Free Web NovelChapter 111: Chapter 111 He Will Never Meet His Fated Mate In This Lifetime
Or perhaps it merely found her interesting and amusing.
Whatever the reason was, Gideon decided he would rather act first and sort out his thoughts later once Ashley was no longer in front of him. Otherwise, if his wolf truly lost control, then whatever action it took next would undoubtedly become just as aggressive and absurd as what happened the last time they met.
"Yes, and you?" Gage replied simply.
However, even without hearing Gideon’s answer, Gage could already roughly guess why the man was here. After all, what businessman would willingly ignore such a massive opportunity without making a move?
Even though Gage himself was not as deeply involved in the business world as his eldest brother, he still understood enough to recognize that Maple Leaf City was currently a huge piece of pie that countless powerful people wanted a share of.
Still, despite his calm response, the tone in Gage’s voice carried a faint trace of hostility.
Perhaps it was because he could already sense that Gideon seemed somewhat interested in Ashley.
And that alone immediately put Gage on guard.
After all, Ashley had only just returned to their family. How could he possibly allow a man like Gideon Augustus Walker to set his sights on her so easily, especially when Gideon’s reputation was far from ideal?
It was not that Gideon was disreputable or involved in scandals. Rather, his reputation was simply... difficult. Everyone described him as colder than an iceberg, dangerously temperamental, indifferent toward others, and impossible to approach.
Combined with the oppressive aura he naturally carried, very few people genuinely dared get close to him willingly.
So why would Gage ever allow his sister to become entangled with someone like that?
What if Ashley ended up getting hurt?
Because of that, Gage instinctively began placing distance between them as early as now.
And honestly, this was simply a man’s intuition.
After all, men understood other men best.
"Actually, I just arrived in this city as well," Gideon said calmly, his expression remaining completely unchanged. "I was planning to meet some of the local business moguls to discuss potential opportunities, and I presume you’re here for the same reason. Since our goals align, why don’t we go together? Perhaps we might even find an opportunity to cooperate and share resources."
The invitation rolled naturally off his tongue without the slightest hesitation.
However, the moment the words left his mouth, Gideon inwardly regretted them a little.
Even he could tell that the offer sounded suspiciously proactive coming from someone like him.
After all, under normal circumstances, Gideon Augustus Walker was not the type to casually invite others to work together, especially the people he barely knew. Yet now, he had done exactly that without even thinking carefully beforehand.
And worst of all, he could clearly sense how guarded Gage had already become around him.
The man was obviously wary of him and clearly did not want him getting too close to Ashley. Any fool could see that much. Yet instead of stepping back, Gideon found himself doing the complete opposite and attempting to insert himself further into their company.
Honestly, even he could not fully understand why he was acting this way.
Perhaps it was precisely because Gage was trying to keep him away from Ashley that the urge to approach her became even stronger. Or perhaps it was because the moment he saw her again, his wolf had already become far too restless for him to think rationally anymore.
"Losing your patience, aren’t you?" Xiberius’s smug voice suddenly echoed inside Gideon’s mind, filled with unmistakable amusement.
The comment immediately caused Gideon’s jaw to tense slightly.
Because deep down, he knew Xiberius was right.
He really was beginning to lose control over his emotions, and that was something that had almost never happened to him before. Gideon had always been someone terrifyingly composed and rational, no matter the situation. Whether facing danger, negotiations, or bloodshed, he was always able to maintain absolute control over himself.
Yet now, merely standing in front of Ashley was enough to make his emotions fluctuate unpredictably.
And honestly...
He hated it.
He hated the unfamiliar restlessness inside his chest, hated how his wolf kept interfering with his thoughts, and hated how his attention kept unconsciously gravitating toward the woman standing behind Gage.
But at the same time, the feeling was strangely not as unbearable as he expected it to be.
In fact, there was even a dangerous sense of exhilaration hidden beneath the irritation, making the entire situation even more troublesome for him. The contradiction between annoyance and attraction continuously messed with his head, leaving Gideon feeling more unsettled than ever before.
"Shut up, Xiberius," Gideon growled coldly inside his mind, his irritation becoming increasingly obvious.
Truthfully, Gideon had always been a control freak by nature. Among all things, what he hated most was losing control, especially over his own emotions. That was precisely why his current state frustrated him so much.
Although this sudden change did not feel entirely unpleasant, the fact that he could not pinpoint the exact reason behind it made him deeply unsettled.
Ever since his first encounter with Ashley at the Black Mountain Pack and then meeting her again at the mall afterward, Gideon had begun suspecting something.
Perhaps... Ashley was somehow his fated mate.
Honestly, that possibility would explain many things far more easily.
The overwhelming attraction he felt toward her, the way her scent intoxicated him to the point of clouding his judgment, and the uncontrollable possessiveness rising inside him whenever another man approached her, those reactions were all extremely similar to what werewolves supposedly experienced upon meeting their destined mate. frёewebηovel.cѳm
Yet whenever he questioned Xiberius about it, his wolf would immediately deny it.
And that contradiction only made things even more confusing.
Because aside from the intense attraction and instinctive pull toward Ashley, Gideon could not sense the deeper connection that should supposedly exist between fated mates. He could not feel the invisible thread binding them together. It always felt as though something crucial was missing, leaving the entire situation incomplete and strangely unresolved.
But what exactly was missing...
Even Gideon himself could not figure it out.
And because of that uncertainty, Gideon found himself growing increasingly frustrated, agitated... and strangely even more attracted to her.
Ashley felt like a poppy to him — beautiful, intoxicating, and dangerously addictive.
The closer he got to her, the more she seemed to cloud his judgment and quietly chip away at the control he prided himself on maintaining. Her mere presence could easily influence his emotions and moods without her even realizing it, and that alone made her dangerously fatal in Gideon’s eyes.
Especially for someone like him.
Beneath Gideon’s cold and composed exterior already lay emotions volatile enough to become destructive if left unchecked. He simply controlled them better than most people ever could. Yet Ashley’s existence felt like a detonator capable of igniting all those tightly restrained impulses at once and blowing his self-control completely out of proportion.
"Have you forgotten that we will never meet our fated mate in this lifetime?" Xiberius suddenly spoke again, but this time, the smugness in its tone had completely faded.
Instead, there was an unmistakable trace of pain hidden beneath its voice.
