5
Chapter 5 – Asher
I pace the corridor of the packhouse for yet another night. Sleepless nights are bing the most
repetitive thing for me now. Almost tiresome… or they would be if I could actually f**king sleep!
Nightmares guing my dreams were the thing stopping my sleep… making me fear sleep…
visions of that night… reurring time and time again… the rogues invading our packnds… us
losing control… and them hurting my precious I. My beautiful I.
Fate had barely brought us together before snat ching us apart… life could be cruel… and it made
me relive that night, time and time again through my dreams… the pain as her life ebbed away…
the inability to be able to save her… the pain in her eyes… the fear… it made me hate life… hate
fate. And now, now it makes me fear sleep. Which is what found me pacing these godforsaken
corridors every night…
“Alright Beta!” Marc, one of our young warriors, greeted me enthusiastically, telling me he had likely
been out spending time with friends. Especially returning to his room at this early hour of the
morning.
“Hey Marc.” I smiled, raising my eyebrows questioningly at him as he stumbled toward the stairs.
He was barely able to walk in a straight line.
“I not been dinking, honest boss.” He mutters with a chuckle. These guys make me smile. How
could they not? Barely past shifting age, and newly trained warriors. They clearly decided to drink
themselves to the point of stupor. Which, considering we are werewolves and alcohol has little to no
effect on us in small doses, they had to have been drinking excessive amounts! Likelying up
with new and different drinking challenges to see who could drink the most, that was what they so
often did.
But, I can’t say I had not done the same when I first shifted and on many a younger night with
friends. It was all part of growing up for many, wasn’t it? Especially for our warriors, I knew that,
having helped many a drunken warrior home in the past. And I am sure they had had a good night
and many good memories to look back on… if they could actually remember any of them, of course!
“I never said a word Marc.” I gave him a nod as he fell up the stairs.
I continued my pacing of the corridor only to hear a few more drunken voices approaching, I
assume likely Marc’s drunk friends. And, I, not in the right frame of mind to have to deal with anyone
else tonight, ducked into the short corridor off the main hallway of the packhouse. Leading to my
office. I could sit in here until they passed and then make my way back to my room, and hopefully, I
could attempt to gain at least a few hours’ sleep tonight, so I would be at least partially functionable
tomorrow…
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“What are you doing down here?!” a voice made me jump awake from my sleep, making me stir,
and realize just how ufortable I was. My whole body ached. The crick in my neck felt like it had
been locked in a vice… Though, as I moved, it was only then I realized I had fallen asleep sitting at
my office desk. I had been asleep copsed over my office desk since the early hours of the
morning when I came in here to hide from the drunken warriors…
I sleepily raised my eyes upward, only to see my best friend, and the pack Alpha, standing next to
my desk looking more than a little concerned, looking down over me. “Asher?” he questioned. “Why
are you sleeping down here? This has to be the third or fourth time in a matter of weeks. And don’t
get me started on all the time prior to that.”
I sighed. Just what I need, him on my case. The third degree once again. Am I ok? Do I need some
help? Support? That is likely what Caleb was about to start with… like always. He couldn’t help it.
Though, I didn’t want to sound ungrateful. He was my closest friend after all, and he did just care.
But, sometimes, some people just needed their space! It wasn’t like he could help… he couldn’t
stop my suffering… this has been going on too long now…
“Was struggling to sleep, so I came down to work. I am guessing I must have crashed.” I told him.
Not quite the truth, but it would do…
Caleb didn’t need to know that my sleep was so badly disturbed that I struggled to sleep every
night. That my nights were so messed up I hadn’t slept properly since I had left…
“Is everything okay, Asher?” Caleb asked, and I could hear the concern dripping from his voice, like
it so often does ofte. “Eden said she has been worrying about you… that you just haven’t seemed
yourself since the rogue attacks began. She said you seem so distant. So withdrawn.”
I shook my head with a disgusted roll of my eyes. So, they had been discussing me? Do they think
that is eptable? Yes, Eden may be his mate, and the Luna of the pack, as well as my friend, but I
do not need to be some sort of sympathy case that needs to be sat and discussed between them
over their evening meal! I am fine! I am the pack Beta for f**k’s sake. I focused my eyes upon my
friend, a dark re hopefully saying all I needed to.
“Caleb, you may be a friend, but please, for the love of g od, f**k off. I am fine. Tired, yes. Stressed,
yes. We have been dealing with rogue attacks regrly untiltely. We need to work on improving
the pack, which is what we are working on doing. It doesn’te easily. It takes time. It takes
energy and effort. So yeah, I am stressed and tired. Is that not my f**king job?” I snap, knowing I am
already overstepping the mark talking to my Alpha in that way. He knew I had lost my mate because
of these rogue attacks too, so you would think he would have shown at least a little understanding…
but I wanted to continue going… needed to keep functioning or else I had nothing…
Caleb looks to me with a shake of his head. “Fine. Go get showered. You look like a f**king state.
We have a meeting in half an hour.”