Alpha Asher and Lola novel Chapter 112

Read Alpha Asher by Jane Doe Chapter 112 – I made it halfway down the beach when a series of cheers and whooping filled the air, followed by laughter and thundering feet. There were at least a hundred men and women running down the beach, towards the forest’s emerald leaves, muted from the dark but still beautiful beneath the moonlight.

A few shifted prematurely, shredding bathing suits and swimming trunks as fur sprouted from their arms, neck, and torso. For many the shift was instant, an animal breaking free from its two-legged p****n. Large paws dug into the sand, spraying those who hadn’t yet shifted. Some shouted and groaned, while others laughed and tried not to get it in their eyes.

“Manhunt! Manhunt!”‘ A few guys chanted, dispersed throughout the crowd. Their voices were nearly d*****d in the laughter and cheering. Still, the word brought nothing but confusion.

‘Isn’t manhunt like adult hide and seek?’ I asked Maya, even though there was no way she’d know the answer.

When she responded with a shrug, I cut my losses and peered down the beach. I couldn’t see too far, but there were still four fires that dotted the sandy dunes. People sat around them, most obscured by distance and darkness. It was unlikely Asher would be sitting around a fire, surrounded by people as he ignored my voice ringing in his head.

‘Asher? I’m walking down the beach. Where are you?’ I called out, only to again be met with silence.

‘Let’s not panic.’ Maya said firmly, but I was no longer sure if she were talking to me or herself. ‘There could be a good reason he’s ignoring us.’

‘Hopefully, there’s a good reason for this feeling I’m having.’ I grunted, unable to place the odd tingling in the pit of my stomach.

I could walk down the beach and search each bonfire, or I could go into the forest -which seemed the more likely option between the two. My mind was concocting all sorts of things. Perhaps he had found a vampire lingering on the borders, or did something new happen with the witches? It had been almost twenty-four hours since their first a****k, and I was already beginning to wonder how soon the second would come.

As I tried to convince myself there was no need to worry, irritation began to take hold. I would know if something happened to him, but Asher wouldn’t ignore me.

With a huff, I turned and chose one of the dirt trails that led into the forest.

Asher’s scent was practically all over the place. Trailing throughout the forest from recent and old patrol routes with Zeke, Mason, and countless other warriors. It would have been easier if nearly a hundred people hadn’t just come storming through, but it was better than searching a dwindling beach.

The beach behind me all but vanished, swallowed by foliage, and cloaked by night. If I hadn’t had a glass of blood before the party, the gust of chilled wind that passed through might’ve made me shiver. It wafted up the sweatshirt and through the flimsy b****i bottom’s that I wore.

My feet crunched beneath the leaves and branches, padded across damp soil and rocky earth. The distant sound of shouting and howling, followed by laughter rippled throughout the forest.

I headed north, deeper into the forest and farther from the lake before cutting to the east. My intention was to circle back around, to search the car if I couldn’t pick up his scent.

A branch cracked not too far away, it’s sound deafening in my ears. My spine went rod straight, sending Maya on full alert. The feeling in my stomach was growing worse, turning sour and more wrong by the minute.

Another crack, another snap. This one to the left of me, and then another to the right.

The shadows twitched and writhed in the distance, and for once, I was half tempted to call on them.

‘We’re being circled.’ Maya snarled, sending a burst of strength into my legs as I kicked off into a sprint.

We should have shifted, but only a few long seconds had passed before the feeling subsided, and the sound of padding feet grew quiet and distant. I came to a stop beside a great oak tree, using its thick trunk as coverage. Silence enveloped the forest for so long, that I jumped when a triumphant whoop filled the air.

Before my hand could fall against my racing heart, something huge charged from the brush, barreling into me faster than I could process. There was no pain, only adrenaline and shock as I recoiled seconds too late.