THORN IN MY FLESH

WHO KILLED DUKE ASHER

Alexis entered Alonso's office and sat on a couch, wrapping her arms around her legs as she watched the rising sun.

'Why didn't you tell me?' Alonso asked her while sitting in his executive chair.

''Like you always say. Good or bad, what's done is done. "There's no point in regrets," she responded. He joined her on the couch and said.

'Tell me what happened'

'It's not important,' she replied.

'You can tell me now, or I can wait till you fall asleep, and I browse through memories,' he stated.

'Alonso, you can't fix everything,' she snapped at him.

'Oh! So you do wish to fix whatever it is between you two. Not that I had the intention to',' he replied.

'That's not what I meant,' she told him.

'It's what you said,' he responded.

'We met agreed to be together and went our separate ways, thats all it was,' she snapped.

'Except it wasn't. Was it Alexis?' Alonso asked calmly.

Alexis began to cry, and Alonso hugged her.

'Alexis, please tell me. I can't fix it if I don't understand,' he said to her.

'It can't be fixed, Alonso, "she sobbed , hugging him back.

'Did he hurt you?' Alonso whispered. She shook her head, still crying.

'Do you want me to chase him away?' he asked again.

'It's fine,' she responded. Someone knocked on the door.

'Who is it?,' Asher asked.

'Sir, the military doctors have arrived,' Flora called from outside.

'Go,' Alexis said to him with a sad smile.

'Promise not to do anything I will regret,' he said to her.

'I thought that was your job, I'm just your assistant,' she teased, making him laugh.

'We'll finish this talk when I come back,' he said, and walked out of the office.

Alexis sat alone but heard a soft knock on the door shortly after a few minutes.

'Come in,' she said, and Margery walked in.

'Is everything alright?' Alexis asked, standing up.

'Yes, lady Alexis', Margery responded.

'Please just call me Alex. It is fine,' she responded.

'Please sit down', Alexis said politely, making space on the couch for Magery to join her.

'I came to thank you for helping my mate and I,' Magery said upon finding a comfortable position.

'You have nothing to be thankful for. It was our responsibility,' Alexis responded.

'Still, I must thank you. We had been on the road since yesterday, facing rejection after rejection. He had made up his mind to surrender himself to the authorities to protect me and our baby, even though we both knew that if he did, I would never see him again,' she said sadly.

'Then what happened?' Alexis asked.

'Out of desperation, I forced him to go to my parents, and they asked us to come here, giving us the number to call and who to ask for. They told us we would find shelter here while they convinced the magic council to grant us immunity. We were followed by the vampires, but they didn't start attacking us until we got close to this place, and then you came. I was so scared I had lost him,' Margery said, crying.

'I am sorry for all you've been through. You are safe now,' Alexis responded, holding her hand.

'What will they do to my husband?' Margery asked.

'I dont know,' Alexis answered truthfully.

'Reginald didn't kill Asher. Asher is his closest friend. You would almost call them brothers despite their age gap. Reginald could hardly make a decision without seeking Ashers' opinion. That was how close they were. Sometimes, I teased them both that Asher was the third mate in our lives, and they would both laugh about it. It was Asher that encouraged Reginald to accept our bond, and when Reginald was stripped of his titles, Asher was the first to aid us. He sent a plane to carry us to neutral territory and gave Reginalds company construction contracts worth billions in the vampire kingdom because he knew Reginald would be too proud to take money from him. It was one of those contracts that Reginald went over to discuss with him when all of this happened,' Margery said.

'Did duke Asher have enemies?,' Alexis asked.

'No, Asher was unlike most vampires. He was regal and poised but never arrogant. He was kind and respectful to everyone, and he was loved by everyone he met. He was a philanthropist and an economic genius. Most of the trade agreements between the lycans and vampires were his idea. He was an advocate for several causes, which he was very passionate about. That is how I met him and through him, met Reginald,' Margery answered.

'Could that be a clue?'

'I dont know', Margery whispered, making Alexis sigh.

'Please help us,' Margery pleaded

'I will do my best,' Alexis responded

'Can I ask you something?' Margery asked

'Anything,' Alexis responded.

'Is it true? Are you and Rafe fated mates?'

'We were,' Alexis responded.

'Please do not reject him based on our account. Rafe was not always like this. He looked up to Reginald, almost idolized him, and Reginald loved him and spolit him. The removal of Reginald as crown-prince affected Rafe even more than it affected Reginald. The older brother who loved and protected him was no longer allowed to be a part of his life, and overnight, he was thrust into the lime light as the crown prince of all shifters. Such a trauma would affect any man,' Margery said.

'Do not feel guilty about what happened between Rafe and I. We may have been fated, but we our circumstances prevent us from being together, and we both understand this,' Alexis responded.

'Rafe hides his pain beneath layers of anger and arrogance, but he's a very sensitive man. He's hurting a lot. I will not force you to accept the bond, but please dont hurt him,' Margery said

'After everything he said to you today, how can you still defend him?' Alexis asked.

Margery smiled and pulled the collar of her blouse to expose her claiming mark. It was a bite mark on the area between her neck and her shoulder.

'See this?,' she said, showing it to Alexis.

'It's your mating mark,' Alexis said with a tone of admiration as she looked at it.

'When a lycan claims you, they share their thoughts, emotions and sometimes even their memories with you,' Margery said.

'Does it hurt?,' Alexis asked, making Margery laugh.

'It's s not as bad as it looks. It's actually quite pleasurable,' Margery responded.

'What I feel for Rafe is what Reginald feels for him, and that is why I understand him so well and why I feel responsible for him. I beg you, please do not hurt him. He is all alone, and I am powerless to protect him,' she continued.

Alonso ran into the room, panting.

'Alonso, what's wrong?' Alexis asked with a tone of worry.

'Reginald...what happened to him?' Margery asked, whimpering.

'Margery?' she heard her mate call out to her weakly through their mate bond. She looked at Alonso in shock, who smiled at her.

'Go to him, you're the first name he called when he opened his eyes,' Alonso said to her. She hugged Alonso, thanking him profusely before running as much as her belly allowed her.