Alpha Asher and Lola novel Chapter 169

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.

“You called.” I spoke, unflinching as my voice reverberated off the stone walls and floor.

There were two guards in the room with Tristan and I, each 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 rounded face.

The woman blinked twice before saying, “…didn’t think you’d show.”

I opened my mouth to reply, instinctively generating some generic Luna response that would make me appear strong and above it all-above the chaos and h**l the witches had put us through this past month.

Exhaustion marred the confident look on my face, but I didn’t bother trying to conceal it. I was every bit as human as I was witch, werewolf, and vampire.

“I take the safety of my people seriously, regardless of their species.” I kept my voice neutral, lowering myself into the fold-out chair without breaking eye contact.

She turned her body to face my own and glanced up at the two guards flanking her cell.

“I want them gone.” She said, narrowing her eyes until the swirls of caramel brightened to a warm gold. “If I decide to give anything up, it won’t be with them in the room.”

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

The way she was looking at me felt familiar, her 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 that threatened to slice me in two, flesh and bone, to what hid deep inside.

“She wants to know what type of person I am.” I murmured, inclining my head in the same way I’d seen Asher do hundreds of times. “What kind of ruler I am.”

Without breaking 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, on the other hand, remained rooted in place at my side.

“So tell me Luna, Queen of all those who walk in 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 within her voice. “…what kind of leader are you?”

I had no clue who this woman was or what she had been through in her lifetime, but the feeling churning in my gut told me she’d sniff out a fake answer a mile away, and that upon the first whiff she’d shut down completely.

“I’m a flawed leader. I’m impatient, naive, and horribly under experienced. I’m so exhausted, so tired that the moment I wake up in the morning I want to go back to sleep. Even more than any of that, I want peace.” I exhaled sharply, forcing the words out in a rush that made my chest feel as 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 get, how b****y or horrific. I’ll never be able to stop, because stopping means picking a side, and I will not let half of my people d*e.”