Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Secrets

Rose

I could smell his scent drifting through the air as I sat in my remote office. I had the window open and caught the faintest whiff of it. Others may mistake it for trees, but I know it expertly.

He must be at the cabin.

I wonder why? It’s nighttime, so it would be unusual for him to be there. Besides, he didn’t tell me he would be there tonight.

Is he hiding from Gen?

Before I know it, my feet move faster than color travels to the eye, racing to the cabin.

“Asher?” I call, seeing figures disappearing into the woods. There are five of them, just barely lit by the moonlight and lanterns they are carrying. One of the lights turns.

“Rose?” His voice asks as he looks over his shoulder, the other figures not noticing that he has stopped moving, except one. He waves that person off, then turns and jogs to me. “Babe, what’re you doing here?”

Babe.

He called me babe.

“I caught your scent,” I explain as he approaches me. “I-I didn’t know you were coming here tonight?”

“Sorry, Rose, I didn’t know until a few hours ago. Marg and I are using the place for meetings with officials in the pack who are helping us overthrow Genevieve.”

“Oh!” I exclaim, excited. He’s planning to overthrow her. “Should I go talk to them?”

“No!” He answers, shaking his head frantically. “I-I don’t want anyone to know about you besides Margaery.”

I frown, my heart sinking. “Why? Is it because I’m a vampire?”

“No, no, no,” he sputters, cupping my face. “No, of course not. I’m just trying to keep the amount of people that know about us as small as possible. The more people who know a secret, the more likely it is to come out. I wouldn’t want Genevieve to know about us and potentially do something to you or your Clan.”

“I can defend myself and my Clan against her,” I reply with a scoff, pressing a kiss on his lips.

“I know, honey,” he replies, his hands on my hips. “But I’ve got so much to worry about right now, I don’t want anything else added onto it. It would make me feel better if I could keep you safe as much as possible.” He rests his forehead against mine and continues, “I promise that as soon as all this is over, I will be more than happy to show you off as my mate.”

I blush, wrapping my arms around his waist. “I understand, Ash,” I murmur into his chest. “I’ve missed you.”

“Missed you, too,” he replies. “Want to head inside for a bit?”

“Yes,” I reply, taking his hand as he leads me inside. “I want to know everything about this meeting and what you’re planning.”

He chuckles softly, using some matches to light candles around the kitchen, giving the room a soft, romantic glow. Or ominous, depending on how you look at it.

“The big thing we concluded is my pack has a pretty poor opinion of me right now,” he admits with a sad sigh.

“How come?”

“Well, for starters, I’ve been a backseat Alpha my entire reign,” he admits, scratching his hair, which has grown long and curly. “Secondly, Gen made up the lies about me covering up for my brothers stealing in order to justify flogging them. She had a line of shop owners identify my brothers as thieves, so many of the pack believes her and thinks I come from a brewd of criminals.”

“You have to set the record straight, then,” I advise. “See if you can get those shop owners to recant.”

“That wouldn’t help,” he explains. “She’d put a spin on it that I threatened them or something. Besides, that move would be too bold and would catch her attention. We have to be covert.”

“Hmm,” I hum as he plops in the chair, tilting his head back and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Have you seen her at all since what happened?”

“Nope,” he answers, popping the ‘p.’ “Don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. It scares me because it feels like she’s lying in wait.”

I sit on his lap, straddling his waist as I run my hands up and down his chest. A low growl purrs in his throat as he perks up, which brings a slight smirk to my lips.

“At least you’ve had time to decompress after what happened,” I reply. “Is Margaery okay?”

“She has a black eye,” he answers.

I wince, feeling a pang in my chest for the poor girl. “That’s awful.”

“I know,” he replies. “That’s why I have to stop her.”

“Hey, you’re not in this alone.”

“I know,” he reiterates. “But I helped create this monster. It’s my responsibility to protect my pack. I’m their Alpha, and I let this behavior get out of hand.”

“Do you know what your next steps are?” I ask. “As far as repairing your reputation and, I’m guessing, tarnishing hers in the process?”

“I’m going to meet with my sister, Marabelle, tomorrow,” he replies, resting his hands on my thighs. “I’m hoping she’ll have some insight into military operations that could help. As far as repairing my reputation…” He trails off, puffing his cheeks out and letting the air drain. “I’m drawing a blank.”

“Well,” I suggest. “Maybe you need to take a more active role as an Alpha? Obviously, Gen won't let you make decisions or facilitate political appearances. But be her FOIL. She’s the leader they fear, so you should be the leader they can love. Kill them with kindness. Show them what they’re missing - The leader they could have.”

“Not a bad idea,” he says, a glimmer in his eye. “I’ll have to figure out a way to demonstrate that.”

“Do what you do best, Ash. You are protective and loving by nature; just let that side of yourself show in a way that feels natural.”

He blushes, stroking my hair behind my ear. “You truly have an impeccable mind,” he admires. “I can learn a lot about being a leader from you.”

“Aww, shucks,” I reply, leaning in to give him a short kiss, but he yanks me closer, deepening it as his hand moves to the back of my head, holding me tightly.

I smile, my body electrified as I slip my tongue into his mouth, the bulge in his pants growing.

His hand grips my ass as I lean forward, my hands tangled in his hair, his mouth fighting mine for dominance in an undeniably sexy way. I like this side of him.

He nips at my lower lip, his hand moving up and down my thigh while the other braces my neck lovingly.

“There are so many things I’d like to do to you,” he whispers in my lips, sending a shiver down my spine in the best possible way.

“Y-Yeah?” I ask, my voice shaking.

He nods, his eyes hooded with lust as he pulls away, entranced with me. “Could kiss you all night if you let me.”

“I...” I trail off, biting my lip. This feels wrong. I was kissing Cadmus forty-eight hours ago, and he still doesn’t know…

Do I have to tell him? Am I obligated to? I was about ready to swear him off and never speak to him again, but the last day had been such a whirlwind that I never got a chance to tell him how I was feeling. How badly he hurt me…

And what I did, and almost did, as a result.

“You okay?” He asks. “You look nervous.”

“I…” I trail off. “I have something I need to tell you.”

He sits up straighter, bracing my waist, his brows furrowed. “What is it?”

I take a deep breath, closing my eyes.

“Remember that rogue male vampire that wandered onto my territory? The one who scratched me?”