Chapter 23

Asher and I left our woodland mansion just after lunch, our hands and bodies curling around each other.

We decided to walk to where Alpha Tolkiens pack would be residing, mainly so we could spend as much precious and private time with each other as possible.

The forest looked gorgeous today; the sun shining brightly through the blossoming foliage.

But I wasn't properly looking at the scenery.

I was taking in as much of Asher as possible, the way his grey eyes glinted and sparkled in the light, and his carefree nature when it was just the two of us, and if only for moments, we were the only things on the planet. No witch, no pack, nothing. Just us.

"Done checking me out?" He looked down at me with a smirk as he spoke our infamous line.

"Not quite" I replied, leaning up on my tiptoes to brush his lips, a faint smile still evident on my face.

He growled at me playfully, grabbing my waist and lifting me off the forest floor, twirling me around in the air, my smiles morphing into laughter.

I circled my arms around his neck as he finally put my giggling form down.

"You know, as compensation for that, you can give me a piggy back" I declared, poking a finger in his ribs.

With an hmph I clambered onto his back and dropped my head onto his shoulder.

"Come on bronzy, we don't have all day" I whispered into his ear, smiling.

Don't push it his playful voice scratched my mind.

"Or what? You can't resist me..." I lightly bit his earlobe and marvelled when I saw him shiver and his head slightly turn towards mine.

"Your playing a dangerous game" he turned his head and whispered onto my lips.

"Of course. Didn't you know? I'm mated to an Alpha" I smiled at him, flicking his nose.

"I wonder how he'll react when he sees you this close to another man" Ash muttered, his hands which were resting on my thighs moving up my backside, extracting a moan from me.

"I think he'll murder him on sight" Ash continues.

"Murder?" I inquire, feigning innocence,

"Murder is a bit extreme wouldn't you agree?" I began kissing down his jaw.

"Murder is a light punishment in this case"

Before I could comprehend, Asher had twirled me around and pushed me up against a tree. The bark digging into my lower back was the last thing on my mind as Asher thrust his lips on mine, his tongue exploring my mouth as my mind clouded and my senses were bombarded with pleasure.

Subconsciously, I arched my back, my chest mingling with his as my fingers lifted to tug on his ebony strands.

I moaned and hummed into his mouth as his hands lifted my body up so I straddled his waist.

My legs curled around his thighs as I deepened the kiss, pushing our bodies even closer together.

My hands begged me to reach down towards the buttons of his jeans, but I forced myself to stop as I remembered that we needed to be preparing for the meeting with the eclipse pack.

Eventually, the kiss became softer and lighter.

We both reluctantly pulled away from each other, understanding that we had pack duties to attend to.

We stared into each other's eyes, softness radiating from his. I offered him a tender smile as I brought my lips to his one last time to revel in his addictive taste before slowly pulling away.

I slid down his front to show him what he was missing before I began wandering forward, my hand pulling me with me.

"Has your wolf got a name?" I asked randomly as we walked along the forest floor, scattering the autumn leaves.

"No. At least, with my pack we haven't given names to our wolves. This has been a thing for as long as our pack has been alive, so generations ago. It's because in our pack our wolves are a part of us, integrated into who we are. So if my wolf was to have a name it would be Asher aswell, because we are one of the same."

I nodded along, absorbing the information he was throwing my way.

"Right. So, as an Alpha you are stronger and more powerful than average wolves as it's in your blood?"

"Yes, alphas are much more stronger and powerful than any other wolf. Only other alphas stand any chance at beating another alpha"

"That's a lie,I mean, I could totally beat you" I laughed.

"I'm sure you could, physically, we need work on your muscles some more"

That comment earned him a punch on the arm.

"And Emotionally, you have me wrapped around your little finger. You control the deepest, truest part of me , so I suppose you are already winning" he smiled.

"That's where your wrong. You see, my heart and my soul are in your hands. Everything I am is due to you, and I couldn't be more thankful for a best friend and a mate. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. It may of taken me a while to realise it, but you make me the happiest woman alive. I don't know what I would do without you by my side. So emotionally, I think your winning" I spoke softly, my voice croaking with emotion as I pulled him into me, needing to feel his solid presence.

"My Luna" his fingertips caressed my cheeks.

"My alpha" I pressed my forehead against his.

----

"How far away are we" I complained, beginning to regret walking to the pack mansion.

"We are nearly there you impatient little thing" he laughed.

"Damn straight, we've been walking for hours"

Asher leaned down to check his watch,

"Exactly 34 minutes, including our kissing breaks" he winked at me.

"Great" I feigned an optimistic tone, wiping sweat away from my brow.

For some reason, Ash found exasperated me extremely amusing.

At least this autumnal day wasn't too chilly, the sun was still shining,and there was only a cool, light breeze.

My eyes kept scanning the horizon line, looking out for a meadow or a break in the leaves.

Some bustling sound caught my attention in the distance. It was creeping closer and closer.

I peered at Asher to see if he had an explanation.

It's just Seth and Alfie he spoke through the bond, his face showing adoration. He blatantly had a liking for these wolves.

I was surprised when two little wolves, barely bigger than deers, rounded the trees.

One had a dark brown coat and the other had an ashy, dark blonde coat of fur, and  when they saw us they immediately ran closer and bumped into us, excitedly jumping up to lick our faces and our hands.

I let out a delighted laugh and gave them a few strokes.

"She never treats my wolf like that boys, she must really like you" Asher joked as I lightly slapped him.

When I turned my face back around I was greeted with two naked little boys who looked to be about 5 or 6.

"I'm Seth, Luna Rose!" The one with dark skin and deep black eyes declared with a toothy smile.

"And I'm Alfie, Luna!" The other boy saluted, his pale blonde hair ruffling in the wind.

"Well boys,I must say, your wolves are very impressive"

Both of their chests puffed out with pride, making my heart shine.

"Now you two, I've heard that your mothers are worried sick about you, they haven't a clue where you've gone"

Asher declared in a pretend serious tone.

They both looked down at the ground in shame and twiddled their toes.

"How about you have 10 more minutes of fun then you go back to your parents and in a few days you can come and make some cakes at me and Roses house?"

"Really, Ash??!" Seth jumped up and down excitedly.

"Yes, now run along" Asher ruffled Seths black hair, laughing.

"It was lovely meeting you two boys, I will be honoured to see you later"

They both giggled happily before returning to their wolf forms and running back the way they came.

As they ran away, me and Asher continued wandering along a make-shift path.

"They were adorable. Do they want to be warriors when they are older?"

I asked with a smile.

"Yeah. I know I shouldn't have favourite pack members, but I have a weakness for little Seth" Ash suddenly became quiet.

"His dad was my dads beta and he died a couple of years back. His mother was an incredible woman, so strong, but she was murdered in a hate crime whilst visiting a nearby city" Ashs fingers clenched into angry fists.

"My pack may be full of torturers and murderers and brutal crimes, but I have made it extremely clear that transphobia, homophobia, racism and bullying will not be tolerated within our pack. A few years ago, I also created a mental health awareness group within the hospital to help anyone that needs it. I just want our pack to be a place where people can be themselves. Everybody thinks that we are brutal and terrifying, which we are, but we are so much more than that. We are a family that accepts each other no matter what."

When I looked up at him,I could swear that love was shining in my eyes.

This man was incredible. Truly. Everybody should have values like him, then the world could actually be a better place.

You're incredible I sent down the bond, wrapping it all of the emotion I was feeling.

He curled his arm around my waist as we picked up our pace a bit, realising that the eclipse pack will be here in around 3 hours.

Soon enough,I saw a break in the horizon line.

"Thank fuck" I muttered, Asher immediately bursting out laughing.

I walked slightly faster, motivated to just get there.

As we neared closer and closer to the meadow,I surveyed the area and saw an incredible limestone mansion jutting out of the countryside. It looked like something out of a Jane Austen novel.

Wow. I was speechless. But as majestic and elegant as it was, it wasn't our cosy house in the woods.

"As nice as it is, I prefer our woodland mansion" I spoke, just breaking out of the tree line and into the wild meadow.

"So you approve of my residence choices then ?" He asked with a delighted smile.

"In this case,I have to commend you" I laughed bringing him to me for one last moment of intimacy before we had to get into our serious modes.

With one final brush of the lips, his taste begging me to delve back in for more, we pulled away and just held hands as a sign of our strong union.

"It's going to be a full moon tonight" Ash pointed up at the sky, a proud smile on his countenance.

I looked up aswell, and you could just make out the faint mark of the moon against the cloudless blue sky.

"Ok" Asher said with a huff of breath,changing the subject.

"Let's go".