Entangled With My Alpha Triplets

Twenty two

"What is it going to take for you to hate me less? I know you don't love me right now, but..."

But then he placed his index finger on my lips, his voice lowered to a husky whisper. "I could never hate my mate."

"And if I did, I would never spend a dime on a girl I don't like. You could ask Trisha or Tiara."

Mate? What was he saying? My wolf was yet to confirm any of that, but I knew Asher wouldn't lie about us being a thing.

"Is that why you chose me as your Luna, or there's more to it?" I asked, pulling from my trance.

His hand reached up, gently brushing a strand of hair behind my ear and cupping my face. "I chose you because I'd rather have you as my own than watch any of my brothers try to keep you."

Was that what this was all about? Possession? Jealousy?

I didn't have time to process the shock of his confession before his eyes flicked down to my lips.

"Did you make a bet with them about me? Because that sounds like the only logical reason you'd want me right now." I asked, trying not to spill tears as my voice grew heavier with anxiety.

"I'd rather buy you off from them, but I don't need to do that because you're mine, Haz."

"Nobody else gets to keep you because I would turn their world upside down till I get you back." All those sweet lies made me want to really believe him, but it was Asher.

He could love you this minute and treat you worse than an enemy by the next.

"Stop playing games with my heart, Asher."

"Just stop." I muttered, but it sounded more like a plea as I pulled away from him.

***

It was way darker when I woke up to see that it was 3 AM in the morning and he wasn't back yet from the meeting.

I wanted to text him, but I couldn't find the right words to say, so I decided to wait a little longer. He couldn't have checked into another room after his failed attempt to convince me that he was slowly catching feelings.

Just as I kept hoping that he would show up, the door opened and he popped in.

"Asher?"

"Why are you still awake by this time of the night? Don't tell me you waited for me." He scoffed, dropping his MacBook on the desk.

"No, I just woke up." I lied.

"Go back to sleep then." He nonchalantly dismissed.

I wanted to ask if he was still furious over our argument, but I held myself back till he got closer to the bed.

"When you have that look on your face, I know something's up."

"You didn't get the items you wanted from shopping?" He asked like he cared.

"No, it got sold out." I lowered my head to hide my creeping smirk.

"And what was that? I could look it up and get it for you from the factory directly." He questioned, concerned.

"You." I whispered.

Asher stood by the bed, shock boldly written all over his face. I should have looked away, but I couldn't. His eyes could keep anyone frozen.

"What did you say?"

My throat went dry. "You asked what I wanted, and I told you. It's you, Asher." I didn't flinch this time. It was the truth. I was tired of pretending that when he left me all alone in the room, I didn't hug the pillow, pretending it was him.

He let out a sharp breath, running a hand through his hair, clearly not having this. "You can't say things like that, Haz."

"Why not? It's how I feel."

"Because you don't know what you're asking for," he countered, his tone sharp.

I sat up, pulling the sheets around me as if they could protect me from whatever was coming. "Then tell me. Tell me what I don't understand; you told me that you don't want anyone else to keep me, but you don't want to do so either."

"I need you to man up and stop confusing me and yourself." I added.

I thought he would shut me down again since it was his favorite thing to do, but he came over and sat right next to me.

"You think this is easy for me?" His voice had a dangerous mark to it. "You think I don't want to hide you from the lurking eyes of other men while still wanting to show you off as mine?"

"Fuck, Hazel, you don't get the war going inside my head. If I start loving you, I'd crash, and I'm too selfish to let that happen."

"So you don't love me then," I concluded, my eyes shining in his as his Adam's apple bobbed with unease.

"Love is a strong word, babe."

"Don't fucking call me that after kidnapping me here to torture me with your confusion." I warned him, backing away while ignoring the fact that I was half naked.

He sighed, "Please, don't make this hard for me."

"It would be easy if you just liked me back, especially since you made me your Luna."

"I could take that back if you are going to keep pressing this relationship on me." He said it coldly, and my heart dropped.

He wanted freedom, and I could see it in his eyes, making me wonder what was so scary about commitment that he couldn't give into.

"I've got serious responsibilities now, Haz, and loving you is going to be one of the biggest ones that I can't handle."

"So what?" I fired back. "You just want me to warm your bed every night and then push out babies for you?"

When his silence met me again, I confronted him even more.

"If you can't love me, Asher, then what the hell are we even doing here?"

"Maybe I should just go back to being your omega while you take Trisha as your Luna because she seems to be the only person ready to accommodate your sorry excuse of commitment issues."

My words triggered him again, and darkness flashed through his eyes before he turned around and headed for the door.

"Asher!" I called after him, but he didn't stop. The hard slam of the door made me flinch as I sank back into the bed, my wolf scolding me for taking things too far.