Ivy's POV

Friday, August 17, 2018

When Friday rolls around, I find myself dreading the coming weekend. I'd been looking forward to it less than a week ago, but now that it means two whole days without Asher, it seems like a cruel punishment. My Dad will be here to pick me up around 4. Asher and I both got out of class at 11 today because his last class was canceled, so at least we had a few hours together before we had to head home. We spent the time relaxing beneath OUR tree. I still love that he called it that. I may be overthinking things, but it feels like acceptance to me. I can tell when he looks at me that he feels more for me than he wants to reveal, but I can be patient. I know I'm already in love with him, but I don't want to scare him away by admitting it too soon.

As the time for my father's arrival nears, Asher walks me back to my room to grab my things. "Hey Asher, do you think maybe you might like to come to meet my Dad?" I ask as we begin walking back towards the lobby. "No pressure or anything. I mean I know we haven't been together long, but you are important to me, and so is he. I was just hoping.... Geez Louise, I'm rambling. Forget it. We can do that anoth-" Asher cuts of my words with a small kiss as he smiles fondly at me.

"Calm down, Ivy. I would love to meet him, I just hope I don't embarrass you." He chuckles. " We both know that sometimes my brain and mouth disagree on what should be vocalized."

I smile at that." Don't worry, he will love you just as much as I do." I snap my mouth shut looking over at him worriedly. Asher isn't the only one with a dysfunctional brain to mouth filter.

He smiles teasingly at my expression before asking in a sing-song voice, "Oh you lo-ove me, do you?"

I can tell by his playful tone that he is only joking, the look in his eyes tells me clearly that he expects me to be embarrassed and deny it, but I can't bring myself to lie to him. He is my mate, and while I understand the necessity for some secrets right now, I will not give him a blatant untruth. Steeling myself for his possible negative reaction, I stand with as much bravado as I can muster and give him the honesty that he deserves. "Yes, Asher. I do. I love you more than anything in this world or the next. I know it is soon, but you are my other half, and I will treasure you for as long as you let me, and even if you turn me away, I will treasure you still, until the last breath escapes from my body."

By the time I finish my declaration, Asher's eyes are so big they practically take up his entire face.He is silent for a long time, but I have learned that this is his reaction to any sort of surprising news, so instead of jumping to conclusions, I wait him out. It takes him several minutes to come back to himself, but when he does, he wraps me in his arms and crushes me to his chest. Burying his face in my neck, I feel him take in a shaky breath before whispering close to my ear, " I love you, too. It is very soon, but I don't think that matters. Being with you feels right, like for the first time in my life, I am who I'm supposed to be. Never would I turn my back on you."

I feel tears prick my eyes at his heartfelt statement. 'Did you hear that, Emmy?' I ask my joyful wolf. 'He loves me!' I practically shout at her.

She laughs long and loud, giddy from this new development.'Yes, my dear human, I heard. I am so happy.' Her laughter dies down, and in a more thoughtful tone, she says,' I think you should tell him soon. I don't think he would run from us, not now, and the longer we keep this a secret from him, the more likely he is to feel betrayed.'

I can see the logic in her statement, but I'm not looking forward to the big reveal. I'm so worried that he will be scared or disgusted by me. 'I know you are right, but not right now. We are about to be apart for two days, and I don't think it is the kind of news to share and run.'

'Agreed. Just don't wait too long, I am excited to meet him officially, and I can't do that until he knows I exist.' She tells me with a wolfy grin.

I mentally roll my eyes at her snark, ' Yes oh great and powerful wolf of mine, your wish is my command.'

She huffs haughtily, ' My name does mean powerful, so I guess the Moon Goddess knew what she was doing when she named me. It is nice to finally hear you acknowledge my greatness.' Her sassy tail swish almost has me laughing out loud. 

I come back to myself as Asher begins to pull away from our hug. He looks down at his watch with a heavy sigh before resting his forehead against mine. "As much as I hate to say it, we should head out to the parking lot. Your dad will be here any minute."

I nod solemnly before grabbing the bag that I had dropped at my feet and taking his hand as he leads the way outside.

*I'm here, baby girl* I hear through the pack link just before we round the corner. I'm momentarily surprised by the mental intrusion. I've never gone this long away from my pack, so the silence of the past several days almost made me forget what it was like to have such a close connection. The thought of being surrounded by my pack again slightly soothes the ache of the impending separation from Asher.

*Be there soon, Daddy. Asher is with me, so please, I'm begging you, don't embarrass me.* His throaty chuckle doesn't reassure me.

As we turn the corner, I see him standing next to his car and I don't even try to hold back my squeal of happiness as I release Asher and run into my dad's waiting arms. His scent is so comforting and I realize I missed him even more than I thought. When I realize that I left Asher behind, I quickly pull back before looking over at him. He is slowly approaching with an amused smile as he watches my reunion, and when he gets closer I step up next to him while reaching out to reclaim his hand. " Daddy, this is my boyfriend, Asher Reed." I tell my father proudly."Asher, this is my dad, Calum Grant."

^^Calum Grant, AKA Ivy's Dad^^

Asher offers his free hand to my father, but he just stares at it with a stoic expression before blatantly disregarding my request and asking in a stern tone," Asher Reed, huh? And just what are your intentions with my little girl?"

With a level of confidence that surprises me, Asher straightens his shoulders before earnestly saying, "I intend to cherish her with all that I am, sir. I am honored that she allows me to call her my own."

The grin that splits my dad's face is immediate and he roughly pulls Asher into a hug, surprising a grunt out of him. Asher seems unsure of what to do now, but after a second he reaches up and awkwardly pats my dad's back a few times. When he is finally released, his face is red but he looks pleased, so I'm not worried about it.

"Now that's what I like to hear, son. Welcome to the pa- er - family." The slip surprises me. Daddy is usually very careful, but Asher doesn't look like he noticed, so all is well.

"Thank you, Mr. Grant." He says with a happy chuckle.

"Oh none of that, Call me Calum. Well, Ivy, I hate to drag you away from this nice young man, but your mother is expecting you for dinner, so we need to head out." He turns back to Asher, " It was a pleasure meeting you, I'm sure I'll be seeing you again very soon." With that, he turns and walks back to the car with a wink in my direction, giving me a small amount of privacy to say goodbye.

"Well, that went better than I expected." Asher says with a soft smile. " I'm really going to miss you. Would it be alright if I called you tomorrow?"

I snort out a laugh, " If you don't, I will be greatly disappointed. I better go now, though. Goodbye, Asher."

He pulls me in for one last hug while pressing a soft kiss to my cheek, " Bye, Ivy." With that, he pulls away and walks backward for a few steps before sending me a final sad smile and turning back towards his dorm.

I sigh dramatically as I climb into the passenger's seat of my dad's car. He looks over at me with a chuckle, " I like him, Ivy. He has a hidden strength. He is a good match for you."

Smiling up at him, I wistfully reply, "I know, Daddy. He is perfect."

A/N: Alright! We are coming up on the big reveal! How do you think Asher will react when he finds out that his girlfriend is a werewolf? Please Comment and Vote! Thanks for reading - TheCaster369