Page 6 of Challenged Mate
I didn’t want to lie to her and say otherwise, but I also didn’t want her to worry.
With a heavy sigh, I tucked my phone back into my pocket. I would reply later. I needed to focus on the next leg of my inescapable adventure. Namely, meeting the male I was supposed to mate.
The thought made my stomach churn.
I stared out the window, trying to control the uneasiness coursing through me. Asher turned onto the alpha’s driveway. We rolled to a stop when we reached the garage doors.
Chase exited the vehicle without a word.
With a deep breath, I unbuckled my seatbelt and slid across the backseat. I ignored the pair of probing eyes watching me as I pulled the handle and climbed out.
Immediately, I admired the fresh, sweet scent of the grassy land around me. It was nothing like what I expected of fall in Alaska.
I heard Asher open his door and step out of the car. “Your apartment is through the blue door,” he told me.
I looked at the house and noticed the blue door tucked beside the garage doors. Two narrow windows ran the length of the door on either side. They were darkly tinted, making the inside impossible to see.
“Do you want to take a look?” Asher asked.
Without looking at him, I nodded and walked to the door. Asher followed. I tried to turn the doorknob, but it was locked.
“Here.” Asher’s arm brushed against mine as he reached forward and slid a silver key into the lock. I failed to hide my shiver.
With a quick turn, he unlocked the door and pushed it inward. He gestured for me to go in, and I quickly complied, needing to put distance between us. Our fated bond might not fade now that we were to live in the same pack, but the least we could do was keep it from growing. I needed to avoid contact with Asher at all costs.
I walked down a short hallway before reaching a plain white door. Asher remained behind me, and I spared a brief thought as to why. He’d ignored me during our journey. He knew, as well as I, that we needed to stay away from one another.
Why was he so keen to be near me now?
His woodsy scent filled my nostrils, eliciting way too many emotions. None I wanted to deal with.
I contemplated asking Asher to leave, but pride wouldn’t allow it. I wasn’t weak. I could handle a few minutes in his company. Mother Moon knew I would have to do it for the rest of my life. Might as well get used to it now.
I reached out and turned the doorknob. It was unlocked. I pushed forward and stepped into my new apartment.
Immediately, I was taken aback. I half-expected a dark, cinderblock room with sparse furnishings, but the room I entered was warm and welcoming.
My eyes took in the quaint kitchen to my left. Counter space was limited, but it looked to have all the appliances I could ever need, including a coffee maker and toaster. A delicate two-person table was positioned just beside the half-wall separating the kitchen from the rest of the apartment.
To my right, a small living room was filled with a plush, cream couch and a sky-blue armchair. A flatscreen TV hung on the wall, and a mahogany TV stand sat underneath. A matching coffee table took up the center of the space. The walls were decorated with beautiful photographs of mountains, forests, and grassy fields.
“The bedroom is through there,” Asher said.
I gave a little jolt. I’d forgotten I wasn’t alone.
Hoping to hide my reaction, I walked across the living room to the lone door on the right side of the apartment. I stepped inside and found equally charming furnishings. The queen size bed was decorated with several pillows, and the same style of photographs lined the walls.
“Your bathroom and closet are through that door,” Asher said, his breath brushing against the tips of my ears.
“Mother!” I jumped forward, putting space between us, and I whirled around. “Stop scaring me.”
The corner of his lips quirked. “I’m not trying to scare you.”
“Well, you are.” I swallowed. “Stop getting so close.”
A flash of hurt flitted across his gaze, and I felt his pain in my gut.
Ugh, stupid bond.
