The Alpha's Bride

Chapter 1042: Alpha Violet (3)

She sniffed the air but everywhere smelled sweet, and she couldn't determine which way he went.     

Violet was frustrated. How could she lose track of her mate, twice in one night?     

She was about to summon the winds for help again, but then she heard a small sound on her right, and before she could react, they toppled, and he pinned her down with his body.     

Violet struggled to get free, but it was like he knew her moves before she made any.     

She growled in frustration and released her Alpha aura.     

Everything stilled.     

Violet blinked. Did she overdo it? Did she harm him?     

She jolted when he licked her maw and jumped to the side.     

He rotated twice like he was chasing his own tail and then he dashed into the bushes.     

Violet couldn't believe this! Was he taunting her!?     

Her Alpha temper took over and she dashed after him.     

She used the winds to track him down. He was only a few steps ahead of her, with a bush between them, or a tree, and no matter how fast she moved, he always maintained that distance. How irritating!     

Violet wanted to use her magic, but she remembered his derisive snort from the beginning of their chase. He didn't approve of her using her ability and she didn't want to appear weak, so she stopped using the winds.     

How could she catch him now?     

Another thought hit her. Shouldn't the male chase after the female?     

Sure, she was the most powerful Alpha, thanks to the bloodline her parents provided, but she didn't want to dominate her mate. She wanted them to be equals, just as her parents were. Damon Blake and Natalia Moonrider were immensely strong, but what made them undefeatable was that they never competed against each other.      

Violet stopped and sniffed the air. This didn't feel right. Should she just give up? It was obvious he was toying with her.     

She always imagined that the mate bond will come with attraction and he will be romantic in an attempt to win her heart beyond what the bond provided, and this was none of it. Her pride hurt and her heart cracked.     

Violet turned to leave, and she paused at the sound of leaves rustling behind her.     

She was determined not to chase after him, but she still wanted to see what was going on.     

A majestic gray wolf was pulling something from behind the tree and Violet stopped breathing when she saw him hold in his maw a bouquet of flowers.     

She stared at him as he approached her slowly and placed the flowers at her feet. White carnations. Her favorite.     

He retracted a bit and lowered his head, not exactly in submission, but he showed no intention of pursuing the chasing game.     

The sweet scent wafted into her nostrils and her mind exploded. There was only one male that gave her white carnations, but she didn't see him in five years. Was it him or someone who found out that those were her favorites? But not many knew that. Ethan knew, but he was not really a flower-gifting guy, and this…     

With a thought, Violet changed into her human form.         

"Shift," she demanded.     

He tilted his head. Even with the wolf's face, she recognized his glee because her command didn't work on him.     

Oblivious to how her naked form impacted him, displeasure overtook Violet's senses and her eyes lit up in silvery light.     

"Shift now or I will leave. See if you can find me when I don't want to be found." No one ever offended her like this, and this was her mate, a person who should cherish her and dote on her, and he was doing none of that. Except for flowers.     

This got his attention. The winds picking up from every direction told him she meant business.      

He took a step back and her eyes widened when the fur got replaced by bare flesh to reveal a muscular form of a male whose upper body was covered in tattoos.     

He was sitting on the ground with his leg raised at the knee to conceal his erection. Her scent was driving him mad, and her body was a thousand times more alluring than he imagined it would be. He waited for such a long time.     

"Hi, Vi." His deep voice stirred butterflies in her chest. "Did you miss me?"     

"Ash," she said under her breath.     

Ashton Pascal was in front of her, in his naked glory.     

Any boyish features she remembered him by were gone and she was confident he didn't have an ounce of fat on his body. Only muscles and tattoos which were new yet oddly familiar, but his eyes were the same as she remembered them.     

"Did you like my presents?"     

Violet was unsure what to make of this situation. For five long years, she didn't see Ashton. She would get white carnations on her birthday and various presents for Christmas with a short generic note "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" and his name under it, and that was how she knew he didn't forget about her.     

Luna Michelle told her that Ashton was fighting rogues up North, and then on the East, and she read reports about how he eradicated a rogue pack by himself while he moved down South. Everyone praised him as the hero who was doing a big favor to their society, and she was proud of him, she really was, but she didn't understand why he never visited because she missed him immensely.     

"Vi?" He called and got closer to her, this time on his knees, his body half bent.     

"Five years, Ash," she said, her voice breaking from tears she refused to let fall. She had so many questions. "That day…" She inhaled a choppy breath. "When you left… Did you know we were mates?"     

He didn't want to lie. "Yes."     

"And you left? Why didn't you tell me?"     

"I didn't?"     

Violet couldn't recall every word of that conversation from five years ago, but she was quite confident that she wouldn't forget the detail of them being mates. "If you did, I would remember it."     

Violet's heart flipped when Ashton's image blurred to stop right in front of her. She never saw anyone move so quickly. Was he even trying to run away when she was chasing him?     

She could feel his sweet carnation-infused breath on her face and her chin tingled when he held her there.     

"Are you willing to give yourself to me?"     

Violet blinked. That was an abrupt change in topic. "What?"     

"That day, I asked you, are you willing to give yourself to me," Ashton said. "I could sense how flustered you were, and I knew I had to leave." His hand moved to the side, and he put his palm on her cheek.         

Violet closed her eyes as the delightful sparks danced on her skin, traveling straight to her brain and the rest of her body as their mate bond became stronger by the second.     

"You were not ready, Vi, and I would be an asshole if I claimed a thirteen-year-old girl just because I knew she was my mate. I couldn't put you through it, not before you could feel it too, but your proximity was too much for me to handle without claiming you. I didn't want to risk snapping and doing something you would hate me for."     

Violet's eyes blurred with tears. She remembered it now. She hugged him and he said to not do it lightly because he was of age. And he was right. She was not ready, but...     

"What about the last few months? My eighteenth birthday was five months ago. Why did you wait?"