Alpha Asher by Jane

Chapter 216

I woke to the tang of blood in my mouth. and the stinging pain of something sharp prodding me in the ass.

“Agh.” I hissed in pain.

Turning onto my side, which wasn’t any better, I felt around blindly for the perpetrator. My fingers froze when I registered the gritty substance covering the floor-the ground, I mean.

It was dirt, scraggly and moist as it became compacted under my nails. Just about every muscle in my body ached like I’d ran a marathon. I tried to push past that pain, stretching out my senses until my eyes decided too corporate. 1

Cold lapped at my bare skin, grazing places that should’ve been covered by clothing but most definitely weren’t. If I had to guess, I might’ve assumed I was outside somewhere but that couldn’t be possible.

Other than the heavy pants of my breathing, there was nothing but silence. If I were outside, I should’ve been able to hear crickets chirping and leaves crunching beneath the feet of the smaller forest dwellers. There was none of that, not even the whoosh of wind passing through treetops.

My fingers trailed over something long and hard, and I grunted as I finally found the object that had been jabbing me.

“What the hell? Is that a twig?” I grunted, smacking my lips as I struggled to speak.

The tang of blood coating my tongue felt… off. There was something abnormal about it, but I couldn’t pinpoint it at the moment. 2

It was a stick in my hand, I was sure of it.

The surface was rough like bark, but damp as though the early morning mist had already passed through.

Finally, I was able to crack my eyes open. The only source of light was the silver marble hovering in the sky, making it easy to adjust to my surroundings. My eyes latched onto the stick in my hand, only it wasn’t a stick.

I gasped, flinging the jagged femur bone into a patch of brush.

Bits of bloody flesh clung to my fingertips, picking up dirt as I scrambled onto all fours and whipped my head around.

No, this can’t be what she saw. 1

They were everywhere, scattered in a perfect ring around where I’d woken up. Animals, dead animals. Their blood watered the earth, soaking it in a sea of crimson so severe that even the starving soil failed to soak it all up.

part-the part that twisted my stomach into knots and filled my mouth with the acrid taste of bile, was that most of them weren’t

had been torn to shreds, limbs ripped from torsos

of deer, elk, foxes, even a couple of

out from in between flashes of crimson were the milky white shards of broken bones. Among the mix was the femur

me, my eyes struggled to grasp what I saw. The information simply wasn’t registering, smothered by shock and

taste, it had come from

from my face, its milky eyes burning into me. Its stare felt accusatory, like it knew what I had done

blood, matching the jagged piece of its spinal column that

hit my peripheral

that I was naked, but that I was covered in blood. My neck, all the way down to the pads of my feet was coated in the flaky, drying substance.

‘Fuck, Asher. You need to

without

rang down the mate-bond in loud, consuming waves. The words I shouted-screamed down the bond were smothered by a wall of pure agony,

cried out, staring at my blood-covered face in the pool of my own vomit.

the decapitated animals. I knew the truth, and there was nothing I could do but accept it and let

and

weren’t even getting across. I knew if I didn’t do something

crossed my mind and cried out to them, praying

Breyona, I

passed and I clasped my hands over my mouth to hold back

Oh my Goddess-oh my goddess, where are you?’ My best-friends voice echoed in my mind, silencing my panic long enough

happened? How did this happen? I-I was with Asher, we were together. How did I end up out here?’ I stammered, trying so

Lola? I’ll

it’s going to be okay. It’s all going to be okay.’ She chanted, but the edge in her voice gave me the feeling she was trying

she wasn’t here to see it.

some clothes with you, please.’ I whispered, shutting my eyes, and succumbing to the maelstrom inside

my best-friend appeared in her shadow beast form. Her paws slammed into the ground, kicking up tendrils of shadow that evaporated into thin

whispered; her eyes wide as they darted around the ring of

can’t remember. Goddess,

forward into her arms.