Chapter 48 Chapter 48

Chapter 48 Chapter 48
  Asher’s POV
  I jolted awake, my eyes snapping open as I shot up—only for a sharp, searing pain to tear through my body. It kept me from fully standing. My limbs trembled under my weight, each movement a reminder of the beating I couldn’t even remember taking.
  My gaze darted around. Trees. Dirt. Silence. I was in the forest. Alone.
  Panic surged. What happened? My memory was blank—then, suddenly, a sharp headache hit. I squeezed my eyes shut, and images burst into my mind. The fight. Zachary. His attack. That strange substance he poured on me… how it left me completely paralyzed. And his laughter—it echoed in my skull, taunting, haunting.
  I forced myself upright despite the agony lacing through every joint. My legs wobbled. My breath hitched. I shoved my hair back from my face with a shaky hand.
  “Isabella… Isabella,” I muttered, voice strained as I limped forward. Every step made me weaker, but I refused to stop. Not now. Not when I had no idea what Zachary had done—what damage he’d caused.
  He can’t win. He won’t.
  I pushed on for what felt like forever—probably five minutes—until I reached the riverbank. My steps faltered.
  Bodies.
  Pack members lay scattered across the ground like broken dolls. My heart stopped.
  “No… no… no,” I whispered, dread rising like bile. “Nothing can happen to them.”
  I staggered forward and dropped to my knees with a wince, pain biting through me. I reached out, shaking one of them gently. No response.
  I checked for a pulse. Still breathing.
  Relief washed over me—until his eyes snapped open. I flinched, but forced myself to stay calm. His terrified gaze locked on mine, like he was trying to say something—something urgent.
  Then, my instincts screamed.
  Move!
  I twisted just in time, dodging an attack aimed straight at me.
  “How the fuck are you still alive?” a voice snarled behind me. One of Zachary’s pack members. His eyes blazed with rage. “If Zach finds out you’re alive, he’ll kill us for sure. So you have to die.”
  He lunged again. I barely dodged it. My muscles refused to cooperate, my body sluggish and drained—betraying me. I did what I could, blocking what I could, but then—his fist connected. The impact sent me sprawling.
  “You should give up now,” he hissed, claws extending as he prepared to end it.
  I shut my eyes.
  But something snapped inside me.
  Heat. Power. Rage.
  My body shifted. Bones cracked. My primal form emerged—fur bristling, power surging through my veins. My eyes flared red.
  Just as his claws descended, I caught his wrist mid-air.
  His face twisted in horror. “How is this possible… how did you—”
  He didn’t finish.
  I growled and slammed him backward with full force, launching him so far he vanished into the trees like a ragdoll.
  “Y’all keep forgetting that I’m the most powerful Alpha to ever walk this earth,” I growled, my voice laced with fury. A deep, guttural howl tore from my throat, echoing through the forest like a warning to the gods themselves.
  I stormed back to the fallen pack member. His eyes were wide open, darting frantically—trapped. He could move his gaze, but not a single muscle. My frustration bubbled over.
  “What’s going on?” I asked, kneeling beside him. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Why can’t you move?” My voice cracked, edged with desperation.
  That’s when I saw it—the faint shimmer of a blue substance smeared across his skin. My mind snapped back to the fight. Zachary. He’d thrown this on me too.
  “So this is what that shit was for… to paralyze us,” I muttered, my voice low and venomous.
  “Not quite,” came a voice from behind.
  I whirled around.
  A woman stood there. Pale white hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her clothes looked… otherworldly. Wrong. Her eyes were entirely white—no pupils, no irises—just a void.
  “Who are you?” I asked, my tone cautious but firm.
  “Call me Zara,” she replied coolly, her voice as hollow as her stare. “They’ll all die soon.”
  My heart thudded painfully in my chest. “What the hell are you talking about?” I snapped, taking a step toward her.
  “Your people,” she said simply. “They’re not just paralyzed. They’re dying—slowly. I didn’t think I’d ever see that substance again after so many years.” A twisted smile curled her lips as she looked down at the fallen warriors.
  Rage surged through me. I clenched my fists. “Who the fuck are you?” I barked, my voice thunderous.
  “They don’t have much time left,” she said again, like it was some kind of game to her. “But I can save them. I can revive them all.” Her grin turned sinister.
  “What are you going to do?” I asked through gritted teeth.
  She walked past me like I wasn’t even there. She knelt beside the fallen man and placed a hand over his. A soft, glowing white light spread from her palm—and he moved. Just his fingers at first. But it was enough to make my eyes widen.
  She turned to me, her smile now dripping with something dark and ancient. “I can heal him completely. All of them. On one condition.”
  “What do you want?” I asked, desperation bleeding into every word. “I’ll do anything.”
  That made her grin widen as she took slow, deliberate steps toward me.
  “You will give me your child… as soon as he is born.”
  My chest tightened. Child? What the hell was she talking about?
  “Child? What are you saying?” I asked, confusion warping my tone.
  “When your child is born,” she repeated calmly, “you will give the child to me.”
  “I don’t have any child coming,” I snapped. “You’ve got the wrong person.”
  “You do,” she said with chilling certainty.
  I ran a hand through my hair, heart thudding. Does that mean… Betty wasn’t lying? Am I really the father of her child?
  “Fine,” I said coldly, my voice stripped of emotion. “You can have the child. He’s yours.”
  I didn’t care. Not about a child I never wanted. Not about some bastard I never planned. Right now, all I could think about was my people. Saving them. That was all that mattered.
  “Very well,” she said, her smirk widening. “You’ve made your promise. It’s sealed—and there is nothing in this world that can undo it.”
  She turned her gaze back to the fallen warriors. Without hesitation, she raised her hands and began chanting. The words were strange, ancient—unfamiliar to my ears.
  Then, everything lit up.
  A white glow surged through the air like a storm of light. It was blinding. My eyes slammed shut against the brightness. My skin prickled. The ground trembled.
  Then—darkness.
  And silence.
  I opened my eyes again.
  “Your wish is done,” she said calmly, a satisfied smile on her lips.
  All around me, I heard groaning. Coughing. Shifting bodies.
  My people—my warriors—were waking.
  I stared, stunned. Amazed. Speechless.
  “How did I get out of this without your help?” I asked, blinking at her.
  She tilted her head, lips curling slightly. “You’re not just strong, Asher. You’re special.” Her smile deepened. “A true Alpha.”
  “Asher!” Michael’s voice broke through the moment like a bolt of lightning. He rushed toward me and practically tackled me in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re safe! I was scared… I didn’t know what they were going to do to you. I’m sorry—I tried to move, I swear, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t move anything. I’m sorry,” he whispered, arms tightening around me like a lifeline.
  “Michael—get off me,” I muttered, trying to push him away. But he clung tighter, like a leech refusing to let go. I finally managed to pry him off.
  “I’m just… I’m glad you’re okay,” he said, his voice cracking. His eyes filled with tears. “You can’t imagine what I thought they—” His words trailed off.
  His eyes locked onto Zara.
  “Who is she?” he asked, voice trembling.
  “I’m Zara,” she answered, smiling faintly.
  “She…”
  “I’ll explain later,” I cut in, brushing past him. “Right now—I need to get to Bella.”
  The others began moving behind me, following without hesitation.
  “Isabella… please be safe,” I muttered under my breath, each step faster than the last.