Alpha Asher By Jane Doe

Chapter 211

I was so unfathomably tired of death.

The pale rider and I knew each other intimately. We were partners in a dance I no longer remembered the movements for, one I wished would end already but knew never would.

There were so many fallen wolves. So many families to contact, so many devastating blows to land.

Just as many, if not more, witches littered the ground.

They had friends, I‘m sure. Families that would wonder where they were or if they were ever coming back. They would be mourned by someone, somewhere.

It had taken me months to no longer have nightmares of my father‘s severed head tumbling from his shoulders, rolling across the ground in a sea of blood. Every

time I escaped the pull of a nightmare, a new one sprouted in its place, brought on by all of the death and carnage.

Even now, after all these months, I couldn‘t even look at grass without seeing flashes of it covered in blood.

I kept to Asher‘s side, shifting between human and wolf as I killed in both forms. Each life I took broke something inside of me that could never be fixed.

Asher was horrifically elegant in his wolf form, slashing throats and sinking his teeth into anything that wielded magic. He knew the dance moves, knew death much longer than I had. There were rare beings in this world born and bred to send people to the other side.

Asher was one of these beings. The more ! killed and slaughtered, the faster I realized that I was not.

So, I piggybacked off his strength and ferocity, letting his one–track mind

smother my feelings of regret and doubt.

We searched through the sea of crimson high and low looking for Ember, but she wasn‘t here.

I used my magic sparingly, diffusing some of the more powerful witches before they had a chance to kill any more of our warriors. I‘d just slashed through a miniature fucking tornado when I hesitated.

The witch that had conjured it was a child, barely a pre–teen.

Her face was round, her cheeks plump and flushed with blood. The rise and fall of her chest were heavy, spattered with blood that could‘ve easily been hers or someone else‘s. Seeing my hesitation, she blinked in surprise. Her lips opened to form a small‘o,‘ and her fingers twitched like she wasn‘t sure what to do next.

Staring at her through Maya‘s eyes, all I could think was that she wasn’t supposed

high–school, frantic and on the verge of tears as she tried again and again to pick the perfect outfit for her first day. Worried about crappy boyfriends and finding a best friend to spill

her, and my hesitation almost cost

it into a sneer. Asher‘s voice bellowed

‘Lola, watch out!

into the witch creeping up behind me, a curved blade in her

neck in its maw. The warrior dropped the dying girl and was onto the next witch, going through

of hot air

laying there, gurgling as she choked on her own blood. Within

her, Asher.‘ I whispered. ‘She‘s a child.‘

strength, he had a heart just like anyone else, and I could feel it ache for the girl. It was his nature

and hold

replied softly. ‘A child trained to kill.‘

killing.‘I closed my eyes, hearing nothing but the carnage

curled against mine, and I had no choice but to face him when he brushed his snout along my neck. His voice circled my head, full of such warmth

it. You have the power, Lola. Use

been waiting for permission, or perhaps support, because the moment I

to stop, and I knew just how to end it.

image of her locked away in a cell as inspiration for what

It stung as it pelted my face and arms, but the clothes I kept as I shifted into my human

climbed higher and higher above our heads. Each one moved on my command, an extension of my body that reminded me of having over a dozen extra limbs. I swung my arms to

witches were lifted into the sky, their arms pinned to their

wrapped around them, securing each one

roots I commanded left and right. I began to tire so quickly that I had to bite my tongue to

I held on until the witches were driven back into the forest, chased far away from

in an orchestra of deafening howls. Snouts were turned towards the sky and victories were bellowed in the only song we knew

I peered up at Asher, losing myself in the proud smile that graced his face.

did it.” He said, his

There had been a few that managed to escape with the help of the others, but it didn‘t matter. The point of this was to end the fight, to stop the senseless killing. We had six witches that would now occupy

easier.” I

it a lot

going to have to keep using it. I’ve

“Tell Cordelia we‘re going to need more Hemlock…lots

work to do. Once the Hemlock was delivered, we administered doses to the witches