The men walked closer, and I sank myself in the lake further until just my head was visible. The water lapped at my chin and I wrapped my arms around myself to try to hide whatever was on show. I didn't like the way he was eyeing me; it made my skin crawl.

Were they rogues? Were these the wolves that they had warned me about? They didn't seem crazy.

"What are you doing out here?" The middle man wondered.

I swallowed, my eyes darting between them as they stopped at the edge of the lake, mere metres away from me. I was sure they could reach me in a split second, their shifter ability of speed way greater than mine.

His nose twitched as the wind blew my hair into my face, a sly smirk lifting his features. For the first time in a while, I felt fear creep up my spine. The way this man's eyes flashed and how his sharpened teeth glinted did not settle right with me.

"What are you doing out here, little human?" He asked again.

I stayed silent, and he cocked his head, his eyes scanning beneath the water. I pushed my body back further, my feet slipping from the surface of the lake as I grew deeper.

"What's wrong? Can't speak?" He teased, a loud laugh escaping his throat that caused me to jump.

His two friends snickered as he tapped them on the chest with the back of his hands. I licked my lips, my throat and mouth dry with fear as the urge to run hummed through my body. His eyes followed the movement of my tongue, quirking with interest. He suddenly lowered himself until he was crouching, his long black coat trailing along the floor, and his hand gently dipped into the surface of the lake.

Holding my gaze, a small purr built in his throat. "What are you doing out here, all alone?"

"She's not alone."

I jumped in surprise, my head spinning to the side as Asra rounded the rock formation of the lake. He walked quickly, smoothly, jumping over a large rock until he stood about two metres before the three men. Asra was shirtless, clad in just some shorts and barefoot. He stood at the lake's edge, a towel in his hands and angling his back so it was blocking me.

The man rose to his feet, sneering at Asra with what I assumed was indifference.

"Alpha, so glad to see you again." He bowed his head, hands clapping in front of him.

Asra grumbled. "Alpha Blake, we directly instructed you where to enter my territory and what trail to walk."

My shoulders straightened; the visiting Alpha's name had come as a surprise. I was glad they were not rogues, but it did not stray from the fact he was not to be trusted.

Blake chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "When I smell something delectably feminine and ovulating, I cannot help but seek it out. Fertility always smells... divine."

A cold wash of dread ran down my spine, along with the sudden urge to vomit from disgust. Fertile? Delectable? What even was this man? No, I didn't want to know. I really wanted to get out of here.

Asra didn't like it. His head turning to meet my eyes as he held out the towel.

"Come here."

I hesitated, glancing between him and the visiting men. My gaze settled back on Asra, my fear clear on my face. His eyes were hard, dark blue, swirling against the hard contours of his face.

"Ailia, come here." He repeated.

I swallowed, deciding he was the lesser of two evils, and nodded gently.

I moved closer to him, quickly inching out of the water and running to his side. I was aware of the multiple eyes on my body and Asra was quick to grab me by the arm and push me behind him. My hands fell to the hard skin of his shoulders as I hid behind him.

He passed me the towel, and I hastily wrapped it around my shoulders as a shudder ran along my body. His back was tense, his hands clenched at his side as I pressed my body against his skin.

"Pretty name." Blake murmured and Asra growled again. "You do not seem as damp as the little human, Alpha. Not fancy the swim?"

I clenched my jaw at the daunting tease, but Asra seemed to ignore him.

"I shall have my men escort you to where you shall be residing." Asra stated.

I kept my eyes firmly on Asra's back, tracing the tattoos on his shoulders with my eyes. Blake sighed heavily, his feet crunching as he took a step closer. My nails dug into his skin slightly at the other Alpha's movement, and Asra's hand came behind him to wrap around my waist.

"Peculiar behaviour." Blake stated.

Asra growled, halting the man in his tracks. Footsteps grew closer from behind me and I turned my head to catch sight of the more men. Everett, Caleb and a male I didn't know were running into the clearing. All three of them had hard glares, coming to a stop and surrounding their Alpha. Caleb stood closest to me but to the side, his arm brushing against my bare shoulder. He glanced down at me, his lips pulled down in a grimace as he briefly scanned my face.

I shivered and looked away, choosing to stare in front of me again.

"If you will, please join my men and they shall escort you to where you will stay tonight." Asra's voice was clear.

"Okay, okay, we shall go in peace." Blake sighed loudly. "I never knew following an instinct was such a crime."

I built up the courage to peek around Asra as he said that, and Blake caught my gaze straight away. He smirked; his eyes were wide with amusement when he caught me peeping.

"I gave you strict instructions to a meeting point that you did not follow." Asra growled, his fingers flexing on my ribs as he pushed me back behind him.

I frowned, wondering how he knew I was peeping so easily.

"I apologise." Blake chimed, attempting to sound sincere.

No one acknowledged his apology, and the crunching of dirt filled the air as Blake and his men moved. Asra kept me hidden from view, turning us as they walked by. Caleb left our side, flanking the rear of the men as Everett and the other male had the sides. I watched from behind Asra, my feet back in the water as the six of them met with another two males hiding in the trees near the waterfall.

Nobody turned back, but I saw Blake's head turn ever so slightly to glance over his shoulder. Everett growled at him, causing the Alpha to laugh and faux jog forwards. Once they were out of sight and their footsteps disappeared, I sighed loudly; the nerves clutching my throat slowly dissipating.

Asra turned, his large movement catching me off guard as I stumbled back a step into the water. His eyes were flaming with annoyance, his canines flashing as he sneered at me.

"What are you doing out here alone?" He growled.

My non-existent hackles raised, and I pulled the towel around my body tighter. "I'm sorry?"

"You should be!" He snapped.

He took another step towards me until his bare feet were in the lake as well. I felt it instantly, that familiar warmth emitting from the lake. He hesitated, dropping his glare to direct it at the water instead.

"I have been coming out here for a few days to swim." I huffed. "I didn't think it was a problem."

"It is." He grunted. "You can't come out here."

"Why? Because I'm a girl?" I snapped.

"No!"

"Because I'm human?"

"No!"

"Then what? I'm not defenceless and I showed that pretty well when fighting Eliza." I threw my arms in the air, causing the towel to fall into the water since I held so tightly to the rock instead.

I groaned, my head falling backward, eyes closed as I cursed the sky above me. With only one towel on me, I would have to walk back to the pack, wet and soggy. Brilliant, Ailia, ten out of ten on dumb things to do today.

I grabbed the towel and threw it dramatically behind the annoying Alpha.

"Then what?" I repeated.

"I don't want you to come here when there are threats." He slowly explained.

I quirked an eyebrow, crossing my arms in front of me. His eyes flashed down to my chest, and I grunted before lowering them so I wasn't scrunching up my assets.

"Threats? Like Blake?" I wondered.

He growled, blue eyes darting away from my semi-naked form. "Don't' say his name."

"If he is such a threat, why not go to his land?"

"To be surrounded by wolves I don't trust?" He scoffed.

"Better than have him come here and get a lay-out of your land and inner workings." I pointed out.

He paused, blinking slowly as he thought about what I said. His tension lessened the longer we stayed quiet, until eventually he grunted and took a step forward. The warming hug against my calves from the water increased, and it caused both of us to inhale.

"Do you feel that as well?" I whispered.

Asra sighed, his eyes closing as he slowed his breathing, taking a large lungful of air before he met my gaze. His eyes were softer, less harsh, as he searched my face and neck.

"Did he touch you?" He asked quietly.

"No." I muttered, shaking my head. "I stayed in the water. He didn't enter. You got here in good time."

His jaw briefly tensed. "Good..."

It was silent after I nodded, awkwardly looking down at the lake as it lapped at my ankles. The waterfall behind me had gone eerily quiet, and I turned over my shoulder to find it had slowed back to its usual trickle. Narrowing my eyes at it, I sent a silent, confused curse to mother nature.

"You were scared." Asra commented.

Looking back at him, I shrugged. "He had my defences up."

"You cannot trust him."

"I know."

Silence again, and I kept his gaze. He looked down at my body, his eyes narrowing as he observed my skin. I didn't shift away, merely kept my eye on him.

"Come, it's getting to dinnertime," Asra murmured, gesturing with his arm.

I eagerly stepped closer, just as a cool breeze brushed my damp hair in front of my shoulders. Asra already turned around but must've caught a scent because he growled lowly. I made no comment, trudging out of the water and towards my dry shirt.

"I'm just going to get dressed." I muttered softly, stopping by my clothes.

He nodded, stopping a few feet behind me with his arms crossed. His eyes scanned the surrounding trees and hedgerows, and I took my chance to take off the soggy bikini. The shirt was big enough, and I did not want to get it drenched from the swimsuit material. Goosebumps bumps rose on my skin, the hair on my body standing on end with awareness. The breeze brushed by me as I pulled the large shirt over my head, a satisfied hum as the fabric protected me from the cool wind.

Turning around, I held my wet bikini in hand and it didn't surprise me to find Asra watching me. He had most likely watched me get dressed, too. There wasn't a lot to look at, so it didn't bother me he had seen me nude.

I was used to it, remember?

The tightening of his fists and the darkness of his eyes told me otherwise as I pulled on my shoes.

"What is it?"

"Do you get naked in front of everyone you know?" He grunted.

I couldn't help but let out a small laugh, shaking my head as we fell into tandem steps.

"It does not bother you?" He wondered.

I smiled awkwardly. "I learned to live with it."

"You are not a wolf." He pointed out. "You do not need to be naked. You need warmth."

Shrugging slightly, I remained silent, and he dropped the subject. We walked for the next ten minutes in silence. My heavier breaths were the only sounds heard as we navigated the rough terrain. I stumbled a few times, and it caused him to hesitate before we continued at my dismissal. I took my time to observe him, curious by his attitude. This man was harder to figure out than a puzzle book. Just when I think I have solved one, the next seemed to be even harder.

Asra moved swiftly through the forest, his colossal form surprisingly agile. I couldn't help but admire the way his body moved. The muscles and smooth skin of his lower back were particularly edible-I mean, incredible.

I cursed quietly as we broke the treeline which caused him to quirk an eyebrow at me.

"Nothing." I shook my head.

He hummed. "Want me to escort you to your room?"

I shook my head, laughing slightly. "I am perfectly capable of walking to an elevator."

He smirked. "The way your heart races when you are inside, it does not seem very enjoyable."

How did he know my heart raced? Was he creepily listening to me? Weirdo.

Asra must've seen the peculiar expression on my face because he cleared his throat, catching my full attention once again.

"You space out a lot." He commented.

"I know." I sighed, dropping my head. "Head in the clouds, sorry."

"It's cute."

The comment caught me off guard. So much so that I came to a complete stop and stared at the back of his head in surprise. I have never been called cute for my bad habits. Darius clarified that dazing off was rude and unattractive. A terrible flaw of mine. But Asra... found it cute?

A warmth settled in my chest and I couldn't help but smile shyly.

"So... You think I'm cute?" I attempted to lighten the situation.

He rolled his eyes, jerking his head to get me moving. "It's... endearing how your mind wanders so much."

"You think so?" I pouted.

"You don't?" He asked, cocking his head.

"I was told it was quite the opposite."

"Really? By whom?" He wondered.

"Everyone." I admitted, staring at my feet. "I had an image to uphold that meant my... flaws were not appreciated."

We came to a stop by the front door, and he turned to me. Glancing up at him, I pushed the hair from my eyes to find his face marred with a scowl. I suddenly regretted not having a filter in my brain right now, an awkwardness settling over me as I flushed with embarrassment.

"Being observant and imaginative is not a flaw." He shook his head.

I stayed silent, unable to meet his eyes. He sighed softly, a hand coming to wrap around my shoulder and push me towards the door. He held it open with his other hand, allowing me to enter before him.

"Thank you." I murmured, turning to face him once inside.

"No problem." He smiled softly.

"Not just this, thank you for the whole creepy, perve, alpha thing."

He grumbled, his hand pushing a strand of my hair away from my face. It caused the goosebumps to return, a flush spreading across my cheeks.

"If he bothers you again, do not hesitate to shout me. I will hear you, no matter where you are."

Staring into each other's eyes, the tension rose with his admittance. My heart raced with a strange sense of comfort before he nodded at me and walked away. Exhaling loudly, I ran my hand through my hair before walking towards the death trap, the ghost of his fingers against my skin.

Once inside, I sank against the wall to try to calm my racing heart.

What is this man doing to me?

***
wc:2694

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