Chapter 13
Asher’s p.o.v
I hear it.
Her screaming. And I can’t take it. I can’t take the fact that I’m not holding her, telling her it’s okay.
She screams again. I can’t do it.
I ran upstairs just to see Vincent placing her on the bed.
“What happened?” I ask, Holden straight behind me.
“Sweetheart?” I run towards her. She’s unconscious.
I glare at Hailey and Vincent.
“I fucking called you here so you can make her happy. Not upset. What the fuck did you do to her? Holden, call the doctor.” he nods, turning around and pulling his phone out.
“I didn’t know this was going to happen. I just wanted her to tell me the truth” Hailey whispers.
“You can’t force someone to tell you something Bella. Leave Layla alone. She’ll tell you when she’s ready. Okay!” Vincent frowns at Hailey
I look at sweetheart. She’s pale. This isn’t good.
“Vincent what’s wrong with her?” I ask, not moving my eyes from her.
Vincent sits on the bed next to her and starts rubbing her hands.
“She’s unconscious. And she needs to get out. As fast as she can. If she doesn’t, she’ll..” he stops, shaking his head, rubbing her hand faster.
“Tiger wake up. Fight it. Fight it. Ignore it, tiger”
I don’t like that he has a nickname for her. I should be the only one with a nice nickname for her.
Is sweetheart a nice nickname? I like it. Does she like it?
“Come on please” he whispers, touching her forehead.
“Don’t. She’s okay. She’s coming back. She promised me” I mumble lifting her off the bed, and placing her on my lap.
“They won’t take her from me. They won’t. Wake up sweetheart. You promised. Bring water. Holden what the fuck are you waiting for? Go get a glass of water for your luna!” I growl at him and he nods, confused before walking downstairs.
“I won’t let you go sweetheart. I haven’t sent in the papers. I ripped them apart. You’re still mine. Please wake up.” I whisper as Holden runs back with the water bottle. He unscrews the top and hands it to me.
“I’m sorry” I whisper and spill the water on her face. She jolts up coughing. I wipe her face as Vincent grabs her looking at her.
“Everything okay?” He asks and she nods slowly.
“Nothing happened. No nightmares. I thou-” she stops when she sees me.
“Asher. Why are you wet?” She asks looking at my lap.
“Are you okay sweetheart?” I ask pulling her closer to me, and she falls on my lap.
“I’m okay” she sits up properly, and moves away from me.
“I’m sorry Layla” Hailey mumbles looking at the floor.
“It’s okay Hailey. It’s okay. I’m okay” she looks at Holden. She stands up and walks towards him.
“Are you okay, Layla?” He whispers, closing his eyes, and wrapping his arms around her.
“I am now.” Fuck.
She’s going to kill me, without her even knowing. From the corner of my eye, I see Hailey staring at me. And she smiles, sadly, when I look at her.
‘I know’ she mouths to me.
No she doesn’t. Nobody knows nothing about me. They know nothing. They hear rumours and then think they know everything.
I look at Holden and sweetheart. She’s still hugging him. Tightly, and crying.
But she doesn’t realise that she’s crying. She pulls him closer, and he wraps his hands around her tighter.
I let her in once, and she was close. Close enough to see every single thing about me. I told her everything, almost. Everything about me. But she left. She left. She died.
But she didn’t promise that she would stay. Sweetheart did. She promised me that she won’t leave me.
But she found her mate? Does that mean she’ll leave me? Does that mean she’ll break her promise?
I can’t think straight with him kissing her forehead. I’m the one who should be holding her. Me. Not him.
Bht it’s my fault. I’m letting her go. And be happy. I know she’ll never be happy with me. I know she’ll never look at me the way she looks at him.
“Asher, you were saying something about the divo-” she needs to stop playing cupid. I look at Hailey, glaring at me.
“I said I sent them in. Sweetheart and I are nor longer together ” she sighs, and I can see sweetheart stiffen up from the corner of my eye.
Did she want proof? Is she happy? Of course she is. She’s with her mate.
But I’m her mate.
I need a fucking drink.
I stand up and walk out of the room. I walk downstairs to the kitchen and pull out a vodka, bottle, and shot glass.
She should be with me.
I gulp the drink.
But I let her go. She needs to be happy.
Another drink.
“Asher” I hear her soft voice. It sends chills up my body. She’s whispering, like she’s scared that I would do something to her? Have I damaged her? Have I hurt her?
“Asher, listen to m-“I stare at her.
She’s so beautiful. I know what she needs. Reassuring. I can see that there is something eating her from inside. But it’s not my job to find out, even though I want too. It’s Holden’s.
Everytime I complimented her, she would blush, and then think if I was right. She needs reassurance, that she is beautiful.
Sometimes I see her, looking at herself, confused. That she’s not as beautiful as the other girls. But she’s more beautiful.
Sometimes, I know what runs around her mind. She’s scared. Scared that she won’t be loved.
That’s why I let her go. Because I know she needs love. Which I can’t give her.
“Asher, are you okay?” She’s worried. About me. I smile, but then frown.
Something isn’t right. There’s a rogue in our land. Quite a few.
“Sweetheart, go with Holden to his house.” I stand up. She frowns, thinking it’s because I don’t want to see her.
“Please, sweetheart. We have rouges in the land. Be safe” I place my lips on her forehead. Lingering longer than I should.
I can hear her heartbeat. It’s pounding, just like mine.
“Be safe” she whispers, stepping back.
She cares about me.
I smile.
“Always, sweetheart” she nods as Holden walks in the room.
“Holden, take her to your house, and keep her locked inside--actually take her to the safe house. She’ll be safer there. And get the pack fighter, and the trackers to follow me. We have some rouges to deal with” Holden nods hugging sweetheart tightly.
“Be careful” she hugs him, back closing her eyes.
I can’t look. I walk out of the room, to see Hailey and Vincent walking downstairs.
“Either you can stay in this house, and I’ll lock it. Or either you can go to the safe house. We have a slight rogue problem.” Vincent looks at Hailey.
“I’m going to go and help. Stay with tiger, okay?” Hailey nods.
“Don’t call her tiger.” I blurted out. He looked at me.
“Not only you can come up with a nickname for her” he smirks and I growl lowly, as Holden walks out.
“Shall I take Hailey as well?” He asks and Vincent nods, placing a kiss on her forehead.
Why does everyone have that special one? Why can’t I be happy with someone?
I look at Holden and nod.
“Take them now. Mindlink everyone, to meet me in the field” he nods walking out of the house.
Vincent follows me. I walk back to the kitchen and outside to the field.
“Are you sure they are rogues? I can’t hear or smell anything” Vincent says behind me
“For someone who’s a hybrid, you sure are slow. One day I’ll show you how to make your senses higher. They help with a lot of things. Now the rogues, and still lurking around the trees, next to the border. They’ve killed a few of our guards. They’re not alone. They’re here for something. For someone. And I won’t let them touch her” Sweetheart. She’s safe. She’s with Holden, and then there’s Hailey.
“Someone? Who?” Vincent stops, looking at me, as we stand in the middle of the field.
Instantly it’s filled with the pack members.
“No one for you to worry about. She’s safe.” He nods slowly, trying to solve the puzzle.
“They’re rogues in the border. They’ll be coming from the South, West and East. None from North. I want you to split into 4 groups. One, East, one South,one West. And the last group, protect the safe house” I say and they all nod, shifting into their wolves, and running into their positions.
“Where would you like me?” Vincent asks as Holden comes running towards me.
“Stay with me. You’ll need the protection” he mumbles something under his breath, but he knows I’m right.
I know that he hasn’t got a lot of practice in the fighting area, especially looking after his family. But he’s a good guy. Family and the pack should always be first.
For me, it’s just the pack, and sweetheart. But I have to let sweetheart go. She’s with Holden.
“And use your wolf” I say then I look at Holden.
“Is she safe?” I ask and he’s confused
“Who?”
“Sweetheart. Is she safe?” He nods, slowly. He doesn’t like it when I call her sweetheart. I don’t care.
“They’re here for tiger?” Vincent asks, looking at me.
“Yes. But nothing will happen to her. Holden’s left her in the safe house.”
Holden lowers his head.
Asshole.
“Holden, what have you done with sweetheart?” I ask, afraid of the answer.
The rogues aren’t coming towards us. They’re circling a house. Holden’s house.
“Asshole!” I growl, punching him. He falls to the floor.
I hate him. I’ll kill him, if anything happens to her.
I run as fast as I can to Holden’s house, with Vincent behind me. I know he’s amazed by how fast I’m running, because he’s a vampire, and I’m running faster than him.
I see it. I stop.
The doors have been broken down, the windows are shattered.
“Sweetheart!” I shout running inside. The sofa is ripped, the stairs are broken. The wallpaper is ripped. Fucking asshole.
I know why they did this. They took sweetheart, letting me know what they can do to her. They’ll break her, rip her apart. I won’t let that happen.
“Tiger?” Vincent runs upstairs.
She’s not here. They’ve taken her.
They’ve taken her from me. They take everyone from me.