he exchanged with his mate.

“The trade route,” she said, raising her chin defiantly. “You don’t need it. You could take the valley road or the road through Lonsdale. And we have nothing of value to trade you ourselves.”

“Do you make a habit of keeping up-to-date with the castle’s trade agreements, my lady?” he asked her with amusement.

His words made her frown harder. “I’m no lady. Just Key. And tell me why.”

“Maybe I just wanted the man to stop talking,” said Ash dryly.

She let out a sharp laugh then turned it into a cough, trying to keep her face serious.

Her eyes suddenly became wide, as if she’d just realized who she was speaking to. “Forgive my rudeness, my lord,” she said, finally dropping her gaze.

Ash gently placed a hand on her chin, reveling in the sparks he felt as their skin touched for the first time. He raised her face to meet his gaze, smiling at her. “Not at all. I appreciate the frankness, my lady.”

She frowned again, and Ash detected what looked like the beginning of panic in her eyes.

“I told you,” she responded quietly. “My name is Keyara. I’m no lady. Just a servant.”

Ash leaned closer to her, until their faces were just inches apart. He could feel the energy coursing between them. “Are you sure about that, Keyara?” he asked softly.