It's been close to a month since the attack on me. It was pretty hard afterward; not knowing who to trust and who my friends were did not make my life any easier. Asher had a hard enough time getting me to leave the room for breakfast when I had to go with him to meetings, and the court hearing was a battle in itself. The werewolf council wanted answers for Asher killing another alpha, so of course, we had to deal with a court hearing for it, and who better to testify in Asher's defense? None other than his Luna, right? Wrong; the council couldn't have cared less for what I had to say; they just wanted to listen to Asher and the few pack members who survived the recovery attack.

In the last few days, Asher's pack seems to be the only one who cares what Luna has to say or if she's delighted. I may have spent little time in Emmett's pack or been around many other alphas, but from how Asher and the rest of the pack members talk about them, I can tell that Asher is the better choice.

We have been working towards my ability to go out into the pack lands alone and trusting the other members for a little while now. Today is the day I'm able to go out by myself. No matter what, I know that Asher will always be there for me; I can feel it in the mate bond. Since I'm new to being a werewolf, I realize I don't know much about the culture or the belief, but I've become accustomed to the mate bond. Many other pack members were more than welcome to help me understand the bond better by sharing their experiences with it. I'm glad I have so much support in this, even though I'm a werewolf with no idea what's happening.

As I made my way through the cabin to the front door, I started to have second thoughts about trying my hand at the outside world. I hesitated at the door with my hand inches away from the doorknob, wondering if it was worth it. Asher has tried hard to help me, but it was a waste of time. As if he could sense my uncertainty, Asher opened the front door slowly so as not to hit me with it. "Baby, what's wrong? I could feel your doubt at the office." Asher wrapped his arms around my waist and cradled my head against his chest. "I don't know, I just feel like I can't do it no matter what. Like there's still something holding me back, but I don't know what." I gently placed my hand on his chest and closed my eyes to take in the moment given to me by my mate.

"Come on, sweetie, everything will be fine. Would you like to return to the office with me for a start? Then tomorrow, I can take the day off, and we can try to go for a walk?" He led me over to the couch before rushing to the kitchen for a glass of water. "I-I guess that would be fine, as long as I'm with you." I took the glass from him and took a sip before sitting it on the side table where I would forget the glass.

We slowly made our way to the office, going through the pack behind all the houses. Asher thought that it would be better for me. Soon, we arrived at the office and slipped in through the back entrance and up the elevator used only for the Alpha in case of emergencies. Once we reached the top floor, the slick metal doors slid apart, allowing us to enter a sleek, elegant office space. A big mahogany desk sat in the middle, with a black leather chair positioned behind it and two black leather chairs in front of the desk. An oversized white leather couch sat against the far wall to the right of the desk, with a glass coffee table in front. The walls were decorated with black wallpaper with white roses scattered all across it. To the far left of Asher's desk was a giant glass table one could only assume to be used for meetings.

Asher escorted me further into the room and over to the couch to sit down. Once he was sure I was comfortable, he moved his files and laptop to the coffee table and sat beside me, allowing me to lean against his chest while he finished his work. As I laid on his chest, I listened to his heartbeat against my ear and slowly drifted to sleep, curled against him, happy and content for the time being.

🌕 🐺

I woke up to find Asher had moved over to his conference table with pack guards sitting around it, each with a folder placed neatly in front of them. Laying there, I looked at Asher to see he was deep in conversation with his men, assuming I was still asleep, but no one dared to look this way. I noticed my brother sitting closer to Asher than the other guys. Sebastian must have felt that I was staring at him because he looked up from his folder enough that Asher didn't notice the change in attention. Sebastian smiled at me, causing me to smile back before adding a small wave. He didn't return the wave, but I could hear his voice inside my head. I looked at him, startled by the new voice in my head, unsure what to make of it.

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"It's OK, Scarlet, it's called mindlinking. Since we are family by blood, we can talk like this to keep our conversations secret. You can also link with Alpha Asher since he is your mate. Since the mating ceremony has already happened, all the Alpha has to do now is introduce you to the pack as their official Luna, and then you will be able to mind-link anyone in the pack. You can also block anyone from communicating with you when you are busy, but try not to do it very often as there may be an attack on the pack and someone is trying to make sure you are OK or trying to relocate you for safety reasons." Sebastian gave me the crash course of this whole mind-linking thing since Asher was always busy with pack business. "Thank you, Sebastian; I have missed you so much. Why did you leave without a word to anyone? especially me." I closed my eyes again, not wanting to see the pain in his eyes any longer. "I'm sorry, Scarlet. I tried to tell you, but Mom and Dad wouldn't let me." I barely caught his reply before I drifted back to sleep.

I woke up about an hour later; looking around, I found Asher sitting at his desk, and the guards had left. I slowly raised on the couch and watched Asher for a minute. I waited to try mind-linking him as Sebastian said. Gazing at Asher, I concentrated on talking to him before I felt the connection open, "Alpha." I said teasingly, causing Asher to look up at me. I smiled back at him, excited that I could mind-link him on the first try. "Scarlet, you're awake. Good, are you ready to go then?" Asher raised from his chair and walked over to me before he picked me up, causing me to wrap my legs around his waist. Confusion took over my mind at his words. "Ready to go where?" I asked as I wrapped my arms around his neck to stay balanced and look him in the eyes. "I'm taking you out to eat tonight as sort of a celebration of finding you and having you as my mate and Luna." At that, he gave me a deep kiss and held me closer to his warm body.

🌕 🐺

I was walking back to the room from the kitchen after getting something to drink. Coming to the bedroom door, I heard Asher talking to someone, maybe one of the guards, but then I heard a female voice answer. I stepped closer to the door and peered in through the tiny crack left in the ajar door. "Come on, Ash, you know we're meant to be together and not her. Don't you feel the pull between us? You have to feel it; I do. Come on, please, she doesn't have to know anything about it." I noticed one of the lower-ranking girls kept eyeing Asher when we went out together. Of course, he doesn't pay them attention, but it's hard for me to ignore someone dressing the way she does, eyeing my mate.

I focused on what was being said between the two. "Listen, Kaila, I'm not goin' to leave Scarlet just because you think something is between us. Scarlet is my mate, not you. I would appreciate it if you would leave my house and return to your family; I'm sure you will find your mate soon." I heard Asher respond harshly before moving further away from her. "Well, you are too blind to see she has you under a spell. I will not give up on us; no matter what you say, I believe we can still make this work." With that, Kaila stormed out of the door to be stopped by me blocking the door. The look on her face was one of fear of being caught trying to steal the Alpha away from the Luna. "Kaila. I suggest you leave my house and never return to it, understood?" I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for a reply. "Yes, ma'am." She held her head low, showing her submission. "Good, because if I ever catch you here again, I will ensure you will be looking for your mate as a rouge." At that, I stepped aside and allowed her to flee from the house as if her life depended on it.

I walked into the bedroom and stood on the other side of the bed, unsure how to address Asher afterward. Of course, I didn't have him under a spell, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't believe what she said. Even though he had taken up for me, it could have been because he could tell I was at the door listening.

Asher walked over to me from his place near the window. When he got to my side, he wrapped one arm around my waist and used the other to move my hair away before he buried his nose into my neck. Asher slowly started to lick my neck before he bit down on my collarbone, causing me to moan out in delight. He pulled his head away from the mark and placed soft kisses along my jawline. "You don't have to worry about anything; I know everything she said isn't true. Now I think it's the perfect time to finish what we started. What do you say?" He pulled me closer before laying us on the bed. I know now not to doubt anything about myself or the relationship anymore.