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

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 all

her, and my hesitation almost

face as she twisted it into a sneer. Asher‘s voice bellowed through the mind–link

‘Lola, watch out!

barreled into the witch

out or tell them to stop, a wolf with wheat–colored fur tackled the young witch and crushed her neck in its maw. The

fuck was that, Lola?‘ Asher panted, letting out a huff of hot air from his snout. ‘You would‘ve died if I hadn‘t warned you in time.

I couldn‘t. The girl was laying there, gurgling as she choked on her own blood. Within

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

head and stared the girl down, his tail twitching as he saw the truth for himself. Despite his strength, he had a heart just like anyone else, and I could feel it ache for the girl. It

and hold his head high.

is a child.‘ He replied softly.

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

I had no choice but to face him when he brushed his snout along my

it. You have the power, Lola. Use it.

or perhaps support, because the moment I had Asher‘s approval, magic crackled

I knew just how to end

locked away in a cell as inspiration for what came next.

ground exploded, sending clumps of dirt and stone scattering in all directions. It stung as it pelted my face and arms, but the clothes

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 the

into the sky, their

wrapped around them, securing each one tightly.

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

my teeth from where I‘d pierced my tongue, but I held on until the witches

in an orchestra of deafening howls. Snouts were turned towards the sky and victories were bellowed in the only song we knew how to sing. When the howling had finally ceased and silence took

two feet, I peered up at Asher, losing myself in the

it.” He said, his voice oozing with warmth.

the witches I managed to capture. 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 the prison cells. They had information, I was sure of it, but I couldn‘t justify torturing it out

magic was supposed to get easier.” I

using it a lot lately.”

to have to keep using it.

we‘re going to need

Once the Hemlock was delivered, we administered doses to the witches and brought them to their