Chapter 180
Alpha Asher and Lola
Read Alpha Asher by Jane Doe Chapter 180 âThree witches, three vampires, and three werewolvesâ¦â I heard myself say.
The corpses of Carmen and Devin came to mind, both strategically placed shortly after their gruesome murders. It brought me no peace to learn that their deaths were for a specific purpose. Learning the truth had renewed my rage, but also invoked a wave of disgust that made me nauseous.
I had no doubt that the witches were more than willing to knock off a few of their own if it meant getting what they wanted.
âThatâs why weâll win in the end. Even under Tylerâs rule our pack had more loyalty for its members than the witches. â Maya huffed, her tail swishing in agitation.
âWe have to assume theyâve already sacrificed three of their own. Thereâs no reason why theyâd wait if they have three witches readily available. H**l, they probably offered themselves willingly. We know theyâve k****d more than one Vampire, which leavesâ¦â Tristan trailed off, his voice fading but his grimace was answer enough.
âWhich leaves one more werewolf.â Deacon mused gruffly, one of his thick arms crossed over his chest as he tapped on his chin. The way he regarded me wasnât the way an uncle would look at his niece, but the way a predator would size up its prey.
âHeâs s**t out of luck, then. Weâve never been prey, and if heâs stupid enough to attack, heâll learn that fast. â Maya chimed in, hackles raised and ready to fight.
I anticipated Deaconâs comment and had a retort dangling off the tip of my tongue.
âWe could n*p all this in the bud real quick by just k*****g you.â He shrugged one of his meaty shoulders, âYouâd be saving one of your own.â
âGo ahead and try.â I dared him.
Off to the side, Dina stiffened. Sheâd jump in if it was brought to a fight, that was a given. I didnât have to divert my attention from Deacon to know Tristan was glowering at her, issuing a silent dare of his own.
For half a second, Deacon looked like he might just take me up on my offer, but after a long pause of silence, he huffed and shook his head.
âDonât really feel like fending off a feral Alpha. Iâm banking Iâd k**l him in the end, but not before he s*********d half the Vampire population.â
I twisted my lips into a humorless smirk. âLooks like hiding all these years made you smart. Good to know.â
Deacon barked out an amused laugh, âYou sure you arenât my kid? Canât see my brother removing the stick up his a*s long enough to make one.â
I was about to tell him how unappealing his question was when Dinaâs mate came sprinting through the stacks of metal shelves. His greasy hair was slicked back, giving me the perfect view of his wide eyes and gaping mouth. If I didnât know any better, Iâd say that was his âoh s**tâ face.
It seemed I hit the nail on the head with my assumption, because the moment Dina spotted him, she was at his side in an instant.
âWhat is it, baby?â She asked, her tone hushed.
Dinaâs mate wasnât looking at her, though. His eyes were square on Deacon, the earthy tones bright with fear.
âTheyâre here, the witchesâ¦â He stammered, swiping his fingers through his hair hard enough to tear a few strands out. âS**t, Deacon. They just pulled up. They mustâve been watching us. What the fu-â.
âRelax, Spence.â Deacon commanded, his tone firm but not harsh.
There was a sort of understanding on his face that piqued my curiosity, if only for a moment. He stared Tristan and I down, towering over us both in height and physique. I knew he was noticing how Tristan had inched closer to my side, his hand wrapped firmly around my arm. Before my heart could thud a second time, Deacon had come to whatever conclusion heâd been searching for.
âSpence, get the others ready to evacuate. Have them meet at the fire exit on the west side of the building. Bring the witches to me, then join the others.â Deacon growled, frowning when Spence scrambled into action, nearly wiping out on some scraps of cardboard. He glanced at Dina. âHe going to be alright?â
Dina, whose face had somehow become even more grim and severe, nodded her head.
âYeah, heâll manage. Thank you, by the way, for not making him stick around the witches. Heâs got a bad history with them.â
âYouâre welcome.â Deacon murmured, his brows still furrowed, then jutted his chin at Tristan and me.
âYou can repay me by getting these two out of here safely.â
Iâm sure my eyebrows crept halfway up my forehead once I heard him say that. He let out a puff of air that sounded like both a scoff and a snort, but I wasnât sure if it was in response to my expression or Dinaâs. The dark-skinned Vampire stared at Deacon like he had two heads, just as surprised as I was that he was keen on helping me live.
âDonât think Iâm doing you any favors, kid. Turning you in might save my people in that moment, but long term itâll only lead to our destruction. Best chance we got is if you somehow win this thing, considering you werenât lying to my face about how much you care about Vamps.â He grunted, puffing out his chest as he stared down Dina.
Even though she was a few feet shorter than him, Dina wasnât afraid to put on a scathing d***h glare.
Her spine was rigid, and her jaw set in harsh angles that added to the deadly aura she was giving off.
Even her eyes, which were a few tones darker than her skin, seemed to glow with the same scalding emotion on the rest of her face. She had more ferocity than any of the Vampireâs Iâd met so far.
I bit back the thought that popped into my head before I blurted it out, but that didnât stop it from playing itself on repeat behind my eyelids.
Dina wouldâve made a badass werewolf.
âWeâre running out of time, Dina.â Deacon warned, his voice low and face blank, completely unaffected by her d***h glare.
She cursed under her breath and stormed over to Tristan and me, then jabbed her thumb towards the back of the warehouse. There were more of those rusted metal shelves sitting in rows, wedged so tightly together that I could only manage glimpses at the far wall.
âLetâs go.â She barked, muttering something under her breath that I wouldâve caught had I not been lost in thought.
Even though Deacon made it clear enough he didnât support my rule, he was intelligent enough to know that the best chance for Vampireâs was in my victory. That decision came with risk on his end, and if he was willing to stick his neck out for me, I needed to do the same in return.
Unfortunately, the risk I was about to take came with stakes much higher than his, but I knew there was a chance it might turn him to our side. Worst case scenario, it would inspire other Vampireâs to switch teams.
I only realized Tristan was pulling me along when I dug my heels into the ground and forced him to turn back. His expression was equal parts bewildered and exasperated, but that was nothing new.
âDo either of you have a pen?â I asked, my eyes darting between Deacon and Dina.
âA pen? Girl, we donât have time for this!â Dina snapped, rubbing her temple in frustration.
I snarled under my breath, feeling the faint prickle of magic ghost across my skin.
âThen why are you wasting time when you could be finding me a pen?â
âHere, kid.â Deaconâs gravelly voice called from a few feet away.
He stood off to the side, a pen in his meaty fist. While Dina and I had been snapping at one another, Deacon had quietly done as I asked. I rushed over and snatched it from him. It was a bit rougher than I intended, but the prickling sensation telling me the witches were nearing was growing stronger, putting me more and more on edge. Hastily, I glanced around for any shred of paper I could find, but there was nothing, but trampled bits of cardboard crushed to the warehouse floor.
Without hesitating, I grabbed Deaconâs hand and flipped it over. He didnât fight or question me as I scribbled messily across his palm, running the tip of the ballpoint over his callouses and weathered skin.
âThis is where youâll find Bridgette, alive and unharmed. Donât bring anyone you donât fully trust with you.â I both pleaded and ordered, âThere are a total of five people in this world who have the information I just gave you. I canât stress this part enough. Protect these coordinates with your life.â
This time, Deacon did react. One of his bushy eyebrows lifted an inch as a flicker of surprise crossed his face.
He grumbled, âThis wouldnât happen to be the location of that safe haven some of the others were whispering about, is it?â
I didnât answer his question with a simple yes or no. In my eyes and in the rigid way I stood was all of the experience Iâd accumulated in such a short amount of time. There was still so much I needed to learn as both Queen and Luna, so much maturing I still had left to do, but the Lola that had ran from her old pack and boyfriend like a coward was no more. In her place was someone new, someone both strong and vulnerable, with so much more to lose.
âIâm risking the lives of innocent Vampireâs by giving you this. Do not make me regret it.â
A hand wrapped around my upper arm, and I knew then that it was time to go. Deaconâs expression was guarded, a blank mask that watched stoically as Dina led Tristan and I away. The slight nod he gave me was the last thing I saw before we vanished behind the rusted shelving.
âWhat do you think that meant?â Maya asked, both curious and just a tad worried.
Dina began to weave in and out of the stacks, inching us closer to the back of the warehouse. She seemed to know which aisles werenât jam-packed with the skeletons of old boxes, making it easier to keep our steps as quiet as possible.
âI have no clue, but Iâm hoping itâs his way of thanking us. Anything else would mean disaster.â
When the scuffle of two dainty pairs of feet hitting the warehouse floor found my ears, I had no choice but to tune my wolf out and strain to listen. I mustâve slowed because Dina turned back and frowned.
She cupped her ear and pointed in the direction we had just come from, a question unraveling across her face.
Assuming she was asking if the witches were here, I nodded.
âCan you hear them?â I whispered with a voice so quiet that even I had to strain to hear every other word.
Dinaâs eyes flickered to my lips for a second when she mouthed, âA little.â
We continued moving through the stacks, concealed by the metal shelving and the decomposed boxes that remained. Even on sections of the shelves where nothing sat, there were so many in a single row that it was nearly impossible to spot us through them.
I was able to make out the exit sign when a feeling slammed into my gut so hard that I came to a standstill.
âHello, Deacon. Our mistress wants to know if youâve changed your mind about joining us.â A familiar voice said, somehow managing to sound both vicious and cloyingly sweet.
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