Page 59 of Challenged Mate
I closed my eyes, willing way the image of Asher from my mind, forcing myself to think of Axel and the lunch we had together. “I have.”
“What’s he like?”
Axel’s kind smile filled my head, along with the memories of the easy conversations we shared this afternoon. “He’s nice… charming, even.”
“Old?”
“No. He’s young.”
“Well, that’s good news.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “His name is Axel. He’s also Asher’s twin brother.”
“WHAT?” The phone crackled as Stephanie shrieked.
I glanced at the ceiling, wondering if Axel would be listening to this conversation. The fact I heard him walking around meant there wasn’t a silencing barrier around the apartment.
Before I could decide if I should go outside to have this conversation, Stephanie continued, “The Mother is seriously demented for putting you in this situation, Blair.”
I agreed.
“Have you told the alpha about you and Asher?” Stephanie asked.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because there’s no point.”
“Are you kidding me, Blair? It was one thing for you to mate the alpha even having a fated bond with someone else, but now that alpha is his freaking brother? You can’t seriously be considering going through with it.”
“I don’t have a choice.”
“Yes, you do. Tell the alpha about Asher.”
“And what do you think he will do?”
“Let you off the hook so you can mate his brother.”
“You forget our mating was decided by the Alpha Games. If we break it, the Summit Pack suffers.”
“Not if it’s his decision!”
“You don’t know that.”
“Ugh, Blair! Why are you so determined to be a martyr here?”
“I am not being a martyr.”
“You are. You’ve always been a martyr. You always put yourself last. It’s time to stop. This is the rest of your life we’re talking about here.”
“You don’t think I know that?” I snapped. “It doesn’t matter. Asher came to see me last night. He’s the one who told me the alpha was his brother, and he reiterated that we can’t be together. So, even if Axel gives the green light, I won’t be with Asher. It’s not what he wants.”
“Blair,” Stephanie breathed. “You can’t honestly think that.”
“I listen to what people tell me, Steph. And Asher’s behavior was clear.” His stricken face as he said, “sorry” had haunted me all night.
I swallowed back my emotion and continued, “Asher isn’t interested in trying to make the bond between us work, Steph, so neither am I.”
