Chapter 17

—Third Person POV—

It took Sienna no time at all to shift into gear, dragging Asher down to a high-end wolf clothing boutique outside of Nightwind.

Nightwind wasn’t big enough to have a real high-end store like other packs.

Lucas Thorn - Lucius’ brother - owned this boutique, one of the highest rated in the entire area. Its prices were set with the knowledge of its popularity, costing a pretty penny for a simple shirt.

But the Alpha Ball was something you had to go all out on - especially now, with all the attention on Sienna and Asher’s relationship.

When Asher walked in with Sienna, his eyes quickly landed on Julian, standing there beside his current female beta.

The bruises and nicks on his face were so obvious, despite the fact he’d tried to use makeup to cover them.

Asher knew where his punches had landed, the evidence clear as day. He could hardly contain the smirk on his face at the ever so slight, minuscule flash of fear in Julian’s eyes when he saw him across the room.

The fear dissipated almost instantly, replaced by a very sour look.

Julian strode up, his beta trailing behind, and looked Asher up and down. His voice was dripping with disdain as he said, “I could buy a few decent outfits for you, considering Nightwind’s shaky financial situation.”

Sienna stiffened next to Asher, her annoyance permeating the air. “No thanks.”

The moment was thankfully broken as Lucas, the owner, walked straight towards Asher and Sienna, bowing as he greeted them.

“It’s wonderful to have one of our favorite VIPs in today,” Lucas beamed, reaching to shake Sienna’s hand.

Julian’s eyes bulged from his head, his gaze darting between Sienna and Lucas, baffled.

The truth none of them but Asher and Lucas knew was that the boutique was one of Asher’s many secret businesses, and Lucas worked for him.

That was their little secret though.

To keep that secret, Asher feigned surprise. “Sienna, you didn’t tell me you’re a VIP of Lucas’s?!”

He knew Sienna had no idea she even was a VIP, and this was a huge surprise to her. She played it so effortlessly cool, but to Asher’s sharp eye, her extreme attempt at composure was more adorable than anything.

Lucas chuckled, leading Sienna away from a still glaring Julian. “You see, your parents majorly invested in this store a while back.”

The mention of Sienna’s parents made her wince, just ever so slightly.

“Why don’t you pick out some outfits for yourself?” Asher cut in, moving the topic away from anything to do with her parents.

He caught Sienna’s dark gaze trained on Julian on the other side of the room, wanting to distract her as much as he could.

“Let’s look over here,” he ushered her as far from Julian as possible, his hand on her lower back.

“We came here for you.” She tried to turn them around and head to the male section, but he wouldn’t let her.

“You first. You deserve something unique for the Ball.” Asher gave her one of his dashing smiles, knowing she wanted to relax — she just couldn’t coax herself to do it.

Maybe he could.

“You should go in an all out ballgown,” Asher grinned, pointing towards the corner nearest them at a sparkling, light blue gown that cinched at the waist, flowing out in a ruffle of trails.

Sienna’s breath caught in her throat, approaching the dress and touching over its soft fabric. Her mind had been ripped from the plague of Julian, replaced with awe and adoration for the dress in front of her.

The dress was in her hands in a split second, the curtain to the changing room fluttering as she slipped through it without a word.

A beat passed, and Asher heard her softly calling out to him.

“Can you zip me up?”

Asher ignored the way his heart fluttered the closer he got to the curtain. With a brief pause, he pulled it back, a truckload of force slamming into his chest the second he laid eyes on her.

She is absolutely breathtaking in that dress.

His eyes cut to the back, the zipper landing just above the dip of her hips. He already knew what she looked like under there, and yet, he yearned for her in that moment like he’d never touched her.

Asher’s fingers brushed against her bare back, her intake of breath audible at the first moment of contact. The zipper hissed in the silence, settling into place at the top.

The tiny space of the fitting room was charged with unspoken tension, buzzing against their skin. Asher’s fingers hovered on the bare skin just below her neck, and Sienna didn’t pull away.

You’re divorcing in six months. Drop it, he told himself firmly, lost in a moment suspended in time.

His fingers broke from her, a faint, sad sigh escaping Sienna this time. It was like there’d been an invisible string of electricity between them, severed when his fingers left her skin.

They were both grappling with the intense connection lingering in the air, neither speaking or acknowledging it aside from in their own heads.

She spun around suddenly, shattering the last hesitant pieces of their connection. “This is the dress.”

Her eyes met Asher’s, the yearning for companionship present in her gaze.

They stepped out of the dressing room to the wall of mirrors, and when Sienna saw herself, she was completely speechless.

She was more stunning than she’d ever been. It was like the dress was made only for her, accentuating every curve of her body, all of her natural grace.

“That was made for you,” Asher whispered, seeing Lucas peek in.

“Oh wow,” he murmured, nodding his approval.

“I could never afford it,” Sienna sighed, spinning around to look at herself in the mirrors.

Asher and Lucas shared a quick, knowing glance, both smirking just a little.

“Actually, Alpha,” Lucas said as he approached. “Today’s purchases are all on the house. You’re the 1000(th) customer of the day!”

Sienna’s eyes widened, the shock rendering her speechless.

“I’m the - what?” Asher could see the joy flowing out of her, almost able to hear her thoughts.

For once something good is happening to her, Asher said to himself. Whatever I can do to ease her pain.

And yet you want to divorce in six months? His wolf grumbled to him, very much objecting Asher’s plan.

You know why, he countered back, closing the topic.

“You truly are a lucky star, m’lady,” Asher winked at Sienna, her face flushing an adorable pink.

“How about you get changed, and us two boys will venture to the tuxedos?” Lucas smiled at Sienna, leading Asher away.

“Thank you,” Asher chuckled to him, already knowing exactly the tuxedos he needed - they were very familiar to him.

“No, thank you, boss,” Lucas whispered, taking a variety of the highest rated tuxedos, already sized for Asher, and bringing them to the front.

By the time Sienna got there, the dress in hand - which Lucas packaged with care - Asher was all done, tuxedos in hand.

Julian still lingered in the mens section, his eyes narrowed, focused on Sienna.

Asher stepped closer to her, defensively, as Julian strolled up within earshot.

“I hear you’re going to the Alpha Ball? I’ll be waiting for you there, Sea,” he smirked, waving to Lucas - who didn’t so much as twitch a finger back - and heading out the door, his beta female in tow.

All the joy that had been painted so beautifully across Sienna’s face evaporated at Julian’s words, her mood ruined by his simple existence.

Asher placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.

“Soon,” he murmured to her, knowing she’d understand exactly what that soon was.

With the way her eyes sparked with fire at the closing of the door, Julian’s figure fading into the distance, Asher knew she in fact understood precisely.

Soon we’ll take him down.