Chapter 084
ASHER
I nodded and tried to swallow past the lump in my throat. I stared at the floor, wishing I had not asked him any questions about this, wishing I was in bed nursing my aching head.
"Good," he continued. "The next time you ever try to defend that girl, I will disown you. Yes, Asher," he added when my eyes snapped back up to his. He looked like he meant every word. "You know me. I don't make idle threats."
"I wasn't trying to defend her," I said quickly.
"I see," he said slowly, stroking his chin. "Then tell me what the hell you were trying to do just now?"
"I just thought-"
"Ah, so you have a brain after all."
I ignored that. "I thought that if anything happened to Hannah so soon after the fight I had with her, people would suspect that we had-"
"People!" my father cut in angrily. "That's what you are concerned about? What people would say? Have you learnt nothing from me, boy? When you have power like I do... like you do, the last thing you should worry about is what people beneath you think. Imagine a lion worrying about the opinions of dogs." He sighed. "Clearly, you still have a long way to go, Asher. "
"I'm sorry," I muttered.
"Sorry, won't cut it." He shook his head. "One day, you'll be the Alpha of this pack. Do you know what people will say about you if that girl is still alive? They would say their Alpha is so weak that he could not deal with a traitor like her. You must know that if you're to have a good reputation, you must get rid of your enemies."
Suddenly wanting to get out of there, I nodded, turned and headed for the door. I was stopped by a curt "Wait!"
My father looked, really looked, at my face and frowned.
"What is wrong with you?" he asked. "You look exhausted and unkempt.
For a moment, I considered telling him I was ill, but then he would probably check with the pack healer. I was already in enough trouble for one day.
"I um- I'm fine. I've not been sleeping well lately. Maybe it's school stress or something..."
He snorted. "Don't give me that crap. Since when has a lazy pup like you get stressed about anything, especially school? Tell me the truth, Asher. And think very carefully about what you want to say next," he added when I opened my mouth. "I can smell a lie from miles away."
I chewed on my lip, hesitated a moment, and then blurted out the truth. I told him about the pain I had felt when Hannah had fucked those asshole triplets. I didn't dwell too much on the pain and how unbearable it was. The last thing I wanted now was to give him the impression I was weak.
He savagely slammed a fist on his chair's armrest when I finished. "You didn't tell me about this all this time? If I hadn't asked, you wouldn't have?"
I shrugged and rubbed the back of my aching neck. Damn, I felt like hell!
"I didn't think it was important," I replied.
"You didn't-" He exhaled. "Listen, from now on, you must tell me everything, especially when it concerns Hannah. I will be the one to decide what's important and what is not. Anyway, I know what this is."
I involuntarily took a few steps closer.
"You do?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
At this point, I wanted something, anything, that would stop this torment. I hadn't realized there could be so much pain in the world.
"It's a rare occurrence called a bond tie that happens between mates even after a rejection," he explained. "It happens when there is an anomaly in the connection between two strong wolves or a strong wolf and a weak one." His face broke into a chilling smile. "That Hannah girl can hardly pass as a werewolf. In this case, you're obviously the strong wolf. Yes..."
Nodding to himself, he stared off into space. I could feel his brain working, plotting something.
"We can use this situation to our advantage," he murmured, half to himself. "The moon goddess must be on my side because she has shown me a way to get rid of that girl once and for all."
"How do we do that?"
His gaze met my own. "Does anyone else apart from me know about this?"
The lie came automatically. "No. You're the first." How could I tell him that I had already confronted Hannah? He would instantly disown me.
"Good. Good. Let's keep it that way for me. For a long time, I have been trying to get rid of Hannah and her family. Now, the answer is right in front of me. You see, when the bond tie is broken, the weaker wolf who still clings to the stronger wolf dies."
I felt cold fingers crawl up my spine as an idea- his idea- started to take shape in my head.
"Get ready, Asher," he went on. "Before the end of the week, Hannah Baker will die."
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