CHAPTER 68

Asher flexed his fingers angrily. He would have loved nothing better than to land another punch on Mark's face but the wolf had moved away from him with his hand guarding his face.
"What the hell was that for?," Mark cried in outrage.
"What do you think?," Asher replied with a smirk.
"I don't know. You tell me."
"What were you doing with the Crier?"
"You mean your mate?" Mark watched the dark storm build stronger on his face at the statement. Obviously, Asher was far from letting everything go. And from the look of things, he did not just get a black eye just because of a visit. His guess was that the purpose of his visit had been reported back to Asher.
Mark sighed deeply. "Look, it's not what you think," he started but Asher stopped him.
"You don't know what I'm thinking," he retorted.
Mark sighed again. Aqsher Anderson was a lot more work than was necessary when he felt wronged and angry, just like right then. "Do you trust me? At all? Even if it's just a little bit?," Mark asked seriously.
"Should I?," Asher asked.
"Well, you trusted me well enough to listen and believe everything I said about your mate in the past. You should know I regret what I did and despite how it sounded, your mate never deserved any of this," Mark said folding his arms across his chest and bracing his foot apart when he saw Asher's face get cloudier. "You can punch me again if it makes you feel any better. I can take it."
"Despite what you think, I'm no brute," he said but the black eye which had formed around Mark's left eyeball and cheeks stared back at him mockingly.He was obviously not his usual self. He felt abnormally out of control and angry.
"If you say so," Mark answered with a shrug.
"Why did you meet with the Crier?," Asher asked the pressing question again. The manner in which Mark had spoken about how Shana didn't deserve all he was doing to her had really irked him.
"You already know. I went to apologize for all that happened because of me," he said. "She loves you Asher," Mark added slowly.
"I think she has you under some kind of spell," he said scoffing.
"No. Rose told me......,"
"I knew it. It could only be Rose feeding you the Crier's lies. It's no big deal if you were fooled."
"You should listen to me Asher, as a friend," Mark said sharply as he held his gaze. Asher gave a resigned sigh and nodded for him to continue. "You already know she's a Crier but she's different from the Crier you knew before her." Mark was careful not to directly talk about his mother. At Asher's nod, he continued. "You are the reason she's different. Rose told me all about her kind. Her heart can only beat when she's in love and that's when she's finally free from the bond of her duties."
Asher's heart pounded faster hearing what Mark had said and the doubts started creeping in like thieves. But he gave a nonchalant shrug, trying hard not to show his tumultuous thoughts. "That changes nothing. She always had a beating heart from the moment I set eyes on her. Maybe I'm not the reason her dormant heart started beating. There could have been someone before me." The words were the exact opposite of everything he wanted, he realized as he said them. Her question came back haunting him as ususal, as well as the look on her face.
"You've judged and found me guilty without giving me a chance to defend myself. Moreover, you've decided what this relationship is going to be all about. I just have to play along with everything you decide, don't I? Be the good, faithful and sexually available mate? Is that what you want Alpha?,"
"You are right,"Mark replied, bringing him back to the present. "It all started the moment she laid eyes on you. And it appears her guardian never told her anything about what happens when she loves. She was ready to disappear from your life and pay a huge price when she thought she was still beholden to Adam." Mark watched Asher's eyes reflecting the doubts that were probably taking root and he continued. "You don't have to believe all these and it's ok to have doubts. But deep down, you know the truth. And despite what you may think, Rose loves and cares for you even more than her own son. Whatever you said to her really hurt her."
Asher did not know what to feel. His mind was reeling from all he just heard. He had messed up big time. He had successfully insulted and hurt the only people that truly loved him. He winched suddenly when he remembered all the hurtful and degrading words he had thrown at his mate in anger, he remembered the way he had treated her in bed over and over again, and Asher dropped his head into his palm shamefully. "Oh no. What the hell have I done?"
"You messed up. We both did actually," Mark answered quietly. If only he had not acted blindly after listening to his airhead and jealous sister. If only he had been a better brother and Beta from the onset.
"What am I going to do? How can I make this right?," he moaned dejectedly. His poor, innocent Shana. He had messed up their perfectly good life because of his anger and insecurities.
"You grovel on your knees if you have to and tell her how you feel about her," Mark answered.
"I just hope it's not too late," Asher muttered under his breath when he remembered their last encounter, the time she had asked him the question that chilled his bones. "I've to go," he said standing abruptly, leaving Mark grinning after him.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
"I'm not a child Rose. I can feed myself," Shana scolded the old woman gently. She had formed the habit of being there miraculously when it was time for her to have her breakfast, lunch and dinner. Even when she had no appetite for anything, Rose practcally forced bits of everything down her throat.
"I know but I can't help it. You look like you'll collapse from malnutrition. It's not good for the child you carry," she whispered and clicked her tongue dramatically.
"I'm not malnourished and I eat just fine."
"I disagree," she retorted."You eat like a bird. You carry a wolf's cub, honey. He's strong and you are going to be needing all the energy you can get."
Shana only smiled and shook her head. She was in no mood to engage in any argument with Rose. She felt sleepy and unnecessarily tired, just like every other day of her life now. Apart from the annoying and persistent drowsiness, she had morning sickness and keeping down any food was a major problem. So in a way, she preferred the sleep. It was an easy escape from everything.
"That housekeeper of yours is no help at all. I specifically told her about your condition and I requested she take care of you but all she ever does is go about brooding," Rose started on her best new topic and Shana had to hold back her laugh. She no longer talked about Mila and her disappearance and when Shana had asked her about it, she had given her a flippant answer. Shana really missed the young she-wolf.
"I thought we agreed to keep my condition a secret for now," Shana siad weakly.
"We did?," Rose asked with a blank look. "I can't remember agreeing to such. Besides, Elise should know. She's the one living with you."
Shana sighed ssdly at that. Rose was wrong. The person who should know, first and foremost was the father of her baby and her mate. But he was nowhere to be found. She hated it but she could not help missing and thinking about him.
Rose saw the sad look enter her eyes and she urged her to go to bed. She hated that look as much as she hated her grandson's absence. She watched Shana climb the stairs and disappear from her sight. Then she turned to go to Asher's study.
"No!," she said sharply to one of the guards that started to follow her. "I don't need a babysitter, thank you. I'll call you if I eventually need one." She turned and roĺled away from the big wolf. He was obviously keeping a watch on Shana but Rose fell like he was doing more watching than was necessary compared to the others. Something about him made her feel very uneasy but she guessed he was harmless. Asher had recruited them himself.
She rolled into his study and stared around at the spacious room smiling. She missed him terribly and it felt like all the time he had been sent away from him.
She didn't hear the footsteos behind her and neither did she anticipate the killing, striking blow to the head. Her eyes rolled back in her head in shock and she slide out of her wheelchair to the floor.
She had seen her death and her only concern in those last moments was Shana and the baby.