Read Alpha Asher by Jane Doe Chapter 119 – “You’re sure?”‘ I asked Mason, my irritation increasing with each missing piece thrust in front of my face.
Mason met Asher and I on our way to Carson’s parent’s house, My stomach was rumbling from the lack of food, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep anything down if I tried. Just the thought of facing the shattered remains of her family, it left my nerves frayed and exposed.
He nodded, just as perplexed. “Positive. Not only was Carson the only one with access to the sorority’s social media account, but the picture was also posted from her phone.”
“Thanks, Mason.” I sighed, feeling that familiar pang of guilt as I looked into his mossy hazel eyes.
Asher’s phone began to ring. He frowned at the screen and turned away, placing the phone against his ear. The voice on the other end was muffled, but it was Mason I had my attention on.
“Don’t feel bad, Lola. We’ve both been busy these last two weeks.” His easygoing smile gave me some reassurance, but not much. “Once you start your training back up, we’ll see more of each other.”
“How has training been going?” I asked, feeling a little more lighthearted when some of the spark returned to his eyes.
“It’s harsher here in the capital. Your mate was going easy on us back then, y’know?” He grinned, and it was impossible not to smile back. Even with my stomach full of dread, Maya and I were both excited to keep up with our warrior training. He got into the Chevy Asher loaned him and chuckled, “Give me a call when you’re ready to join. There’s still some empty slots left, not that it matters since you’re Luna and all.”
Facing Carson’s parents, it was a sign of respect and something we were expected to do as Luna and Alpha. It was the circ*mstance and cause of d***h that soured things, which made my heart hammer mercilessly as we climbed the cement steps of Carson’s family home.
I wouldn’t run, even if the cowardly voice in my head begged me to do so.
I could feel pieces of myself, of the carefully constructed façade I had erected, cracking and chipping away as I looked -saw the hole that had been torn through her family, and through their lives.
Her parents were respectful and gracious to Asher and me, who had a hand in their daughter’s d***h, no matter how removed that hand might be. The grief in their eyes and hearts radiated from every pore, filling the house until the air was thick and heavy. Sounds were deeper, scents richer.
I couldn’t smile this time, knowing how flimsy and fake it would look. These people, who held pieces of their daughter within their chestnut hair, pale eyes, full lips, and dimpled cheeks–they would see right through it. Parents cursed with losing a child, they knew what fake smiles looked like.
The photos that lined the walls, framed in thick wood and covered in streak-free glass. Smiles and bright eyes, young baby -like faces that slimmed and lengthened with age. Missing teeth became full, toddler bob-cuts grew into long curls. They were whispers and echoes of the past carried throughout the future.
I stared at the last family photograph on the wall until my eyes grew painfully dry.
These walls showed the lives of Carson and her younger sister, showed them grow and mature over the years. Carson, in her high-school graduation gown and her sister, wearing a dress of pink tulle. There would be no college graduation, no mate or grandchildren appearing in the family photos, tracking the milestones of their lives.
I wanted to apologize for their loss, but I knew once the words escaped, they’d bounce from picture to picture until they too faded. Instead, I channeled the kindling of rage that had ignited the moment I saw her body. I let it smooth out the cracks and bumps of emotion in my voice until I sounded as harsh and unforgiving as a Luna should. Instead of promising vengeance, I promised closure.
I swallowed the emotion from my voice and sucked in another greedy gulp of fresh air, “why would the k****r post that photo of Carson and I?” I asked Asher on our drive to the house the witches were staying at.
He said nothing about how I’d been fighting tears for the last fifteen minutes, and instead gave me time to sort through the hurricane in my head. The steady rhythm of his hand along my t***h soothed the rain and harsh winds into something gentler.copy right hot novel pub
