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Chapter 115
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2024-10-29 19:42:56I was only partially awake when I heard the bedroom door open. The cold draft in the hallway whooshed into the bedroom, blowing Asher’s scent until it swirled around the room.
My nose twitched, and even in my sleep I knew when he was near. Fingers brushed my cheek. Just two, trailing slowly to my jawline. The sparks, which could be overwhelming at times, turned subtle and soothing.
As his hand drifted lower, grazing my neck and shoulder, he gradually came to a stop. I could no longer feel his fingers gliding over my skin, but instead knew where they hovered.
For months I pretended the crimson mark on my skin was non-existent, a nightmare that I had long ago woken up from. Tristan was trying, working to make up for his mistakes and to preserve his people, but I’d always have the physical reminder of what side he had once been on.
Even without his mark, as his Queen, I’d always have that faint connection to him.
“Is Zeke alive
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Alpha Asher Chapter 116
“Alright, so maybe he can use me to get a rise out of Asher.” I sighed under my breath, wincing when Brandon’s fist slammed into Asher’s jaw. My mate absorbed the hit with a straight face, his golden eyes bright with anger as he grabbed his brother by the throat and shoved him back.Brandon, as cocky as ever despite the massive hangover he was sporting, quickly regained his balance. His dark hair was messy on his head and lacked the charm of naturally tousled hair. He narrowed his bloodshot eyes and snarled at his older brother, charging forward with enough force to knock a grown man off his feet.It was clear Brandon was a glutton for punishment. He knew Asher would find him after what he pulled last night—especially after laying a hand on me.He stumbled out of some sorority house I had no name for, directly across the street from the afterparty most of the University attended. Half-dressed and grinning ear to ear, he spr
Alpha Asher Chapter 117
“It’s happening again?” Sean frowned, emerging from Claire’s kitchen with a plate of sandwiches in his hand and a bag of chips in the other. Sean looked better than he had these last few weeks. He was eating again, and the dark circles around his eyes had faded almost completely. Moving on from a fallen mate was impossible, but finding a way to live despite the pain, only the strongest could do such a thing. He took a seat beside dad on the couch, setting the plate on the table for the two of them. Dad and Sean needed to keep their hands busy when they were stressed. It was exactly why grandma was out back right now, pruning Claire’s rose bush. I knew she was listening in on us, because every so often she’d throw a comment of her own through the sliding glass door. The breeze that wafted through was pleasant, at least. Even though the room was heavy with emotion. “Exactly li
Alpha Asher Chapter 118
I had never been good at sugar coating things, but I tried to tone down the details as I told her what I knew. There was a nervous flutter in my chest because she hadn’t turned and bolted up the stairs. She was still here, listening even though her eyes were somewhere far away. “Her name is—was Carson, she went to the University in town and ran one of the sororities. She had friends and a family.” I explained, “I know it’s a long shot, but I had to ask. I know you weren’t aware of our father’s plans, but this was how it started before. She’s the first, but there’s too high a chance she won’t be the last.” Holly was silent for so long that I wondered if coming here was useless. She was unnaturally still. Tristan was the only one who wasn’t on edge, leaning against the wall as if this was common occurrence. “I don’t always see things, sometimes its sounds or feelings.” Her voice was soft and a few octaves higher than mine. I met her gaze unflinchingly,
Alpha Asher Chapter 119
“You’re sure?” I asked Mason, my irritation increasing with each missing piece thrust in front of my face. Mason met Asher and I on our way to Carson’s parent’s house. My stomach was rumbling from the lack of food, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep anything down if I tried. Just the thought of facing the shattered remains of her family, it left my nerves frayed and exposed. He nodded, just as perplexed. “Positive. Not only was Carson the only one with access to the sorority’s social media account, but the picture was also posted from her phone.” “Thanks, Mason.” I sighed, feeling that familiar pang of guilt as I looked into his mossy hazel eyes. Asher’s phone began to ring. He frowned at the screen and turned away, placing the phone against his ear. The voice on the other end was muffled, but it was Mason I had my attention on. “Don’t feel bad, Lola. We’ve both been busy these last two weeks.” His easygoing smile gave me some reassurance,
Alpha Asher Chapter 120
“Of course, I’ll let you know.” The lie felt wrong on my lips, but the fleeting sense of guilt had nothing on the feeling rolling through me right now. Like a landslide, boulders tumbled and collided in the pits of my stomach. I had never been exceptionally skilled at lying, so I added on a few details to make it more believable. “Breyona’s parents are scholars. They’re working with a few of…” I paused and the phrase ‘vampire henchmen’ came to mind, “…my men to search through my father’s family tree.”“By your men I assume you mean the vampire’s currently on your side.” She shifted in the armchair, crossing one leg over another. Her sculpted lips tilted up in a knowing smile, “I don’t fear vampires, Lola. Our ancestors had no reason to fear other species, not when their numbers rivaled the vampire’s kingdom, and the werewolves’ packs. It’s a mi
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“When you called me saying you needed my help with ‘magic stuff,’ this wasn’t what I had in mind.” Breyona frowned; her eyebrows gnashed together. She had a gentler version of Asher’s expression, who stood a few feet to her left, so still he looked carved from stone. Her eyes flitted down to the dark bra and underwear combo I wore; the one Asher had picked out just a few weeks ago. “…I really need to start training again. I never realized how many calories shifting burned.”“I hear you and Giovanni train pretty hard already.” I replied smoothly, my lips twitching as I resisted the urge to laugh.She flicked her chestnut hair over her shoulder and scoffed, “Tristan’s an asshole.”Rowena flitted into the room, a blur of auburn hair and pale skin. Like a hummingbird, she was light on her feet. She rummaged through trunks, glass bottles clinking and papers scratching against one ano
Alpha Asher Chapter 122
“You’re sure you’re alright?” Asher asked for the second time, the only sign of his worry was the crease between his eyebrows and how his attention kept drifting from the road to where I sat in the passenger seat.Cordelia had taken a couple of photos of the sigil on my chest, the one now hidden by the oversized t-shirt I wore, to investigate herself. An ‘x’ with frayed ends like fletching of an arrow, with a long slash that went vertically through the center. I tried not to worry too much that this one had left her stumped, and instead tried to stay optimistic. Breyona had sent the pictures to her parents, who would now be on the lookout for any texts or relics that matched.“It doesn’t hurt anymore, but it is strange…now that I can see this thing, it feels kind of familiar. I’m positive I don’t have any memory of it though.” I wished I could fully reassure him, but the strange feeling bubbling i
Alpha Asher Chapter 123
“You handled that well.” Asher chuckled, his laugh deep and rich like liquid amber. His breath was hot and curled in the air between us. The cold metal of the car chilled my back, easily seeping through Asher’s sweatshirt. His hand rested on the roof of the car and his eyes were devastatingly serious as he said, “I was going to tell him to take his questions and fuck off.”I always took the chance to toy with my hot-headed mate, especially when he made it so incredibly easy.I gave him a petulant look and tried to push past him, “you never did have any manners.”My back hit the side of the car with a little more force this time. Rather than hurting me, it brought a twisted smile to my face. My head swam with his earthy scent as he leaned in close, always hovering over me. I could feel his fingers tangling in my hair where they hadn’t been before.“You’re wrong, I have some manners.&rdquo
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Six Months Later“Does this ever get easier?” I groaned, swiping a hand over my forehead. A thin sheen of sweat clung to my skin, running from temple to temple.There wasn’t one specific person I spoke to, rather the entirety of my friends and family that had gathered for this historical event. Naturally, my eyes strayed to my mate, the beacon that never once failed to lead me through the dark.His lips quirked up at the side, eyes sparkling with significantly less shadows than before. He was slowly learning to forgive himself for the death’s of our pack members. “I wish I could say it does, but I’d be lying.”Zeke let out a cheeky snort. “Way to make her feel confident. You’ve got this, Lola. You’re a natural.”Breyona peeked her head from around Giovanni’s massive shoulder. “Besides, if you choke you can always work a little magic and make everyone forget about it.”“Hah! With my luck I’ll get a little too magic happy and make the whole pack forget about me.” A genuine chuckle slid
Alpha Asher Chapter 241
Half an hour later, I stumbled away from Tristan’s body and into Asher’s warm embrace.My legs had been reduced to jelly, and my magical reserves drained so low they might never recover. I could only imagine how much blood and rest it would take before they were back to normal again.Asher’s voice washed over my shoulders, his breath fluttering against my cheek, but the blood roaring in my ears kept me from hearing.I’d poured everything into Tristan—everything.Holly and Giovanni remained rooted in place, searching for any sign of life whether it be a heartbeat or an influx of breath. The inky strands of my half-sister’s hair cascaded down Tristan’s shoulder, hanging off the side of the table he’d been placed onto.With her ear placed against his chest, she waited and waited.I understood her worry. Really, I did. Her mother had to sacrifice ten witches just to lock my father’s soul into my body. While I didn’t have ten innocent people to slaughter, I did have something else on my si
