Alpha Asher by Jane

Chapter 218

“Lola-Lola, wait! Where are you going?” Breyona called out, her voice echoing down the empty hallway.

I turned, remembering that I actually didn’t know where I was going. All I knew was that I needed to do something, anything to smother the pain holding me in its serrated grip.

“Where was Cordelia’s body found?” I asked impatiently.

Beneath the pain, a small wave of guilt washed over me. This wasn’t Breyona’s fault. She’d been through just as much as I had, and it wasn’t right to take my frustrations out on her.

“I-I can just take you there if you want. I’m meeting up with Giovanni anyway…you know, to help find Asher.” She tacked the second part on quietly.

It was a bit grating the way everyone was walking on eggshells around me, like I was a bomb whose timer was slowly ticking away. Staring into Breyona’s eyes, watching the warm flecks of brown deepen in color, made me realize that since her parents were murdered, that was how everyone’s been treating her as well.

If there was one person who understood, it was Breyona.

“Perfect. Let’s go.” I replied, softening my tone.

I had to bite back a snarl when a wave of pain vibrated down the mate-bond.

Even without grandma’s side of things, I would’ve never believed that Asher had…had done what he did of his own accord. It went against everything he believed in and stood for. More than anything I wanted to soothe his pain, but all I could hear were my dad’s words rattling in my skull.

I needed to find the witch first, then I would go to Asher.

I’d take every ounce of his pain, piece every broken shard back together again and bind them with the love I had for him. Love that hadn’t faded in the slightest despite the fact that his body was the weapon that killed my brother.

“If you guys find Asher, keep him safe for me, okay? Tell him I know what happened and that it wasn’t his fault.”

Breyona’s grief-stricken eyes softened as she nodded. “Of course, Lola.”

Once outside, Breyona was quick to shift and bend the shadows around our forms, propelling us through darkness that spat us out nearly fifteen minutes away from the hospital.

We stood in the mulch of a children’s playground, and while I didn’t recognize the jungle gym, I did recognize the surrounding park. The clusters of square hedges and yellow wildflowers stood out like a beacon, even in the dark.

passed this place on the way to speak

of the slide and monkey bars was muted by the cover of darkness. radiating from the forest. During the day, the park was downright cheery. There would always be families out and about, pushing strollers

seen the place so desolate before, so ominous in

that swayed lightly in the breeze were in need of oiling, squeaking in tune to the merry-go-round, creating a song that sounded

from foot to foot, shuddering from the cold breeze even

found in a clearing just ahead. It’s barely a minute walk inside the forest line, but you’ll know it once you see it.”

with the shadows lingering along the forests edge, words escaped me. I turned

careful, Lola.”

much as I wanted to, I couldn’t make promises that were so easily broken.

thought about how much things

silenced my thoughts, and with every branch I stepped on, the image of a blood-crusted femur bone would flash in my mind. I kept my eyes peeled, staring through the darkness, embracing every cell in my body that reminded me what I

I was all but daring a witch

to find where Cordelia lost her life, but I had a feeling my sense of time was skewed by grief.

fit two full-grown wolves. Moonlight streamed down on the patch of grass, illuminating the large spot of blood that had long ago soaked into

stain. Unable to help myself, an image of Cordelia came to mind, her

eyes fell shut as another wave of pain wracked my body. This time it wasn’t from the mate-bond, but from myself. I silently wondered how much more a heart could take before it seized

student- teacher relationship, but she was someone I trusted-someone I looked up to and wanted good things for. There was a kindness to her, an inner light that reminded me of my grandma

that this was where she died, cold and

in the back of my head whispered, it’s words like freshly sharpened razor blades against

by telling it to shut the fuck up when the shadows, who had been watching my

the tree.’

shadows hadn’t spoken a word the entire trek through the forest, choosing to keep their distance

could sense. how close to the edge I was, and knew that with every passing second, my foot came closer

It was bigger than

the longer roots, a hint of the tree’s pale flesh

no choice but to step in her blood, wincing as I did so, to get a closer

sigil…’

I’d almost thought she was unaffected by what happened, but hearing

knew that wasn’t the

matter how small, that we were the ones who killed Cordelia.