Alpha Asher by Jane

Read Alpha Asher by Jane Doe Chapter 169 – “Did you seriously stop for coffee?” Tristan deadpanned; his expression unamused as he stared down at me.

I shrugged and pushed past him. “Not all of us are used to night shift. Judging from your grumpiness, I’d say you’re not used to it either.”

“I am not grumpy.”‘ He huffed, blinking at me a few times before regaining his composure and leading the way through Asher’s maze-like dungeon.

The network of underground tunnels wasn’t known to anyone in the pack but a select few that Asher trusted. I’d been more than reluctant to venture down there the first time Asher brought me. The entrance was in the basement of a local bar in town, part of the roadways that would allow alcohol to be smuggled in during the human’s insane prohibition.

There was a slight sting of alcohol and fermented fruit that lingered within the tunnels, which helped to dull the scent of blood, sweat, and p**s.

Thankfully, having the Vampire placed in one of the nicer cells turned in our favor. The stench was far less noticeable in this part of the dungeon.

The walls were made from smooth stone, and there was actually a toilet and small stall that served as a shower, though privacy was an impossibility.

Beneath the dim light protruding from the ceiling, swaying slightly though there was no breeze, was the Vampire whose life I had saved.

She was propped against the wall, perched on the metal bedframe that sat in the corner of the cell. With the barest hint of light, I could see that her mane of curly hair wasn’t black but a rich shade of caramel with blonde highlights dispersed throughout. Her deep-set cheekbones casted shadows along her jaw. It was that and the slant to her sculpted eyebrows that made her appear both grim and gaunt.

A pair of eyes the same shade of caramel as her hair darted up to meet my own. She had asked for me, yet her expression seemed to worsen as I walked into the small circular room.

Her cell was the only one occupied, the other four were vacant.

as my voice reverberated off the stone walls and

one standing rod-straight on either side of her cell. One of the guards slid a creaky metal chair in front of me, a polite smile gracing his

before saying,

reply, instinctively generating some generic Luna response that would make me appear strong and above it all-above the chaos and

I didn’t bother trying to conceal it. I was every bit

my people seriously, regardless of their species.” I kept my voice neutral, lowering myself into the

and glanced up at the two guards flanking her

want them gone.” She said, narrowing her eyes until the swirls of caramel brightened to a warm gold.

decide?” Tristan snapped, his voice cracking like a whip through the silence that encased us. “I didn’t call her here on

eyes hardened like two slabs of mahogany, streaked with gold that reminded me of Asher’s only a bit more watered down. It was a look of assessment, one

I am.” I murmured, inclining my head in the same way I’d seen Asher do hundreds of times. “What

our staring match, I gave the guards monitoring her cell a dismissive wave. I knew neither one would stray far, just enough to give us the barest hint of privacy. Tristan,

the night, who call its darkness our home…” She spoke only when the two guards’ footsteps silenced. The words emerged softly, but despite the delicate tone there was no weakness, no fear

lifetime, but the feeling churning in my gut told me she’d

though it were caving in. “I’m fighting an impossible war, trying to keep both sides alive long enough to realize who the true enemy is. It doesn’t matter how far things

though the walls were crumbling, like the stone were giving away to damp earth that piled up around m e and threatened to s*****w me whole. Every slow breath I took eased the feeling of claustrophobia but did nothing

for several seconds before she stood and approached the iron bars that kept

have one last question for you.” She said, watching as I rose from the chair.

“It’s true.”

that the place Asher and I were building, a town for the Vampire’s on our side, was a relief she’d never known. Her shoulders sagged and lips parted, a million questions bubbling to the

She breathed, leaning forward on the b***s of

“You know I can’t tell you that, but depending on what you tell me,

a potent chemical that brightened her eyes and took years off her face. “I apologize for my role in

told me her story, of the life she had left behind when a small coven

form families of their own. They