Chapter 030
HANNAH
This was it then. Today was the day I got to ruin my life with my own decision.
I was helpless to stop my fingers which were twisting and knotting and shredding the already frayed hem of my blouse. Never had I ever wished for a day never to come as I had done for today. And yet, the day I dreaded the most had come. There was no way out now and though my mother who sat beside me and kept shaking her head whenever she met my eyes, I was aware that even she knew there was no way out for me. There was no way I could stand by any let her get killed because of something I refused to do.
I bit my tongue hard to keep back an agonized groan. How I wished something, anything would happen that would postpone this moment. For what I knew was the last time, I thought hard of a way out of this situation while the silence of the room settled on me like a heavy blanket. The more I thought, the more a sense of hopelessness crept in.
Asher's harsh voice cut through the silence like a whip. "Are we going to sit around like we're attending a funeral, or are we going to Finally talk about what we came here for?"
I jerked upright immediately.
"Good point, son," Alpha Dawson said. "Don't waste our time, girl! I'm a very busy man and I haven't got all day. Got it?"
I nodded quickly, and ventured a look at Asher.
He was sitting beside his father's chair, arms crossed, legs crossed, the picture of arrogance and confidence. I tried to imagine my life with him. I shuddered at the first thoughts that came to mind. Whenever I thought of being with him, I immediately thought of abuse, neglect, watching him day after day after day with Julia who together with him would make my life a living hell. Or something even worse than that.
The only hope I had was that perhaps Asher didn't want to claim me as his mate only because of the Wallace's presence. Maybe the mate bond had quelled his initial aversion to me. Maybe we wanted to claim me in the true sense of the word. I offered up a silent prayer to the moon goddess, praying that this was true.
"I trust you have made your decision," Alpha Dawson prompted.
"Yes. Yes, I have."
The occupants of the room stirred. It broke my heart to see that Chase and Cade were relaxed in their seats, smiling confidently, sure in the knowledge that I would pick them as my mates. Even their father had a half smile on his lips. He looked at his watch, at the door, and then his sons. He was impatient to get going since he thought he knew what I would say.
Only Jace had a frown on his face as he looked at me. The lines on his face were etched with concern. His eyes tried to ask me a question. I turned away. This was hard enough as it was. There was no point making it any harder for myself.
I called up all my reserves of inner strength as I slowly got up from my seat. I kept wiping the tears I couldn't hold back anymore from my eyes. They kept falling anyway. I wondered what the triplets made of them.
I heard someone- Chase- ask in an undertone, "Why is she crying?"
Someone murmured an answer I could not hear.
The seconds, then a full minute passed as I stood there with my head bowed and the words I was about to say weighing heavily on my tongue.
"I have made my decision," I said in a tiny voice.
"Speak up and let everyone hear you," Asher growled.
I repeated myself.
"Obviously you have or we wouldn't be here," said Asher Dawson sneeringly. "Now tell us what that decision is."
I sucked in a deep breath, held it.
"I choose Asher as my mate," I said.
There was dead silence in the room which was broken by the sound of Cade's chair being quickly scraped back. He got to his his feet, his mouth agape.
"Hannah!" Alpha Wallace yelled. "What did you just say?"
"I'm sure you heard her all right," Alpha Dawson said dismissively. "She just chose my son."
He was trying so hard not to look gleeful and succeeding mostly, but Asher was a different study. He was grinning from ear to ear at the Wallace's discomfiture.
"What the hell has come over you, Hannah?" Cade bellowed, finally finding his voice. "How could you choose him?"
My lips trembled. Why were they making this so hard? Rejecting them once was bad enough. Reaffirming my decision was pure agony. But I had to make this convincing.
"I'm sorry but I have made my choice," I said. "I'm sorry if I- if I led you on."
Chase, muttering angrily to himself, and kicked his seat. Jace was the only one who hadn't moved. His eyes were fixed on my face. The hurt I saw there broke my heart all the more.
Asher pushed to his feet, looked haughtily around the room.
"I think we have had enough of the drama for today," he said. "This meeting has come to an end. Hannah, my mate..." He paused to savour the words when the triplets went very still. "...has made her decision. Now, it is time for you all to leave. Isn't that right, father?"
"You are absolutely right," Alpha Dawson replied, watching Alpha Wallace intently. Alpha Wallace's shock was slowly giving way to anger. He was red-faced with it.
"I thought you knew what you wanted," Alpha Wallace said coldly. Every word from him felt like salt rubbed over a raw wound. "It's apparent you don't. You let I and my son's come here, waste our time and then you do this."
Asher's father waved a hand dismissively. "Yes. Yes. Life's tough and we don't always get what we want, Wallace. However, my son is right. I rather think you and your sons have overstayed your welcome."
The triplet's father shot to his feet before his rival could finish.
"Let's go," he told his sons.
"Oh wait a second!" called Alpha Dawson as Alpha Wallace turned to leave. "There is one more very important thing we have to agree on."
"What is it?" Alpha Wallace asked through gritted teeth.
"You know, I never took you for a sour looser." He chuckled. "You shouldn't be angry that she didn't choose your sons. After all, your son there-" He pointed Cade out with his chin. "-came up with the idea of letting her be the one to decide, didn't he? So this is the very best resolution we could ask for, don't you agree?"
I wished then that I had chosen the triplets at the first meeting. If I had, all this wouldn't be happening now.
Alpha Wallace whirled around. "If you have something to say, then say it. If you don't, then this charade of a meeting is at an end."
"Patience, Wallace. Patience," Alpha Dawson drawled. "I wanted to say that Hannah has chosen Asher, it follows that from now on your boys are not, under any circumstances, to have any form of contact with her."
"To hell with that!" Chase said.
"We get to see and talk to whoever we want," Cade protested.
Alpha Dawson completely ignored them, and went on addressing their father. "The reason for this you see, is that if they keep on hanging around her, their presence will ruin the budding relationship between her and Asher. I can't have them being interfered with. I trust that as an Alpha yourself, you are an honourable man so you must put a leash on your sons." Cade and Chase shot disgusted looks at Asher who looked like his birthday had come early. Together, they shoved the guard at the door aside and stormed out. "I hope we are clear."
"Crystal," Alpha Wallace bit off.
He gave me a once over, shot a disgusted look at my mother who had steadily been weeping quietly into her handkerchief, and walked out. He was closely followed by Jace.
At a signal from Asher, the guard left the room, shutting the door behind him. I was now left with Alpha Dawson, my mother and Asher. The latter waited until the footsteps of the Wallace's could not be heard anymore before bursting into unrestrained laughter.
"Gosh! But that was easy, too easy in fact," Asher said. "Look at them go with their tails between their fucking legs."
"It is as it should be," his father said. "No one comes to my pack and pulls one over me. No one." He turned to me. "What can I say, Hannah? That performance of yours was admirably done. You made a wise decision, girl. You wouldn't want your mother to suffer for your foolishness."
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