Alpha Asher By Jane Doe

There was an itch I needed to scratch, a burning curiosity I needed resolved before I could give him what he wanted.

"How do you know about my magic? As far as I know, it's passed down through my...my grandmother, but it was kept a secret for the most part.” I grimaced.

“It was kept a secret because my father despised witches and their magic. My brother, on the other hand, saw only power. Unfortunately for him, our mother died before he ever got the chance to use her in his plans.” Deacon replied, then let out a snarl. “I've been more than accommodating considering I haven't had you k****d on the spot. I won't tell you again, niece or no. What do you know about Bridgette?”

I'd never been a cruel type of person, nor was I someone who lorded information over another person's head, but there was something about Deacon that provoked that side of me. Perhaps, it was his attitude and the way everything he said felt like a challenge, but I couldn't help but feel that a Queen -his Queen, wouldn't take kindly to someone telling her what to do.

“Neither would a Luna. * Maya grumbled, her hackles rising. “I say stickit to him."

I wanted to, but I had to keep my wits. Asserting myself as his Queen was a must, but I couldn't threaten him, his mate, or any other Vampire in the process.

“From where I stand, neither one of us have any room to be making demands of the other. I have no intentions on harming Bridgette, just like you won't harm Tristan and me. Next time you think to demand something from me, remember that I am your Queen. You might've been banished when your brother was in rule, but not anymore.”

Deacon threw his head back and laughed, but it wasn’t a sound of joy.

“You silly child, there is no more Kingdom! There stopped being a Kingdom when you decapitated my brother — your father. Believe me, I'm not complaining, but you're no Queen. You chose your side, and us ours.”

I stood my ground and shook my head firmly.

“That's where you're wrong. So long as there are Vampire's in this world, there is and always will be a Kingdom. I can feel it in my blood, in every single Vampire that chooses to follow me. This mentality that there are sides to pick is what will get all of you k****d, it's what pits all three of the supernatural beings in this world against one another. What I want is to end that, once and for all. No more sides, no more forcing witches into hiding or barring Vampire's from living on an Alphas lands. It's what Asher and I want, which is exactly why we've been working so hard to create a safe place for Vampire's to go until this war is finished — a safe place your mate seemed very interested in"

From the darkness creeping across Deacon's face, I was sure he was going to belt out some vicious retort, but Tristan’s voice pierced the air first.

“Lola has been juggling both of our kinds wants and needs since becoming Queen, and you have to admit, it's more than her father has ever done.”

This seemed to halt Deacon's retort in its tracks, giving me a moment to slip in with some useful information.

"Bridgette crossed the boundary lines to my pack a few nights ago, along with several other Vampire's. They were with a witch — the Blood Witch, who was animating a d**d body of a werewolf I knew. They attacked, and I fought using my magic, but I did not fatally harm any of them. It was the Blood Witch that k****d them, all of them except for Bridgette. She slit their throats and left them for d**d. A witch in my pack was able to heal Bridgette before she died. She was the only survivor.” I said grimly, s********g back wave after wave of nausea at the thought of all that blood and the lives that vanished in the process. “Do you know why they attacked, or why the witch took their lives after infiltrating my pack?”

Deacon and Dina locked eyes, both of them sharing a knowing look that made goosebumps pebble along my skin. After a few long seconds of silence, listening to the large ceiling fans sway and creak, Dina stepped forward and spoke.

"A few witches showed up one day, late in the afternoon. Don't know how they found the place, but they did. We let them in, but only because they threatened to tear the place down until we were all in the sunlight. They said they just wanted to talk, but I figured anyone who wants to “just talk’ isn't willin to m****r innocent people in the process, you know?" Dina frowned, “Deacon was at an old supermarket in town, hiding out until the sun set. He was getting us all some food before some of the other Vampire's started killin’ humans, so he missed the witches showin’ up. I didn't want anythin’ to do with them, was about to tell them to go the f**k away, but Bridgette wanted to let them in. She didn't want none of the others gettin’ hurt, so she let them in.”

“I got back just before they left. I didn't need any of the others listening to the witches’ poisonous plans, so I told them all to scatter. Seeing that they trusted me, the witches decided to pitch their grand plan to Bridgette, Dina, and I. I heard them out, then promptly told them to f**k off. Guess Bridgette connected with something they said, because when I and a few others went for a food run, she was gone.” Deacon explained, not a speck of hurt in his face or voice, even though I knew it bubbled deep within.

I leaned forward, stopped by Tristan’s steadying hand.

“Their plan — what was it?"

I held my breath, hoping desperately that this was it -that I'd finally understand what the h**I was going on. More than anything, I needed to know why these witches wanted me so badly, why they were willing to k**I random werewolves in the pack and stage it like my father's previous victims. "Don’t know all of it, but they wanted your magic-both from my mother’s side and my father's. They mentioned there was something special about you, and that their leader was cooking up a spell that would bring you to their side.” Deacon replied. “I asked them what this spell of theirs did, but they wouldn't tell me.”

I couldn't help it. I let out a groan and sank my teeth into my lower lip to bite back a frustrated snarl.

Deacon's eyebrow twitched, lifting an inch up his forehead. The way he skewered me with my eyes made me feel as though he were trying to pick me apart, intent on figuring me out before I did something dangerous.

“You didn't let me finish. They wouldn't tell me what the spell did, but they did tell me something else about it — something important.”

"What is it?" I asked eagerly, more than desperate for any hint of knowledge that could help me understand why.

“You might wanna get rid of the enthusiasm, girl. It's not good, but it does explain why this Blood Witch k****d my Vamps.” Deacon grunted, folding his arms over his chest. “They didn't tell me what it did, but they did mention one of the required ingredients to complete it.”

An ingredient? How would that help us? Cordelia’s spell book came to mind, along with the various herbs and crystals inside. I couldn't see how an herb or crystal would explain the deaths of numerous Vampire's.

“Three sacrifices from the three species that make up the tri-brid. That's the final ingredient, and from what I understand...they've almost got what they need.”