Alpha Asher By Jane Doe
Chapter 159

Hours later I could still hear his roar in my ears, trickling down my spine in wave after wave ofcrippling pleasure . His face was painted in my head , eyes black with need and jaw carved fromstone even though the promises he whispered were soft and sweet . It played in the background ofmy mind and along the swollen , tender bits of my skin as Rowena’s delicate voice threaded wordstogether in small notes of conversation

"I'm not sensing any magic attached to him . ” She said with an encroaching frown, her lips paintedin a new shade of lipstick — one with a nude undertone that reminded me of a caramel latte . Herdainty hands moved swiftly , weaving around one another in a graceful dance that was mademysterious by the jade glow they emitted . A scowl coated Asher’s face in harsh lines and angleswhen she dropped them abruptly . “ ... just a great deal of stress , and quite a bit of anger

" As I thought he would , Asher stood from the leather chair the moment a wilting note of sympathylaced itself within Rowena's voice . “ With the pressure you're both under, no one can blame eitherone you for acting swiftly . You're both so'young , with such little time to enjoy it. ” The stubbleacross his jawline rippled from the tensing of his muscles as he grunted , “ There will be plenty oftime to enjoy youth once the people murdering our pack members are brought to light .

"" Yes ... well , with that attitude you're bound to succeed . ” She replied , aiming a tight — lippedfrown in his direction . It mirrored one a teacher might make when an unruly child spoke out of turn. Her eyes , the same jade green as the treetops outside , slid over the stony expression on my faceand stalled . ” Will I still be seeing you at training today , Lola ? * She'll be there . ” Asher answeredfirst, his voice curt and attention placed solely o n me even though the witch he replied to wasstanding a few feet to his left . I didn't break my stare from his , and instead listened to the ominousbeat our hearts made , counting each note until Rowena cleared her throat and said, ” I'll leave youboth to talk, then ...

"" You've gone fully insane if you think I'm letting you out of my sight . “I told him only after thethud of the heavy office door swinging shut faded from our ears . My words hung in the air betweenus and were much truer than either of us could've known . As his eyes narrowed and head tilted , Ishifted on my feet and nearly bumped into the bar cart and coffee maker I stood beside — both ofwhich I knew were unused because Asher didn't drink coffee . “ I may be called insane in tomorrow'spapers, but what this article is calling you i s much worse . .

" Both his baritone and the tiny ink of the newspaper clipping traveled the short distance to pelt mewith the truth . He spun the page around and stopped it with a finger . “ I'll spare you the specifics ,so you'll still be surprised once you read it yourself, but it paints a pretty little picture of your lifethis past year . Tyler's birthday , returning home , meeting me , the murders . The wolf that wrotethis , the web of lies that they've spun —

It's more than convincing . It's already begun to turn heads , and not just ones in our pack." *Whose , then ? " I asked and instantly regretted it when his fists clenched , and irritation flashedwithin the pits of his eyes . His laugh was as dry as the air I sucked into my lungs, swirling with dustparticles that made my throat constrict . ” The ones surrounding ours know , and the news isspreading by the hour . Within a month every pack in the world will know someone else's version ofyour story . They'll have more reason than ever to hate you and every witch or vampire they stumbleacross .

" His eyes softened at the sudden rush of my fear, but he didn't move from where he stood . Iwasn't sure my stomach could plummet any further, but as always Asher lived to prove me wrong .I could practically taste the wicked promise on his tongue when he said , * I wish I could tell you thatwere it, but it's not . Our old friend Alpha Bran .... he’s already campaigning against you.” You'rejoking . * Cassidy hissed , narrowing her eyes in a way that reminded me of Breyona .

I had mind linked my best — friend during the fifteen — minute drive to the training center and toldher everything that happened after our peaceful morning turned tumultuous . Part of me needed asecond opinion on what happened with Asher, while the other side wanted to shove his viciousglassy — eyed stare deep within the depths o f my mind , buried so deep I'd never have t o hear theempty tone of his voice again , a Half an hour later I found myself sitting beside Cassidy, stretchingon the padded mats that lined the classroom we met in every weekday for training . With over adozen other students doing warm — ups around us , talking wasn't an option .

"1 wish I were joking . * I sighed out loud , leaning forwards to touch my toes . Cassidy followed mymovements and together we stared at the floor, our ponytails grazing the sweaty , bloodstainedmat. I mean you saw him . H e was he was feral or something . How does that just happen tosomeone ? “ ... maybe it is an Alpha thing . * Cassidy's baby blues were reluctant as they, flitted overto meet my own . When I turned my head in her direction and the burn in my muscles faded intostatic , she swallowed and quickly explained . * What I mean is there's still a lot we don’t know aboutAlphas .

They're stronger , faster ... they have bigger wolves . We know they have rage and possessivenessdown to a science , but maybe this is what happens when an Alpha gets overwhelmed ... “* Youdon't seem convinced of that, and you're the one that's known him his entire life .

I pointed out the obvious , returning to a standing position in time for Emilia to begin today’s lesson. Even though this was the second time I'd seen her sweep into the room and claim the attention ofevery student, the awe that followed hadn't lessened . There was something incredibly feminineabout her delicate eyebrows and slender nose . Even her wide — set mouth and plump lips weresymmetrical and gave her a softness one wouldn't associate

with a warrior . Those qualities paired with her rippling muscles and broad shoulders highlighted herunique form of beauty . ” Alright, class . I know we're all a bit amped from what happened to DevinArmstrong- -and may he rest in peace, but this is when we need to settle down and focus . You'rehere to learn how to defend yourself , to master your weaknesses and turn them into strengths .That, my students is how you stay alive . “ 15 Emilia walked the length of the room, eyeing us likewe were soldiers prepping t o step onto the battlefield . Her soprano voice bounced off the brickwalls , sharp like the commands of a general at war . I was immediately grateful she hadn't taken aside , unlike some of the students i n the room who felt the need to tell me they supported ClintArmstrong and the mess he had made .

As her speech came to its conclusion, she came to a stop at the center of the room . For a momentshe stood there , hands clasped behind her back as she stared us all down . More than half thewolves began to shift on their feet, averting their eyes in favor of the floor, ceiling, or their athleticshoes . Even Cassidy's jaw began to clench, but I knew from the stubbornness written across herface that she'd never submit to Emilia .

It was my position in this pack which made staring into her champagne tinted eyes all too easy . ”How many of you know the ten core fundamentals to Krav Maga ? “ Emilia asked , holding my stareas though she were waiting for me to raise my hand . No one else in the room responded , exceptfor Cassidy who let out a disgruntled huff under her breath . As my hand inched into the air and thecurious and condemning of the other students fell on my face , I felt a rush of Maya's stubbornstrength fill my bones . eyes ” Luna, if you'd be kind enough to tell us the first three ... “ Emilia said ,gesturing to the room to show that everyone was waiting for me to speak . I stepped forwards andmet the eyes of the

students staring me down , the word murderer * written across the tense muscles in their faces . ”The first is to aim for your opponents * weak points . “ I said loudly, plastering my attention on ashe — wolf who at the beginning of class felt the need to snarl the word traitor as I walked into theroom . My words were directed at her and her alone . Shifting weight to a particular side couldmean a childhood injury that didn’t heal correctly .

" Without waiting for the blood to rush to her face and embarrassment to claim her features 1pivoted my head in the direction of another student, this one a muscular guy who promised I'dreceive my comeuppance soon enough . “ The second and third go hand in hand . Quick andpowerful responses are what will save you in battle . You have to be ready for the situation to gofrom 0 to 100 ... but strength will only get you so far . Speed and technique are crucial .

They'll win you any fight, no matter how big the H meathead you're up against is. “ One by one Iran through them all , using each fundamental to pick apart the weaknesses of the students whodecided t o stand against me and Asher . As I recited each one by memory , courtesy of Chris whopummeled me into the dirt until they were etched into the back of my skull , Emilia’s smile seemedto widen . “ Wonderful .

" She exhaled , speaking only after I'd finished shaming half the class . I f she noticed theirembarrassment and anger she didn’t let on . Her eyes darted from face to face, ... now that is awarrior . Someone who not only memorizes every single aspect of a fighting form, but also usesthose moves in a way that turns them into art — into a dance where one lives and the other dies . ”Once she finished making the rounds, her attention returned to me . “ Luna, would you mindsparring with me ? I'd like to give the class a demonstration of a few of those fundamentals . “ * Ofcourse . " I replied instantly and without a hint of hesitation . ... good luck, she punches hard . *Cassidy's voice trickled into my head , and I glanced back to see her eyebrows furrowed and lipspursed in the direction of our trainer.

I made sure to take my time approaching, using those valuable seconds to scan Emilia from headto toe . Her widening grin told me she knew what I was doing and was thrilled to see me respondaccordingly . As I watched her walk a few feet to her left, I noted no imperfections i n her longstride nor in the way she bounced on the balls of her feet

" This might actually be challenging .... Maya murmured , impressed even though we'd yet to begin ." Can anyone here tell me what our Luna just did ? ” Emilia asked the class once I stood at her side .When no one raised their hands she continued , ” She sized me up and took in my movements ,posture , and the way I distribute my weight

This i s what a warrior does . They see the fight i n their head before it even begins, and that waythey'll always be prepared . ” ” The man who trained me always said preparing is half the victory . * Isaid both t o Emilia and the class, thinking back to simple days in Grandma's cottage , wheretraining with Chris was the most strenuous thing I had to deal with .

Emilia’s eyes twinkled pleasantly.when she asked , * And what is the other half, Luna ? “ “ The otherhalf is earned . ” I told her, this time turning away from the class to stare into the eyes of the she —wolf Cassidy claimed long ago tried to win Asher over .

There was no malice I could detect whether it be with my eyes or what strange sense unlocking mymagic had given me . Either way, right now she was a n opponent . With that reminder swirling i nmy head , I squared my shoulders and sank into my fighting stance . “ Through blood and sweat , itis earned .