"Jones,", Brandon welcomed gleefully, and a bald man stood up and hugged him, while Jenny hugged a Latina lady around her age. Ashly figured they had to be Jones and Jia Branson. She dragged her eyes away from them to a beautiful girl who bore a spot-on resemblance to Jia Branson. She seemed really happy to see Ashly as she waved at her. Ashly smiled back, regarding and turning her attention to a little boy dressed in a suit, seated next to her, who looked really uninterested, and Ashly felt him. After all, what would a kid like about a dinner where nothing that he considered fun happened?
Her eyes then fell upon the one person whom she was so anxiously awaiting. Alex Branson, in all his glory, was seated right next to the kid, and he looked like he would be anywhere but here. He refused to look anywhere except the plate in front of him, but Ashly took note of his jet-black hair and his pale skin before she heard her name being called, and Ashly bowed down to Jones and Jia Branson. Jia, however, walked up to her and hugged her. She was shocked by her gesture, but she quickly recovered and hugged her back.
"You're so pretty,", Jia said, making her blush.
"Thank you, Mrs. Branson,", Jia said in gratitude, to which she received, "Oh, call me Jia. No need to be so formal."
And Ashly liked her already.
She introduced her to the girl from before: "That's Rose, my daughter."
Rose stood up from her seat and ran over to her, pulling her into a hug. Ashly concluded, in her confused state, that the Bransons were a family of huggers.
"I'm so excited to finally see you. No one told me you were such a fashionista!", Rose seemed really excited. "We are going shopping all the time after the marriage."
Ashly grinned happily; she liked her. "It's nice to meet you, Rose."
Rose pulled back and introduced Ashly to her little brother, Sam, who gave her a nod and greeted her with a hello.
"And that is Alex.", Rose smiled coyly as she pointed her finger towards the only other guy left in the room.
Alex, however, refused to look at her. He instead played with the cutlery near his bare plate.
"Alex,", Rose said harshly, making Alex look up at her. It was only for a split second before he looked down again, but Ashly was able to memorize every single detail on his face, including the sharp cheekbones, his plump pink lips, and his beautiful black eyes. Black eyes that held nothing but coldness and rage when they looked at her.
Ashly gulped, not knowing what she had done to anger her mate.
"Alex,", Jia scolded when Alex didn't give a second glance, but Jenny said it was fine and that they should head to dinner. Everyone nodded as they started to take their seats. Before Ashly could take the seat far away from Alex, Jones said, "Ashly, take the seat next to Alex, please."
Ashly reluctantly sat near Alex, and she thought she heard the alpha growl, which sent a shudder down her spine. Her mate was impossibly attractive and beautiful, but he was equally scary with his rude and angry demeanor.
The rest of the dinner passed by quickly. Ashly made conversation with Rose and Jia throughout as her mate refused to acknowledge her. Monika was by her side the whole time, comforting her whenever her mate made any snarky comment to his own parents. Ashly didn't understand how such a velvety, soft voice could be as rude as it was when he talked to his parents.
But then Alex answered any question that Brandon and Jenny had for him very politely, and Ashly wondered if her mate had bipolar disorder—polite one second, rude the next.
Ashly attention spiked when alphas and lunas of both packs discussed as servants took away the used plates and cutlery. They were all smiling when they announced that the wedding would take place in a week.
Ashly stared blankly. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go through this marriage now. She was really excited to meet the person she was engaged to just a few hours ago. But Alex's coldness was throwing her off and scaring her. Her mate could turn out to be some serial killer, for all she knew. Monika squeezed her hand underneath the table, and Ashly nodded hesitantly. It's not like she had a choice anyway, after the whole ceremony and the sacrifice.
Alex just grunted his approval.
Ashly couldn't go on with this, so she gathered the courage to say, "I want to speak with my alpha."
She felt Alex cringe next to her when she said, My alpha. Ashly hadn't meant to say that, but she wasn't sure if Alex appreciated an omega calling him by his name, and she did not want the alpha mad at her more than he already was.
The elders nodded their approval, and she looked at Monika for a dose of confidence. Monika just smiled back at her and mouthed, You got this.
She nodded and stood up, walking away. She was briefly aware of Alex following her behind. She stepped out into the garden, shivering when the cold air blew. She walked to a secluded spot where they weren't in the eyes of passersby.
She turned around and looked at her mate, who was standing at a distance from her, unsure.
"Hi...", Ashly said, while Alex just looked around, not answering.
"What would you like for me to refer to you as?"
She waited, getting annoyed by the passing second, but then Alex spoke, "Just my name."
Ok, that was progress. Ashly nodded while she thought about what she wanted to say, but Alex beat her to it.
"Listen, Know that the only reason I said okay to this mating was for the sake of my pack. Our relationship will be purely business, a way of ensuring peace between our packs. I don't like you. And I never will. So do not have any ideas."
Ashly stared, mouth open. "How is that fair to me?"
"Life is unfair, Omega.", Alex sneered, "No matter what you do, I will never like you. I hate you for saying yes to this marriage. I have my lover, my girlfriend, who is the love of my life. Even if we do get married, she is the one I'll always love. She's the one who will receive my care and affection; she's the one I'll make love to; and she's the one who will bear my pups. You are just an inconvenience,", Alex said coldly. "I know how to get rid of you, and I will, after making sure the treaty between our packs won't ever be affected."
Ashly shivered from the cold air as well as from what her mate was telling her. She gulped when Alex neared her, their faces inches away. "I hate you, Ashly James. That's a constant."
Alex was fuming in anger as he drove back home. "Loosen the grip, Alex.", He heard the person from the adjacent seat say: "Shut up, Seth." "You're going to break the steering wheel,", his best friend countered. Alex groaned but loosened the choke hold on the steering anyway. "Good, now tell me what's got you all—death grippy." "It's that Omega. I hate her,", Alex snarled. "What, Omega?", Seth asked innocently. "You know who I'm talking about,", Alex said, narrowing his eyes, not impressed at Seth's act of clean hands. "Nope,", Seth said, even though his mischievous smirk said otherwise. Alex gritted his teeth and said, "Ashly James." Seth's smirk left his face. "Why do you hate her? You just met the girl. Surely, she can't be that bad." "It's not about her; it's the fucking situation,", Alex sighed. After talking with Ashly, Alex basically stormed off and snatched Seth with him back to their manor. Seth didn't raise his disappointment at being dragged away before he had eat
Ashly was good-looking; Alex will admit that. But his heart belonged to a blond-haired beauty whom he wanted to spend his entire life with. Maybe if he had met Ashly before he met Jasmine, everything would have turned out differently. He only hoped that Jasmine was willing to wait for him even after his marriage. He knew what to do; he would get married, yes, but once he was sure that the peace treaty between the packs wouldn't ever be affected, he had to get rid of Ashly. He didn't know how, but he would do it for his love. He didn't even know what was waiting for him at Jasmine Place, and he desperately wished it wasn't a breakup. He didn't know if he could take it. It would kill him if Jasmine ever left him. He soon reached the destination of his choice. He shifted back as his bones popped back into their original places. Jasmine's room was on the ground floor, and her room had a balcony that led right to the forest. Alex's feet carried her through the familiar path; he walked car
Ashly felt like her world had crashed, spinning one second and stopping entirely the next. Those words that escaped her fiancé's mouth weren't the ones that she was expecting at all. She guessed she deserved the cold treatment because it was an arranged marriage and Alex wasn't in love with her. But what Alex had said—Ashly still couldn't wrap her head around it, ten hours later. Alex had someone in his life, someone he loved, whom he planned on being with ever after their marriage. Ashly had never had an opportunity to fall in love. Being an Omega meant Ashly had a pretty sheltered life. People were never looking to build a relationship with her; they'd rather get in bed with her. It had put Ashly off relationships and falling in love. But after she had gotten engaged, she started looking forward to sharing her life with that single person to whom she would give everything. She had gotten ready to give everything to the cold and hostile Alex Branson. Ashly sighed, pulling the bedshee
"What the hell, Alex?" His sister's voice boomed through the emptiness of his room as soon as she opened the door. "Where the hell have you been?" He groaned, sitting up on the bed. To be honest, he knew this conversation was due. He had returned in the wee hours of the morning from Jasmine Place and sneaked back into the house, being careful not to wake his parents or his sister. He knew Rose was going to lecture him on yesterday's events, and he wasn't really looking forward to it. He had a good time after leaving the Shadow Pack lands and felt at peace after spending the night with Jasmine. He was in a good mood, and he wanted to maintain it that way. "Nowhere,", he replied carelessly. "Nowhere?", she scoffed. "That's funny because I don't remember seeing you at home last night." Alex sighed, avoiding her eyes. "None of your business, Rose." Rose narrowed her gaze. "Did you...Did..." She closed her eyes, irritated. Alex was an even bigger idiot than she initially thought, if he
"Monika, Ashly." Brandon shouted. "Come on down! There's someone you have to see." "God, why is he shouting in the morning?" Monika groaned, walking out of her room, her hair like that of a bird's nest making Ashly squint away her drowsiness just so she could get a clear look at her sister. And when she did, she couldn't resist laughing, making Monika let out a growl at her, before she carded her fingers through her messy hair, trying to smooth down the tangled strands, before they walked down the stairs, both wanting to know why their dad was yelling for them at 7 in the morning. They walked together to the living room, and they looked at their father, in front of whom another guy stood. And they squinted before the said guy turned around, and they both squealed, "ADOM!" "Surprise." Their friend stated before holding his arms out, knowing that the next moment Monika and Ashly were going to strangle him with a tight hug. "Curse you, Adom! I missed you so much." Monika rushed forwar
"Ashly, you look amazing." Monika said, staring at her sister, who was wearing a red, black-striped glittery long dress with a royal black sequined coat over it. She knew when Ashly picked out the dress that she was going to look amazing in it, but actually seeing her all ready for the big event brought tears to her eyes. "Of course, I do." Ashly laughed. "After all, you're the one who did my make-up." She smiled at her teary-eyed sister. She hugged her, gently shaking her head. "I love you, Ashly." "I love you too, Moni." Ashly gently patted her back. She pulled away, smiling at her and blinking away the tears before her makeup could be ruined. "Oh shit." She said as she noticed the time on the table clock in the tent assigned for Ashly in the gardens of Branson Manor. "Mom asked me to give this to someone before 4. It's half over already. Shit. shit." She pointed to the file that contained papers about the two-pack agreement and their peace treaty. "Moni, calm down." Ashly said
"What are you doing, sitting here alone?" Monika asked the blond-haired man who sat by the pond, his blazer on the ground by his side. "Just sitting. Crowd's not really my scene." He answered when he looked at her. "Really?" She asked. "I would have pegged you for a love-the-attention kind of guy." "Oh, believe me, I am. I just don't want to steal the newlyweds' spotlight." He joked. "Cocky, I see." She smirked. "Is that how you talk to an alpha?" Seth's eyes hardened, and Monika was scared for a second. "Sorry...I.." She stopped when Seth's brow furrowed. "Relax; I was just teasing you." He chuckled. Monika relaxed. "Oh." She sat down near him. "Yeah.." "So you're not like your friend, then?" She said, bringing up her knees to the chest. "Who?" Seth asked, confused. "Alex," she answered. "Alex is not that bad, either." Seth said it gently. "Try again," she said, smiling sadly. "Monika, he's not." "Seth I don't know if you know what Alex told my sister or not, but if you
Alex wouldn't look at Ashly as he walked past her, down to their bedroom. "I'm going to another country for some packing business." "Of course you are! You always run to your problem, don't you? You spent our whole time outside when you couldn't give an answer. You call things off almost every fucking time when we want to talk to you, and no, that's still not enough time for you? What about Ashly, Alex? What about your mate?" Rose yelled through the tears pouring down her face as she watched her brother pack a bag of clothes quickly. She can hear Ashly sob from outside. "I just need time to think. Jasmine tries to help me sort things out, and I think I should go," Alex said, grabbing his toothbrush and throwing it in his bag. "I'm sorry," Alex mumbled to his sister, quickly walking out of the bedroom and down the hallway, not meeting Ashly's eyes. "Alex, Alex No, don't go; cancel your work; think about Ashly," Rose begged, following Alex down the hallway. "Please. Alex, stay here. T