Once the meeting was over, everyone gathered around in another hall for drinks. Asher introduced me to the Alphas and the Ministers, the most common reaction among them that of surprise that Asher Gray has a mate now. They wanted to ask questions about me, about my pack and what blood I was, but I was in no mood to answer. Asher agreed with me because he waited long enough to make basic introductions and then pulled me away, all the while holding my hand.When we were finally done, we looked for Noah and Asher and found them talking to a woman. She was accompanied by a young man who stood a few steps behind her.“Beta,” Asher greeted him and the woman gave him a nod. She was gorgeous but also held an aura of power to her with her silver pixie-cut hair, grayish-blue eyes and freckles dotting her cheeks and nose. She had a sharp, angular face which screamed no-nonsense."Alpha Asher. Nice to see you after so long,” she gave him a polite smile. &l

Ivy“I like that,” Silver chimed in. “He’s trying!”“And even though this whole thing is an arrangement between us and maybe after a few months we will part ways or, I don’t know…maybe we can be a bit more amiable towards each other?” he added.“You want us to be friends?” I couldn’t help but sound sarcastic. “We can barely stand each other. Friends are not tempted to kill each other every second of the day.”“I get your point, but at least we can try. It would save us a lot of pain,” Asher grumbled.“Well, if you learn to behave, I will try,” I said flatly.“What do you mean you learned to behave?” he demanded, almost petulant.“I am not the problem here, Alpha. You are,” I pointed out, crossing my arms across my chest. “Ever stopped to take a look at yourself? How furiously annoying, egoistic, typical Alpha male you are? It’s like the entire universe revolves around you. I get it, you have the looks, the money…”“So you think I am good-looking?” he grinned, giving me a side-eye.“See

                                                                                IvyI blinked at Asher, my heart lurching to my mouth with fear. He held his gaze, staring squarely into my eyes as if staring at my soul.“The tr…truth?” I mumbled, trying my very best to stay calm.“Yes,”“I don’t understand,” Was he suspecting me? Maybe Eli really told him about last night. Maybe he saw me climbing out of that car? How was I going to explain myself? Will he even understand why I was doing what I was doing?“I want to know the truth about you,” Asher said. “Who is Ivyanka? What happened to you…I want to know about your past. My brothers filled me in somewha

AsherThis was not normal. The way this woman makes me feel, the intensity with which the unspoken pain in her eyes hit me, making every inch of my soul go crazy with the need to protect her, none of it was normal. I knew there was something pulling me to her that was beyond the dirty thoughts she evoked in me. But the moment we accepted each other, it was then it hit me full force—the bond. It felt like I had touched a live wire, pulsating with current.I needed to devour her right now. It doesn’t matter if I was breaking my promise to her, it doesn’t matter if it would make me seem needy and desperate, I just couldn’t care any less. To hell with it all. We can go back to hating each other tomorrow. But tonight, I wanted her.And I knew she did too. Her eyes were dark with need, lips parted and there was no way I would miss the sweet scent of her arousal and desire for me. She can’t hide it even if she wanted