CHAPTER 28

Mila stared from her vantage point on the tall mountain into the dense, quiet forest. The spot had become a second home since she witnessed the scene between Thomas and the other Alpha. Why she continued to go back there, knowing she was endangering herself, she had no idea. Maybe she returned in hope of witnessing another meeting or something else altogether. She sighed and stared at the clearing in the forest, resting her head on her knees.
She was still confused about what to do concerning what she had seen. She had no idea who she she could walk up to within the pack or what she was going to say. Was she going to admit the whole truth or keep some details to herself just in case her action backfired?
Mila was still lost in her disturbing thoughts when suddenly, the air around her became charged, the wind whistled noisily through the forest. The sun disappeared and the whole forest turned dark, save for the light from the moon. Then everything became still, just like Mila was still,with her eyes rolled back in her head.
The smell of the air assailed her nostrils first, fragrant with the blooming of nature and there was a tranquil quality to the forest. A woman appeared out of the dark forest and as she made her path towards the clearing, the undergrowths sparkled and bloomed and became bigger and greener. The whole forest seemed to come alive as she settled in the clearing. Unlike the blooming plants, she was pale and fragile. Then the Alpha materialized from the shadows, dark and foreboding in his wolf form and he pranced towards the pale woman. She stretched her hand towards him and he moved to her. She stood up and wrapped her arms around the wolf and arched her neck for him to mark her.
Just like the vision came to Mila, it was gone and her eyes cleared, blinking as the sunlight hit her face.
She just had another vision and this time around, it was good. There was no bloodshed, no crying and suffering, just the consummation of love. Mila could feel that what she had seen was going to happen very soon, in that clearing. The Alpha was going to take a mate and she was not going to be just any mate.
She thought maybe, just maybe, the new Luna was the person her visions needed to be revealed to. Maybe she was the reason the goddess had made her seen everything she did because in her vision, the Luna's path had been fruitful.
Mila sighed and for the first time in weeks, she felt hope surge in her heart. Now,all she had to do was await the arrival of the new Luna.
★★★★★★★★★★
Nicolette still called hours later to threaten her on the phone, probably after she had tried getting in touch with Asher and he had blatantly ignored her. Served the arrogant woman right.
Shana thought about hanging up on her but chuckled to herself as a better idea popped up in her head. She dropped the phone on her desk and Nicolette continued to scream into it, making her day.
Then the time of the day she had been dreading finally came. She had impulsively agreed to his invitation, believing she was doing the right thing by honoring he duties but hours later, she was no longer that convinced it was the right thing to do but there was no going back. She was going to see her decision through.
For a moment, she had panicked that he might expect her to go home to change and dole up to go to a fancy restaurant. She had absolutely nothing fancy to wear and she was not the type to appear with a public figure or appear in public at all. She did not want the unnecessary attention that came with that. What was she going to do?
"Ready?," he asked from the doorway, startling her out of her thought not for the first time that day. She looked up into his eyes and gave him a tentative smile.
Asher must have seen the reluctance behind that smile. He walked towards her and held her hand in his. "You could bail, right now. I'll let you." There was no point making her do anything against her will. When she came to him, he want her willing and ready, especially because of the surprise he was going to spring on her later.
"No," she said shaking her head vigorously. "That's not it. It's just..ermmm...," she stuttered and continued to look everywhere around the room but at him.
"What Kitty?," he asked gently.
"It's my clothes and I just think you should know I've nothing fancy for a fancy dinner in a fancy restaurant," she finished in a rush.
"Fancy dinner, maybe but a fancy restaurant, I don't think so," he stated lightly, happy that he was not bailing on him and fancy dress or not, she was the woman of his dream. He would love to see her doled up in the finest clothes with her beautiful neck adorned with the best jewelries money could buy but he could bet he was going to love her more out of them. He looked down at the hand he held in his, it was her left hand. Very soon, her finger was going to bear his ring.
It was not really a necessity in his world. All that really mattered was the mating mark but to the human world, she had to appear married and that was the symbol they needed to see.
"OK," Shana said with a real smile.
"Good. Ready?," he asked again, holding out his curved elbow for her arm.
"Ready," she said nodding.
"Where are we going?," she asked as they exited her office.
"My house," he replied simply, noting the impersonal way he had said the word.
He was not taking her to a fancy restaurant but wanted her to go home with him. Shana had an idea of what was going to happen. In all her life, she had never imagined she would lost her virginity for the sake of her duty because that was what was going to happen tonight.
She never really imagined losing it at all but what was going to happen beat anything she could have ever imagined. And it felt wrong because she loved Asher.
She was going to be using the man she loved with her whole being in a scheme that involved a dead man. Why couldn't her life just be normal? If only she did not love him, it would have been easy to go through the process in the cold blooded manner it deserved but now, her emotions were involved and she could not back out of a message.
A Crier must always cry a message or else...
She cringed at the thought of the consequence. Her grandmother's voice had sounded dire and loaded with retribution when she warned her.
Asher sensed the swift change in her mood. "I should warn you," he said stopping suddenly.
"What?" She felt her heart pick up speed.
"My housekeeper tends to outdo herself with the food," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
"So?," she asked.
"So I thought I should warn you about a fancy dinner but no fancy dress needed," he stated with a wink. She laughed at that and Asher relaxed. He needed her calm and relaxed for what was to come. He did not need her jumpy and scared about the night but there was nothing he could really do about the later. He knew she was a virgin with very little knowledge about what was really going to happen tonight and it was save to assume she had some weird information tucked up in her head.
For the umpteenth time that day, he sent a prayer up that the night should be as smooth as he hoped for.
"Wait," she said suddenly, stopping just before they stepped into the elevator.
"Change of heart?," he asked quietly, his calm tone belying his disappointment
"Again, no. I just realized it wouldn't be wise if we both left together. People are going to talk," she stated.
Again, Asher sighed in relieve that she was not bailing. Left for him, he did not care if people talked or not. Sooner or later, they were going to be joined before the world. Theirs was no clandestine affair that needed to be hidden. In fact, he wanted to show her off to the world as soon as possible."Let them. I don't care"
"But I care," she said quietly. Asher looked in her eyes and saw the urgency there. Shana Johnson really card about what people thought of her and he understood that. She had a pristine reputation and she was not about to let him shade it with his dark ones.
"OK. I'll go ahead. My car would be waiting," then he added with a reassuring smile. "Away from the building of course."
"Thank you."
"See you soon," he said dropping a proprietary kiss that travelled down to her toes on her forehead.
Then he was gone and Shana sighed in relieve. The little time was like an opportunity to rethink what she was about to do but she realized she was done thinking.
Tonight was the night.
She was going to make the alpha mark her as his mate and set in motion her plans for betrayal. From that moment onwards, there was no going back for her.