Chapter 8

—Sienna’s POV—

Asher had stalked ahead of me through the trees, leading us back towards the main square.

“Asher - ” I called to him, frustration seeping through me.

“Sea!” Julian’s voice stopped me, and I saw him standing back at the tree line. “You know the Elder inspectors are watching you. Waiting for you to make a mistake.”

“I said let it go,” I shouted, my fists clenching.

Could he just leave me alone?

“My decisions are mine to make. Every one that I make is for my pack, and I take it more seriously than anything I ever have.”

I turned around again, ready to put this behind me.

“You’re not qualified to - ” Julian accused, so desperately clinging to any last strand of hope.

“This isn’t a joke to me!” I yelled, fury pulsing through me. “GO!”

Hurt flashed across Julian’s face, and he deserved every bit of it.

Before he could say anything else, I’d turned my back to him yet again, hurrying to catch up to Asher.

“Asher!” I hollered up to him, annoyed that he was ignoring me. Why did it seem like he was jealous?

“Was just making sure you were okay,” he finally called back, not slowing his pace one bit.

“Jeez - would you wait up?” I said in a frustration that only grew as I saw his pace quicken.

“Sorry, can’t hear you,” he waved back at me. “Too slow.”

Excuse me?

“What is with your attitude - ”

He’d never acted like this before. This was, in its purest form, jealousy.

Finally, just outside the main square, he stopped.

“Look. We’re just contract mates. Nothing real about it,” he shrugged, trying way too hard to keep his cool.

“And we’re supposed to present a unified front. You stalking away from me doesn’t make that look true.” I crossed my arms over my chest, something I always did when I was trying to stay strong.

“If you want to change your mind, it’s fine,” Asher said, sounding like a moody teen.

“I won’t change my mind,” I emphasized, reaching for him.

But he stepped back, denying me the contact.

Wow, okay.

This time, I let him leave.

A few days later, Asher greeted me with his signature smile, like he had every single morning since our argument.

It felt fake.

And he felt distant.

I hadn’t expected us to be close, necessarily - but I did expect more from him. Since he walked away from me after my chat with Julian, we’d never spoken of it again.

There wasn’t much to say, I guess. Except it would have been nice to clear the air.

We’re just contract mates, I told myself every single day. This is normal.

He didn’t owe me anything. He was doing his part, exactly as I’d asked.

Exactly as the contract stated.

Days began to pass in a blur, consumed with paperwork and problems.

I chose to pay off as many breach of contracts as I could, the packs funds falling dangerously into the red.

For the remaining bills, I wrote letters directly to the ex-members, asking for an extension to settle the debt, assuring them they would receive what they asked.

Even though they probably wouldn’t for a while.

Profits had fallen sickeningly low thanks to the lack of trade to the pack. The other neighboring packs were cutting off all contact with Nightwind, likely tainted by Julian’s yapping of my inability to properly lead.

Asher kept his distance, mostly speaking only when spoken to.

One night, I found him at the dining table, his eyes skimming over the past due bills.

“I think we should host a banquet,” I said softly, having thought about this idea over the last day. “It might boost confidence in the other packs that I’m not completely incapable.”

“Nightwind needs money for that,” Asher said, his tone careful.

“I was going to send out invitations first and gauge interest before committing,” I grumbled, picking up one of the invitations I’d drafted out.

Asher picked it up, reading it through. It was simple, to the point, and, if I may say so myself, beautifully presented.

My thought was to invite all the other Alpha’s, and they could bring whomever they wanted from their packs. Meeting with the other leads would definitely be beneficial - I needed a strong foundation with all of them.

Minus Julian.

“We can give it a try,” Asher smiled, his eyes finally meeting mine. “Let’s get them all out.”

Together, we folded the invitations, sealing them and placing them in a basket I’d give to Simon to hand deliver.

I was nervous - I didn’t want to get rejected.

This whole thing was a shot in the dark, my last hope to rekindle some of the lost relationships from my parents death.

I desperately needed people on my side.

Simon delivered every letter that afternoon, and I began waiting for the RSVPs.

One day passed.

Then another.

Five more.

No one responded.

Almost a week later, a single letter came back from another neighboring pack. My heart leapt, so hopeful for an acceptance.

But my hope was very quickly crushed.

The response was from Lucius, the alpha of the Blackmoon pack - the most powerful pack in the area, one that flourished in every way.

Dear Sienna,

I wanted to write back and express my apologies - I understand that no one has responded to you, and I believe you should understand why.

Julian is warning everyone about you, telling them that you’re unstable and unqualified. It seems he might be the unstable one, spreading such gossip.

I’ll see what I can do. Just be warned - he’s after you.

•Lucius Thorn

So Julian was behind this. Of course he was.

Now that my parents were gone, everyone was just avoiding me. They must have thought I was so stupid, so young and naïve.

My parents had taught me everything I’d needed to know to be a good alpha - I’d trained under them for years, learning their ways.

And still I wasn’t good enough for these people.

They’d be so disappointed, I said to myself. But they’re not here to see it.

I had to stay strong, but the tears were welling up, and they were doing it fast.

Showing emotion was hard for me - especially when it was weakness. The weight of these responsibilities was getting to be too much for me, crushing me slowly.

I needed to let go.

I needed to cry.

So I did.

Sobbed was a more accurate description. My head sat on the table, my lungs heaving with each cry.

For a long moment, the only sound in the room was my crying.

I’d thought I was alone for a few hours, but a soft sigh came from next to me, and a beat later, I was wrapped in Asher’s warm embrace.

He smelled so good, my face pressed against his chest.

I could breathe him in all day.

The comfort that encompassed me was instant, and honestly, unexpected. With all the tension between Asher and I since the meeting with Julian, I didn’t think I’d settle into him like this.

Only here he was, holding me, letting me cry against him. Not pushing me to speak, or telling me to be stronger.

He just held me tightly, allowing me to be vulnerable.

Oh, Asher. Thank you.