Alpha Asher

I laid awake until Asher's breathing grew heavy, slowing as he fell asleep. With his arms wrapped around me, and the heat from his body warming my bones, I closed my eyes and thought of Tristan.

It was harder than I expected, tapping into that sliver of myself, the part of me that longed for Tristan. Hour after hour passed as I stared at the backs of my eyelids, until a tugging sensation formed in my gut. Instead of fighting the intrusive feeling, I allowed myself to be pulled away. The world around me faded into black until my surroundings changed completely.

This room was different from the one I had previously met Tristan in. The walls were bare, rough as if the room itself were carved from stone. A plush bed sat in the middle of the room, large enough for four people to sleep comfortably. A Persian rug sat across the tiled floor, golden whorls and shapes glittered on its surface.

Across the room sat a gilded fireplace, the edges were etched in gold, reflecting light as the fire within blazed merrily. In front of the fireplace sat a long couch, deep maroon in color. As my eyes wandered over every feature of the room, I nearly missed the figure sitting on the couch. I circled around the couch and faced Tristan. His blonde hair looked gold as it attracted light from the blazing fire. His hands were clasped tightly, anger burning in his gaze as he stared into the hungry flames. I watched in silence as he noticed me, the anger replaced itself with amused interest.

"Well, hello beautiful." Tristan purred, leaning back on the couch as his eyes roamed me lazily.

I ignored the tingling of my scarlet mark and gave Tristan a hard look. I could still see the remnants of anger burning in his eyes, though he tried to conceal it with a sly grin.

"Rough night?" I asked, my eyes probing the depths of his own. Tristan hid his irritation skillfully, a look of mock offense forming on his face.

"Clearly." He scoffed, but continued eyeing up my bare legs. "Though, you could drastically change that."

"Don't count on it." I snorted, "Does it hurt? To know one of your own betrayed you for the love of a she-wolf."

"Hurt?" Tristan mused; his eyebrow cocked. "It does not hurt. Is it a horrible inconvenience? Yes. Regardless, Giovanni will be dealt with in time."

"If you say so." I shrugged, schooling my face into a mask of indifference. "Giovanni's loyalty will be useful. I can't wait to hear what he knows."

"My dear, you believe you are the only ones who have spies?" The corners of Tristan's lips twitched, his eyes playful and amused.

"Really?" I chuckled, shaking my head in disbelief. "I highly doubt your spies would get past Alpha Asher for long."

"You think too highly of your Alpha." Tristan chuckled, his ocean eyes burning into my own. "Though, I'll let you find out for yourself."

"Is Brittany one of those spies?" I mused, paying close attention to the emotion burning in his eyes.

Whether Tristan had anticipated my question or not, his eyes revealed nothing. His lips twitched into a smile, one that sent irritation flooding my veins. "Brittany?" Tristan smirked, "The mate of your prior boyfriend?"

"You know who I'm talking about." I rolled my eyes, his smirk widening. "Is she a spy?"

"And why should I give you anything, beautiful?" Tristan asked, "You have given me nothing in return."

"What do you want?" I asked, my eyebrow raised as I anticipated his response.

"You." Tristan shrugged, flashing me a predatory grin.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen." I shook my head.

A headache danced around my temples, and I wondered how that was possible. Tristan's eyes trailed over my body, and yet he made no move to approach me.

His eyes flickered from my own to the far wall, lingering on the clock for just a few moments. When his eyes met my own, a joyful grin formed on his face.

"I suppose it would do no harm to tell you now." Tristan shrugged, "By the time you wake up, it will be too late."

"Tell me what?" I asked, wondering if he could hear the affect his words had on my heart.

"Brittany is much more than meets the eye." Tristan smirked, "She is quite the mastermind. Your Alpha suspected, and yet she remained alive. Such a shame, the consequences won't be pleasant." My stomach dropped as his words settled in my mind, each word piercing my skin like shards of glass. Tyler could have avoided all of this and told me himself, but he continued playing games. I wasn't sure what Tristan meant when he said it would be too late, but I couldn't risk staying around any longer.

"Goodbye, beautiful." Tristan purred, "Until we meet again."

The connection between the two of us snapped like a thin sheet of glass, shattering to the floor as I awoke in bed. The sun was beginning to rise, casting hues of gold along the damp earth. Stray beams of light ebbed through the curtains, though the room was still cloaked in darkness.

I pulled myself from bed and quietly slipped on some clothes, noting how calm Asher's breathing sounded. The entire house was silent, and I saw no point in needlessly waking Asher up.

I tiptoed downstairs, shuddering at how dark and eerie the house felt at night. I headed down to the basement, feeling the overwhelming need to check on Brittany and Tyler. Tristan's words had embedded themselves under my skin, filling me with a sense of dread and paranoia.

As I made it down to the basement, I nearly screamed as Luna Freya emerged from the dark dungeon tunnel. Surprise flooded her eyes as she placed a hand against her heart. "Lola, you nearly gave me a heart attack." Luna Freya exhaled sharply, humor dancing in her eyes.

"Same here." I nodded, letting out a breathless chuckle. "What are you doing down here?"

"I needed to check on Brittany." Luna Freya frowned; concern etched onto her face. "I understand Alpha Asher is suspicious after the attack last night, and I allowed him to-question her, but I needed to make sure she was alright."

I wondered what unsavory methods Asher had resorted to in order to get answers from Brittany, though I couldn't blame him. Holding the title of Alpha wasn't an easy job, especially when you looked over the largest pack in the world. Sometimes cruelty and ruthlessness were required, though I had seen many sides of Asher.

"I understand." I grimaced, and for a moment I wondered why I had come down here in the first place. "How is she-"

My words caught in my throat as the dark stain on Luna Freya's jacket made itself known. Deep in color, shining under the poor basement lights. The blood on her jacket was still wet, though her skin was free of blemishes or wounds.

Every ounce of motherly concern drained from Luna Freya's face as she caught the location of my gaze. Something dark and feral crossed her eyes, and without hesitation, she lunged for my throat.

I had just enough time to scramble backwards, knocking into a stack of boxes. I grunted as something hard slammed into my head, but remained focused on Luna Freya. I steadied myself as the boxes crashed to the floor, and I hoped the noise had woken the entire house. 'Asher!' I shouted through the mind-link, 'Asher, wake up!"

Her canines were lengthened, her claws elongated as she lunged again. Her claws scraped against the skin on my stomach, but I rolled to the side with seconds to spare. Warm blood seeped into my t-shirt, but I couldn't waste the time to assess the damage.

It was clear from the way Luna Freya moved, that she had extensive experience in fighting. Her movements were graceful, calculated and precise. She wasn't toying with her prey, as most werewolves do, she was heading straight for the kill. Her speed was half of my own, though it was my speed that kept me alive.

'Lola?' His voice was faint due to the roaring in my ears. My head throbbed in time to my quickening heartbeat.

Killing Luna Freya was the last thing I wanted, but I knew she wouldn't let me leave this basement alive. From the look of primal determination on her face, I knew Asher would never get answers from her.

I felt my own claws emerge and watched as she failed to defend her left side. With a slim chance of survival, I lunged at her. A snarl of fury left her lips as my claws sunk into her sides, and my canines met her throat.

I was greeted by the thick taste of her blood. Rich and decadent like dark chocolate, I struggled to pull myself from her body. Her claws scraped at my skin, but my grip on her was iron clad.

I could no longer feel the stinging pain as her claws raked into my flesh. Instead of pain, her claws felt like gentle caresses.

I wanted to be repulsed, but everything within me praised the blood. It ignited my cells, shocking my nerve endings as I became bloated with strength.

Maya remained silent, speechless as she watched the other side of me make itself known. As much as Maya wanted to be angry, she knew what I was, and accepted me regardless.

"Lola?" Asher's voice was a beacon that pulled me away, pulling my attention from Luna Freya's blood.

I forced myself away from Luna Freya's body, unable to pull my eyes from her frozen corpse. Her face was contorted in rage, her claws still lengthened. Her blood coated my mouth, and I resisted the animalistic urge to lick every last drop.

I couldn't force myself to meet Asher's eyes, convinced this would change everything between us. How could he care for a monster? Would he even want me as a mate after this?

Large hands pulled me from the floor, setting me on my feet. My legs felt like jelly, but remained strong from the blood I had consumed. Asher's hands toyed at the shredded shirt I wore, peeling it back to look at my stomach. Luna Freya's claws had slashed across my stomach, but there was no wound to be found.

Asher wiped away my blood with part of the shirt, running his fingers over my stomach slowly. Instead of a wound, there were three raised lines, thick and jagged. The wound alone would have killed me, and yet the blood healed them effortlessly.

"That's how you healed from the stab wound." Asher spoke, though his voice held no animosity. I dared to look into his eyes, flinching at the softness within them. "This would have killed you."

"I-" My voice fell short, sputtering out as I realized I hadn't a clue what to say.

"When did you find out you craved blood?" Asher asked, cupping my chin as he forced me to stare into his eyes.

"I don't-I don't crave it." I winced at the word, "When I taste it, I like it. I'm not some walking blood addict."

"How interesting." Asher murmured, tearing the bottom of my shirt off and using it to wipe the blood from my lips.

"Interesting?" I choked, glancing down at Luna Freya's body. "I killed her, and drank her blood. It's disgusting."

"It's who you are." Asher stated simply, unphased by what just happened. "Though, it seems you don't need blood to survive. You've gone eighteen years without it."

"She's half-vampire?"

Zeke's voice broke the trance between Asher and I, as we both whipped around to meet his surprised face. Wearing nothing but loose-fitting sweatpants, it was clear Zeke had just woken up. His dark hair was a mess on his head, sticking up in random directions. "She is." Asher nodded slowly; his eyes locked on his friend. "Though, I would appreciate if you kept the information to yourself. Alpha Bran is quite-bloodthirsty when it comes to Vampire's."

Much to my dismay, Zeke snorted at Asher's terminology and flashed me an uneasy smile.

"Luna Freya. What happened?" Zeke asked, both him and Asher meeting my gaze.

"Might as well explain from the beginning." Asher grunted.

"Well-a vampire marked me, so I have a constant connection to him until I find my mate. I visited him through the mark last night. I needed to know if Brittany was telling the truth, or if we had more than one traitor in this pack.

He told me Brittany was a spy, but by the time I woke up, I'd be too late." I grimaced, "I came down here just as Luna Freya was leaving the dungeons. She had blood on her clothes-fresh blood. When she saw I noticed, she attacked me.” "Luna Freya was a spy." Zeke scoffed, shaking his head as he stared down at her corpse. "Anything else I need to know?"

"My father is the Vampire King, so there's that." I sighed, wishing I could start this morning over.

Alpha Zeke looked oddly at peace with the information I was handing him, though it could prove dangerous to myself. Zeke turned to Asher, meeting his eyes with a hard stare.

"I only need to ask once. Do you trust her?" Zeke asked Asher, and I tried not to be offended by the question.

"Lola had the chance to let me die, and yet here I am." Asher nodded, a soft smile on his face. "I trust her with my life."

"Sorry." Zeke gave me a gentle smile, "I had to ask."

"I'm a little offended, but I understand." I huffed, watching as Zeke's smile widened. "We need to go down there. That blood on Luna Freya's jacket didn't belong to her."

The three of us headed down to the dungeons, walking down the damp corridors as we approached the fork in the tunnels.

"I'm going to check on Tyler." I nodded to the two of them and turned on my heel.

The scent of fresh blood mixed with the scent of old, both alluring and disgusting as it entered my nose. As I walked into the room where Tyler's cage sat, I noticed two bodies slumped to the floor.

Isaac and one of Asher's men lay lifeless on the ground, their eyes wide as though they were reliving the attack that cost them their life. Blood coated their throats and torso's, and I kneeled down to view the wound on their necks.

The wound on their neck wasn't from the shadows, but from a werewolf's claws. Puckered and jagged, the wounds on their neck still glistened with blood. My heart ached for Isaac and the mate I knew he had, though I had never met her before. When I turned to face Tyler's cell, my jaw clattered to the floor.

Strung against the wall like meat, Tyler's face was etched into a look of horror. His shirt had been torn from his body. A thick, jagged line spanned the length of his chest. The wound was gaping, showing the white of his ribcage. Sitting on the floor of his cell sat his heart, neatly carved from his chest.