Alpha Asher By Jane Doe
Chapter 174

As Asher’s snarl bounced off my skull and left my ears ringing, I feared he'd already discovered thetruth. The tidal wave of worry I'd been seconds away from d******g in fell flat when he snarled. “Lola,pull the d**n car over. Now.

I let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't figured it out yet.

A single tap to Tristan’s shoulder told him we were in the clear-for now, anyway.

Since the helmets we wore left us unable to communicate, the tap system I made up on the spotwas what I used to keep him up to date. One tap meant we were safe, and to keep coasting downthe backroads at normal speeds. Abiding by the speed limit was slower than simply taking off like abat out of h**I, but there was always a chance it would keep us from being discovered for just a fewseconds longer. Two taps told him to speed up, and three...three meant we were out of time.

"You know I can't do that." I told Asher, forcing to the very back of my mind the loud snarl of themotorcycle’s exhaust and the pressure the helmet exerted on my temples.

Cassidy's head was much smaller than mine. Sean had been right when he said I had a big head,even if he'd only been teasing. Thankfully, adrenaline was much more potent than Tylenol. I'dcertainly feel it in the morning, though. If we managed to live that long.

“Oh, you'll live that long. Not even d***h can keep you from me, not with how much trouble you'rein. You won't make it far, Lola. The warriors are gaining on you, and they have instructions to stopthe vehicle at any cost.’ Asher’s gristly voice circled my head, picking up on snippets of my thoughts,little fragments that managed to slip down the mind-link. “I highly doubt you'd mow them all down.The confidence in his voice and in the dry laugh he sent down the bond tinted my vision in anunsettling shade of red. It boiled the adrenaline in my veins and made my muscles go rigid withfury.

As Tristan finished speeding around a curve and brought the bike back into its upright position, heturned his head ever so slightly in my direction. He tapped once on the top of my hand, the oneclutching his leather jacket to keep me from flying off the bike. Though I couldn“t hear him orcommunicate mentally like I could with the pack, I knew he was asking me if I were alright. I tappedonce in response, wondering if I'd hurt him when I clenched my fists and inadvertently tightened myhold on his torso.

"You remember what happens when you underestimate me, Asher?’ I asked, my voice venomous.At the moment, there was no trace of the she-wolf he loved, only the unforgiving nature of a Lunacrossed by someone she trusted. The bond between us was still there, still intense, and unbreakable,but the stress of our circumstances forced us down opposing paths

Asher had changed since the announcement where I revealed what I was to the pack. Perhaps thisillogical, overprotective side of him had always existed, but was buried beneath the unwaveringstrength of an Alpha born and bred from polished steel. I wasn't sure what specific momenttriggered this side of him, but he'd slowly been spiraling these past few months, sinking to thebottom of his own tumultuous ocean.

His reply was instant, tinged with the barest hint of disbelief. "You'd risk k*****g your own people tofollow through on this plan of yours?’

“Unbelievable, isn't it? Although, I think it pales in comparison to you trying to force me intocompliance with an Alpha command...as if that's ever worked for you.’ I laughed bitterly.

From out the corner of my eye, I saw something moving within the forest. I craned my head towardsthe trees, watching with peeled eyes as they all blurred into a massive wall of darkness, the emeraldgreens and rich browns stolen away by night. Silence radiated down the bond, vibrating the mind-link constructed between Asher and I. Seconds, I waited for his response, expecting nothing lessthan some flimsy excuse about the lengths he'd go to protect me.

When those seconds ticked by and a full minute had passed, I tapped Tristan’s abdomen twice.

The sport bike we were on snarled, spitting its rage and shooting forward with enough speed tosend me sliding off the back end of the seat. I tightened my grip on Tristan’s torso, too consumedwith Asher’s silence to react to him relaxing under my hold.

'Was that a motorcycle?” Asher asked, his voice unsettlingly calm.

A single drop of sweat, chilled by the wind that tried so desperately to hold us back, trickled downthe back of my neck.

I leaned to the left as Tristan hit a sharp curve without breaking speed, managing a glimpse at theGPS in the process.

So close.

We were so close to the borders of the pack. Without a doubt, I knew there would be a patrol teamsurveying the area, but they had no clue who we were or that we were headed their way. Once webarreled through the boundary lines, they most likely wouldn't bother following.

I forced the rumbling of the engine and the sound of wind whooshing in my ears to the back of myhead, and somehow managed to conjure a response out of thin air. “Nope, that was Maya and Isnarling at you."

Seconds ticked by and my stomach dropped further.

You clever little brat.’

SEAL

Alarm bells exploded in my head, screeching in their shrill tones until my ears began to ring. Sayingto h**I with the system I created, I tapped Tristan’s abdomen in rapid succession. I squeezed myeyes shut to keep Asher from picking up on any stray images that managed to slide past my graspand held on for dear life.

“Uh, Lola...the wolves slowed down. I think they know you're not in the car.’ Cassidy shouted overmind-link, her voice growing farther away.

Two things happened simultaneously.

A series of howls split the air in two, and Tristan twisted the throttle to its furthest limits, sending usveering head-first into oblivion.

The chilling song of the warriors d*****d out everything. Every sound, from the bike's wailing engineto the creatures that lurked within the forest, was silenced by the cries of our pursuers. Only onething managed to pierce the unsettling veil the wolves howling cast over us-Asher’s voice.

“No wonder you weren't worried about getting past the warriors. Who is driving the car, Lola?’ Heasked darkly.

As Tristan hit another curve, barely slowing in speed, the bike lurched to the right. Even with myeyes clenched shut, I could feel the whoosh of something much too close to my face for comfort. Ashe completed the turn and yanked the bike into an upright position, my eyes snapped open. I hadto s*****w back bile as I realized it was the asphalt of the road I felt, breezing but a foot away frommy face.

Werewolf or no, a motorcycle c***h at triple digit speeds with only a helmet as protection wouldleave me irreparably scarred.

“Doesn’t matter who's driving the car, Asher." I shot back, "You did this when you stopped treatingme like a Luna and started treating me as only your mate.’

"You are my mate.’ He bellowed, his anger vibrating the length of our bond until my teeth began tochatter. “I'll replace out who's helping you, Lola. Mark my words.’

I am your mate, but I am also the Luna of the largest pack in the world, and the Queen to an entirerace of mythical beings. I told you my plan because I love and respect you, but I do not need yourpermission to protect my people.’ I replied, instantly noticing the power that filled my voice andthoughts. It matched that in Asher's, perfectly equal in its intensity. "You can either have the warriorsfollow the car to figure out whose inside, or you can have them try and catch up to me. It's yourchoice, but the outcome will remain the same.’

There was a wisp of desperation deep within Asher’s voice, one he tried to conceal with hisaggression and hide by means of intimidation. His anger had never worked on me before, which iswhy I was able to see right through it.

“Lola, this is your last chance...’ His voice grew impossibly low, full of dark promises that were colderthan the chilly sting of wind against my neck and chest.

Another chorus of howls pierced the thin veil of night, much closer than they had been before. He'dmade his decision, just as I had made mine.

“Through h**I or high water, Asher, I will come back to you.’