Chapter-4

Asher

What were the odds that in the whole freaking world and after spending eight fucking months in an unknown pack filled with hordes of female wolves… I found my mate right in my home?

My mate… I was already starting to feel nauseous. This was so not my thing. I had next to no interest in finding a mate. I loved women. That was not the point. But only as long as my cock was nestled inside them, and they were moaning my name. That was all, nothing more.

Matebond meant love…and love wasn’t my thing. I don’t believe in this whole concept of two people being randomly bound by some unseen bond. That’s forced. 

Fuck no. I DO NOT want a mate.

And especially not this one with her smart mouth. Who was this woman, even? Where did she come from? And how in hell was she the same woman whom I ran into in a club almost two years ago?

“She is,” Mac confirmed. “It’s her… I will never forget the scent. There is no scent like hers!"

Oh fuck.

Approximately two years ago, I was on my usual clubbing spree accompanied by Cora, who that night was determined to get wasted after a fight with my stubborn brother. Somehow, in the course of the night, I glimpsed a purple-haired girl walking away. I tried to follow her because there was something about her, something that suddenly got me all curious. However, unable to find her, I got distracted. Then, out of nowhere, the same girl again crashed into me, and I was sent rolling into shock when Mac uttered the word mate.

It was dark, so I couldn’t see her face properly, but that scent, oh, that sinful scent. It hit me so hard and the moment Mac’s words registered in my brain, it had me spiraling in the worst possible ways. I wasn’t ready at all.

So I ran.

Yeah, me being an Alpha ran from my mate. There was no way to make-up for this mortification. When I woke up the next morning, I couldn’t remember a thing. It was all a haze, with the scent lingering in my mind, my senses. I did go back and try to find her, so at least I could apologize, but she was gone. Somehow, nothing has been the same since then.

And now I know why.

Because I wasn’t dreaming. She was indeed my mate. And now she was here.

I finally had a mate.

“No way!” Ivy exclaimed, scowling at me.

The scowl was like a prominent feature of hers, apart from those dazzling blue eyes. She was tall with cinnamon hair that was slightly wavy at the end and reached up to her breast. She wore a black camisole and cargo pants, and it wasn’t hard to tell that she was one of those women who possessed those God-gifted curves just at the right places. However, her arms were muscular and there were tattoos on them. She was literally far, far different from the women I usually date. No, not date. I have never dated. Preferred was a more suitable word.

“What do you mean, no way?” Logan frowned.

“I don’t want him as my mate,” Ivy said, shooting me a dirty look. It was obvious she was already judging me. Not that I didn’t deserve it.

“Do you know who you are talking about?” my mother demanded. “That’s the Alpha of GrayCrest.”

“By all means he is,” Ivy said, her voice firm and even. “But I don’t want a man who runs away from his mate like a damn coward. I don’t care if he is an Alpha. A man who can’t claim his mate isn’t worth having a mate, Luna Grace,”

“That was a mistake!” I growled, my scalp prickling with irritation. 

“Doesn’t matter…” she said flatly.

“Well, just so you know, you are definitely not the kind of woman I would want as my mate. I would have accepted you probably just out of guilt to make up for my honest mistake, but I have little to no patience for an insolent, arrogant woman like you. So you can kiss the thought of being my mate out of your tiny head,” I sneered, my anger rising as we both glared at each other.

“That’s perfect then,” Ivy nodded. “Let’s just reject each other and get this done with. I can’t have a mate, anyway. I have taken an oath as the Lunas guard to never take a mate and I intend to stick to that.”

“Rose or I can always free you from it, Ivy,” Cora offered, sounding hopeful.

“No. I am a warrior, Luna,” she responded. “I take oaths seriously, and once I have given my word, there is no going back.”

“Suit yourself,” I grimaced. “I am gonna reject you and end this mess right here.”

“And why should you be the one to reject me?” Ivy demanded. By now, more than half of the pack were watching us and the expression on my family’s faces was epic. They looked stunned, surprised and helpless.

“Because I am the Alpha and the Alpha always comes first.”

“Well, after what you did last time, you have no right to reject me first. I am the one who ought to be the rejecter, and you should be the rejectee.”

She was crazy. This woman was crazy.

“Are you sure this is our mate?” I demanded from my wolf.

“Positive,” my wolf said, his entire focus on her. She intrigued him, not to mention his innate desire to already jump at her. We were certainly not on the same page.

“In your dreams,” I hissed. “You are in my pack, and I am your Alpha. What I say goes. So be a good girl and accept the rejection as you should, so I can stop wasting my precious time,”

“Would the two of you stop?” Logan protested, looking bewildered. “You just met! How could you even think of rejection? It’s no child’s play.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I scowled. “This is a mutual decision. We don’t want each other, so why bother? Just get this done with. In fact, I am gonna do it right away. I, Alpha Asher Gray, son of Alpha Joseph Gray and the Alpha of GrayCrest pack, reject you…Ivy ...”

“No,” I halted, my eyes widening at the terrifying growl that escaped from my wolf.

“Mac…” I began and almost cried out when a shooting pain erupted through my body.

“This is more my decision than yours and I refuse this…”

“What do you mean, refuse this?” I exclaimed.

“I will not reject her,” Mac whispered. “I want…my mate. She’s…perfect. There will be no rejection,” My eyes widened as I stared blankly at this strange, blue-eyed girl...

Oh fuck.