Alpha Asher
Chapter 21

Little did I know, no one in the pack would be getting restful sleep tonight.

Another one of our own was dead. Murdered in the same exact fashion as Katie.

What was equally troublesome was the location of Kanyon's body. It wasn't a coincidence he was positioned in our back yard up against the tree. What was even more startling were his eyes. They seemed to be looking right into my bedroom, straight at me. The first thing I did was alert Alpha Asher and his men.

There would be no explaining this way, no keeping the scrutinizing looks from falling on my shoulders. The coincidences alone were too much.

First, Tyler vanishes with his mate. It was common knowledge that Tyler and I were together. Second, the position of Kanyon's body was too perfect. It position and the murder was simply too close to home, literally. The nature of Kanyon's death brought Katie's into question. There wasn't a chance in hell a rogue would murder Kanyon and position him outside someone's house. Rogues simply didn't do things like that.

The second thing I did was wake up everyone in the house. It was bound to happen eventually once Alpha Asher and his men filtered into the backyard.

And here we were, ten minutes later.

Sean sat on the couch, his head in his hands. Kanyon had been a friend of his.

I was in the blissful stage of trauma where you became numb to everything. The scarlet blood staining Kanyon's body and the earth had little effect on me. The glassy look of horror in his eyes couldn't reach me, nor could the petrified look on his face.

Grandma did what she does best, she tended to the rest of us. Even though it was one in the morning, Grandma set to work pulling out some baked goods and handing us each a mug of hot cocoa.

"How-" Sean finally spoke after what felt like hours of silence, "How could a rogue do this?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I frowned, trying to keep my tone gentle for Sean's sake. "A rogue wouldn't do this."

Grandma's lips were pursed, something she only did when stress began to eat away at her. Dad had a similar expression on his face, but he was many shades paler than usual.

"I need to take a look at him." Sean huffed, standing from the couch.

Sean was clearly in the denial phase. I did what I could to keep Sean and Grandma from looking at the body. Dad insisted seeing it for himself, resulting in his pale and pasty complexion. "No you don't." I shook my head, "Seeing him won't change anything."

"Listen to your sister." Dad huffed, his voice deep and rough with sleep. "You'll be better off not lookin"."

"What else am I supposed to do?" Sean let out a frustrated growl, "I can't just sit here while someone- while something is killing off our friends."

"There's nothin' you can do at this moment to fix anything, Sean." Dad mumbled, not meeting our eyes. "Sometime's you just gotta be angry and leave it alone."

I had almost forgotton Dad had lost his wife, our mom, just a few weeks ago. I had been so caught up in my own life, I hadn't paid much attention to his.

"Why was he sitting there like that, Lola?" Sean mumbled dangerously, "Why was he sitting just outside your window?"

"How am I supposed to know that, Sean?" I frowned, "I don't know any more than you do."

"Are you sure about that?" Sean grimaced, putting the pieces together. "Tyler magically f**king disappears and people start dying. Then one of them- my friend's corpse was sitting outside your window." "Sean, you need to calm down." Dad barked, getting up from his recliner in a huff. "The only one at fault is the damn thing doing the killing."

"You should've never come back." Sean growled, his eyes darkening.

I flinched, feeling a blow to my stomach. What hurt the most was the fact that I believed him. The pack was in mourning before I had come back, and now they were in mourning again.

"Enough of that!" Dad growled, "Don't put the blame on your sister."

Sean stormed out the front door, shooting one last rueful glance at me and Dad.

Something wet hit my face and my Grandma pulled me into her arms. I hadn't realized I'd been crying until a small sob wracked my body.

"He's angry and hurt." Grandma murmured, "He doesn't mean what he's saying."

Dad patted my shoulder awkwardly, "He'll come around Lola. Just give him some time to process what happened."

"He's right though, isn't he?" I murmured, wiping the stray tears from my eyes. "Kanyon's right outside my window Dad."

I wiped my tears away and composed myself in time to see Dad shoot Grandma a weary glance.

Something bubbled inside of me. Irritation, stress, fatigue. I was tired of the hushed conversations and secret glances. Dad and Grandma were keeping something from me. It could've had nothing to do with the murders, but tonight everything was beginning to weigh down on me. I pulled out of Grandma's arms and glanced between the two of them.

"Make them tell us." Maya grumbled, "If it has anything to do with the murders, they can't keep it to themselves."

I opened my mouth, determined to finally get the truth. I could see the weariness in their eyes, and for just a moment I felt guilty. That guilt vanished when I remembered the body sitting in the backyard.

Before my poorly rehearsed demand could leave my lips, a hasty knock sounded on the front door.

Dad rushed over and opened it, letting Alpha Asher and a few of his men come in.

Asher's eyes flickered from my Dad and Grandma, finally settling on my face.

"We're gonna look over the body." Alpha Asher informed the three of us, "I'll be back to ask some questions."

I had half hoped Asher would leave me alone with my Grandma and Dad, giving me another opportunity to demand what they know. Unfortunately, two of Asher's men stayed behind. "Long night?" One of his men commented.

It took me a minute or two, but I recognized the guy. He wasn't originally from Asher's pack. He was one of the few people who openly thought Tyler was a sh*tty Alpha.

Logan was someone who typically kept to the background, especially after making it known he didn't care for Tyler.

There had been many times where Tyler wanted to throw Logan and his family out of the pack, but his Dad wouldn't allow it.

"A very long night." I nodded, leaning back on the couch.

Another knock sounded on the door and Dad silently went to open it. Mason's frantic face was the first thing I saw. Dad grumbled something unintelligible and let Mason inside.

"I just heard what happened." Mason grimaced, "You don't mind if I stay, do you?"

Mason's eyes

flickered between me, Dad and Grandma. I was the first to speak up.

"Not at all." I shook my head, "I could use the company at the moment."

"I let Breyona know what was happening, she said she'll be over soon." Mason frowned, walking over to where I laid on the couch.

Without hesitation, Mason lifted my legs and sat down, placing my legs on his lap.

"You said he was sitting right outside your window?" Mason murmured to me quietly, his fingers tracing patterns on my calves.

"His eyes were looking right at me." I mumbled in the same hushed tone.

"This isn't just a rogue attack anymore." Mason frowned, "Something serious is going on, isn't it?"

"I think so." I frowned.

Our hushed conversation was cut short when Asher and his men came through the back door. Asher radiated an aura of control and dominance. There was no questioning who was in charge of the entire situation. "The body has been removed." Asher nodded to my Dad, his honey colored eyes flickering over to me.

For just a split second, his eyes raked over Mason. While other's probably didn't notice, Mason and I definitely did.

Alpha Asher's eyes darkened as his gaze flickered over Mason's hands. My legs were still in Mason's lap, and he traced little patterns along my skin. While the action was harmless, it was quite relaxing. I couldn't deny I wasn't getting some smug satisfaction from the look on Alpha Asher's face.

"Lola, I have some questions to ask you." Alpha Asher's voice was hard, his eyes lingering on Mason's hands.

"Ask away." I yawned, tired from the long night and the unimaginable horror that came with it.

The blissful numbness I was experiencing would wear off soon, and I wanted to be asleep before that happened. Without a doubt, the events of tonight would hit me like a freight train tomorrow, but that was something I could worry about later.

"In private." Alpha Asher growled, raising the hair's on my arms.

"Lola, go on." My Dad warned, giving a tired sigh at the end.

"Let Breyona in when she knocks." I called out to Mason and turned my attention to Alpha Asher, "Well are you coming?"

Alpha Asher followed me down the hall to my bedroom. While part of my mind fantasized about the prospect of being alone with him, this was not the time nor place.

I closed my bedroom door behind me and wandered back to the window. The numbness was quickly wearing off, and the image of Kanyon's body seared itself to my brain.

My heart was thundering, and I let my fingers wander aimlessly over the cool glass of the window. Kanyon's body was gone now, the large oak tree sat by itself in the back yard.

If you looked hard enough, you could still see the crimson blood staining the grass, splashed against the bark of the tree.

"The attack didn't happen here." Alpha Asher's voice had come from behind.

"What?" I frowned, turning away from the window to face him.

Alpha Asher was quiet for a moment, his eyes roaming my face.

"He was attacked somewhere else and was dragged over here." Alpha Asher pointed out, "There was a trail of blood leading through part of the forest."

I nodded. I understood what he was saying, but it didn't change anything.

"Which means, he was placed here on purpose." Alpha Asher was getting closer now.

I was too tired to feel the familiar pangs of excitement at his close proximity. The numbness was gone, and my head was swimming. I knew what Asher was implying, I had thought the same thing. Kanyon's death wasn't an accident, nor was the particular placement of his body.

"I thought the same thing." I let my eyes burn into Asher's. It was clear he was searching my eyes, looking for any sign of dishonesty. I was too tired to cover any potential lies.

"I think this has something to do with Tyler, Lola." Alpha Asher murmured, his dark eyes burning with hidden emotion.

"I was afraid of that." I murmured.

"I'm going to ask you this one time, Lola." Alpha Asher murmured, only a foot away from me. I could smell his lingering cologne wafting off his body. "Are you helping Tyler in any way?”

Any other day or time, I would be absolutely livid. I'd probably spit some insult back at Asher and storm away, but I was simply too tired.

"No." My exhaustion could be heard clear in my voice, "I would never abandon my family or my pack."

Sincerity was evident in my words, and Alpha Asher seemed placated for the moment.

"How long had you been home until you noticed the body?" Alpha Asher continued his line of questions.

I paused for a moment, "Maybe forty five minutes. I hopped in the shower and changed my clothes before I noticed the body."

"Did you see anyone else outside?" Alpha Asher asked, his dark eyes never leaving my own. "Anything strange?"

"No." I shook my head, "There was nothing else, just Kanyon.”

"Very well." Alpha Asher nodded, "I'm sure Breyona and Mason can conform your whereabouts and the time you arrived home?"

"They can." I nodded, "Breyona drove Mason and I. She dropped Mason off first, then me."

"Thank you, Lola." Alpha Asher nodded, his tone was the softest I had heard in the short time I've known him. "I have one last question. Is there anything else you feel the need to mention?"

I paused for a minute, and that's where I made my first mistake.

"What is it?" Alpha Asher's attention was fully on me now.

Two things ran through my head. One, the strange notes that continued to replace their way to me. While I figured the notes had nothing to do with Katie's death, I was beginning to think I had been wrong. Two, my impromptu meeting with Brittany. If I mentioned the meeting with Brittany at Haze, there's no way Alpha Asher would let us return. Breyona would be out of luck at replaceing her mate. That was something I refused to take away from her.

"I didn't mention this before because I thought it had nothing to do with Katie's death." I frowned, "We all thought it was a rogue attack."

Alpha Asher's lips were pressed tightly together, "Continue."

"But like you said, Kanyon being placed right outside my window wasn't a mistake." I paused, my entire body stiffening.

My mouth dropped open as I locked eyes on a crisp index card, laying gently on my pillow.

I had managed to shower, put pajama's on, and notice Kanyon's dead body without once glancing at my pillow.

"I've been getting notes." My voice was soft and small.

Alpha Asher turned to where my frozen gaze was and tensed as he noticed the note.

"They were harmless at first." I murmured, "I thought it was some stupid joke Ethan was playing on me. He was Tyler's best friend."

"These notes mentioned nothing about Tyler or any of his plans?" Alpha Asher asked, anger was evident in his voice.

"Not at all." I murmured, "They were just cryptic little notes about me."

Alpha Asher turned to me, "Lets open this one."

I nodded and approached my bed slowly, as though the note were some kind of time-bomb.

The two of us were eerily silent as I lifted the index card, every little sound was loud in my ears.

Asher's shoulder grazed against my own as I flipped open the card, pulling out a note and a single photo.

The picture was of me.

I was in my bedroom, pulling a t-shirt from my head. The picture was from days ago. I was completely oblivious to the person standing just outside my window, a camera in their hand.

Alpha Asher's body stiffened at the sight of the picture, and I thought he might truly lose it when his eyes grazed the delicate writing on the note.

'We are always watching'.