Chapter 603: Beloved Alpha

When Asher woke from sleep, the smile that had lingered on his face vanished as if it had never existed. His eyes glinted dangerously as he rose from the bed and stalked toward the adjoining room, where he could already hear Roman and Jeremiah laughing over some joke.

The moment he stepped in, both men froze.

Roman was the first to sense the storm coming. He pointed dramatically and yelled, "Run for your life!"

Jeremiah, acting on instinct, took off immediately, but Asher was faster. He moved like lightning, blocking the doorway before his beta could escape.

"I expected him," Asher growled, jerking his chin toward Roman, "to lie to me. But you, my own beta, keeping vital information from me?"

Roman’s eyes widened. "Wait—how did you—" then realization dawned, and his expression turned scandalized. "Don’t tell me... Violet visited you!"

He jabbed a finger toward Asher, accusing him. "No wonder you were grinning like some fool! You were having

sexy

time with our mate, weren’t you?"

There was no mistaking it—nothing else could make that stone-hearted bastard smile like that.

Maybe it was Roman’s ridiculous tone or the way he pouted like a jealous child, but Asher’s fury vanished away. He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. Gods, he couldn’t deal with him right now.

Jeremiah seized the moment to explain, "I didn’t mean to keep it from you, Alpha. I just thought you needed rest. You were half-dead when we got back, and we didn’t want to burden you."

Asher’s jaw tightened, but the fight in him died. One could say that his encounter with Violet in the dream world had tamed his blood thirst for now. Not to mention they had good intentions — even though those secrets annoyed him as hell.

Still, his voice carried authority when he said, "Don’t ever let that happen again. Anything that involves Violet or my cardinal brothers... " Asher emphasized on that part, making Roman’s heart practically melt, "whether I’m dying or not, you tell me immediately."

"Yes, Alpha Asher!" Jeremiah replied without hesitation.

Roman had a hand pressed dramatically to his chest, swooning. "I didn’t know you loved me like this," he said, still basking in Asher’s earlier words.

Asher shot him a look that clearly translated to

fuck off.

But Roman, being Roman, only grinned wider. "Don’t look at me like that, you’ll make me blush," he teased, then slung an arm around Asher’s shoulder before he could escape. "Now, tell me, what exactly did you and Violet do aside from the—you know." He wiggled his eyebrows in mock conspiracy.

"Why don’t you go ask her yourself," Asher retorted.

"Can’t. She didn’t visit my dream," Roman complained with theatrical misery. "So now, I have only you to fulfill my curiosity." He tightened his hold like a clingy octopus, ignoring Asher’s attempts to shrug him off.

"Go bother someone else!" Asher snapped, trying to twist free, but Roman only clung harder, making exaggerated whining noises.

What started as playful banter devolved into a full-blown scuffle with Roman wrestling Asher to the ground, the two rolling across the floor like overgrown pups. Asher fought to pry Roman off while Roman laughed shamelessly, refusing to let go.

And that was the scene Nancy and Ezra walked into.

They froze in the doorway, blinking at the sight of the two grown Alphas grappling like children. For a brief moment, there was nothing but silence. Then, without a word, both simply moved past it, after all, this was far from the strangest thing they’d seen from those boys.

By the time Ezra entered, Roman had finally released Asher, who stood up with an exasperated sigh.

Roman was not doing his fearsome reputation in this pack any good.

"Everything has been set," Ezra announced. "It’s time."

Asher lifted his chin slightly, his composure snapping back into place. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

Ezra gave him a curt nod, all business.

In an instant, the playful energy that had filled the room evaporated. Asher’s expression hardened, his spine straightened, and his eyes gleamed with renewed purpose. The laughter, the teasing, all of it fell away, replaced by the Alpha who commanded respect.

It was time to face his people, and there was no room for weakness.

Dominic had mistaken his youth for weakness, and he paid the price for it. Now, it was time to strengthen his hold over the others—to remind every single one of them that his late father, Henry Nightshade, had taught him how to be an heir long before he could even walk.

—----

It was late at night, and the West Packhouse was bursting with life. Almost every member of the West pack had come to witness the historic moment of their new Alpha’s coronation. Even those who had long moved to other territories had journeyed home for this night.

Security wolves patrolled the perimeter, their sharp eyes scanning the overflowing crowd that spilled from the inside of the packhouse to the streets outside. The air smelled of roasted meat, sweat, and excitement.

Inside, the sub-alphas of the West pack and other visiting wolves occupied the front rows. Behind them were the betas, deltas, and other ranks, all lined up according to the pack’s hierarchy.

The only person missing from the picture was the Alpha King himself, but that was expected. Elijah was infamous for his grand entrances. And besides, tonight wasn’t about him. Tonight was about Asher Nightshade, the son of the late Alpha Henry.

For now, laughter reigned, music played, and wine flowed.

On the elevated platform in the center of the gathering, a local troupe was performing one of their over-the-top dramatizations of the "

Great Fall of Alpha Henry."

and the people were completely enraptured.

The scene currently unfolding showed the dying Henry in the arms of a young Asher. The actor playing Henry coughed loudly, dramatically clutching his chest. "My son," he gasped, reaching for Asher’s cheek.

"Promise me... promise me you’ll protect the pack. Promise me you’ll guard our people, our home, our bloodline!"

The actor portraying Asher dropped to his knees, shaking his "father’s" body with exaggerated sobs. "I promise, Father! I’ll lead them well. I’ll make you proud!"

And just like that, the crowd dissolved into tears. Some openly wept, their hearts breaking all over again for a leader they still adored.

Unknown to them all, Asher Nightshade was watching and his jaw was clenched.

"Who in the world arranged that?"