Alpha Asher By Jane Doe
Chapter 123

Chapter 123 — “You handled that well.” Asher chuckled, his laugh deep and rich like liquid amber. Hisbreath was hot and curled in the air between us. The cold metal of the car chilled my back, easilyseeping through Asher’'s sweatshirt. His hand rested on the roof of the car and his eyes weredevastatingly serious as he said, “I was going to tell him to take his questions and f**k off.”

I always took the chance to toy with my hot-headed mate, especially when he made it so incrediblyeasy.

I gave him a petulant look and tried to push past him, “you never did have any manners.”

My back hit the side of the car with a little more force this time. Rather than hurting me, it brought atwisted smile to my face. My head swam with his earthy scent as he leaned in close, always hoveringover me. I could feel his fingers tangling in my hair where they hadn't been before.

“You're wrong, I have some manners.” He lowered his head and breathed in my scent. The stubbleon his cheek grazed my neck, sending goosebumps pebbling my skin. He noticed every reaction mybody had to his and chuckled in my ear. “If I didn't, this entire hospital would hear me f**k you onthe hood of the car, and don't bother lying, Lola. You wouldn't lift a finger to stop me.”

I got my revenge an hour into our drive home. The sun had vanished, darkening the sky as themoon's silvery light took hold. The glittering forest, sprawling with light and life turned dark andmysterious at night. You could fully appreciate how dense it was when day turned to night and theslivers of shadow began gather and pulse.

I had been ignoring them for a while now and hadn't even allowed myself to glance their way. Theywere always there, just out of sight-constantly reminding me what they could do. What they couldoffer. No matter how tempting tapping into that power was, the price was rarely ever worth it.

The darkness paired with the curvy highway was lulling me back to sleep, but there was something Iwanted even more than another long nap something Asher had knowingly put into my head.Letting the image form in my mind, I pictured the two of us parked in a secluded dirt lot. Thefreezing metal of the car hood on my back was nothing compared to the heat of Asher's c**k fillingme, or the warmth his hand provided as it wrapped around my throat, his thumb stroking my cheekas he told me how good I was-how well I took everything he gave. I sent the mental image downthe mate-bond, always underestimating his reaction.

I grabbed onto what my dad called the “oh s**t" handle as Asher’s head snapped to where I sat,sending the car veering into the other lane. The tones of bright honey had been sucked from hiseyes within half a second. Blinking rapidly, he sent us back into the right lane. Thankfully, we werethe only car on the road, which is what finally made me giggle.

"What the h**l, Lola.” His snarl was angry, but he couldn't stop glancing my way.

Toying with Asher, letting him evoke these feelings and emotions, it was a distraction fromeverything else going on, one I needed if I were going to survive the upcoming weeks. I wasdetermined to savor every uninterrupted moment alone with him.

Even though he was now expecting the next few clips I sent his way, he clearly underestimated mycreativity. His knuckles turned white on the steering wheel, and his hair was now a mess from thenumber of times he ran his fingers through it. I had always been a fan of Asher in sweatpants,especially now that the material was stretched taut against his e******n_

The moment the scent of my arousal permeated the car, Asher jerked us to the side of the road. Asmall stretch of gravel provided even more coverage, not that it mattered with how quickly he torethe clothes from my body and pressed me against the hood. The husky sounds he made as hecursed me for being so tempting, for constantly wanting a rise out of him, they'd forever be searedinto my memory.

I was riding a post-s*x high until we reached his parent's house and I remembered I was going todredge up some unpleasant memories, Dad still loved her in a way and remembering that thewoman he knew had a life full of secrets only brought him pain.

It was around ten o'clock at night when we strolled into Asher's parents house. The scent ofgrandma's lavender cookies was within every corner of the house, and even trickled outside as wewalked through the front door.

Standing by the large entertainment center in the living room was Killian, a glass of amber liquor inhis hand. Dad sat back in the leather recliner attached to the sectional. His eyes flitted up from thefootball game on tv as he greeted us.

“If you're lookin’ for Sean he's not here, took up a part-time patrol shift. What's got you twosmelling like that?” Dad grunted, scrunching his nose as he took a long drink of the beer in hishand.

For a moment embarrassment flooded my cheeks, but the scent of what Asher and I had done waslong gone. What did cling to our our clothes and skin was the sterile scent of the hospital."Definitely a hospital.” Claire's soprano came from the kitchen, followed by a head of chocolate-brown hair. She held one of grandma's cookies in her hand, and judging from the jumbo size, I'd saygrandma in for a long night. “Only been to one a handful of times. I'm definitely not fond of them.”“I never could stand the smell of those places.” He shook his head, his mind most likely flitting backto his injury and the physical therapy appointments he absolutely loathed going to.

Grandma flitted out of the kitchen a couple seconds later, her soft-black hair twisted into a bun onher head. The plate clinked against the glass-top table, turning it smoky from the steam. Tiny budsof lavender dotted the tops of the cookies, coupling with the specks of vanilla bean to form abeautiful pattern.

“Claire's asked me to bake a few things for the University's bake-sale fundraiser.” Grandma smiledproudly, her apron speckled with hints of brown sugar and flour.

"Begged was more like it. My cooking skills are sub-par and haven't improved much over the years.”Claire sighed and shook her head. Killian looked her way, his eyes glazing over for just a fewseconds before the forlorn look was wiped from her face, replaced with an intimate smile. Shecleared her throat, blushing as she continued without pause. “Still, I could get used to this if I'm notcareful. Your grandma is going to have the whole town hooked on these things. I might have to buyher a shop in town.”

Dad chuckled, his chest rumbling from the gravely sound. “It's worse when you're raised on it.”

“You hire someone else to run the place and give me free reigns of the kitchen and you got yourselfa deal.” Grandma said with a nod, darting back into the kitchen when the oven timer sounded.Asher gave me a single look that made my stomach drop, and for once, I wished I hadn't developedthe ability to see past his expressionless facade. I knew he had sent Claire a quick mind-link whenshe snatched up another cookie and stood from the couch.

“I think we should go look into that cookie shop.” Claire stepped into Killian's side, molding herselfto the previous Alpha’s torso.

"But the game?” Killian frowned as Claire led him down the hall, his eyebrows gnashing together inan expression nearly identical to Asher's.

A strange flutter wormed its way into my heart as I tried to picture Asher and I like that-twenty yearsolder with children of our own, looking around at all the hard work we had done over the years, andhow our family and people could relax and reap the rewards. It was the future e worked towards,one where all people, werewolf or vampire, could safely have families of their own.

Dad's low chuckle startled me, “now that you've gone and chased everyone off, what's it youwanted to talk to me about? I might not be as useful as I once was, but I still got some of yourgrandma's genes. Mean's it's a little harder to pull the wool over my eyes.”

I took half a second to calm my nerves before jumping right in. Subtlety wasn't my strong suit, and Ihad spent the better half of the day gnawing over scenario after scenario. Rather than pull up apicture of the sigil on my chest, I lowered my shirt to show where my heart rested within myribcage. Inches below my collar bone sat the sigil, it's dark ink just as bright as Asher’s cobalt markon my skin.

“This thing on my chest, it's a mark from a binding spell-to bind my magic. Mom was the closestperson to me who knew the full truth about everything. Binding my magic sounds like somethingshe would do, trying to keep me safe while also making things more complicated...but I need toknow for sure so we can replace a way to remove it.” I sighed, guilt swirling within the depths of mystomach when an echo of pain flashed across his eyes- eyes I once thought held my same shade ofblue. Father and daughter in every sense except for blood. “I need you to think back, as far back asyou can. Did anything-anything at all stand out as strange to you? Was there ever a time where youdidn’t know where she was or what she was doing? I hate bringing this up, but I wouldn't if I weren'tsure she had something to do with it.”

"Other than when she came home with you bundled in her arms, crying that she had made amistake, there's only one other time I can remember. When you were five, your mom and I weregoing through a rough patch. Sean was getting into his pre-teen years, and he was nearing his firstshift so his hormones were all over the place. Things were getting bad with him in school. A fewkids, they could tell he wasn't going to have a she-wolf for a mate. For a long while, your mom and Iargued on how to approach it. She wanted to storm the school with her claws drawn and raise h**I. Ididn't want the kid to feel like it was something abnormal or strange...so I disagreed.” Dad clearedhis throat. Regret flashed in his eyes, mingling with the wisdom and experience he accumulatedover the years. “I thought we were close to divorce, so I told her I understood when she took youand went to mom's cottage.”

“I'm sorry-she said what?” Grandma's head popped out from the kitchen, and as though she couldsee it through the clothes I wore, her eyes latched onto the binding spell sigil. “That woman neverbrought Lola to my house-certainly not by herself.”