Alpha Asher and Lola novel Chapter 244

Holly and Tristan

Three Years Later – Holly’s P.O.V.

The breeze was blissfully cold against my skin, the sunlight a slight tingle that rippled over my exposed arms and shoulders.

Winter was approaching, tainting the air with its crisp scent. No matter how much

I ventured outdoors and basked in the sunlight, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get enough. Even though I burned easily- thank you, Vampire genetics-it was a wonderful taste of freedom that I’d never take for granted.

The shrill screams of children playing pierced my ears. I didn’t find it irksome the way some of the parents here did.

Despite how loud they were, their wails were full of joy and innocence that could never be replicated or replaced.

I looked up from the stack of papers in my hands, focusing on the children racing across the mulch just ten feet away. The tiny font had been giving me a headache for the past two hours now.

“Honey, you need to stop and tie your shoe! You’re going to trip and fall.” The woman on the bench beside me shouted, wrapping her pea coat tighter around her waist when a breeze traveled through.

A little girl with sable pigtails halted in her tracks, her head turned in the direction of the woman’s voice. She got down on one knee, and tied the laces of her sparkly tennis shoes before taking off towards the monkey bars.

Someday soon, Lola’s twin’s would be running around this very playground. Just last month we’d all gathered for their first birthday. A daydream began to form in my head, painting an idyllic picture that felt like it belonged to some other girl and not myself. a

It wasn’t just Lola’s twins running amok, climbing the jungle gym to race down the spiral slide. They were accompanied by another child, a little girl with Tristan’s golden hair and my pale eyes.

I shook my head, clearing the image from my mind. No matter how many therapy sessions I attended, there was this cloud of guilt that followed me, looming over my head and blotting out the sunlight.

Lola deserved her happily ever after. She’d fought tooth and nail for it. I didn’t fight for anything, yet here I was with a wonderful mate and a future ripe for the taking.

I wasn’t entirely sure I deserved any of it.

Another hour passed before the woman stood from the bench and corralled the little girl into their arms. Now alone, I basked in the warmth that kissed my skin, wishing it would ease the ball of nerves in my stomach.

I glared at the stack of papers on my lap and sighed heavily. These would have to be dealt with. There was no one else to pass them off on, unfortunately.

A shadow passed in front of my face, erasing the sun from view. I craned my head up to see Clara standing over me, a hand propped on her curvy hip. Her lips were tilted in a knowing smile.

“How can someone look so miserable on a day like this?” She drawled before plopping down beside me.

“Hah.” I laughed, then held the stack of paperwork out for her to see. “This is how.”

Another breeze kicked up, whipping my hair around my shoulders. Clara’s curls bounced happily. Having straight, fine hair was becoming a curse all on its own.

Clara winced. “Ouch. Yeah, that doesn’t look like fun. What’s it for?”

Shifting on the bench, I passed her the stack of papers. Her eyes skimmed over the words several times. I couldn’t blame her for not figuring it out quite yet. The words printed were long and monotonous, drawn up by a lawyer with a far better education than I’d ever received.

After a few seconds, I lifted my hand and tapped on a symbol at the top of the first page. It was a medieval-looking crest with a raven at its center, crossed by a sword and a spear. Clara’s eyes flickered over the coat of arms before gasping excitedly.

“No way! It’s actually done being built?” She exclaimed, her lips pulling back into a smile. The way she grabbed my hands. and squealed helped ease the ball of anxiety in my stomach, but only slightly. I still had this mountain of paperwork to deal with.

The Magisterium, as Tristan and I named it, was the world’s first ever academy for the magical arts. When I presented the idea to Lola, she was absolutely ecstatic. I hadn’t wanted to put more on her plate, so I told her I’d take control of the project. She and Asher gave me

everything I could’ve ever needed to kick start the thing.

The Academy was now finished being built, and with its shiny new halls and state of the art classrooms, the doubts began trickling in.

“It is, but we’ve still got a long way to go before the place is up and running.” I murmured with a heavy sigh. Taking the paperwork from Clara’s hands, I stared down at the mess of permits, contracts, and employment applications.

Clara’s features softened with concern.

She pursed her lips, placing a hand on my shoulder to snare my attention. “Hey, what’s wrong? You should be excited. This is everything you’ve worked for.”

“It is…” I trailed off, biting the inside of my cheek. “I-I just don’t know what I’m doing anymore. I mean, seriously. I’m not equipped to teach. I barely know enough about my own magic. This was my idea, but now that it’s complete, I have no clue what to do next.”

“You know, I’d love a teaching position myself.” Clara said, quickly trailing off. She hummed thoughtfully, her eyes flicking over the paper and the stack of applications I had to deal with.

Startling me, she squealed and jumped up from the bench. Her hands were on my shoulders before I could think to react.

There was a cheeky grin on her face, and a strange light in her eyes that I wanted to uncover.

“What is it?” I asked, a hint of skepticism bleeding into my voice.

“I have the perfect idea on what you can do.” She exuded smugness, which only made my curiosity worsen. More than anything, I wanted answers on what to do next- on what direction to take my life in.