Alpha Asher by Jane

” I know , it’s insane . ” Breyona’s laugh was breathless and just a bit choked up as she wiped the tears from her eyes . Staring off into the forest , her voice unnaturally soft she said , ” I never thought I’d be able t o feel that kind of freedom again …. it’s like -it’s like I can breathe again . ” >>

” Breyona , I don’t know why they did that … but there’s no way they won’t want something in return . ” I wasn’t sure what made my chest ache more , warning my best – friend her dream come true might actually be a nightmare , or seeing the denial bleed across her face when I continued carefully , ” I’m just worried they’ll take back what they gave you in the first place …

” I didn’t want to say it , but she wasn’t giving me a choice . There was stubborn refusal in her warm hazelnut eyes , but I knew no matter how miserable she was without her wolf , she’d be worse off without Giovanni . ” … Giovanni’s life . ” I murmured and watched as the iron bars of resolution slammed down over her eyes .

” No , that’s not it . ” Breyona stood from the patio chair but made no move to head inside . Frustration was written across every corner of her face and was obvious in the semi – aggressive way she pulled her hair back . ” So I’m not a witch , but that doesn’t mean my gut feelings can’t be right too .

Well , right now mine is telling me they wouldn’t take my wolf and save Gio’s life , only to return her and finish the job . ” I wanted to reassure her , but the only thing I felt was worried , both for her and Giovanni . ” Why can’t I just have both ? ” Her voice cracked , and she clenched her hands into fists while letting out a shaky breath . Devastation still shimmered in her eyes , but she held it down so well . ” Let’s – let’s just drop it for tonight , okay ? I know we can’t ignore it forever …

but if I could just have these few days with Gio . We can figure out what to do when I come back . ” Just from watching her pull the splintered shards of emotion from her skin and patch herself together , I realized I might’ve not given my best – friend enough credit . Not once had she faltered a t my side , even though she was going through so much herself . Instead she kept her problems to herself , even though a subtle feeling told me she’d been drowning in them .

Feeling like a monumentally crappy friend I stood and wrapped my arms around her waist , which I was sure looked comical since I was nearly a foot shorter than her . Sure enough , she began to chuckle , but I could hear the sniffling it covered . Watching the happiness that had just been rekindled fade in her eyes had a sobering affect .

” We’re going to make sure you can have both , Breyona . I’ll use every bit of magic I have to make sure of it . ” I promised , cracking a grin at her brave nod and the way she hastily wiped at her eyes . Minutes later , Cassidy eagerly interrupted with news about her lacrosse player ex boyfriend , Kendrick . With gossip and a rapidly cooling pizza waiting , Breyona and I raced back inside .

While we stuffed our faces with pizza from the small parlor down the street , Cassidy told us all about her whirlwind romance with Kendrick – which seemed more fueled by lust than anything else . Breyona wrinkled her nose at my slice of Hawaiian every other minute , but otherwise was absorbed in every seedy detail of Cassidy’s story .

fact that I wasn’t Asher or Brandon’s mate . ” Cassidy rolled her eyes and let out a small

Did you want to be one of their mates ? ” Her voice grew quieter even though there was no one in the house to hear us . Any wolves patrolling

once and added , ” … don’t worry , Lola is freakishly good

her direction her smile widened . Maya’s tail swished in my head , letting me know how wrong our endearing friend was about us not getting jealous . ” I’ve definitely thought about how incredible it would be to be Luna , but at this point

freckles splattered along its slim surface . ” I think our parents expected it because of how persistent I was back then . The minute I saw Brandon and Asher wrestling in the dirt , rougher than all the other kids , I knew I wanted to be best friends . ” The ease at which she spoke dissolved the tension in the

she treated me . It was refreshing and eased the rest of the trepidation I had towards Cassidy . ‘ Asher said himself , he’s never even kissed her . Which means there’s no reason to

seconds . ” I’m sure my mom won’t hate Kendrick this time around . Hm , I might just cancel my date with Lars . Kendrick has a game out of town that day anyway , and I’m nothing if not persistent – which means I have to

folding a slice in half before taking a large bite . I tried to wait patiently as she chewed , but I was already hooked . ” … but I don’t

. Um , are you sure ? How do you know ? ” Even though heat blossomed across my face , I pursed my lips and waited for an answer . ” Mason stepped out of training to take a call from her right when I walked in the building . ” She smirked tipsily

him for days now , but Mason keeps refusing . Well , one of Mason’s patrol buddies was given guard duty and she used her taser magic and knocked him right out . Took his phone right out of his pocket and called Mason with it … ” ” No way , she sounds like a total badass . Taser magic ? Goddess sign me up ! ” Cassidy exploded in warm laughter ,

balcony . Which I know sounds dangerous , but his friend had already woken up at that point . The only reason he hadn’t gotten himself down was because Clara threatened to zap him again … and apparently a second

pissing him off the same way you like pissing Asher off . ” The cheeky grin that stretched across her face grew wider , because she knew

mates were rare . Mason had

do with the attention . Luckily , like I said … she’s persistent . She’ll find some way to get them alone together and push his buttons , just like you and Asher-  ” Hey , I was never the one to get him alone ‘ remember

a sound o f exasperation when she and Cassidy collapsed in laughter , sputtering snippets of conversation in between their snorts and wheezes . As both she – wolves succumbed to laughter and pawed at the tears budding i n their eyes , my thoughts darted to Mason and the curvy exotic dancer who apparently had