Chapter 203
Alpha Asher
Read Alpha Asher by Jane Doe Chapter 203
Several seconds passed, flitting into the ether as we all stared at one another, shock written clear
across our features only in different fonts. Any and all laughter vanished from the room, itâs absence
letting silence leak in like a d**g.
Asher and Deacon were the first to break free of itâs hypnotic gaze, barking out orders that were both
awe-inspiring and terrifying.
âWe mustâve been followed, but Iâm betting it was Lolaâs appearance that made them act so soon. It
wouldâve been smartest to attack during broad daylight. Weâd be sitting ducks that way.â Deacon
snarled.
Asherâs eyes momentarily glazed over, caught in a mind-link that left him biting back a growl.
âWitches are close to the border of town. Theyâre close to breaking through. Iâve got six wolves
stationed here. Four are currently fighting, two are rounding up every child and elderly person in town.â
His grimace deepened, and my blood ran cold from the sheer harshness of it. âThereâs a witch setting
things on fire. That wouldnât happen to be the one you want d**d, is it?â
Dina rubbed the palms of her hands together, her teeth gnashed into a line as she smiled savagely.
âThat b***h is mine. Sheâs going to be six feet under for what she did to Spence.â
âGather as many as you can, anyone willing to fight. With luck, youâll get your wish, and that witch will
be d**d before sunrise.â Deacon said to Dina, clasping her on the shoulder with a firm hand.
During that split second where they looked into each otherâs eyes, I thought something mightâve
passed between them, an unspoken vow of sorts. Before I could decipher what it mightâve been, Dina
was out the front door.
âIâm going to help them. Those witches wonât know what hit them.â Breyona chimed in, a deadly glint to
my best friends eyes.
She met Giovanniâs intense stare before searching my face. It took me a moment to realize she was
asking for permission. I mightâve been her Luna, but it was likely that these were the witches that had
helped m****r her parents. Justice wasnât something Iâd keep from her, no matter how much I wanted
her safe. Just like me, Breyona had been given the gift of power, and power demanded to be used.
âGo.â I told her. âMake sure they know exactly who theyâve f****d with.â
When she slipped out of the kitchen, I grabbed onto Giovanniâs arm before he could follow. He turned
his impossibly dark eyes on me, and I felt them probing my face, peeling back the layers to every
emotion I hid within.
âKeep her safe, Giovanni.â I all but begged him.
âI will.â He promised.
With that, he and Tristan left, followed by Sean and finally, Zeke. Mason seemed to have grown pale
during that time. Worry b****d in his eyes, fear written across his soft features that brought me back to
that awful night, the night I helped k**l his mate. He had the same look on his face as he stared at
Clara.
âIâll be safe here, Mason. I wonât leave this house. I promise.â She said soothingly, her plump lips
softening into a reassuring smile that took away some of the agony on his face.
âYouâll be here when I get back?â He mumbled, seeing no one but the curvy witch that demanded his
full attention.
She nodded, her curls bouncing around her shoulders. âI will. Iâll be right here.â
A look of utter surprise lifted my eyebrows and parted my lips when Mason pulled Clara into his arms
and smashed his lips against hers, pouring every ounce of his worry and fear into her willing embrace.
She accepted it all, tangling her fingers in his hair to draw him deeper, matching every stroke and sigh
he let out with one of her own. When they pulled apart, both were breathless and red in the face.
âI want a kiss like that before we go out there.â Bridgette mumbled, her eyes darting up to skewer
Deacon.
My heart just about stalled in my chest when Asherâs voice flooded my head.
âLola, can I talk to you in private?â
âNow?â I replied, glancing at the front door.
He nodded stiffly, tilting his head towards the living room. Neither Deacon nor Bridgette commented as
we slipped out of sight. The front door slammed shortly after, letting me know Mason had officially left
to join the fight.
The longer Asher stared at me, flecks of pure gold swirling in his irises like fireflies in the d**d of night,
the more I felt myself teeter towards the edge. Already adrenaline was coursing through my veins,
growing stronger with each one of our friends that left to join the fight. If I didnât actâdidnât do
something, I swore Iâd explode.
âLolaââ He began, and I felt my control slip ever so slightly.
I shook my head at him, perhaps a bit harder than necessary, but I needed to get my point across.
âDo not tell me I canât go out there, Asher. I get it, you want to keep me safe, but you canât. Maybe once
you couldâve, but with magic and witches and evil spells meant to take away my free will, you just canât
anymore. We are not going to win this by locking me away in a tower like some Princess while our
friends fight for their lives. I love you, Asher, but I am going out there to fight.â I exhaled, my heart
pulsing against my ribcage as he stared and stared.
I hadnât meant for it to come out like that, rushed and callous, but we had secondsâseconds to get this
out in the open. We shouldâve talked about it sooner, gotten it over with and communicated, but it
became too easy to shove it all under the rug and enjoy the blissful moments we had together.
He swept me into his arms, his heat melting into my skin and his scent swirling around my head. I didnât
fight him but sank into the embrace and felt his heartbeat quickening to match my own. My eyes drifted
shut when his lips found my forehead, sending wave after wave of sparks skittering along my skin.
When he pulled away, his eyes slightly hooded, they were absent of anger.
âI know, Lola. I wasnât going to keep you from the fight. I justâ¦â He let out a sharp breath, his eyes
falling shut. âI wanted to apologize for being so selfish with you. Youâre a Luna, the best I couldâve ever
asked for, but Iâve been keeping you from your full potential by smothering you. I havenât been treating
you as my equal, and that stops today.â
His thumb swiped at my cheek, making me realize a tear had escaped my eye. I blinked a few times,
clearing my vision so I could stare up at him. How he could be so raw and understanding when it went
against his very nature, Iâd never know, but it would be a part of him Iâd cherish forever.
âWe need to go out there and help them.â He said, a wicked glint in his eyes, one promising d***h and
destruction. âAre you in?â
I wanted to say yes more than anything, but there was something I needed to doâsomething Iâd been
wanting to do since weâd gotten here.
âIâm in, but I have to do something firstâ¦â I trailed off, debating on how much I should say. There was
no telling it would work, so I wanted to keep the details to myself. âIâll catch up with you, okay?
Promise.â
He was reluctant, I could tell by the way his eyes darkened, turning that ferocious gold into a ruddy
bronze.
âGo. Iâll watch over her.â Deacon barked. âBridgetteâs just gone out to help as well.â
A second time, I was swept into Asherâs arms, only this time around his lips closed over my own. Every
sense I had working on overdrive shut down one by one, all going lax under Asherâs intoxicating taste.
His scent flooded my nose, mixing with the adrenaline in my veins and filling my heart with enough love
to make me feel as though I were floating.
When he pulled away, I realized how much I truly had to fight for, and finally understood that even with
Conjuration, it was one of the biggest weapons I had against the blood-witch.
âWhatâs your plan, kid?â Deacon asked, tilting his head, and eyeing me with a look I couldnât quite
decipher.
I turned towards the stairs, listening to the uneven rasp that droned on and on.
âI need to talk to Spence.â
The sight was so much worse than I couldâve imagined, and the smellâit was near overwhelming. His
eyes were stark white, so pale against mottled, charred flesh that it struck a chord of terror within me.
He laid flat on the bed, his chest barely moving as he breathed in and out, in and out. On every exhale,
his lungs would rattle, and eyes would flare with remnants of pain.
There wasnât much left of his face, only two gaping holes where his eyes sat and a b****y stump that
served as his nose. Even his hair had been b****d off, lingering in wispy tufts that looked far too fragile.
Some part of me wondered if his clothing had been welded to his flesh, or if Deacon had managed to
cut it off of him before it could glue itself to the wounds.
âSpenceâ¦â I whispered, kneeling beside the bed. âI need to talk to you if thatâs alright. You donât have
to say anything. If you can, Iâd like you to blink once for yes and twice for no.â
His eyes had followed me as I entered the room and sank to the floor. Slowly, they closed and opened.
I felt Deacon watching at my back, silent but present.
Yes.
âAlright.â I exhaled, clasping my trembling hands together. âI know you have your reasons for not liking
magic, but if I told you I could use my magic to give you a second chance with Dina, would you take it?â
His eyes remained on my face for what felt like eons before fluttering shut and opening. I waited and
waited for them to close a second time, but they never did. A kernel of relief filled my chest, turning to
confidence I eagerly devoured.
âI canât make any promises, Spencer, but Iâm going to try and heal you now.â
I placed my hands on what was left of his chest, cringing and whispering an apology when an inhuman
groan escaped what was left of his lips.
When my eyes closed, I pulled from that well of magic Iâd felt a time or two, like a pool of pure electricity
only I could tap into. It prickled my nerve endings, racing along my veins and curling around my bones,
melding with my deepest thoughts and innermost desires.
There was nothing left for me to do but picture what I wanted: Spencer, happy and whole, his skin fresh
and unblemished.
I didnât listen to the sounds he made, the ones that stabbed at my heart, nor did I listen to the sound of
feet padding down the stairs. On and on, I poured that energy into Spencerâs body, praying above all
that it would work.
It couldâve been seconds or minutes that I sat there, I wasnât sure. All I knew was that when I opened
my eyes and found myself staring down at a smooth expanse of skin, I was positive Iâd faint.
Spencer was fully healed, not a single b**n left on his body. His skin was flushed an odd shade of red,
like heâd just gotten over the worst part of a horrible sunburn, but he was no longer on the verge of
d***h.
Without thinking, I pushed myself to my feet and instantly wobbled. I wouldâve fallen backwards if it
hadnât been for Deacon holding me up, spinning me around to stare him in the face.
His eyebrows, which looked so much like my fatherâs I wanted to be sick, were gnashed together.
âYou healed him, but you asked for permission first.â He grunted, speaking no more on the topic as he
shoved a blood bag in my hands and said, âThereâs no time to pass out and nap. They need us out
there. Thereâs kids and families counting on their Queen. Time to show your estranged Uncle what
youâre made of kid.â