Alpha Asher and Lola novel Chapter 9

Read Alpha Asher [by Jane Doe] Chapter 9 – The others were quick to respond as one of our own had been found.

I couldn’t peel my eyes away from Katie’s glassy stare, even when Mason’s gentle hand turned me from her body.

We had shifted into human form after alerting the others, pulling on a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants that were stashed in the forest.

“Don’t look at her, Lola.” Mason murmured, his typical care-free expression was absent from his face.

“Could a wolf have done this?” Maya mused in my head.

I shook my head in response, “It’s possible. It takes incredible skill to cover your scent like that.”

I could feel my heart hammering in my chest, and the cool night time breeze felt sharp against my skin.

As awful as it sounds, I had grown used to blocking things from my mind. While Katie’s glassy stare would surely haunt my dreams, I pushed the image from my conscious mind.

Alpha Asher and his men had taken a total of six minutes to arrive in the clearing.

Asher looked delectable in his loose fitting shorts, his b**e chest absorbing the moon light and taking on a porcelain glow. As much as my mind wanted to linger on Asher and find some semblance of peace, there was business to attend to.

“He brought a lot of men with him.” Maya pointed out that interesting fact.

I frowned, “Kind of strange, isn’t it?”

There had to be at least fifteen men that followed Asher into the clearing. Far too many men for what looked like a simple rogue a****k.

A man I hadn’t met before approached Mason and I while Asher looked over Katie’s lifeless body.

The unnamed man was nearly as intimidating as Asher himself, but he lacked the powerful aura that Asher seemed to constantly exude.

“Beta Drake.” Mason murmured, nodding his head in an act of respect.

Beta Drake was the man mentioned when I first arrived at the pack boarders. No wonder Sean was in such a sour mood when I finally arrived home. Asher had no need for another Beta when he had one of his own. Sean had essentially been stripped of his title, a title my family had held for years.

Beta Drake had the same extremely large build all of Asher’s men had, as if giant blood ran in their family. A long scar ran down the side of his neck, disappearing under the t-shirt he wore. His hair was a strange shade of ash blonde and reached down to his ears.

“Tell me tonight’s events leading up to the discovery of the she-wolf.” Beta Drake spoke in a very informal tone, “Do not leave anything out.”

Mason glanced at me, and with reluctance I began to speak.

I kept my hammering heart under control, determined to keep my wandering eyes away from Katie’s body. The last thing I needed was to lose what tight grip I had on my emotions.

Much to my surprise, my voice came out calm and steady. The turmoil I was feeling inside didn’t rear it’s ugly head.

Mason chimed in here and there, confirming my account of tonight’s events.

Asher hadn’t approached the two of us, nor spared us a glance as we left from the clearing.

Mason, kind as always, walked me home in silence.

“First night of patrol and this happens.” Mason shook his head, a frown forming on his pale lips.

I scoffed, but the action was filled with exhaustion. “Not a very good sign, is it?”

Mason shook his head, “Not at all.”

“There were too many of Asher’s men there tonight for it to be a simple rogue a****k.” I pursed my lips, the gears in my mind turning.

“You think so?” Mason’s head tilted slightly as my words sunk in.

I shrugged, “Fifteen men seems like an awful lot. Rogue attacks happen sometimes, but tonight seemed different.”

“I think we both need some sleep. Try not to think about it too much.” Mason frowned as we stood on the stairs to my house, “I’ll see you for training tomorrow, right?”

I rolled my eyes, gaining some of my sarcastic humor back. “Like Alpha Asher would let me miss training.”

Mason grinned, but it was one that took effort to maintain. “Good, I’ll hunt you down myself if you don’t show.”

I waved Mason off and went inside.

It didn’t seem like Sean was home, but Grandma and Dad sat in the living room. From the looks of it, they were having a hushed conversation between themselves. I couldn’t make out any of the words exchanged between the two of them, but the one word I heard was crystal clear; Lana.

“Their talking like two people who don’t wanna be overheard.” Maya mumbled in my head.

As much as I wanted to care, to inquire what they were talking about, the night had been long enough.

Both of their heads snapped to the door as I walked in, and Dad lifted himself to his feet.

“Sean told us something happened tonight at patrol.” Dad frowned, his gruff voice full of worry.

I frowned and crossed my arms, “A girl was found d**d. Looks like a rogue a****k.”

Dad wasn’t placated, “I don’t want you out running patrol anymore, or anywhere near the woods for that matter.”

I understood where he was coming from, but I also knew his personal needs wouldn’t overcome Alpha Asher’s.

“You know that won’t happen, Dad.” I frowned, plopping down on the couch next to Grandma.

“I’m not losing you or Sean.” Dad growled, running a hand through his salt and pepper hair.

I sighed, wanting nothing more than to head to bed. “Alpha Asher would never allow that. He can’t let half the people in town stop showing up for patrol cause their families are scared.”

“Lola, just listen to me on this.” Dad grimaced, but I had already had enough.

“No.” I stood from the couch, “I will not run again. I’m back now, and I can handle myself.”

The previous exhaustion that tinged my words had faded, leaving behind something else. A sense of power and authority filled me, one that didn’t quite feel right in a werewolf.

Dad’s jaw clenched, but if he could feel the strange waves rolling off of me he made no indication.

After a few moments the strange sensation subsided leaving me feeling drained and somewhat groggy.

“What the h**l was that?” Maya sounded just as confused and tired as I.

“I have no idea.” I grumbled, my limbs feeling heavy. “All I know is I need some sleep.”

Dad still stood with his jaw clenched while Grandma looked quite pale.

“I’m heading to bed now.” I mumbled, trudging up the stairs, “I have training in the morning.”

Falling asleep that night had been effortless, and I made sure to set an alarm for the morning.

As I thought, Katie haunted my dreams. Her glassy green eyes were burned into my head, along with the image of her scarlet stained throat.

The dream felt so real, and I had almost mistaken it for reality. It was one detail that stood out, it reminded me this wasn’t reality. A set of blazing red eyes stared at me through the forest, scalding me with it’s intensity.

While the chilling dreams of Katie hindered my sleep, I felt refreshed after the events of yesterday.

I pulled myself from the bed and slipped on a black sports bra and a pair of workout shorts. Slipping my long hair into a pony tail and my shoes on my feet, I jogged downstairs.

Dad was nowhere in sight, but Grandma stood in the kitchen flipping something in a pan. The sticky sweet smell of pancakes filled my nose and I plopped down at the table.

“On time for once, I see.” Grandma turned and flashed me a cheeky grin.

I smirked at my Grandma and grabbed a water from the fridge, “Very funny, but yes I’ll be on time for once.”

“Good thing, I was afraid Alpha Asher would show up to torment you some more.” Grandma smirked, a strange flicker of knowledge gleaming in her eyes.

“Torment?” Maya mused, “Certainly didn’t feel like torment.”