Chapter 77
ASH??
It's been three days. For three days I've been hiding away in my study, waiting, hoping that my mate would bulge and summon for me. And for these three days, she had ignored me, not looking for me.
My wolf was agitating, telling me to go to her, to keep trying to win her, to make her forgive us over what happened the other day. It wasn't my fault, yet, Fangs expect me to beg. After all, Merit was the nemesis of my recklessness. If I hadn't fucked her, she wouldn't have gone rogue.
And today, when I awoke this morning, I made up my mind to do it.
Call me stupid.
My mate was hurt, I shouldn't care, considering that was what I always wanted. To break her, make her cry every day that she will give in and reject me, leave and never return so I could go back to my former rakish life; a life of excessive enjoyment. Having so much fun without consequences. That was what I have always desired. Until she came along. So, why should I care?
Then slowly, these past few months of bickering, clawing at each other's faces, and the sizzling nights of tangled sheets after those hateful words spewed, were starting to affect me. Mixed with my wolf making me crazy, I think inside of me, I am starting to care.
Which was why, when I left my messy couch that has acted like my bed and wardrobe and strode to the window to look outside, I have never felt so jealous, or the raw urge to murder someone, the way I felt seeing my mate grinning heartedly as the rogue led her back from somewhere.
My guts twisted. Anger like raw venom seeping through my vein, threatening to burst through and worst of it, Fangs growling ferociously I had to grab the window sills and hold him back from jumping down and attacking him. What is he doing with her?
So, she asked me to leave her alone, but there she was smiling at the rogue like he was the best thing that happened to her! Why is he often with my mate and not my sister?!
"Brother?" I blinked hard and staggered back, rubbing my eyes as it grazed the door where my sister trotted in from.
"What do you want?" I sounded so grumpy: an aftermath reaction from alcohol and melancholy. "Why are you always in the wrong places, Abigail?"
"What do you mean?"
"That is what I mean?!" My voice has risen an octave, pointing below the window. "How come you two are not always together like you should?"
Her face flushed, her eyes descending downward. "Well, well, because Tyler is a busy man. Besides we are going on a date today."
"Busy? Did you just say busy?" I snickered, wobbling to my chair to fall into it. I picked up the glass perched on my desk, finishing the half content in it. "You are so naive, Abigail. You say your mate is busy when he is with another woman." "They are close friends, brother. What is wrong with them being together?"
"You are not jealous?"
"Jealous? Why?" She took a step further, paused and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Then she bit down on her lower lip and the next time she released it, she sighed and looked around. "This place is messed up, Ashton." She went and began picking things up and putting them in their right places. "Has your Beta not seen you like this? What of your valet? The maids for goodness sake."
"You have to start staying with your mate, Abigail," I said what was on my mind.
"W-hat?" She squeaked, her eyeballs as round as saucers. "Okay, you mean like going out often with him? Fine, I mean that was what I came here to inform you that we were going on a date. I was hoping to also ask Gwen to chaperone us, you know so she can_"
"I want you to move in with him." I cut her off. Chaperone? Why does my mate need to chaperone two grown-ass on a damn date? "What! I can't!"
"Why? Isn't that what mates do? They move in together."
"When they are married." She dumped my clothes back on the couch and reached the front of my desk. Her countenance was frantic, her hidden freckles like my mate's clearly visible now. "I spoke to Mom and she asked me not to move in until he gets her approval."
"Well, I am the King and I order you to move in with your mate." If she doesn't see that rogue frolicking around my mate as a problem, then I have to secure what is mine by keeping him busy with his own mate. Abigail is a lot and keeping both of them in one house would surely wear him out enough not to have strength for other trivial things.
She stomped her left leg. "You are my brother and I am the Princess. You have no right to order me out of my father's house. I respect you, but in this case, I refuse to allow you order me around!" She slammed her right palm on my desk, her voice raging like a tornado.
"I know what this is about," her eyes narrowed at me. "You are so jealous of seeing Tyler with Gwen that you want to push me to him to keep him away from her."
I scowled, unyielding. "He is your mate."
"And Gwen is my friend. Unlike you, she doesn't take pride in hurting others. Look at you, you hide in here, running away from your responsibility as husband and mate, yet, you think you can control my life." She leaned toward me, the Mcgregor fire in her eyes. "Get your life in check first before meddling in mine or I will be forced to tell Mom what you've been up to in her absence. I'm sure you wouldn't want her to hear you have your mistress under the same roof as your wife."
"You will not dare, Abigail."
Her face lit up, standing straight. "I'm going to help you sort out your..." She kimmed her hands in disgust around the room. "... mess. Regardless, don't tempt me."
I stood up, pushing my chair back with full force. I was furious and if my little sister thinks she has the upper hand, I have to prove to her I am still the older one. "I am going to speak to Mom that you have found your mate and have my blessings. Whenever she is fit to give her blessing, she can extend it to you in his house. Not in my house. So, dear sister, thank you for your help, unfortunately, it won't stop you from moving into your mate's house by this weekend, whether you like it or not."
As for that mate of mine, we need to have a chat.
...