Beauty and
Beauty and 84

Chapter 84 – Asher

I sleepily walked down the stairs, after very little sleep, yet again. This time, there had been ttle to no visions of Isla that I remembered. My dreams were overtaken by visions of Bailey. And not in a pleasant way either. By a man I could not see. A man voice was the one on the phone…

Visions of her being tortured.

could not identify. Yet his

I woke up multiple times drenched in sweat, struggling to settle because I was desperate to go and check if she was okay. Yet, I knew I could not. Knew that I had to give her the space she had wanted. She had not wanted me there. I needed to know who this man was that had spoken to her like that. The moment she had rushed from my suite I had been on edge. Zion was the same. The urge to protect her was like nothing else I had experienced, and it unsettled me.

This girl is not my mate. She is technically nothing to me. Not even a pack member. But, for some reason, her vulnerability and weakness had affected me and my wolf. And hearing the way that fucker had spoken to her had ripped through my heart. I had realized then I wanted to help her, yet she had refused my help.

I needed to know more, and I would replace out more one way or another. From how he spoke, and the things he said, I can only assume this man was her former fated mate. The man that had been foolish enough to reject her. I had lay there for so long trying to process the things she had briefly mentioned since her arrival which may help me decipher who this man was. I knew she had not been willing to give much away, but had said a little

without realizing.

I knew he had rejected her. He must have some power over her. As she had said, he had been stopping her searching for a job out of the pack. That had to make him a senior role within their pack, to my mind, at least. That would also explain to me why he felt he could dictate where she went and what she did. Could he be their upcoming Alpha? That seemed the most obvious to me. And it would be a likely pairing too… Now… that could be an interesting turn of events… because if I am not mistaken, the way their pack worked, along with so many others, was that the Alphas were not expected to reject the mate fated to them. That was considered a sign of going against the moon goddess. Disrespecting everything we stand for as werewolves.

If Bailey had been fated to the Lotus Shadow Pack’s upcoming Alpha, like I am beginning to wonder, then this meant their pack must be in disarray if they had learned of it. Because their young. future Alpha had broken one of their main laws, so was he even able to be their Alpha anymore? And listening to the way in which he spoke to Bailey, he did not sound like a man I would want in charge of a pack…

As I reached my office door, I could see Caleb approaching, a big beaming smile upon his face. Evidently, all this additional time off to spend time with his family was doing him good. “Good morning, Good morning.” He greeted me, enthusiastically. “I heard you did a good job at being the hospitable host for our new teacher.” He winked at me.

I rolled my eyes at him. “Good morning to you too. Do I assume your delightful mate has been checking in on me, yet again?”

I opened my office door, in desperate need of a coffee,

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especially if I was going to have to deal with Caleb in one of his irritatingly cheerful moods.

“Perhaps. She called Bailey last night.” Caleb said with a shrug as he followed me into the office.

I quickly turned to look at him. “Eden called Bailey last night? What time? Was she okay?” I asked, so many questions flooding from my mind, wondering if she had mentioned anything about what had happened with her former mate.

Caleb had sat himself down on the sofa in my office, and now he looked at me with curiosity. “Oh, really? Am I missing something? Was there a little more than welcoming the new girl that went on Asher?”

I felt anger rushing over me. How fucking dare he imply I tried it on with the poor girl. I did not think of her in that way, and I knew for definite she would not be looking at me in that way either. We were far from being compatible. “Don’t be so fucking ridiculous.” I snapped. “She had been upset when I passed her in the corridor, but she wouldn’t elaborate as to why.” I lied.

Caleb nodded, looking at me with suspicious eyes. “Is that right?”

Great, now he thinks I have a thing for the new teacher. Just what I need. Especially if Eden gets a hold of that piece of information, she will be doing all she can to match–make. And that is just not going to happen. My mate had been Isla. I was destined to be with her, and fate had chosen her for me. After her, I was doomed to be alone. Live a lonely life on my own.

“Yes, that is right. I do not like seeing someone upset; especially if it could bring trouble to our pack, Caleb. But, I assume your

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Chapter 54 Asher

looked into her past appropriately, did you? Her family history, mate etc?” I demanded, hoping this way Caleb may look into things for me.

“Erm… I don’t know, I left it all with Eden. She seemed pretty determined to have Bailey working here.” Caleb said with a shrug, like he wasn’t even concerned, only irritating me considering the things I now knew.

“So no checks were done then?” I demanded, and I saw Caleb puff his chest up at me in a dismissive motion.

“Not a clue. She is a Beta’s daughter, Ash, not like she is going to be causing problems for us. She seems sweet enough. Obviously got you hooked already.” He winked at me.

Zion sharply and unexpectedly pushed forward, causing me to growl, causing Caleb to look at me with his eyebrows raised, not in the slightest bit intimidated by me nor my wolf. “Oh really?” he boomed. “Back off Zion.”

“Well, do not imply I am sweet on some fucking new girl to pack, just because I am concerned about her when the truth is, I am on edge for the safety of our pack. You are questioning my loyalty to Isla in even suggesting that.” I snarled, turning away from him, my fists clenched, moving toward my coffee machine.

“Ash. I was messing. And it is not questioning your loyalty to Isla. She will always be your mate.” Caleb’s voice was softer now, as he joined me by my side. A look of concern upon his face. “I am sorry if you saw it that way. It was meant as a joke. But, even if you did choose to look for another mate, there would be no shame, you know that, right? That is not betraying Isla. What you had will always remain precious. She will always remain your fated mate, and you hers. Fated by the moon

Chapter 84–Acher

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goddess. But, 1 doubt Isla would want you alone and isolated forever. Not when you were so young, when she left you.”

His hand was upon my shoulder as I messed with the coffee machine, sorting it to allow me to make my morning coffee, desperately wishing I was anywhere but here, and able to avoid this conversation. His words were gripping at my heart. They hurt. I would always be Isla’s. I could not think of myself as somebody else’s. That to me made it feel like I was forgetting her. Betraying the bond we had. And I don’t think I could forgive myself for that.

“Well, that is irrelevant, Cal, because it isn’t happening. Least of all with the new girl, so back off, right?” I said bluntly, while Zion, stalked away, curled up in the far reaches of my mind, his emotions such a mess…