Alpha Asher by Jane

Hours later I could still hear his roar in m y ears , trickling down my spine in wave after wave of crippling pleasure . His face was painted in my head , eyes black with need and jaw carved from stone even though the promises he whispered were soft and sweet . It played in the background of my mind and along the swollen , tender bits of my skin as Rowena’s delicate voice threaded words together in small notes of conversation .

” I’m not sensing any magic attached to him . ” She said with an encroaching frown , her lips painted in a new shade of lipstick – one with a nude undertone that reminded me of a caramel latte . Her dainty hands moved swiftly , weaving around one another in a graceful dance that was made mysterious by the jade glow they emitted . A scowl coated Asher’s face in harsh lines and angles when she dropped them abruptly . ” … just a great deal of stress , and quite a bit of anger .

” As I thought he would , Asher stood from the leather chair the moment a wilting note of sympathy laced itself within Rowena’s voice . ” With the pressure you’re both under , no one can blame either one you for acting swiftly . You’re both so’young , with such little time to enjoy it . ” The stubble across his jawline rippled from the tensing of his muscles as he grunted , ” There will be plenty of time to enjoy youth once the people murdering our pack members are brought to light .

” ” Yes … well , with that attitude you’re bound to succeed . ” She replied , aiming a tight – lipped frown in his direction . It mirrored one a teacher might make when an unruly child spoke out of turn . Her eyes , the same jade green as the treetops outside , slid over the stony expression on my face and stalled . ” Will I still be seeing you at training today , Lola ? ” ” She’ll be there . ” Asher answered first , his voice curt and attention placed solely o n me even though the witch he replied to was standing a few feet to his left . I didn’t break my stare from his , and instead listened to the ominous beat our hearts made , counting each note until Rowena cleared her throat and said , ” I’ll leave you both to talk , then …

” ” You’ve gone fully insane if you think I’m letting you out of my sight . ” I told him only after the thud of the heavy office door swinging shut faded from our ears . My words hung in the air between us and were much truer than either of us could’ve known . As his eyes narrowed and head tilted , I shifted on my feet and nearly bumped into the bar cart and coffee maker I stood beside – both of which I knew were unused because Asher didn’t drink coffee . ” I may be called insane in tomorrow’s papers , but what this article is calling you i s much worse . .

” Both his baritone and the tiny ink of the newspaper clipping traveled the short distance to pelt me with the truth . He spun the page around and stopped it with a finger . ” I’ll spare you the specifics , so you’ll still be surprised once you read it yourself , but it paints a pretty little picture of your life this past year . Tyler’s birthday , returning home , meeting me , the murders . The wolf that wrote this , the web of lies that they’ve spun –

It’s more than convincing . It’s already begun to turn heads , and not just ones in our pack . ” ” Whose , then ? ” I asked and instantly regretted it when his fists clenched , and irritation flashed within the pits of his eyes . His laugh was as dry as the air I sucked into my lungs , swirling with dust particles that made my throat constrict . ” The ones surrounding ours know , and the news is spreading by the hour . Within a month every pack in the world will know someone else’s version of your story . They’ll have more reason than ever to hate you and every witch or vampire they stumble across .

His eyes softened at the sudden rush of my fear , but he didn’t move from where he stood . I wasn’t sure my stomach could plummet any further , but as always Asher lived to prove me wrong . I could practically taste the wicked promise on his tongue when he said , ” I wish I could tell you that were it , but it’s not . Our old friend Alpha Bran …. he’s already campaigning against you . ” ‘ You’re joking . ‘

Asher , while the other side wanted to shove his vicious glassy – eyed stare deep within the depths o f my mind , buried so deep I’d never have t o hear the empty tone of his voice again , a Half an hour later I found myself sitting beside Cassidy , stretching on the padded mats that lined the classroom we met in every weekday for training . With over a dozen other students doing warm – ups around

him . H e was he was feral or something . How does that just happen to someone ? ” …

, but maybe this is what happens when an Alpha gets overwhelmed … ” ‘ You don’t seem convinced of that , and you’re the one that’s known him his entire life .

this was the second time I’d seen her sweep into the room and claim the attention of every student , the awe that followed hadn’t lessened . There was something incredibly feminine about her delicate eyebrows and slender nose

from what happened to Devin Armstrong- -and may

is how you stay alive . ” 15 Emilia walked the length of the room , eyeing us like we were soldiers prepping t o step onto the battlefield . Her soprano voice bounced off the brick walls , sharp like the

room . For a moment she stood there , hands clasped behind her back as she stared us all down . More than half the wolves began to shift on their feet , averting their eyes in favor of the floor , ceiling , or their athletic shoes . Even Cassidy’s jaw

for Cassidy who let out a disgruntled huff under her breath . As my hand inched into the air and the curious and condemning of the other students fell on my face , I felt a rush of Maya’s stubborn strength fill my bones . eyes ” Luna , if you’d be kind enough to tell

the tense muscles in their faces . ” The first is to aim for your opponents ‘ weak points . ” I said loudly , plastering my attention on a she – wolf who at the beginning of class felt the need to snarl the word traitor as I walked into the room . My words were directed at her and her alone . ” Shifting weight to a particular side

embarrassment to claim her features 1 pivoted my head in the direction of another student , this one a muscular guy who promised I’d receive my comeuppance soon enough . ” The second and third go hand in hand . Quick and powerful responses are what will save you in battle . You have to be ready for the situation to go from 0 to 100 … but strength will only get you so far . Speed and

meathead you’re up against is . ” One by one I ran through them all , using each fundamental to pick apart the weaknesses of the students who decided t o stand against me and Asher . As I recited each one by