Alpha Asher By Jane Doe
Chapter 154

Chapter 154

"1know , it's insane . ” Breyona's laugh was breathless and just a bit choked up as she wiped thetears from her eyes . Staring off into the forest, her voice unnaturally soft she said, ” I neverthought I'd be able t o feel that kind of freedom again .... it's like -it's like I can breathe again.” >>" Breyona , I don’t know why they did that ... but there's no way they won't want something inreturn. ” I wasn't sure what made my chest ache more , warning my best — friend her dream cometrue might actually be a nightmare , or seeing the denial bleed across her face when I continuedcarefully, “ I'm just worried they'll take back what they gave you in the first place ...

"1 didn't want to say it, but she wasn't giving me a choice . There was stubborn refusal in her warmhazelnut eyes , but I knew no matter how miserable she was without her wolf , she'd be worse offwithout Giovanni . “ ... Giovanni's life . ” I murmured and watched as the iron bars of resolutionslammed down over her eyes .

"No, that's not it . ” Breyona stood from the patio chair but made no move to head insideFrustration was written across every corner of her face and was obvious in the semi — aggressiveway she pulled her hair back . ” So I'm not a witch, but that doesn’t mean my gut feelings can't beright too .

Well, right now mine is telling me they wouldn't take my wolf and save Gio's life , only to return herand finish the job . ” I wanted to reassure her, but the only thing I felt was worried , both for herand Giovanni . ” Why can't I just have both ? “ Her voice cracked , and she clenched her hands intofists while letting out a shaky breath . Devastation still shimmered in her eyes, but she held it downso well . ” Let's — let's just drop it for tonight, okay ? I know we can't ignore it forever ...

but if I could just have these few days with Gio . We can figure out what to do when I come back .Just from watching her pull the splintered shards of emotion from her skin and patch herselftogether, I realized I might've not given my best — friend enough credit . Not once had she faltereda t my side , even though she was going through so much herself . Instead she kept her problems toherself , even though a subtle feeling told me she'd been drowning in them .

Feeling like a monumentally crappy friend I stood and wrapped my arms around her waist, which Iwas sure looked comical since I was nearly a foot shorter than her . Sure enough , she began tochuckle, but I could hear the sniffling it covered . Watching the happiness that had just beenrekindled fade in her eyes had a sobering affect

" We're going to make sure you can have both, Breyona . I'll use every bit of magic I have to makesure of it. ” I promised , cracking a grin at her brave nod and the way she hastily wiped at her eyes .Minutes later , Cassidy eagerly interrupted with news about her lacrosse player ex boyfriend ,Kendrick . With gossip and a rapidly cooling pizza waiting, Breyona and I raced back inside .

While we stuffed our faces with pizza from the small parlor down the street, Cassidy told us allabout her whirlwind romance with Kendrick — which seemed more fueled by lust than anything else .Breyona wrinkled her nose at my slice of Hawaiian every other minute , but otherwise was absorbedin every seedy detail of Cassidy's story

"My mom was absolutely against Kendrick from the start, despite what she says . It took her almosta year just to get over the fact that I wasn't Asher or Brandon's mate . * Cassidy rolled her eyes andlet out a small huff as she tore the crust off her slice of pizza . From what I could tell of herexpression , she looked more exasperated than jealous or longing .

I didn't have nearly enough to drink to feel comfortable asking my questions outright , but Iapparently Breyona had . ” Did you want to be one of their mates ? “ Her voice grew quieter eventhough there was no one in the house to hear us . Any wolves patrolling the grounds would be wellout of range , but that didn't stop her

from asking it as though it were a secret . She hiccupped once and added , * ... don’t worry, Lola isfreakishly good at not getting jealous . She won't go all tri — brid o n you for talking about her mate“When I snorted in her direction her smile widened . Maya's tail swished in my head , letting meknow how wrong our endearing friend was about us not getting jealous . ” I've definitely thoughtabout how incredible it would be to be Luna, but at this point being mated to one of them wouldfeel like being mated to a brother .

" Cassidy wrinkled her nose , creasing some of the freckles splattered along its slim surface . ” I thinkour parents expected it because of how persistent I was back then . The minute I saw Brandon andAsher wrestling in the dirt, rougher than all the other kids , I knew I wanted to be best friends .The ease at which she spoke dissolved the tension in the room .

If there was any hesitance on her end , I couldn't sense it. M y relationship with Asher and the titlesI'd been given didn't affect the things she said , or the way she treated me . It was refreshing andeased the rest of the trepidation I had towards Cassidy .* Asher said himself , he's never even kissedher . Which means there's no reason to be jealous .

"I reminded my wolf , who at times could be much more hot headed and stubborn than myself . Acontemplative look forced her lower lip out in a pout, which lasted but a few seconds . ” I'm suremy mom won't hate Kendrick this time around . Hm, I might just cancel my date with Lars . Kendrickhas a game out of town that day anyway , and I'm nothing if not persistent — which means I have togo too , especially if there's a good afterparty

" Clara's pretty persistent with Mason ... Breyona pointed out, folding a slice in half before taking alarge bite . I tried to wait patiently as she chewed , but I was already hooked . * ... but I don't thinkit's friendship she's after. ” “ What do you think she’s after ? ” I asked before Cassidy got the chance, and noticed I was the only one of us to appear worried .

Understanding in the form of a cringe slapped me across the face when Breyona leaned in and said ," His di- " “ Wow , okay . Um, are you sure ? How do you know ? " Even though heat blossomedacross my face , I pursed my lips and waited for an answer . " Mason stepped out of training to takea call from her right when I walked in the building . ” She smirked tipsily , gently waving her uneatenslice of pizza around a s she talked

" Naturally, harassed him until he told me everything . She's been asking Asher for him for daysnow , but Mason keeps refusing . Well, one of Mason's patrol buddies was given guard duty andshe used her taser magic and knocked him right out . Took his phone right out of his pocket andcalled Mason with it ... ” “ No way , she sounds like a total badass . Taser magic ? Goddess sign meup ! ” Cassidy exploded in warm laughter, the sound light and airy .

" That's not even the best part ... “ Breyona shook her head , making her messy bun grow loose .She tied some of the bedsheets together at the hotel and wrapped them around his waist . Masongot to the hotel and found his friend hanging off the third ~ floor balcony . Which I know soundsdangerous , but his friend had already woken up at that point . The only reason he hadn't gottenhimself down was because Clara threatened to zap him again ... and apparently a second zap s osoon after the first does something to the bowels and you just sh- “ * It sounds like she just likespissing him off

"1 replied , lifting my eyebrow in her direction." ... also, how does Mason feel about it ? “ Yeah ,she likes pissing him off the same way you like pissing Asher off . “ The cheeky grin that stretchedacross her face grew wider, because she knew she'd won this round . “ As for Mason, he wasblushing the entire time he ranted about her .

" Really , you think he likes her back ? “ I couldn't help the surprise that popped into my voice .Werewolves who found love after surviving the death of their mates were rare . Mason had a betterchance than most since he hadn't completed his bond , but that didn’t lessen the pain of knowingyour soulmate had left this world and moved on to the next .

"1 think he's attracted to her, which he'd b e an idiot not to be, but I think he doesn’t really knowwhat to do with the attention . Luckily, like I said ... she’s persistent . She'll replace some way to getthem alone together and push his buttons, just like you and Asher- “ Hey, I was never the one toget him alone * remember ? He was the one stalking me .

"1 said shrewdly , letting out a sound o f exasperation when she and Cassidy collapsed in laughter,sputtering snippets of conversation in between their snorts and wheezes . As both she — wolvessuccumbed to laughter and pawed at the tears budding i n their eyes, my thoughts darted toMason and the curvy exotic dancer who apparently had a thing for him .

There weren't any flashes of fear or other gruesome emotions warning me about the young witch ,only a healthy dose of suspicion which was far less than Asher’s regular everyday amount . Ireturned to the conversation just as the two had pulled themselves together . Cassidy was pouringherself another shot , while Breyona grabbed a few containers of ice cream from the freezer

" We're just teasing ... ” Cassidy giggled and tossed back the strong — scented liquor . Her perfectpout remained in place even though I knew her throat must be burning . “ ... I think every she — wolfdreams of meeting her mate that way . It's just so strange seeing Asher wrapped around someone'sfinger with how untouchable he can be .

" "Those are the best ones though . ” Breyona sighed , plopping down with a pint of mint chocolatechip — the worst ice cream flavor to grace this planet . “ The men that act all tough and brooding,but secretly they want you more than you could ever imagine . Mason's getting the brooding partdown, especially since meeting Clara . I think things between them would be ... explosive . He justhas to stop being so stubborn . *

She giggled at her choice of words , undoubtedly comparing it to Clara's magical abilities . Thatnight, after finishing two containers of ice cream and suffering through a long winded romanticcomedy we ended up hating halfway through , I stared at the ceiling in my bedroom and thought ofMason . It didn’t matter how much time had passed , only that I was responsible for the death of hismate .

There was no telling what could have changed with time — if she would've left her Vampire spouseto follow the bond that tugged at her soul . I'd taken that choice from her, and that future fromMason . The gentle and repetitive sound of Breyona’s snoring had yet to lull me to sleep , so Iwasted the time conjuring ways to get Mason and Clara alone together .

Most of them were juvenile, like having Asher assign Mason as her personal trainer . It wasn't toofar — fetched since Clara knew absolutely nothing about defending herself without magic, but he'dsee through me in a second if I were the one to give the order .

Someway somehow , they would replace themselves alone together, I was sure of i t. Even more so, IfBreyona were right and the spark between them mirrored Asher and I's, it would only be a matterof time before they both caught flame .

I wanted this desperately for Mason , for him to have some fraction of his happiness restored —some shred of peace reclaimed since his reason for existing had been so cruelly ripped away .Exhaustion was weighing down my eyes and pulling me into its deep abyss when my heart skippeda beat and a jolt spread throughout my chest .

Though the feeling was abrupt, there was no stopping myself from tumbling over the edge . Rightbefore plummeting , I wondered if it were my thoughts about Mason or something else entirely thatcaused my elusive magic to crackle down my nerve endings , and even more so I wondered what itmeant .