My Personal Hell, D. Richardson [ebook reader browser txt] 📗

eyes strayed down to my arm, where his fingers were starting to dig into my skin. But instead of letting go, he tighten his grip, as if reaffirming his actions. “Get your hands off me,” I said again, this time evening my stance. If he wasn’t going to let go, then I was prepared to make him.

“Asher,” Bastion snapped from the archway. “Let her go,” his tone was even, no hostility, yet an undertone of a promise.

Asher could have pulled rank, but I had the feeling that it would have been a mistake. Until Asher took over the pack, technically, he and Bastion were equals. Since Bastion was considered the equivalent of a commander. Ever since Asher had finished his training, and until he inherited the pack, he was also a commander. Bastion had the right to call Asher to task, just as Asher could to him. Finally, after several moments of them staring each other down, Asher released me.

He looked down at me, as if suddenly realizing exactly what he was doing. When his skin left mine, my cold resolve vanished in favor of the anger I had felt before. I gave him my strongest disgusted look.

“We’re done,” I growled, and spun on my heel, moving past Bastion to get back into the room.

I had been right. The entire room had heard us. But oddly, I didn’t really care. I didn’t care that they heard. I didn’t care that I had just broken up with Asher, whom I had been dating for nearly five months. In fact, I was a little relieved.

Chapter 22

Sadler

 

 

 

 

I’d never seen her more uncomfortable than when she walked into the ball room. The forced smile, the constant attention, her hampered stride. With Asher walking at her side like a pampered peacock it was difficult not to laugh.

She did just enough to be cordial. Though the occasional roll of the eyes when someone walked away, made her discomfort obvious even if you didn’t know her very well. Then Asher gave her a drink and left to talk with his friends. When he was gone I was going to give my birthday wishes, only to overhear Asher’s bragging.

“This is only for show,” he said to one of his friends. I barely recognized the guy, but I knew enough to place him in a distant pack.

“What do you mean?” he asked, taking a drink from a poorly hidden flask.

“I’ve had her for the past several months. It’s not like anyone else is going to be high enough in rank to catch her attention.”

“What about the older males? I heard Trevor was going to ask about her.” Asher scoffed. Trevor was the alpha of a neighboring pack. His previous wife had died a couple years ago, supposedly from a rogue attack. “That old man? Dad would never pair her up with someone so much older than her. Plus, he’s a tool and everyone knows it. His wife did more running of his pack than he did.” He wasn’t wrong. “Besides, she may not want to marry, but I’m the lesser of all evils,” he responded, taking the flask for his own drink.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m the only one who has anything to offer her that she’d want. Anyway, she just wants to live a quiet life.”

“So she hasn’t given you any trouble?”

“No, why would she?”

“I heard not too long ago that she sent another female scurrying for cover, and talked back to you when you reprimanded her for it.” He was talking about the evening at the restaurant. Asher’s tone stopped being so easy going, though he put real effort into making it close.

“That was just a misunderstanding, she was much better after we got home. Anyway, I‘ve still got time to train her properly.” I couldn’t listen anymore, so instead I continued on my way to the birthday girl.

I stood just behind her when Trevor, the old man Asher spoke so highly of, and his sister called her a stray. I was going to say something, being a fellow stray and all, but she beat me to it. Pretending to trip over her dress and dumping her glass of punch all over him.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I’m so clumsy,” she wasn’t a bad actress. Kelsey came up next to me an ear to ear grin on her face. When Trevor finally walked away I leaned down so no one but the people in the immediate vicinity could hear me.

“Smooth.” She turned to look up at me. Her eyes were wide, a hint of confusion showed in the way she held her mouth. She wasn’t a bad actress at all.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.” Kelsey saw just enough to find the whole thing very amusing. I had to admit that I struggled with holding my smile.

“Uh huh, you know he’s the alpha of a neighboring pack?” I asked, hoping to make her realize just how drastic her actions could be. But she just shrugged.

“I said I was sorry.” I lost my battle and let the smile show. I gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “I just wanted to say happy birthday.” Then I left before I could talk to her any more. Before I was tempted to tell her what Asher had been saying about her. It was her business, I had no place in it.

I had run into Jaeger, and old friend from a pack that was allied with my father. We used to play together as children. Since I had taken refuge on Drake’s territory, we spoke every time we saw each other. Oddly enough, even trying as hard as I could to keep my eyes from wondering to Ailith, she was the topic he wanted to discuss.

“Word around the room says that the hostess has already been claimed,” he murmured, after the usual pleasantries were exchanged.

“Spoken for, not claimed,” I replied, he raised a brow.

“Do I detect a hint of jealousy?” I smirked.

“Not hardly, I just know her. Even after she wears a mark she’ll never be claimed.”

“A wild one then?” he asked, a spark of interest lighting his eyes. He wasn’t a bad guy but he was a bit of a gossip monger.

“Wild? Not usually, but she’s strong and solitary. She’s a lone wolf,” I answered with a shrug.

“She seems a bit uptight,” he replied, I followed his line of sight to see Ailith talking with Kelsey. She gave my sister an unpleasant look, with which Kelsey answered with an amused one, before Ailith moved on.

“Nah, she just doesn’t like being the center of attention. Or being shoved into constricting clothes.” Which was made obvious every time she tried to take a step longer than the dress allowed.

“It looks like she’s only as polite as she has to be,” he mentioned as she brushed passed a few guests on her way to the stage. She nodded and smiled, but didn’t engage in conversation.

“Only when she’s uncomfortable.”

“Well then, I’d like to see what she’s like when she is comfortable. By the way, how well do you know her?”

“Why do you ask?”

“You just happen to have a reason for everything she does.”

“We’ve been good friends for a while.”

“Oh? How’d that happen?” I shrugged.

“She was born a lone wolf, but was raised around humans. When Drake found her he asked me to show her the ropes.”

“How many ropes did you show her?” he asked with a lilt to his voice and a grin on his face.

“Not the ones you’re thinking of,” I answered, with a grin of my own. And then out of nowhere, as though she had known we were talking about her, Ailith showed up at my side.

“Excuse me,” she mumbled to Jagger politely, then turned to me. “Do you have a knife on you?” She had leaned in, and spoke so quietly Jagger had to lean in to hear her. In the moment of my confusion I pulled my knife out, holding it out to her, before my voice caught up to me. “Yeah, why?” But instead of answering she spun it open as though she had done it several times and plunged it into her dress. She slide it all the way down, showing off a long expanse of her well toned leg. She bent her knees stretching out the remainder of the fabric and gave a relieved sigh.

“That’s better,” she mumbled, finally standing straight. By then my shock had turned to amusement. I should have expected her to do something along those lines. In retrospect, I was surprised she hadn’t done it sooner.

“Lily,” I said, hoping to at least give the impression that I should have been upset. But she just waved me off.

“Yeah, I know, it was inappropriate. But they should have thought about that before they made me wear the damn thing.” By the time she was done talking she had already let her hair loose. The relief that washed over her features was enough that I didn’t question her about it. The over all look, with the slit in her dress and her hair hanging about her shoulders, made her look that much more tempting.

“You look…better,” Jagger informed her, his eyes roaming where they shouldn’t have by the rules of propriety. Though given that the way she had looked before, and in all honesty she had looked a bit uptight, made her look more relaxed. Wilder even.

“I feel better.” Was her answer and we both laughed. Everything she was doing was so spontaneous, so out of the norm, that it was refreshing.

“Anyway, sorry for bothering you. I’ll let you get back to your conversation.” And just like that she was gone.

“I take it back, she’s much more appealing than I had given her credit for,” Jagger said, watching her walk away. I wanted to smack him, but instead I just nudged him. I was about to change the topic when the music started. I turned to see her gathered with her friends in the middle of the room.

They were amazing, spinning, sliding, moving as one. It was all completely unorthodox. But given that most teenagers hated these parties, due to the high amount of boredom, I shouldn’t have been surprised that they had taken matters into their own hands. Unfortunately, most of the older males in the room didn’t agree with me. She would hear about it from Drake for sure. But then Asher decided to so something about it. Snatching her away from Kevin while they twirled around each other.

Kevin watched as Asher dragged her out of the room, shock and worry clouding his features. At one point he made to follow them, but Jake put a hand on his shoulder, halting him. He murmured something in his ear and Kevin backed off.

Most of the room heard their argument. In fact, most of us listened intently. When Ailith broke it off with him, a small part of me rejoiced. Though I wasn’t sure if it was the competitiveness I felt with Asher or because she was now single.

All of that was pushed to the back of my mind when she told him to let her go. After the second warning several males around the room started to move at once. Myself included, though when Bastion made it obvious that he would