Page 34 of Rejected By My Stepbrother Alpha
The son that he didn’t know existed.
Chapter 12
Cursed Peace
Asher
I could see the whole city of Sun Fire just from my office window. The entire south-facing wall was made of glass. I liked to start every morning here, watching my pack members start their day. As I watched them drive to work, walk their kids to school, or order a cup of coffee, it reminded me of everything I had to be grateful for in my life. BloodMoon Enterprises was more successful than ever, and I was the leader of a tight-knit, prestigious pack.
So, why did I not feel fulfilled?
Why did it seem like there was a missing piece in my life? Why was there always this voice in the back of my mind that wouldn't stop insisting that…something was missing?
You know why.
I ignored that annoying, persistent voice in the back of my head.
At least my father would be proud of how I've lived my life so far.
In my very soul, I knew that my father would be happy with the man I became. This restless feeling wasn't because of him. If my dad were alive, he would clasp me on the shoulder and tell me how he was so glad that he entrusted his pack and business to me. He would saythat there wasn't anyone better suited for the job. Shouldn't that be enough for me? The belief that my father would approve of how I continued to build upon his legacy should be all that I cared about.
A small smile crossed my face when I thought of him. I missed him every single minute of every single day, and grief wasn't linear. Some days were better than others, but I knew that he was always with me. I carried him with me in my soul. In the last conversation we had shared, my dad said he hoped that I'd find my Fated Mate. Well, I had.
And I rejected her.
Ivy.
I sighed and stepped away from the warm window. I put my hands in my pockets and paced my office. Like always—especially when I thought about Ivy—my wolf was restless in my head. He ran in circles all day and night as if he were always searching for her, too. No matter how often or how far I ran in my wolf form, he was always on edge inside of my head.
I went back and forth on my decision to reject Ivy. When I came back to the house on the day my dad died, Evelyn and Ivy were gone, just like I'd requested. I wasn't surprised to discover that many valuables from the house were taken. I checked the camera outside and watched Evelyn load up her car with bags that were no doubt filled with jewelry, cash from the safe, small priceless paintings, and expensive electronics.
When I noticed that Ivy wasn't helping her, I rewound the tape and was shocked to find that Ivy left before her mother and was only carrying one suitcase. Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying. I'd paused the tape and stared at that image for over an hour, wondering why she was so upset and if I should go after her or not. I didn't go after her, but when I went into her room, I saw that she had barely taken anything with her. It seemed like she had left in a hurry. Ivy hadn't even taken that silver necklace she was always wearing. It was like she had run away from something or someone.
To this day, I still had so many questions. If Ivy was working with her mother, why didn't she help her raid the house or leave in the same car with Evelyn? What had Ivy been so upset about? Could it bebecause of my rejection? But if she had been working with her mother to steal from my father, why would she be upset about my rejection?
Over the years, I asked around about her. I reached out to the Alpha of her old pack and all of the surrounding packs close to BloodMoon, but none of them had seen her. Ivy had disappeared without a trace.
I hadn't made peace with my decision to send her away and each night, I pictured her beautiful face before I fell asleep. There was a deep ache within my soul whenever I thought of her name. Sometimes, I’d wake up from a dead sleep, and the first thought in my mind was Ivy. My Ivy.
But she was never mine, was she?
I was cursed to crave her for the rest of my life. How was I supposed to live the rest of my life when my wolf was begging for hers? Thinking of her name made my heart spasm with agony.
My rational mind didn’t want to miss her, but my heart yearned for her.
How was I supposed to move on when Ivy was haunting me around every corner? Her bright blue, inquisitive eyes were what I saw every time I closed mine. Why was I always searching for that sense of peace that her presence had given me? Even though I mostly believed she had been helping her mother steal my father’s assets, whenever I’d been around her, everything seemed like it was going to be all right.
There was a knock at my door.
“Asher?”
I spun around and my breath caught in my throat.
“Ivy? What…”
I couldn’t even finish my question as I eagerly took her in.
She's even more beautiful than I remembered.
