Chapter 13

Hello my lovelies :)

"I could recognise him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world." - The  Song  Of Achilles by Madeline Miller.

(Yeah that quote makes my heart melt)

Enjoy xox

~

Sweat was running down my face like a flood, pooling and drenching my top which now hung drearily on my exhausted body.

A hand reached down, offering me help from my current position on the floor.

"Again" Asher repeated, as I forced my sore and aching body up to continue his painful and hard regime.

I'd asked him to treat me like one of the other warriors in training, and now I was beginning to regret it.

"No. You need to punch harder and grab the wrist, thrusting it up quickly and forcefully" he demanded whilst moving my hand in rhythm to his instructions.

I followed and perpetrated the moves until I was confident I could use them successfully.

The sun had set below the horizon, so the flood lights that were dotted around the perimeter flickered on, bathing us in a pool of bright,artificial light.

All of the warriors were still here as well, motivated to practise in order to   fulfil their craving of vengeance on the rogues.

Asher's mother came by earlier to tell us she and the other females were cooking dinner for us at the pack house later, and the thought of food nearly had drool spilling out of my mouth.

God, I could devour a whole McDonalds storeroom right now.

"Again" the devil repeated.

With a newfound motivation, I charged at him, using the methods he taught me.

I punched him hard across the cheekbone whilst undercutting and punching his stomach to wind him.

But he grabbed my fist as it was flying through the air, and twisted my arm, throwing my body to the ground.

He was on top of me, looking down with victory in his eyes. That is, until i wrapped my legs around his and twisted my body out of his grasp. He wasn't that hard to move, most likely because he wasn't expecting my retaliation.

Now, I was straddling his waist and looked down at him, a victorious smile lacing my face.

I moved my head down ever so slowly, until my lips were touching his ear.

"Game over" I whispered.

Exhaustion cascaded down, enveloping me in a achy, blurry haze.

My hands which were planted on the floor besides Asher's neck, were trembling with fatigue.

Asher's hands rose, and his fingers traced my waist, as soft as feathers, causing my breath to hitch in my throat.

"C'mon I'm trying to exercise over here! You're making me puke" A voice declared from behind us.

My head snapped back, as Asher hauled me off the floor, his arm resting lightly on my waist.

I was greeted by a bulky, muscular man, his hazel eyes matching his strawberry blonde hair in an adorable manner. He looked at us with a large grin, so I couldn't help but share it.

"I'm rose" I waved, laughing.

"I'm James, but everyone calls me J. I'm Asher's Beta"

Ah, now it all made sense.

I don't think Asher would let anyone else speak to him like that.

"How long you been here?" Asher smiled, pulling him into a bro-hug.

"Only a half hour, I was down in the cells" His light-hearted tone turned serious in a heartbeat.

"What did you find out?" Asher's voice hushed, and his grip on my waist tightened slightly, as if to tell me that there would be no more withholding information between us. This brought a slight smile to my face.

"They are....well... mentally unstable. They aren't answering our questions they are just muttering these words over and over again."J spoke with a pensive look.

"What words?" I spoke up, my brows furrowing.

"Woods,crimson, vengeance, break and baby"

Silence followed as we all tried to interpret the words.

Woods,crimson,vengeance, break, baby

What kind of riddle was this?

I've always been especially bad at them, and of course today was one of those days were barely anything came to mind.

I looked up at J to find him looking in the distance, his eyes glazed over as if he were not fully here.

Suddenly, he snapped out of it and glared at me with a cute grin,

"Let's go, let's go, dinners ready" his excitement was similar to that of a child, and it seemed weird that this innocent looking man was capable of hurting more than a fly.

"How do you know that?" I questioned as we all began walking off the training field and through the darkening woods, towards the pack house.

"Asher hasn't told you about our mind links?!" He feigned complete accusation.

"Umm no I don't think so"

"Well, you will have them when you fully enter our pack so once you have gone through the introduction ceremony. Basically, the whole pack is mentally linked, so if there is a problem, a member can send it through the link and tell everybody. It's very useful. With mates, as well as the pack link, they are linked to each other mentally as soon as the mating process is complete, meaning mates can communicate telepathically and read each other's minds"

"Sounds.... like an invasion of privacy" I laughed nervously, glancing over to Asher who was only a few paces in front of me.

J cocked his head, as if taking my words into consideration.

"Yeah. Yeah I suppose you're right. I like to think it's romantic though. It strengthens the relationship, makes them like best friends" he declared with a happy, wanton smile.

"Have you not found your mate yet?" I asked sadly. He seemed nice. Lovely,even.

Why couldn't I be mated to him instead of a brooding, aggressive asshole?

"Not yet. I've not given up hope though" he voice lifted in optimism.

Bless him.

The pack house was only a few metres away by now , lighting up the surrounding forest in bright, white hues.

"Urm.. shouldn't we shower or something before eating with everyone? I don't know about you but I am really sweaty right now" I looked up at Asher who was nodding his head at me.

"I'm okay, I'll go sit down, you guys be quick though, I'm starving!" James yelled as he ran through the door, making me laugh.

As we walked through we quickly said hi to everyone before heading in the opposite direction to the dining area, the buzz of voices and activity echoing throughout the rooms.

We walked past the sofas and chairs in the sitting room, and stalked towards a door that I haven't noticed before.

Asher flipped a small black device near the door, entering some numbers in.

Once he finished, the dark,wooden door clicked open.

"This is my office" Asher introduced as I trailed into the room behind him.

It was deceptively large, with a colossal desk spanning the entire width of the room with sofas laid out. In the corner was a mini bar and a another door most likely leading off to the bathroom.

"So this is where you spend your time"

I grinned.

"Are you trying to chat me up?" He turned around looking at me with fake innocence in his eyes.

"Sorry, you're not my type. Anyway I'm not sure you're aware but I have a mate who will probably kill you just for looking at me" I threatened, whilst skipping around the room, my hand trailing the walls and furniture.

"Ah but you underestimate me Miss Roberts" he spoke with the biggest, most infectious grin.

I'd never seen him smile like that.

"Really? Please dear sir, tell me what talents you have been bestowed" I declared in the most British accent as possible whilst lifting up my body so I now sat comfortably on his desk.

"Well.." he stalked towards me, something glinting in his eyes which I couldn't quite place, but it looked primal.

"I can eat 10 tubs of ice-cream in 1 night without feeling sick"

I burst out laughing, my eyes creasing as I glared up at him with amusement in my eyes. I was enjoying this lighthearted conversation, in fact, I think it was one of the only times I'd seen him properly smile.

"Is that it? You need to work on your skills because I can eat 15 tubs in just one hour" I tutted my head, "I'm disappointed"

"Let me think..." he closed his eyes, rubbing his temples in fake concentration,

"Ah I've got it!" He yelled, "I can do one handed press ups"

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" I cocked my head, studying him.

He growled, running towards me and hauling me over his shoulder, spinning me around the room.

I squealed in surprise and then began to laugh uncontrollably as Asher spun me round and round.

"I'm dizzyyyyy" I cried out, smiling like an idiot.

"Jokes on you because I smell terrible right now" I declared, laughing evilly.

"Ewww" he threw me down onto the sofa and began wiping his clothing in disgust.

I stuck my tongue out at him when he glared at me, and he strode forward purposefully, his stubble scratching my face as he pressed his lips to my ear,

"Don't stick your tongue out unless your going to use it" his breath tickled my ear and I could almost feel the devious smile on his face.

A blush began to spread across my cheeks, painting them crimson.

I pushed him off me and walked to the bathroom, not being able to look him in the eye.

"You know, I was thinking of a new nickname for you!" I declared excitedly as I let dread cascade over him.

Revenge is a bitch

"I was thinking Ash"

He visibly blew out a sigh of relief.

"But then I decided against it."

"Oh no" he whispered under his breath.

"What's your last name?" I asked innocently.

"Nope, not saying" he replied firmly.

"I'll just go ask your mother then" I pointed towards the door.

"Fine, fine, fucking hell. It's Bronze. Asher Matthew Bronze."

I couldn't hold in the giggles that erupted from my mouth, "that sounds so posh"

"You can talk, Miss Rose Emilia Roberts" his eyes crinkled in amusement.

"Whatever. I'm going for a shower"

"I'll join you" he spoke huskily, stalking towards me and twirling me in the air.

"In your dreams" I wriggled out of his grasp and closed the door in his face.

The bathroom was nothing less than I expected from Asher. It was spacious and modern but I didn't bother acknowledging the entirety of the splendour, as exhaustion rolled over me in relentless waves.

In order to kick start my senses, I hopped into the shower and put it on the coldest setting for a matter of seconds.

God, the frozen water most definitely aroused my alertness.

Switching the temperature to hot , I drowned out my thoughts by washing away all the grime and sweat from my skin whilst washing my hair using Asher's limited women's products.

So I used his body gel and shampoo and every time I smelt it it reminded me of him.

I thrashed away the momentary nice thoughts I had about him.

I think I was beginning to like him. And I hated myself for it.

Maybe I should give him a second chance after he apologised to me for physically hurting me. After all, mates have the strongest,most loving bond known to the world.

But what if he does it again? Some part of me liked to believe that he wouldn't, but nothing is set in stone.

God was I beginning to fall for him? Where had this soft side come from?

But no, I shook my head. I was mistaking love for lust, because after all, that's all I feel for him: desire.

~

I wrapped the towel tighter around my shivering body as I opened the door and walked back into Asher's office.

He was sat at his desk, reading some document, his eyebrows drawn together in concentration.

"Aren't we late to dinner?" I asked, leaning down onto his desk.

He flickered his eyes up and surveyed me, his eyes sparkling with an unknown emotion.

"Done checking me out?" I threw the words that once he said to me.

"Touché" he grinned, remembering the memory of him saying that to me as well.

"It seems like such a long time ago" I muttered, looking out the window with an air of sadness.

He got up out of his chair and came to stand behind me. My skin stood up on end with anticipation.

He brought his hand to my arm, softly caressing it. I suppose that's as close as I would get for an apology, but in a way it was enough.

I think we were beginning to understand each other.

"I'll be out in 5 minutes" he declared, backing away from me.

I was about to go and ask about spare clothes until I saw a dress splayed out on the sofa.

I threw it on and traipsed over to the mirror to make sure I looked at least partially presentable. The dress was simply captivating, with an floral print, halter neck and loose fit it was casual and beautiful all at once.

I ran my fingers through my damp hair deciding to tie it into a quick updo as I was 99% sure that Asher didn't have a hairdryer.

As soon as I was finished the devil himself strolled out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel hanging loosely on his hips. He was truly an Adonis; a fallen angel- as cliché as that sounds. His defined abs and v line almost caused me to drool, as well as his large biceps which flexed with his every movement. I was completely mesmerised by him, I don't understand how someone so horrible can be so ...well... beautiful.

"Done checking me out?" He smirked, his grey eyes clouding as he looked me up and down in what I hoped was approval.

"I could say the same to you" I countered.

"I feel like that is our favourite line"  he shouted from across the room, grabbing some clothes from a drawer and throwing them onto his desk.

I hummed in agreement.

"We have be around 20 minutes we are running late for tea! Everyone will probably be finished by now so get dressed" I ordered.

"You know it would of been a lot quicker if we shared"

"Whatever" I moaned, although I did agree with him.

Without warning he pulled his towel off so he was standing completely naked in front of me. I quickly averted my eyes, but I'd seen him in his birthday suit before, after he shifted in front of me for the first time.

"Okay lets go" he called out, shifting past me and to the door.

He'd only put on some jeans and a black top, but somehow he made it look....like the sexiest outfit alive.

He linked his arm with mine as we exited the room and walked towards the buzz of voices and laughter.

I couldn't help the anxiety which began to grow inside of me like a tumour.

What if these people didn't like me?

Asher's fingers traced my arm, as he lent down and whispered, "they'll love you"

Those words instantly soothed the gnawing inside of me, and in a way I hated being so reliant on him, but as the same time he gave me the reassurance to be stronger and well..me.

As we entered, the room grew louder with introductions and welcoming "hellos" and "how are you's".

Luckily, we were only around 5 minutes late so the food was still hot.

There wasn't a head of table and it reminded me a lot of King Arthur and the knights of the round table.

Me and Asher had seats next to one another and as he sat down, he immediately began a conversation with the person in the seat next to him.

"This is my mate, Rose. Rose this is my brother Luke" he introduced us.

Luke was younger than Asher, he appeared to be around 14, and still had those striking grey eyes that must of ran throughout his family.

"It's nice to meet you" I talked between eating.

"You too" he replied enthusiastically.

"This is my mate Tanya" he pointed to a beautiful blonde girl who was about the same age as him.

I smiled affectionally at the both of them.

"Is that how old you guys usually are when you find your mates?" I asked Asher whilst cutting up the pasta on my plate.

"No, actually. Because of the strong attraction it's usually about 18" he replied whilst gazing down at me sharply.

His words caused me to choke on my food and I quickly grabbed some water and jugged it down.

I peered around at Asher to find him laughing at me, so I punched his arm in retaliation.

Bitch I thought, but I didn't dare say if in fear that he would punish me for undermining his position in front of his pack.

Our pack I forced myself to think.

Over the next hour we conversed with everyone, and once we all finished I helped Lola and Asher's mum, Joy to wash up.

"Thank you for tonight, I had a lot of fun" I pulled Lola and joy into a hug and bade farewell to the rest of the pack. The people invited were the closest friends and family to Asher and his family because their wasn't room for the whole pack. I heard Ash at the dinner table talk about an extension on the pack house due to the pack expansion, and it sounded like a good idea.

"Where's the car?" I asked Asher as we walked out of the house and onto the gravelly road.

He sent me a manic, evil smile that resembled something similar to that of the Joker.

"I got one of my omegas to drop it by the house"

"Ur.. why?" I looked up at him with confusion.

"We are going on a little.... adventure" he exclaimed,

"Now we've been through this before.

Hop on and hold on tight " he winked.

"Wha-" I was interrupted by the sound of his clothes being tore off and his bones grinding. In the blink of an eye I was staring right at an obsidian beast.

I knelt down, placing my hand out and stroking his fur.

But after a few minutes it growled with impatience.

"Ok, ok" I flicked his nose before climbing onto his back and grasping onto the midnight black fur with dear life.

"I'm quite heavy, your mum is a really good cook as well so that didn't help" I laughed into his soft fur.

"Let's go Bronzy" and his paws kicked into the dirt, zooming us through the silhouetted forest. I could feel the wind blowing through my hair and the moonlight sifting through the leaves of the foliage. And in that moment, with the smell of musk hanging in the air and the stars shining down at us: I felt truly happy.