Chapter 27: The Nightmare

Asher’s POV



The way Harper is looking at me makes want to retreat into myself and never come back out. Her eyes are usually loving and bright, but there is hatred and fire behind them. I haven’t found the courage to speak a word yet, because I’m afraid of the outcome.

“There was no need to lie,” Her voice is firm and sad, “We’re in a fake marriage, you can love whoever you want but don’t lie about it to my face.”

She throws the piece of paper onto the desk, refusing to look at me, “For a moment, I thought we were beginning to move out of the fake world into something that was real.”

My mouth is so dry, but I can’t keep allowing her to get in her own head about the situation, it’ll only make things worse.

“It is real,” I say, taking a step forward, “I wasn’t lying to you at the time.”

“I don’t believe you,” Harper snaps.

“Zoey means nothing to me anymore,” I plead with her. I need her to believe me.

I sigh out of frustration, “I wrote that letter weeks ago when I didn’t know what was going on with my emotions. It was when we were starting to become close, and for a split second I missed her, but I realize now I was struggling with my feelings for you and was trying to project it elsewhere.”

Harper snaps her eyes towards me, the fire behind them beginning to burn out. Maybe now wasn’t the right time to tell her how I feel, but if I didn’t, I think she might’ve spiraled out of control.

When she doesn’t say anything, I continue to talk, “I really like you, Harper, more than a fake wife.”

I can see the gears turning behind her eyes, trying to figure out what to say or do. Without saying a word, she walks towards me. I’m expecting her to run into my arms, announcing her feelings for me, too. Instead, she walks right past me towards the bedroom door.

I grip her wrist, spinning her around, “Where are you going?”

She refuses to look at me, “I need to get out of here. I can’t breathe, so I’m going to get some fresh air.”

Harper snatches her arm from my grip and leaves the room with nothing more than a light slam of the door. The room falls into darkness, and I don’t know what to do. Should I go after her and explain myself? Or should I leave her alone until she’s ready to talk to me again?

I groan, gripping my hair tight in my hands. I’m such an idiot.


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*Flashback*


At the age of ten, my Father thought it would be a good time for me to start sparring with him and my uncles. He said it would be a good learning experience for the future when I become Alpha. Taking big hits and being able to hold myself high will make me a good leader.

After a long day sparring with Father, Julius and Dean, we sit down for a nice dinner together. Dinner events haven’t been the same since Mother passed away, but Father tries his best to make sure I eat my favorite foods and eat late snacks when I’m peckish.

The dinner conversation is light. I haven’t listened to everything that is being said because I don’t understand a lot of the duties my Father takes on as Alpha. So, when he’s talking to my uncles about politics or the pack in general, I tend to zone out and think about what movie I want to watch before bed.

A loud bang startles me, bringing me out of my fantasy.

Julius is giving Father heated eyes, to which Father returns the look. What is going on here? Everything was going well up until this point.

“You can’t do that, James,” Julius spits, “I have every right to know what decisions you make regarding the pack.”

Father chuckles, as if what Julius said was funny, “That couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m the Alpha, not you. I’m the decision maker around here, and you will answer to me.”

The look in Julius’s eyes is anything but sunshine and rainbows. He looks like he would fight someone right now if they were to look at him the wrong way.

“You will pay for this,” he snarls, throwing his chair back as he stands and storms out of the room.

I try not to stare at the events unfolding around me, but instead focus on my dinner plate. I hear Dean leave the table to follow Julius, leaving Father and I alone.

“Sorry you had to see that Asher,” Father sounds defeated, “All he cares about is power, which he doesn’t have.”

“How would he gain power?” I ask.

Father sighs, leaning back in his chair, “If you and I were to die, he would become Alpha and have all the power he could want.”

I don’t know why Julius would want so much power. Being part of this pack is way better than controlling them. We have the best time together; I wouldn’t want that to change over a power trip.

“Can I please be excused to my room?” I ask, standing from my chair.

Father smiles, getting up from his chair to pull me into a hug, “Get a good night’s rest, son. We can play soccer in the yard tomorrow.”

I smile, “I love you.”

Father places a gentle kiss on my head, “I love you more.”

Later that night, around 2 a.m., I wake up because my throat is dry. I get out of bed and head down the hallway to the kitchen. No one is around, so I won’t have to worry about awkwardly stepping past someone in the dark.

The light inside the fridge illuminates the kitchen when I enter. Why is the fridge open?

When I walk around the corner, I see Uncle Julius pouring a powder into a glass of water. He uses a spoon to mix the contents around.

“What are you doing awake?” I ask, rubbing my eyes.

Julius jumps, startled. He turns around with a smile on his face; the light from the fridge makes him appear as if he straight out of a horror film.

“Just making your Father a glass of water with a lemon powder flavoring,” He picks the glass up and walks towards me, “You should have some too. It’s good for your health.”

I smile, “Maybe another time.”

Julius pats me on the shoulder, “Yeah, maybe another time.”

He leaves the room with the cloudy glass of water in the hand.


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I wake up in a cold sweat, my heart beating out of my chest. I look over and see Harper never came back after our argument. My heart sinks.

What the f*ck was that? Was that a dream? Or did I unlock a memory I had suppressed for years?

Is it possible I witnessed the moment Julius put the poison in Father’s water the night before he passed away? At the time I thought the moment was innocent, that Julius was doing a good deed for my Father.

But now, I realize that the conversation at the dinner about power is what tipped Julius over the edge to the point where he poisoned my Father. And he tried to do the same thing to me.