Page 118 of Challenged Mate
“I will,” I promised.
Axel and Chase approached next. The latter surprised me by grabbing me and hoisting me into a tight hug. “I’ll keep an eye on him while you’re gone.”
Emotion thickened my throat as I met Asher’s gaze over his shoulder. “Thanks, Chase.”
The blond shifter released me and gave me a quick nod before stepping aside.
Axel’s hug was swift.
And then I was left with my father.
There was so much he and I needed to discuss—so many worries I needed to address. So many wrongs I needed him to atone for—or, at the very least, to explain.
But all that would have to wait.
I shoved all those emotions aside and stepped into him. His arms enveloped me. He held on tight. “I tried to keep you from this.”
I closed my eyes and sighed. “I know, Dad. I know.”
“I love you, Blair.”
My lips quivered. “I love you, too.”
I opened my eyes as our embrace ended.
Once again, Asher stood before me. I saw the conflict in his gaze. His instincts rode him hard—urging him not to let me go—but the male behind the instincts won out.
He released a heavy sigh.
I wasn’t sure who moved first, but in a blink we were in each other’s arms. Asher kissed me like his life depended on it—full of promise and unspoken words of affection.
We were fated mates—destined to be together—but he and I still had so much to learn about each other.
We had our whole lives ahead of us—lives that we would journey with each other.
I just needed to deal with the Moonstone first.
I cupped the side of Asher’s face. We broke our kiss. “I’ll see you soon,” I vowed.
“Yes, you will.”
It took everything within me to pull out of Asher’s embrace. I met each of my companion’s gazes one last time, lingering for another moment on Asher’s.
Then, I crossed the ward and accepted Hugh’s outstretched hand.
Thirty-Eight
Travelingthrough the portal was anticlimactic. I’d expected a sensation similar to a rollercoaster—or how it felt to leap from a tall tree onto the ground.
But it felt no different from a strong breeze blowing through my hair.
One second, I stood on Wilds Pack territory. The next, I was in a room filled with shelves of books and ornate, expensive tapestries. Hugh stood beside me. I didn’t know what happened to Stanley.
I watched the pale-eyed sorcerer move to a heavy oak desk placed in front of the far wall.
“Where am I?” I asked.
“My home.”
