Alpha Asher By Jane Doe

“You must be awful stupid comin’ around these parts, girl-even with a Vampire at your side.” A loud voice snapped.

A woman came into view, emerging from where she blended in with the forest line. Her skin was as dark as the bark that covered each tree, but that was where the similarities ended. She swayed her round hips gracefully as she approached the bike, her full lips curled back in a fearless sneer. She stopped five feet away, standing on the dual yellow lines that split the road in two. The leather jacket she wore glittered under the moon, mirroring the light in her dark eyes.

For a single fleeting moment, I wondered if they were oblivious to who we were. The miniscule dash of hope fizzled out when the woman spoke a second time.

“And don’t expect me to call you Queen, you ain’t no friend of me or mines.”

Though I didn’t dare take my eyes off the Vampire, I could see in my peripherals that she wasn’t the only one venturing from the forest to stand in the road. In all, I counted four others. Two to our left and two to the right.

We were surrounded.

The humanoid shape at the far end of the road came closer, their features growing sharper with each heavy footstep they took. When I managed to make out two pale-blue eyes, a wide mouth, and a set of messy hair, I found myself stunned into silence.

“Go on, now. Take the helmets off so we can have ourselves a civilized conversation, yeah? You can shut off the bike too, won’t be needing that anytime soon.”

The homeless man that had been sitting outside of the gas station came to a stop beside the woman. He brought the can of beer in his hand to his lips and took along drink.

“Oh, thanks for the beer, by the way.” He said, ignoring the woman’s scowl.

jaw that he had no intention on listening to them. I tapped

because a second later he cut the engine and removed the key from the ignition. The silence was deafening, but it was the eerie sense of foreboding that thickened the air

done with, what the h**l kind of business you got in

slivers, but I could

done with it.”

might’ve seemed apologetic if he hadn’t chosen to belch afterwards. The sound echoed across the pavement, sending the rancid scent of stale beer and sour breath in every direction. The woman at his side wrinkled her nose but didn’t tear her eyes away from

me a beer won’t save

in my chest like the blood-soaked petals of a freshly plucked rose. I slid off the back end of the bike,

a few steps towards the man

the Luna of the largest pack in the world. Oh, and laying off the beers might help too.” I replied, skewering him with my stare for a couple long seconds before turning my attention to Dina, the female Vampire. “I’m here looking for a Vampire Lair, and it looks

the Vampire’s stirred and shifted restlessly. Clearly, Dina had some sort of sway here, but I couldn’t be sure how

you’re smart you’ll take your little

about her reminded me of a dragon, huffing smoke into the air as a warning before it b****d the forest to

of the pack know where I am-which they do. There’s a reason you didn’t join the rest of your lair and help the witches when they sought you out, which is a good thing considering they infiltrated my pack. It’s comforting to know Bridgette wasn’t lying, though she could’ve saved me some time by warning me about Frank Gallagher over here.” I replied confidently, smirking when the male’s face reddened

He bellowed, crushing the beer can

in her eyes that I found myself waiting for her to breathe