Chapter 88: Chapter 88: She’s Asleep
Third POV
Asher barely heard her. His mind conjured images of Estelle laughing with other Alphas and making a life that didn’t include him or Moonveil.
He felt sick.
“Even if Estelle leaves,” Jessie’s harsh voice cut through his thoughts, “that doesn’t make this woman acceptable.”
She gestured dismissively at Hazel.
“Our family will never accept her,” Jessie continued. “She’s brought nothing but failure and shame to this pack.”
Hazel’s face crumpled. “But the mate bond—”
“Means nothing without proper completion,” Ashley finished smugly.
Hazel turned desperately to Asher. “Tell them, Asher. Tell them we haven’t properly rejected each other. Tell them the bond is still intact.”
But Asher wasn’t listening. He was already calculating the distance between Moonveil and Tidal Valley in his head. He needed to get to Tidal Valley territory. If Estelle was truly there, as Hazel had deduced, Asher needed to bring her back.
“Asher!” Hazel grabbed his arm.
He jerked away from her touch. Finn startled and began crying again.
Without another word, Asher strode to the side table where he’d left his phone. He set Finn down gently, then grabbed the device with shaking hands.
Estelle’s contact information appeared on the screen. He hit call.
The phone rang a few times before it got sent to voicemail.
“Damn it,” Asher muttered. He tried again. However, likewise, Estelle did not pick up.
“Pick up,” he whispered to the phone. “Come on, Estelle. Pick up.”
Behind him, Jessie continued berating Hazel. Ashley joined in with cruel comments about Hazel’s failures.
But Asher heard none of it. His world had narrowed to the phone in his hands and Estelle’s silence on the other end.
The third, fourth, and fifth attempts reaped the same results. Each unanswered call made his panic grow stronger.
“Pick up...” Asher’s voice became desperate. “Come on... Pick up... Pick up, pick up, pick up!”
“Asher!” Hazel yelled. “Say something! This is ridiculous!”
“Getting Asher to say something will not help you!” Jessie snapped. “I want you gone from the Moonveil Pack right this instant! Without Estelle here, I will take over the role of Luna, as the current Alpha’s mother. I refuse to let you ruin this pack or my son any further!”
Hazel tried to argue. “My father was the Beta—”
“That is now history,” Ashley seethed. “Nigel shall take over your duties as the Beta. Goddess knows that he has been doing the bulk of your job anyway, and it is just a matter of time before he takes the role.”
Asher shoved Hazel away roughly when she tried to reach for him again. “Don’t touch me right now.”
“But Asher—”
“I said don’t!” He spun around, his green eyes wild with frustration. “Can’t you see I’m trying to reach her?”
Without another word, Asher stormed out of the room, his phone still clutched in his white-knuckled grip. He ignored Hazel’s calls behind him. He ignored his mother’s shouting. He ignored everything except the need to find Estelle.
***
The clock on the nightstand showed 2 AM. Zayne glanced toward the bed where Estelle slept peacefully, her black hair spread across the white pillowcase like spilled ink.
Slowly, he left the room and returned to his office.
He had spent the last few hours tending to Estelle. Her body was still troubled with aches, and she would wake up every few minutes crying in pain. It had taken hours before she eventually fell asleep, and Zayne made sure she was soundly asleep before eventually leaving the bedroom.
On his desk, there was a phone. It was Estelle’s. He had picked it up earlier and had forgotten about it ever since. She probably hadn’t even realized it was missing.
Now that Estelle was asleep, it was time to catch up with some work. He would return her phone tomorrow morning once she woke up.
For now, Zayne turned his attention to the reports that Mason had sent over. However, not even five minutes in, the phone on the desk suddenly buzzed to life. The screen lit up with an incoming call from an unknown number.
Zayne frowned.
At first, he ignored it, waiting for the call to automatically cut off. However, whenever it did, the caller would dial again. The notifications on the lock screen showed that this number had called Estelle over fifty times.
With an annoyed sigh, Zayne eventually picked up the device.
“Oh, thank goodness, Estelle, you finally picked up!” A man’s voice burst through the speaker, loud and frantic. “Where have you been? How long are you planning to keep this up? You can’t keep ignoring me forever!”
Zayne raised an eyebrow. The voice sounded vaguely familiar. Whoever this was, he seemed to think he had some kind of authority over Estelle.
That didn’t sit well with Zayne.
“Estelle?” The voice continued when he realized that the other party didn’t respond. “Are you there? Look, I know you’re upset, but this silent treatment has gone on long enough.”
The man’s tone grated against Zayne’s nerves. He spoke to Estelle like she was a child being scolded, not a grown woman capable of making her own decisions.
As he kept talking, pieces clicked into place. This had to be Asher Daniels from Moonveil Pack, Estelle’s previous mate, if he could even be called that. Zayne recalled speaking with this man once, many years ago. He didn’t have very fond memories of him.
“I know I’ve been busy lately,” Asher continued, his voice taking on a pleading quality. “But you have to understand, there’s been so much to handle with the pack. Once everything settles down, we can finally relax and have fun together as a family. Finn misses you terribly.”
Zayne’s jaw clenched. Family? This bastard was still trying to manipulate her with the child. He was acting as if Estelle belonged to him.
“I’ll come pick you up,” Asher said, his voice growing more confident. “Just tell me where you are. We can work through this together, just like we always have.”
That was enough. Zayne finally spoke.
“She’s asleep.”
