Page 7 of A Luna's Dynasty
“It’s true! You know it’s true. They won’t even make eye contact with me. Everyone is afraid of me and my wolf. Please, you don’t want me, you won’t want me. You should just reject me for the good of your pack.” Her eyes glistened with tears.
“Do you not want me?” Asher’s silver eyes stared at her.
“It isn’t that, but—”
“That’s all I care about. Is there someone else?”
She pursed her lips together. She had just found out about Teo’s feelings, but she couldn’t say she reciprocated them. Sure, she had sometimes wondered, but she never allowed herself to have deeper feelings. Instead, she’d always thought of him as family. “No, but—”
“Then it’s settled. If you have no objections about me, and you’re not in a relationship, then this is a done deal. From now on, you belong to me and I belong to you.” Asher’s gaze was intense and possessive as it bore into her, leaving no room for argument or resistance. Her heart wasn’t beating in fear. Instead, a new emotion was stirring, one she’d never felt before.
Drew slammed his fist on the table with a deafening thud. “This is wrong!” he roared, his voice laced with anger. His eyes narrowed into fiery slits as he glared at the man in front of him. “I can't stand this guy. Lita deserves so much better than this!”
“This will only make things more awkward later when you end up rejecting me.” Lita looked at Asher, whose eyes seemed to soften.
“Lita, I’m not going to reject you. You need to get that idea out of your head. You’re worried I won’t want you because of your wolf?” He chuckled. “The Black Ice Pack are warriors. We are a strong military pack. Your wolf would be a welcomed asset.”
“There’s more.”
“I don’t care. Whatever you say won’t change my mind.”
“Don’t I have a say in this?!” Lita looked at him as he smiled.
“You do. Do you not want me? Am I not good enough for you?”
Her lips parted. “It isn’t that at all.”
“Don’t tell me what I want and what I don’t want. I’m here. I want you.”
"The decision is yours, my dear. No one will force this on you." Nathon’s gaze flickered toward the looming figure of Asher, the alpha of the ruthless Black Ice Pack. He knew that, as much as hewanted to protect his daughter, he couldn't stand in the way of her mate bond. It was a powerful and unbreakable force.
Chapter 5
Lita's eyes flicked to Asher before she shook her head in frustration. "Alright," she sighed in defeat. "I'll go with you. But I want you to remember that you’re the one who pushed forthis. It's just going to make it harder later.” Lita rose from her seat, her emotions in a vortex. Yes, she wanted her mate, but that wasn’t the issue. The problem was that he wouldn't want her. She didn’t want to get her hopes up. She didn’t want to be crushed by his rejection later.
However, leaving like this made leaving her own pack easier. She wouldn’t be a burden to her father and brother. She knew they would have been upset when she left the pack on her own. This was what she would do to protect them. And after Asher rejected her, she would move to the city. It would make the break more simple this way. As she walked past Asher, he reached out and grabbed her hand. His silver eyes looked at her as a sad smile formed on his lips.
“Lita.” He stared at their hands, feeling the sweet tingles from the mate bond. It was the first time he was able to really touch her. And he liked it. “I want you to remember this moment.” His voice was soft. “The moment your mate fought to keep you, so that he could show you the things you don’t know.”
“Like?”
“Like how much you’re worth fighting for. From now on, your pack will love and adore you. For the good of my pack, I want you as my luna. I won’t force my mark on you, Lita. I want you to come back with me and just live with me for now. Just like I’m choosing you, I want you to choose me.”
She gazed at him in shock. She wanted to believe his words, but he couldn’t say such things right now. There was still something she hadn't told him about herself, and once he knew, he would be kicking her to the curb. Still, a small flame of hope ignited inside her. A dangerous light that she never expected to have.
Asher watched as she took a few steps away from him. They were mates, so he knew she was naturally drawn to him. But her pack had made her feel like she had no worth. This didn’t makesense, especially since she was the alpha’s daughter. He heard Drew growling and he turned to look at him.
Drew's hands curled into tight fists as he stared at Asher with searing intensity. "She's not going anywhere with you," he growled, his voice trembling with barely-contained rage. "I'll be damned if I let someone like you take her. I can’t trust you to keep her safe. I've always been her protector, and I'll fight tooth and nail to keep it that way." But Asher remained unfazed, a smug grin still plastered on his face, as if he enjoyed provoking Drew's ire.
“Drew.” Lita softly placed her hand on her brother and gave him a small smile. “I’ll be okay. You can’t spend your whole life protecting me, and I don’t want you to. Eventually, I would’ve left anyway. I was never wanted by our pack, and we know this. Promise to stay in touch.” She enveloped Drew in a warm embrace, her arms wrapping tightly around his broad shoulders.
“I’ll have your stuff packed and delivered to the Black Ice Pack.” Nathon took Lita’s arm in his, pulling her in for a hug.
“You two go ahead. I’d like a moment with Drew.” Asher smiled as Lita glanced at him. Nathon looked over at his son and mentally warned him to control his temper before he stepped out of the room with Lita.
“Drew,” Asher said coolly. The moment Lita left, he switched his emotions and was now staring the future alpha down. “I don’t know what the deal is with your pack, but I can promise you she will be welcomed in mine.”
“It’s because of her mother—” Drew started, but Asher waved him off.
