Alpha Asher
Chapter 57

Lola's P.o.v

Alpha Bran had quickly learned not to underestimate me. He hadn't expected my speed, having to push himself to land the easiest of blows.

Alpha Bran was a skilled opponent, but I had trained against Alpha Asher on multiple occasions. Alpha Asher's fighting style was brute force coupled with intense analyzing. Alpha Asher analyzed each target, noticing their differences and the way they fought. Alpha Bran did no such thing, treating me the same as he would any other opponent. While dodging Alpha Bran's attacks, I remembered something Chris had told me. Chris had trained me the entire year I stayed at Grandma's.

He had never told me the truth about his past, but Grandma gave me some hints. Chris had been one of the best warriors to exist, becoming Beta to his closest friend at one point. It must have not worked out, as Chris lived in the middle of nowhere with Grandma as his neighbor. Chris had given me thousands of tips throughout our year of training, but this one stuck with me the most.

'Each opponent is different. You need to pinpoint those differences, replace their weak spot.

Alpha Bran's weak spot was his pride, that and his increasing temper. The more impatient and desperate Alpha Bran became, the sloppier he would fight. Parts of his body were undefended as he attacked impulsively

I could see Alpha Bran's desire to shift, yet his pride prevented him from doing so. He thought shifting was unnecessary fighting against a she-wolf, that he should have the strength in human form.

Maya was in my head, goading me on. While she helped increase my speed, she saved her strength. We would have to render Alpha Bran unconscious to win the fight. It was clear he was stronger than me, but I was determined to win.

As I became faster, Alpha Bran's blows became more desperate. I was exceeding his expectations, proving to be a challenge. No one else could see it, but anger and frustration were growing in Alpha Bran's eyes.

I felt myself tumble to the ground; my ankle scratched by Alpha Bran's claw. I could feel the sticky wetness against my ankle, but the pain fueled me.

All at once, something strange began to happen. It started as a gentle tingling sensation across my skin, brushing past the hairs on my arms and raising them.

The tingling sensation grew stronger, and much colder. Shards of ice danced across my skin, scraping but causing no pain. The sweat on my body grew cold, yet Alpha Bran and I continued to fight.

My stomach tightened as I dodged another of Alpha Bran's blows. He was close to shifting, to setting aside his pride to win the fight.

'It'll be easier to knock him out before he shifts. Maya murmured in my head.

There was a tugging sensation in my gut, and the cold shards of ice continued running across my skin. A voice whispered out in my mind, silky yet sharp like steel. It slithered into my mind, curling around my head like a vice. I could almost picture it sliding into my mind, a smoky tendril of darkness.

'By payment of blood, we will provide aid.'

As quickly as the voice had come, it vanished. A searing pain erupted from my ankle, and it took all my concentration not to double over. The cut on my ankle grew cold, painfully cold.

Instead of strength leaving my body, I was met with a wave of strength that nearly knocked me to my knees. The feeling was raw and dark yet alluring and almost comforting. It reminded me of dark chocolate, thick and sweet with just a hint of something bitter.

Alpha Bran's face contorted in panic as my speed skyrocketed. I was dodging Alpha Bran's reckless blows while making ones of my own. His contorted expression fueled me, filling me with smug satisfaction as my claws grazed his chest.

Alpha Bran's bones began to shift, hair sprouting on his body in light patches. Faster than the average werewolf, his wolf burst from his body. Large and the color of wet sand, Alpha Bran stood snarling at me.

I called Maya forward, and for just a moment she fought against the strength that filled me. The humming pain in my ankle was an afterthought, hardly crossing my mind.

'It feels wrong. Maya mumbled, shaking her head.

'Do you want to get beat by this Alpha?" I grunted, growing impatient the longer we stayed in human form.

I felt Maya come to the front of my mind, absorbing and meshing with the strength that flowed through me. My own bones began to shift, midnight colored fur sprouting over my body.

Maya jumped forward with renewed strength, our jaws open as we fought for each other's throats. The crowd of people stepped back, out of range from the fighting wolves.

I hadn't the time to stop and analyze, but I felt different in wolf form. My wolf had grown taller, almost as tall as Alpha Bran's. I was still small in comparison, but it was a noticeable change.

My fur had once been a flat shade of black, looked brighter and more alive. It was a deep black, with almost a deep blue hue.

Alpha Bran's strength began to wane, his desperation reaching newfound heights. Alpha Bran's wolf lunged forward, it's teeth bare. He made the mistake of leaving his right side open, and I was much faster.

I felt Maya spring forward, coiling her body away from Alpha Bran's teeth as our own sunk into his neck. We hadn't bitten deep enough to kill, just enough to make Alpha Bran whine.

Planting our back legs in the dirt, Maya whipped her head to the side. I forced all the strength coursing through me into the move. Alpha Bran hit the dirt with a sickening thud, the force behind our move sent his wolf skidding across the grass.

The crowd held its breath, their eyes flickering between Alpha Bran and I. Alpha Zeke walked over to the still wolf, a cocky grin on his face.

I hadn't noticed what Alpha Zeke was doing, my eyes were locked on Alpha Asher. His honey colored eyes stared at me, something strange flickering on the surface.

My body felt strangely numb, my limbs thick with exhaustion. All I wanted was to curl up in Alpha Asher's plush bed and sleep well into the next day.

"He's done." Alpha Zeke chuckled, a brisk shake of his head.

After copious amounts of cheering and a few more strange looks from Alpha Asher, I was finally able to step out of the crowd. I stumbled at first, nearly toppling over as a wave of exhaustion hit. The high from my fight was wearing off, leaving me to crash and burn. Once I was away from most of the people, I closed my eyes and sent Aela back.

"What are you doing, Lola?" Alpha Asher's rough voice called out, making my eyes snap open. My wolf was almost as tall as Alpha Asher, my head reaching around his chest.

'Shifting.' I scoffed through the mind-link, giving Alpha Asher a tired look.

"Come in the training building with me." Alpha Asher grunted, holding my bag in his hands.

I followed Alpha Asher silently, my paws tapping against the thick pads on the floor. The lights were off inside, all coming on at once as Alpha Asher flipped the switches. Once the door was closed, Alpha Asher turned to me.

"Shift." His voice was rough and commanding. I'm sure Maya would've done anything he asked, so long as he used that tone.

The fur retreated from my body, my bones shifting back with minimal discomfort. My long raven colored hair hung down to my waist, covering most of my bre*sts as I stood bare in front of Alpha Asher.

"Later, Lola." Alpha Asher smirked, his dark eyes captivating. "Your family is waiting outside."

My face flushed, and for a moment I wondered if he could read my thoughts. Alpha Asher pulled my spare set of clothes from my bag, slipping my loose t-shirt over my head. I pulled on another pair of leggings and slipped on some shoes.

I was pissed I ripped through my clothes when I shifted, but I couldn't get undressed in the middle of a fight. That didn't change the fact I lost my favorite pair of shoes during my shift.

The two of us walked outside, images of Alpha Asher and I flickering through my head. Dad, Mason, and Breyona all had cheeky grins on their faces.

"I didn't doubt you for a second, Lola." Mason's lopsided smile formed on his face.

"I did." Breyona shrugged, a grin on her own face. "But I'm pleasantly surprised!"

Grandma pasted a smile on her face, one I could see through in an instant. Her eyes were filled to the brim with worry, her hands clasped tightly. "You did great out there." Grandma smiled proudly.

Her smile seemed a little more convincing this time but did nothing to ease the tension in my stomach.