Page 96 of Crystal Luna
She stared at him, truly studied him for the first time. He looked wrecked. His hair was dishevelled, his eyes lifeless with dark circles beneath them. Isaiah was the same.
“When we couldn’t find you in Swiftport and returned home, it felt wrong. Like…” Asher started.
“As if something was missing,” Isaiah finished.
“Finally had to make your own beds and cook your own meals, huh?”
Asher shook his head. “That wasn’t it, Vel. We just couldn’t quite grasp it though.”
“When did you turn eighteen?”
“I thought it was before I left, but the bond wasn't present then so my parents must have gotten the date wrong.”
“I’m sure they didn’t do that on purpose.”
“Isaiah thinks we felt like something was missing because you were close to your birthday. The bond was about to settle into place.”
She shrugged and stood up, returning her ice cream to the freezer.
“Please don’t go yet,” Asher begged.
“Oh you want to play happy family just a little longer?”
“We know we fucked up. Just because you sit with us doesn’t mean you forgive us. But please, just humour us for a while.” Like the diplomatic ass he was, Isaiah tried to reason.
And this time it worked.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Asher
He wasn’t sure what it was about Isaiah’s words, but they made Vel close the freezer and sit back down.
“So?” She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for them to speak.
Asher was so surprised that she’d actually come back to them that he had no idea what to say or ask. Isaiah seemed just as taken aback.
“Fine. I guess I’ll go first,” Vel said. “Why did you come here in the first place?”
“Alpha Xavior passed away,” Isaiah quickly explained. “Luna Rosé just a few days later. We went to pay our respects.”
The Silverrains were a small pack hidden away in the far south, so visits were few and far between—typically saved for big occasions like a funeral.
Vel stayed silent, her icy eyes on them sending chills down Asher’s back. It was actually the first time she’d truly looked at them. Deep down, he hoped the bond would grow stronger for her the more time they spent together.
He longed to feel her, not just beneath his fingertips but to feel her hands on him. He ached to feel her breath whispering across his skin. Feeling how her pulse rushed through her veins underneath her skin.
Vel’s eyes darkened, her lips twitching into a menacing grin. “How does it feel, Asher?”
The sound of his name falling from her lips made his heart stutter.
“How does it feel to not be able to simply take anything you want?”
Fuck. She’d noticed. Her voice was so frigid in tone that goosebumps pebbled over his arms. “I hate it.”
“Perfect,” she laughed deep and rough, her wolf close to the surface.
She enjoyed riling him up, and it only infuriated him even more. The only thing he was going to get from her was endless torture. Before he could stop himself, a growl vibrated low in his chest.