Alpha Asher By Jane Doe
Chapter 160

The moment her fist connected with my shoulder

I knew Cassidy hadn't been exaggerating . Emilia punched hard, like MMA level hard . Not onlywas she strong , but she was fast too . She came at me without warning , without shifting into astance that let me know the battle had begun . She had hoped to catch me off guard , but Chris hadskinned my hide too many times for me to make that mistake again . His method of keeping me onmy toes came in the form of sneaking through my window in the dead of night .

If I weren't o n my feet the second the window cracked open , I'd quickly replace myself groaning onthe floor with the taste of blood in my mouth . His methods weren't humane by any means , butthey worked . Boy , did they work . I used my small stature to weave in and out of her blows , apartner in a painful dance that would surely leave me black and blue . If I weren't a Luna or aVampire , I might've lost this fight . That being said , m y positions gave me power and speed , bothof which I used in abundance just to remain on my feet .

" You see how she’s not letting me knock her off balance ... “ Emilia shouted to the class whowatched with overflowing interest despite the thick silence that enveloped the room . ” If you fall inbattle , you have seconds — seconds to act before your mistake becomes fatal . “ To prove her point,Emilia let me knock her to the ground .

In a move that I would've done if the roles had been reversed , she kicked out with her long legsand managed to clip my ankle in the process . My legs buckled from the sharp pain that danced upmy tendons and bone, but a quick roll to the side followed by a few sharp jabs kept me advancingforwards . What ended our match was a sharp whistle that exploded from the back of the room .

I barely noticed it . The shrill sound couldn't reach me , not while this sea of adrenaline churned inmy head , its frigid waters bursting with every technique , move , and tip I'd learned from Chris .When Emilia faltered mid punch and I managed to land a crushing kick to the side of her ribcage, Iknew the whistle hadn't been intended for me .

The warrior , whose prowess I actually found myself admiring fell to the ground . She recoveredquickly , with speed I found impressive despite the fact that I was faster . Before she could make itto her feet, my foot was at her throat . I kept it there , hovering above her pulse point, feeling thefaint thud hit the millimeter of air between us.

I could've used this moment to assert myself, to land a final blow that would prove to these wolvesthat I wasn't one to be messed with, but it was Emilia“s eyes that halted the idea in its tracks . Theyat me with pride , but also just a stared up hint of fear . It was that fear that made me lower my footand extend a hand .

here, he's got it . ” Emilia said through heavy breaths, smiling as she wiped the sweat from herforehead The expression soured as she turned to glare daggers at the class . Even I had to repressthe urge to finch at the ferocity in her voice . “ Who did that ? ” For far too long the class stood insilence, most of them cowering under her heavy stare .

I noticed quickly that Cassidy wasn't one of them, and Emilia seemed to notice as well because hereyes darkened t 0 a muddy brown when they registered her face and tense posture . Cassidy took astep forward and Emilia’s mouth opened , but the high — pitched bleating of a cellphone rang outinstead of her voice . “ Apologies , I'm afraid I have to take this . “ Emilia murmured to the glass ,though her eyes remained on my tanned , narrow eyed friend She slipped from the room withoutanother word , her shrill ringtone fading a s she walked down the hall.

" Way to kick some ass, Luna! " Cassidy cheered when I ventured back to her side . A snickerescaped her lips as she toyed with the end of her ponytail . ” Goddess , what a cathartic experience .I've been waiting to see her get her ass kicked for years now . H ” You really don't like her, huh 2 "Ikept m y laugh light but couldn't help the way my head tilted with curiosity . Knowing she'd chewme out if I said this aloud , I slid into her thoughts and asked the question circling my brain . *

Were you the one that whistled at her ? ” Cassidy's eyes twinkled mischievously , and within theirdepths I swore I saw something that reminded me of Chelsea.’ It was a bit harsh ; I know ... but youhave n o clue how much she has coming to her . Her thoughts had a sour undertone that alertedme to how much she disliked Emilia . With a quiet grunt she lowered herself to the floor and placedher back against the wall . * She seems friendly and approachable ... can't help but wonder what shedid to make you hate her so much . ” I said

truthfully , sitting down beside her as we waited for Emilia to return . * Look ... if I show you this , youcan't tell anyone, got it ? I mean , obviously people already know, but they don't speak about i tbecause they're all weaklings who fear m e ... and rightfully so . * Cassidy huffed , gnawing on herlower lip until the pale pink of her skin turned red

As she tucked the golden strands of her bangs behind her ear, a fuzzy image began to form in myhead , one that was pulled from the depths of someone else's memory . “ Ugh, Cass wait up !Brandon shouted , his voice a few octaves higher and his appearance almost ten years younger . Hisfeet seemed to land in every single puddle, sending droplets of muddy water scattering into the airThey seeped into the white t — shirt he wore , but only made the grin on his face widen . It was oneof playful joy and not the callous scowl I was used to seeing him wearing . “ Not a chance in hell ILast time I was it for two weeks . You're not catching me anytime soon ! I heard Cassidy say , herlaugh exuberant as it rang in the ait like a symphony of delicate bells . I saw flashes o f golden curlsthrough the tall grass feet away . It swayed in the breeze , jostled by the light rain that continued tofall . “ Only Asher can catch me ! He's never it I “ “ Asher's in Alpha training , Cass . You know hedoesn't have time to play anymore . ” Brandon's little frown and furrowed brows squeezed at myheart hard enough for me to memorize the forlorn look that lasted on his face for only a fewprecious seconds .

" Well I'm not coming out until he catches me . He promised he would this time ! ” She shoutedfrom deeper within the grass , her voice facing with each word tossed into the air . Brandon groanedloudly and threw his hands in the air, ” Fine ! I'll get Asher, but you have to promise you won'tsneak out while I'm gone . That's cheating , and cheating means you're automatically it. “ H ” What?1 " Cassidy squealed in horror, You just made that rule up ! *

" Can't hear you anymore — walking away now , going to get Asher. “ Brandon shouted , cuppinghis hands around his lips as he backed away . When his small form vanished behind a hill, I saw apale face with bright blue eyes pop out of the grass . The cheeky grin belonged to Cassidy , thoughit was laced with the fading innocence of a child hitting their teenage years . As she tip — toed out ofthe grass and headed in the direction opposite to where Brandon went,

I realized she couldn't have been older than thirteen . The scenery changed as she walked , her bluejeans darkening with each water droplet that landed on them . Even her paisley top , which lookedadorable when paired with the dainty charm bracelet around her wrist, was changing colors fromthe rain . Before long we stood in a small neighborhood , similar to the one Asher's parents lived in .Even in the rain, children crowded the sidewalks .

Bikes and scooters , sticks of melting chalk clutched in the hands of kids too young to partake inmany other activities . They were everywhere , laughing and playing like there tomorrow wouldnever come . It breathed life into Cassidy's cheerful walk , which soon fizzled out when I heardEmilia’s voice . “ You should've known better than to come back around here .

" Emilia said , appearing from the side of a pale — yellow house whose front porch was in thebeginning stages of construction . Even as a child her champagne eyes were bright and her voice ahigh soprano that reminded me of a robin’s song . Those eyes of hers narrowed into little slits andher hands became fists that trembled at her sides .

"You don’t own the neighborhood , dummy . “ Cassidy sneered , wiping away some of the ashblonde curls that clung to the sides of her wet face . “ This is Asher’s pack , and Asher is my friend ! *I hadn't a clue what happened before this , what events formed the snowball that grew and grewuntil it was an avalanche cresting down the side of a great mountain , ready to crush them all . Theywere children, but the way they glared at one another reminded me of adults . Emilia stomped overto Cassidy and grabbed a handful of her hair without warning , breaking out into a run that forced ascream from Cassidy's mouth

She had no choice but to follow and bled onto the sidewalk after Emilia . The other children lookedat the fight happening just feet away on the sidewalk where so many of them played . Somepointed , others laughed and taunted Cassidy , who quickly found herself on the pavement . Emilialeaned down to whisper something in Cassidy's ear when the memory came t o an end . Eventhough I was floating back to the present, I could still taste the rain on my tongue and could seethe murder that mixed with the embarrassment on young Cassidy's face . I blinked a few times,pawing at my eyes when they began to water from the artificial light .

Cassidy's face came into focus, slender and much more angular than it had been all those years ago, though her expression was exactly the same . Rage and embarrassment . * Looks like Asher wasn'tkidding when he said she doesn't handle embarrassment well . © Maya murmured , flattening herears against her skull . * What is it she whispered in your ear ? * I couldn't help but ask , feeling mycuriosity expand in my chest like a bubble ready to pop .

The door opened with a slight creak and Emilia stepped back inside . In that same moment, Cassidygave her a feverish glare and sent her answer rushing down the mind — link , so fast that the wordsrattled around in my head before rearranging themselves .*

She told me he wouldn't be my friend for long , not once she got her hands on him ... she promisedshe'd make sure he knew just how ugly and disgusting I actually was . The way she said it struck meas odd . There was no emotion in her voice , no burst of rage turning her iris's a deep shade of blue. It wasn't the words Emilia said that stuck with her, that turned her anger into something morepotent . It had been the embarrassment , the shame she felt when she was vulnerable and broken ,teased by the cruel children who did nothing to help . We didn't speak of the past for the rest of thelesson, and instead put every ounce of our focus into sparring

Once class was finished and every ounce of pent — up rage flowed from Cassidy's body and into themats , we emerged out the set of double doors leading into the parking lot. " Hey, I've got to getgoing . I'm getting all dolled up tonight to go out with Kendrick . “ Her lips tilted up in a silky smilethat contained a double meaning I didn't miss . After saying our goodbyes I readied myself tomerge into the sea of students flooding the parking lot .

It was Emilia’s voice , oddly unchanged from her childhood , which gave me pause . ” Luna ! Mind if Iget a word ? ” She shouted above the chaos of the crowd, all of which were eager to get home andshower before continuing with the rest of their day . For a moment I contemplated ignoring her,feigning ignorance as I vanished within the throng of people . It was a tugging in my gut, a feelingof concreteness that made me turn around and wait for her to catch up . ” You were beyondimpressive back there, really . If you weren't Luna I'd offer you a position , effective tomorrow .

* Emilia put every ounce of emotion into her laugh , which was warm and effortless despite thecruelty I saw on her child — like face . She pulled a small pin from her hair and sent the tiny ringletsspiraling down her shoulders . ” I was serious about hiring that trainer of yours, though . You thinkhe might be interested ? “” Mmm, he’s a bit of a ... recluse . “ I cringed at the word I used , knowingChris would kick me into next week if he heard me saying such a thing . He didn't like it when Ibrought up his general hatred of other people , even less so when I attached words like recluse ,hermit, or loner . Seeing the disappointment form on her face and the light leave her eyes mademe stumble for a solution .

I can't promise anything ... but I can try to get a hold of him, at least to relay the offer.” “ Yes 1 Oh ,I can't thank you enough . Tell him benefits are included along with pension and retirement . We canwork out his salary if he agrees . * She nodded eagerly , but her excitement was short lived . Astudent with bleach — blonde hair passed by, and the cheerfulness on Emilia’s face dropped . Eventhough the girl's roots were a deep shade of brown ,

I knew it was Cassidy she reminded her of . * During class did you see who whistled ? ” Emilia askedquietly , her eyes scanning the parking lot as the grim expression on her face darkened . It didn'tappear from out of nowhere, but instead seemed to resurface from somewhere deep within . Withlips pressed into a thin line and reluctance hardening the softness of her face she asked , “ was itCassidy who did i t ? “ 1 opened my mouth , but nothing came out

There was this twisting in my gut that felt right and wrong all at once , like a storm of knives andbutterflies that refused to cease . It yanked me in Emilia’s direction , only to send me spiraling inCassidy's . Even with that torn shred of the past, I had no clue who to trust . Unfortunately , myhesitation was answer enough .

Emilia nodded her head , and the bleak understanding in her eyes made an apology float past mylips . “ Don't apologize , Luna . I know it wasn't your fault. ” She shook her head gently, her lipstwitching at my surprise . ” You probably don’t remember me , but I was one of the warriors thatcame to help when your father attacked your old pack . I killed a lot of Vampire's that day, and eachone haunts me the moment the sun goes down . Corey , my mate , he's a good guy . Keeps me safefrom what demons he

can, even though it'll never be enough to save me . On that battlefield, I realized something . TheVampire's , they're just like us . Hating , loving , fighting each day t o survive and make something ofthemselves . Seeing them as monsters , it makes us no better than the humans that call us beasts .You were the first to see that . It's why I support you, Luna ... and why I always will . Her eyesdarkened into that muddy brown as a shadow of a memory ghosted across her face , * It's also whyI'm going to take the risk and warn you , knowing it could be my job or life on the line if you don'tlike what I'm about to say .... “ You don’t have to worry about your job ... or your life . *

I swallowed and tightened my grip on the water bottle in my hands, even though it would donothing to soothe my dry throat. “ I appreciate the reassurance , Luna ... and I do hope you listenwhen I say this . “ Emilia murmured , her voice quiet and eyes guarded as they scanned the spaceabove my head , far into the parking lot where students still milled about . “

I've done things in my past, stuff I'm not proud of but I'm no longer that kind of she -wolf . Peoplechange every day , but Cassidy — she isn't one of them . I'm not telling you to not be her friend , butjust keep what I'm telling you in mind . She can be charming and nice ... until she isn't anymore . " *}