Alpha Asher By Jane Doe

Epilogue (Breyona & Giovanni)

Five Years Later – Breyona’s P.O.V.

I appeared in a plume of inky shadow, emerging from the darkness like I’d been there all along. If there were any humans nearby-which my hearing told me there wasn’t-they’d see nothing more than a lingering shadow dancing along the brick walls of the abandoned store front I lurked outside of.

This wasn’t my ideal hangout spot, but for whatever reason, this was where Freya had chosen to hide a bunch of magical texts and artifacts. I absolutely adored my job of traveling the country via shadows, collecting information that was thought to be lost among the witches.

It was similar to what my parents had done, a realization that never failed to bring tears to my eyes.

Even after all these years, I missed them so much.

I slinked along the back wall, past the rusted dumpsters that hadn’t been used in Goddess knows how long, to the backdoor Ember’s source promised would be unlocked. Sure enough, when I tugged the handle, it swung open with a metallic gr0an.

The inside of the abandoned store was far worse than the outside led me to believe. Judging from the discarded mildew stained stands and faded posters, this place used to be some kind of cellphone store.

That was long before the Blood Witch-may she not rest in peace-turned this place into her own personal hiding spot.

Lola and Clara had been furious when they found out how much information Freya had been hoarding, keeping it for herself to hold over the heads of young witches everywhere. This was exactly why I signed up for the job.

If there was one thing my parents believed in whole heartedly, it was that knowledge should not be kept hidden. Knowledge was meant to be shared with the world.

I tiptoed inside, keeping my ears peeled. There was little in the way of light, but I expected as much after eying the blown fuse box outside. A quiet scuttle just inside alerted my attention, but as I crept closer, past clusters of soggy boxes and overturned displays, I realized it was a very chunky rat.

“If I were an evil Blood Witch with a superiority complex, hell -bent on destroying the world, where would I hide a bunch of dusty magical texts?” I asked myself, lowering my voice halfway through. She had a way of making the smallest of sounds seem louder, and the last thing I needed was to draw attention to myself if any rogue witches were nearby.

Starting my search, I thought back to last month and how drastically things had changed.

This was my first job since returning from my honeymoon with Giovanni. His parents had this incredible villa in Italy, set in the Tucson country side. It was surrounded by rolling hills and a vineyard as far as the eye could see. There was even an olive grove, whose owner was more than happy to give Giovanni and I a tour.

It was Lola, and her crazy ass magic, that made all of this possible. She’d given Giovanni and I a wedding present, something we could’ve never expected.

For those two weeks in Italy, she’d made Giovanni impervious to the sun.

We were able to visit all of the monuments and do all of the wonderful touristy things I had on my list. A dream vacation after a dream wedding.

I kicked open one of the soggy boxes, wrinkling my nose at the stench that wafted out. Wet, mildew-covered paper had a stench that was eerily similar to rotting trees. Moving on, I followed the dull tingle of magic in the air, and began searching one of the overturned displays. Grabbing a shard of broken wood off the floor, I nudged one of the display’s doors open, humming the first song to pop into my head.

The sweet and soft melody that had been frequenting my head the past month was none other than the song played at my wedding. I shared the day with Mason and Clara, a decision I didn’t regret in the slightest.

Even Ember and Tessa had a hand to

lungs as I spotted him in his tux, while also watching my best-friend marry the love of his life, was by far the best part. Well…almost. It was a tie,

face when Clara stood to give an impromptu speech, only to reveal the secret she, Lola, Holly, and I had kept for almost two months, was a moment I’d never forget. In fact, I had a picture of said moment tucked away

Clara into his arms, tears cascading down his cheeks, when his bride revealed she

best-friend, and for the joy he had found in his life after enduring so much. The light in his eyes sent me reeling back five

murder, I’d nearly walked in on the two of them talking. It was their hushed tones that prompted me to stop, while a tingle

likes you. What’s the problem, man?” Sean

“You don’t think

could it be

lost her. I-I can’t replace her with Clara.” Mason’s voice cracked, a shard of it ricocheting off

patted Mason on the back. “This is going to sound harsh, but I think you need to hear it. Your mate died, yes. But she also chose to reject you. Spending

halfhearted chuckle. “You sound just like Lola, you know? How come you haven’t moved on from your

met anyone quiet like Kanyon. You’re lucky, Mason. It’s different when you’ve completed the bond. Part of you dies with them, and that part of me knows Kanyon

was responsible for Clara and Mason

open yet another door on an overturned

instead of old phone cases and corroded wires, I found a box completely untouched by the water damage infesting this place. After a quick victory dance that resulted

books, each one named after one form of magic or another. I scooped them into my arms and made quick

my left was the only source of light, casting a

slapped the box of spell books onto the nearest table before propping my hand on

my eyes at the red-head, I spat back. “Easy for you to say.

her face.

time it left Ember’s. I approached the massive executive desk with my arms

grasp, eying the emerald-green pants suit she had on. It was adorned with golden buttons that matched the dainty chain around her neck-a gift

made absolutely no attempts to understand

I’ve been swamped with work, and I’ll admit, it’s nice to see

we spend the next hour chatting, catching up with one another’s lives. I told her all about my honeymoon and the adventures Giovanni and I shared, while she both complained

chance to take over as Headmaster, even though she was already acting as Ambassador to the Witches. The

always

up on the cushioned footstool perched in front of the chair I sat on, I shook my head. “Nope, sure didn’t. From what I could pick up scent-wise, there hadn’t been anyone around in

to the Tower, but I

prison Lola, Ember, and a few of the others had created. It was the only place on this earth strong enough

Conjuration, Lola created a tower in the middle of the ocean that could only be accessed through special doorways planted in both Asher and Zeke’s packs. As the only person able to transport themselves through the shadows, I

put so much effort and energy into the Tower that she was out of commission for over two weeks.

their reflection in it’s surface, perched out in the middle of the ocean. Once inside

my shadow abilities-which was