Chapter 28

**Ashley**

I could smell something sweet in the air as I turned over, sinking into the soft comfort of the bed. It was softer than mine, and it felt different. Slowly, my mind processed that this wasn’t my bed. My eyes flew open, heart racing. This wasn’t my room—it was Zade’s dorm. Why did he bring me here?

My body was wrapped in his duvet, and I gasped, suddenly realizing I was wearing only a top, and it wasn’t mine. Did he...? No, no, no. He wouldn’t. He couldn’t have done that… would he? Not like we hadn’t had sex before, but after that, he rejected me. Made me feel useless. Naive.

He wouldn’t try to take advantage of me while I was drunk… right? But I couldn’t remember anything. My mind was blank. I rubbed my eyes in frustration, trying to piece it together, but all I could hear was the pounding of my heart, fear creeping in.

I gently placed my hand down there, checking if something felt wrong, if I was sore. But nothing. I felt normal.

The door swing open as i he came inside his eyes were fixed on me with a smirk on his face "i hope u slept well" he said walking over to me without breaking the eye contact.

I tried to stand, but my head pounded relentlessly. “I shouldn’t have drunk that stuff,” I mumbled, holding my head as my hair fell in every direction. I probably looked like a mess. The thought made me instantly insecure—mornings always made me feel ugly.

But there he was, standing in front of me, looking ridiculously handsome. His hair was tousled, and even though he hadn’t showered, he somehow looked even sexier like that. He ran his hands through his hair, then placed one on my forehead to check my temperature.

“I’ll get you some meds,” he said before walking over to his table to make a quick call.

“You changed me,” I blurted out, my voice unsteady. “Without my permission.”

“I had to. You reeked of alcohol, and you told me to change you. You said you sleep better naked. You should be happy I gave you my t-shirt,” he replied, matter-of-fact.

“I was drunk, okay? I’m not fine with you changing me,” I shot back, my voice sharper than I intended. He didn’t respond right away, but I saw his expression shift, his jaw tightening just slightly.

“Ashley, I know you’re mad at me because of what happened to your friend Conan, but I had to do what needed to be done,” he said, his voice steady but distant.

“And why? He took care of me, Zade! Conan saw me as someone, not trash. He made me feel like I belonged, even knowing I was yours—your rejected mate. He never treated me differently. And instead of being grateful for him taking care of me, you killed him. You destroyed his entire pack,” I said, my voice trembling as I fought to hold back the tears that threatened to spill.

The room fell into a heavy silence, and for a moment, I thought he wouldn’t say anything. But then he started walking toward me. He stood next to me, and before I could even process it, he sat down on the bed beside me, his eyes locked on mine. I didn’t look away.

“Even if Conan hadn’t taken you in, he was already on my list,” Zade said quietly. “His father was a traitor, working with a witch who was obsessed with taking down my father. This isn’t your story to hear, Ashley, but trust me—this was for the best.”

"It was his father, not him! You shouldn’t have done it! And why did you bring me back here? I want answers," I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady, refusing to break down in front of him.

For the first time, I saw something different in his eyes—something softer, like emotion. The way he looked at me, I couldn’t quite place it. “I want to make things right,” he muttered quietly.

But I wasn’t okay with any of this. "Now that I’m here, you need to make me understand, because I’m already wrapped up in your twisted life. I almost got killed by trolls because of you," I said, watching the surprise flicker across his face.

"Trolls?" he asked, clearly caught off guard.

"Yeah, trolls and some weird woman, apparently because I’m linked to you or something," I replied, rolling my eyes, trying to mask my fear with frustration.

"Ashley," he said, and my heart skipped a beat. The way he said my name was… perfect. I could tell he had so much he wanted to say, but, of course, he didn’t.

“You’ll be fine,” he said softly, his voice filled with a quiet promise. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

A knock came at his door, and he muttered, “Come in.” The redheaded girl walked in, smiling brightly—until she saw me. I noticed the way her smile faltered, surprise flickering in her eyes. She was dressed in a tight, curve-hugging outfit that showed off her figure, and yeah, she had it all—she was undeniably sexy.

She quickly covered her surprise with another smile. “King Zade, the meeting will start in twenty minutes,” she said with a bow before leaving the room.

“I’ll be back,” Zade said as he stood and headed into the bathroom. I rolled my eyes and walked over to where my clothes were neatly placed. Stripping off his t-shirt, I quickly changed back into my own clothes. Without hesitation, I left his dorm before he could return.