Chapter 182

Asher

Ever since escorting Cynthia home the night before, she had stayed in my thoughts. Alone in the quiet of my room, I thought of little else but the feel of her warmth within the circle of my arms.

I wanted to keep her safe more than anything.

I had never thought Lamar worthy of her, but other than his questionable association with Joseph, he had seemed harmless enough.

Now though, my protective instincts heightened, begging me to keep her away from him.

Lamar had been careless with Cynthia. He had not walked her home, despite the lateness of the hour. That had been bad enough on its own.

But my dislike of him struck deeper within me. He’d made it personal against me when he lied to Cynthia about me having attacked him. I hadn’t gone near him, trying to respect Cynthia’s wishes.

Why would he lie? What had been the purpose?

I still wasn’t sure, though I had many suspicions. All of them stemmed from his potential friendship with Joseph.

That might not have been fair. But for Cynthia’s sake, I didn’t care.

Only my promise to Cynthia not to attack Lamar kept me from directly confronting him. Instead, I kept my ear to the ground, utilizing my connections and contacts to track his every move.

He’d been clean so far.

But if he was innocent, why lie?

My head spun, but one thing I knew with certainty: I had to protect Cynthia.

I regretted everything that had led us to splitting. Only with her by my side could I properly protect her.

And… more than that, even…

I missed the curve of her smile. The stubborn set of her jaw when she disagreed with me. The heat in her gaze when she saw me without a shirt.

I missed her.

Implicitly. Down into the depths of my soul.

And my mating bond, it burned.

“Not again,” I gasped as fire shot along my skin. I clutched my chest.

I couldn’t breathe. The pain was so fierce.

I scrambled into a chair to keep from falling.

I clenched my teeth together to keep from crying out. I squeezed my eyes closed.

I counted.

The attacks were getting longer.

My body wasn’t healing. The mating bond wasn’t diminishing.

Everything was getting worse.

I wanted Cynthia. I needed her by my side.

But she didn’t need me.

I could endure the pain. For her, I could.

Eventually, after forty five brutal seconds, the pain subsided, and I panted, struggling to collect my breath.

I still couldn’t push Cynthia from my thoughts, even knowing that thinking of her could bring more attacks.

I had to do something to distract myself. So, when I could move again, I dressed for the gym and headed out the door.

I had only made it a few yards out of my dorm building when Lamar called out to me.

“Hey, Asher! We need to talk.”

He was standing on the sidewalk that cut through the quad. I stopped a few feet away from him.

“I’m not sure we have anything to say to each other.” I carefully kept my voice flat.

“Actually, we do.” Lamar walked closer.

Under the streetlights, I could clearly see his black eye, bruised and ugly.

“You need to leave Cynthia alone,” Lamar said.

I crossed my arms over my chest. Like I would ever abandon Cynthia into the care of a liar. “Where did you really get that black eye?”

“You did it,” Lamar said.

“Like hell I did.” I narrowed my gaze, wondering what he was trying to prove. I wasn’t about to be gaslighted into thinking I’d hurt someone I hadn’t.

“Maybe you don’t remember,” Lamar pushed. “I heard you tend to lose yourself when your wolf comes out.”

“If you made my wolf come out, I would have done more damage than that.”

“With an answer like that, you really think you should be hanging around Cynthia and her baby? What happens if you snap when she’s nearby?”

“I would never hurt Cynthia or her child.”

“Oh, really?”

I could understand Lamar’s concern, I supposed. My wolf strength could be dangerous if randomly aimed, but I had full confidence in my wolf’s desire to want to protect our mate.

My wolf would never harm our family.

I could have taken the time to explain that to Lamar, if I thought for a moment his worry was genuine.

Instead, I watched as his worried expression shifted. His brow lowered, his lips quirked.

He was up to something, but what?

“What if she deserved it?” he asked.

Oh. He was baiting me.

Why?

To prove his lie?

To drive a wedge between Cynthia and I?

I glanced around. A crowd had begun to form around us. A few phones were out. Were people recording this?

I had to get out of here.

I spun on my heel.

“And she does deserve it, Asher,” Lamar called out. “She’s the vilest kind of tease. Someone really needs to teach her a lesson.”

Walk away, I commanded my legs, though they wouldn’t move.

“He insults our mate,” my wolf whispered, rage pressing against the dark corners of my mind.

I was just as angry, but, “It’s a trap.”

Later, I would pull Cynthia aside and tell her all that transpired here. Lamar would likely try to skew this event to his advantage to win favor with her. But if I could get her to hear my side, maybe I could help her see how dangerous he was.

Cynthia would never stand for someone talking that way about her.

All I had to do was walk away.

“Was she as big a cocktease with you, Asher? What does she have to be bashful about? She’s not a virgin,” Lamar said.

My hands formed fists.

Walk away.

“You know what I should do? Rip her clothes off, hold her down, and fuck her senseless. She’ll forget her reservations quick enough, with the right kind of encouragement.”

A growl ripped its way from my throat.

“He threatens what’s ours,” my wolf said in my mind.

Lamar approached me. “You going to let me do that, Asher? You’re not going to stop me at all?”

My whole body tensed. My wolf banged against the bars of its cage.

“I bet I could call her right now, ask her to come over. And she will, you know?” His smirk sharpened. “She trusts me.”

She did, too. Despite his lie, she would let herself be alone with him. Cynthia was trusting and kind. She cared about people.

And Lamar would betray that trust. He would take Cynthia’s pure heart and try to stain it.

He would hurt her.

Lamar was baiting me. I knew that. I had to be strong. I had to stop listening to the things he was saying. He likely didn’t even mean them.

He just wanted a reaction.

He wanted me to break.

Cynthia would never forgive me if I broke.

The walls of my wolf’s cage rattled and creaked. I was only barely containing it.

I had to get out of here. I had to run!

“I’ll make her scream, Asher. Do you think she’ll cry out for you to come save her?” His grin widened, vicious. “Or do you think she’ll forget about you entirely when I make her mine?”

The cage broke, and my wolf charged into the forefront of my mind. My body twisted, hands forming claws. My teeth elongated in my mouth.

I was losing myself. I didn’t care anymore.

The things he was saying, they were too much, too abhorrent.

I didn’t care if this was a trap. I would never let this evil creature touch my Cynthia. Even if she never forgave me afterwards.

Even if I had to break my promise.

“Take control,” I whispered to my wolf.

“I will protect our family,” it promised in return.

Lamar inched backwards a step, fear widening his eyes now.

Had he not realized what danger he’d been tempting? Did he regret it now?

Too late.

With my wolf leading my body, I lunged for Lamar, teeth first.