Alpha Asher By Jane Doe

Read Alpha Asher [by Jane Doe] Chapter 72 – The shadows slithered from sight, maneuvering through the tall grass unseen. Alpha Asher’s wide eyes met my own as he too could see them slithering. I was thankful he couldn’t hear their seductive whispers, begging me to call on them again.

‘Mason…’ Maya gasped, cringing against the icy torrent invading my body.

The one standing beside Adrienne was not. His seafoam eyes widened at the sight, his eyes snapping up to meet my own.

‘He can see them…’ Maya murmured; her tone fearful. ‘Why can’t everyone else see them?’

I couldn’t form the words to answer Maya, rooted in place as the shadows glided forward.

Adrienne was oblivious, her golden eyes narrowed at Mason, her arm tucked tightly around her Vampire mate.

They pooled around her feet, lapping against her stiletto boots like murky water. The shadows gathered at her feet, rising as more added to their numbers.

I held my breath until my lungs burned, silently pleading for a way out of this bargain.

‘Unbreakable…you must pay the price, Princess’

The shadows cooed, their silky voices falling on my ears in hushed waves. Neither side had made a move yet, as Alpha Asher and the Vampire watched the gathering shadows in h****r.

The other Vampire’s twitched anxiously, waiting for their leader to call them forward. My friends shot Alpha Asher and I uneasy looks, also wondering why we hadn’t taken action.

The shadows rose high, much higher than my short stature. Just when they reached Adrienne’s height, the whisps of shadow seemed to solidify and take form.

The dark form of a man stood in front of Adrienne, just inches away, and still she was oblivious.

I su*ked in a ragged breath as the shadow’s arm raised, slicing across the air in one smooth motion.

Silence echoed across the dark forest, as if the bugs and animals were all holding their breaths. There was no mistaking the feeling of unease that had settled across us all. Even if they couldn’t see the shadows, they could feel that something felt…wrong.

A thin, jagged line of scarlet beaded against Adrienne’s neck, bright in contrast to her espresso skin. She hadn’t even realized what happened yet.

Her golden eyes widened, her hands lip at her sides. At first the blood trickled down, slow and thick as it made its descent down her slender neck.

Her hands snapped up to her neck, her hands grasping wildly at the gaping wound in her throat. Her blood began to spurt in long waves, watering the grass and staining the earth.

The shadows broke apart, falling to the ground once more. They slithered over the fallen blood, devouring each drop that fell to the earth.

Mason lurched forward; his hands extended as if he were going to help his d***g mate.

‘There’s nothing you can do’, I wanted to tell him. ‘I k****d her, Mason. I k****d your mate.’

Mason stopped d**d in his tracks as a chorus of hisses erupted from the Vampires, warning him to back off.

As if things couldn’t get any worse, her Vampire mate unleashed a snarl of pure fury.

Adrienne fell to the ground, beautiful and still as she lay in the grass. Her golden eyes were focused on me, as though she were taunting me.

‘I know what you did, stupid wolf.’

I could hear her exotic voice in my head, her words like a whip against my b**e skin.

I made the mistake of looking into Mason’s eyes, drowning in the sorrow and confusion that filled his gaze. His eyes never once left Adrienne,

The Vampires rushed forward, their leader barreling into Alpha Asher. Carter and Wade met the Vampire’s with equal gusto. Mason and Breyona leapt into action, but the four of them couldn’t seem to wipe the h****r and confusion from their eyes.

I had been so absorbed with the h****r of what I had done that I didn’t notice the two Vampire’s charging my way. With a snarl of absolute malice, Sean knocked the two Vampire’s to the ground.

Breyona and Mason both fought in wolf form, tearing the throats out of the Vampire’s with furious snarls. Alpha Asher fought in his human form, shifting his hand into claws as he tore the heart from one of the Vampire’s. Carter, Wade and Sean all did the same.

Asher was fighting more than one Vampire at a time, giving most of his attention to

horrorstruck face in mind, I called Maya forward and

in the moonlight, there were more important matters. I took the backseat while Maya charged at one of the Vampire’s fighting Alpha

than Tristan’s, sun kissed even though he couldn’t go out in the sun. My teeth sunk into his

surprise filled his gaze, followed by sheer denial. He couldn’t fathom that this was the end of his life, that all of those years of learning and growing culminated to this

to the ground without hesitation and

sneer, he tore the heart from the Vampire leader’s chest. His body hit the ground

we do?’ Breyona spoke through the mind-link, her voice thick

woods, and b**n the bodies.’ Alpha Asher’s voice was strong and acted as a

our human forms. We slipped on some clothes we had kept in the trunk,

minutes, each of us dragging a Vampire corpse into the woods. I could hear my heart shatter as Mason picked up his deceased mate, her long curly hair waving in the light breeze. She was limp in his arms, her vacant eyes

flesh was nauseating, mixing with the sickly-sweet smell that radiated from the Vampire’s. Mason stared on at the fire, watching as it licked and crackled against his

just below a whisper, each word left his lips slowly as though the sound brought him

to say. What could I say? There was nothing that could undo what I had done. I had blindly made a deal with the shadows, not bothering to have them elaborate

it wasn’t your fault.’ Maya murmured, the crackling fire drowning out her sorrowful voice. ‘She chose the Vampire’s

was right, it didn’t excuse what I

My mouth opened, my voice a painful croak in my

as though he were seconds away from lunging at my throat. “I felt something there with us, something cold and ancient and just–bad. It

“I–it was, but Mason-“

snarled, taking a step towards me as his eyes flashed murderously. All traces of

he stepped in between Mason and I. His back was turned to me, but I could feel the

Couldn’t he see? I didn’t deserve his protection. Mason had every right to be angry with me–to hate

end this way. I couldn’t let him walk away thinking I

something

and his voice thick with repressed emotion. I hadn’t told Alpha Asher the deal I made; I hadn’t told him the price I was willing to pay for

I realized I had been crying Alpha Asher raised his hand as though he were going to wipe my tears away. I

from my veins. I deserved to feel everything for what I had done. I didn’t deserve an easy way

eyes locked on my face.

the thick silence, a frown etched onto his carefree face. “Cause I don’t

car.” Breyona grunted, her eyes flickering to the patch of forest Mason had wandered off

Asher murmured, his intense gaze heating

and headed back to the main road, leaving me to follow closely behind. Once I had finally caught up to her, we walked down the dark road in

you mad at me?” I wanted to throw something, to smack myself across the

like a whip, lashing against my chilled skin without mercy. “I understand why you did what you did, but that doesn’t change how Mason

know.” I choked out, my voice little more than a painful rasp.

me off?” Breyona stopped d**d in her tracks, her hands resting on her hips. Breyona’s emotionless mask had shifted into one of irritation and anger. Her hazel eyes narrowed at me, sending a shard of regret burrowing into my stomach. “You were willing to give your d**n life

furiously, tears pricking the backs of

know, Lola. You couldn’t let him d*e.” Breyona snapped, running a hand through her short hair. “But don’t you get it? You can’t be a d**n martyr and throw your life away without thinking of the

of words flitted through my mind, and yet I couldn’t figure out what to

it through?” I chuckled, ignoring the tears that escaped my

her?” Breyona grimaced, as if the words burned her throat during their exit. “During the fight, what would have happened to her? Would we have spared her? Taken her

knew the answer. Adrienne would have died, or escaped to run back to

much Mason is hurting, but she wasn’t going to change sides. Does that

murmured;

parking lot littered with different cars. A small sign sticking from the ground said this was where you park if you were going to take a bus. The bus

my eyes flickered to every shadow in sight. There was no movement, no slithery voice that cooed in my ear. Everything was still, even the crickets

picked a deep brown mini-van, set with at least thirty bumper stickers. The back window had one of those stick figure families. A stick figure Mom and Dad stood next to a child and a

seven people to transport and we need something inconspicuous.” Breyona grunted, catching my gaze as I looked over the

cold metal of the mini-van in

car?” I found myself asking, thankful for a distraction from my own

a year ago.” Breyona shrugged. The engine roared to life and Breyona shot me a half-hearted grin,

the back end of the wrecked SUV.

Asher, Carter, Wade, Sean and Mason stood around the side of the house, keeping out of view from the road. Breyona pulled into the gravel