Alpha Asher
Chapter 40

Giovanni's P.o.v

The little she-wolf was quite interesting to watch. Her face conveyed every emotion openly, putting them on display for the world.

A chance; as she called it.

I myself became a key player in the little she-wolfs game, a game to earn my loyalty.

She was clueless to my enjoyment of gambling. What were the odds this little she-wolf would be successful in turning me from my own species. The logical side of me said the odds were slim to none, while some sliver of humanity within me was already hers. It was clear the price she was willing to pay; her heart.

I couldn't begin to understand the lives of this animal-like species.

Vampires considered themselves refined, choosing a mate that would suit their every need. Werewolves were slaves to some mythical Goddess in the sky, one who dictated their own mate. Did these wolves have control over anything?

I left the club that night with an infuriated Tristan. His anger swirled around him, but that wasn't the only emotion pouring from within. Longing and interest framed his face as he struggled to keep this information from my grasp. He was not fast enough, cloaking his face with a mas of indifference.

"Something has happened?" I paused, lifting my eyebrow as I read the quick flicker of emotions.

Tristan looked almost...pained.

"Yes." Tristan nodded, "Something has happened."

"Did you fulfill the King's request?" I asked, watching as his face hardened.

I masked my own face, burying my own emotions deep within me. I swore to never let them see the light of day. A strange yet dull pain formed in my chest, my mind lingering on the little she-wolf.

"I was unable to complete his task." Tristan hesitated, something I had never seen him do before.

"Tell me if you must." I pressed, "The King will replace out regardless."

"I marked her, Giovanni." Tristan stopped walking, our forms cloaked by the night. "I couldn't stop myself."

"You marked..the she-wolf?" My interest was more than piqued. Another factor in this complicated game.

For just a split second an image of Breyona flashed in my mind, Tristan's mark glistening on her neck. Rage flooded through me, possesive rage. A rough grunt escaped my lips as I felt the mate bond roiling within me. "Has something happened with you, Giovanni?" Tristan turned, his own eyes calculating.

"I am simply fearing for your life, friend." I frowned, once again shoving the putrid emotions deep down.

"Do not fear for me." Tristan shook his head, but he still looked troubled. "The King would not dare kill me while my mark lingers on her skin.” "Perhaps you are right." I shrugged, "You may also be wrong. A mark is not a simple thing to remove."

"Trust me, friend." Tristan's eyes glinted mischievously. "The King will not kill me."

Tristan had his own motives, that much was clear. He was unable to hide what he had done, knowing the King would replace out regardless.

"You would dare move against the King?" I questioned.

Tristan had been my longest friend-If you could call him that. We had joined the service of the King the same year, had been raised side by side.

"Only a fool would move against the King." Tristan scoffed, shaking his head. "I simply did what our species must-I marked a mate of my choosing, one worthy of me."

Something strange rushed through me, adding another overlooked factor to my mind.

"She is still half werewolf." I noted, "She has an intended mate out there. What will your course of action be if her intended is not you?"

Tristan looked perplexed, as though the thought had never crossed his mind. This did not surprise me. Tristan was compulsive, living in the moment as he pleased. Consequences were not always in his mind.

"I am her intended mate." Tristan nodded, "I am sure of this. But, I would kill the one destined for my mate."

I nodded in agreement, but that sliver of Breyona within me was shaking her head. I could see her in my mind, her short brown hair glistening like silk. Her milk and honey skin creamy and soft to the touch.

"I almost had her." Tristan hissed, "She would've been ours if that feral b***h hadn't interrupted me."

My body stiffened, my hand clutching the thin napkin my she-wolf had last touched.

I already knew who he was talking about.

"You've marked the half-breed?" The King's voice was calm, a calm I had gotten used to hearing.

The King could be placated when he was angry, red in the face with rage. I had only seen this cold calmness fall on him one time. Twelve men had died that night, painfully. "Leave us." The King's voice whipped across us like ice.

I and theRead more to