CASSANDRA“That bastard!” Marley exclaimed angrily as Becky finished the story. Her light green eyes flashed and her nostrils flared ever so slightly as she shook her head.“I know,” I sighed. “It’s unbelievable.”“You know, I was hit on by several men when I visited the city the other day,” Marley continued, and she tucked her dark hair behind her ear. “They were all so arrogant and nasty. I couldn’t believe the way they were treating me. It was as if I was a piece of meat rather than an accomplished doctor.”When she proceeded to mock and mimic the men who’d dared mess with her, Becky finally managed to crack a smile. It was tiny and fleeting, but the color returned to her tear-stained cheeks.“Look, Becks, Silas is just another jerk,” Marley said, and her tone fell somewhere between serious and soothing. “Honestly, I’m not even sure if I agree with the concept of mates. It all sounds like a made-up fantasy that’s meant to convince women to stay with terrible men because they’re all
SILAS I took my time returning to the banquet hall. It had been a long time since I’d been in Merliscire, but everything was still the same. Always another celebration, another meeting, another bit of drama that ensnared my life so deeply that I could barely breathe. The scent of my mate’s perfume lingered on my jacket and made my mouth water. It was lovely- like raspberries and spun sugar. It was delicious and made me crave the taste of her lips even more. Her kiss was indescribable. It was as if the Moon Goddess had fashioned the most perfect woman for me, only to grant her so much scorn and inner fire that she wanted nothing to do with me. The image of her danced in my mind and haunted me with every step I took. Her gorgeous auburn hair, her creamy white skin, her big reddish brown eyes, and her beautiful, petite frame. I could only imagine how easy it would have been to sweep her into my arms and draw her close enough to make her mine completely. The ghost of her lingered in
SILAS The celebration reached its peak as the Alpha King made a toast to welcome my return. As Asher clinked a gold-plated knife against his champagne glass, it was clear that he was noticeably drunk, but there was no ill intent behind it. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were a little distant, but his smile was warm and when he caught my gaze, he winked. The crowded banquet hall fell silent and all eyes fell to him. My father’s in-depth conversation with the councilor beside me ceased, and relief swam through me. I was glad to have a moment away from the heavy talk of battle strategy, no matter how brief it was. “I would like to make a toast,” Asher announced to the waiting crowd, and his smile deepened as he gestured toward me. “To Silas Moses, the Beta of this glorious Crescent Pack. His return is long-awaited, and it’s a pleasure to finally have him back in Merliscire. Though he is new to his position, it’s safe to say that this Pack is in good hands with him as the Beta.
ASHER As juvenile as it was, I’d indulged too much the night before and felt the intense aftermath of a hangover after the celebration of Silas’ return. I’d banished myself to my study for the entire day and spent the majority of my time lying on my favorite leather couch with the curtains drawn and a cold cloth over my eyes. I’d given the guards strict instructions to keep anyone from entering my chambers, with the exception of Lancel and Cassandra. I was in no state to do business or deal with the daily dramas of palace life. I was simply too tired. The after-effects of my excessive drinking were only made worse by my mysterious illness. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I was even more tired than ever these days, and it seemed like my migraines and headaches were perpetual. The concerning black marks on my arms hadn’t spread much further, but it felt as if they’d taken root and made things feel so much worse. When Cassandra arrived for our health check later on, I was rubbi
ASHER “Asher,” Cassandra breathed, and her lower lip trembled as she broke eye contact with me. “We can talk about this after we get the disease sorted out-” “What if we can’t figure it out?” I argued. “What if we can’t find out what’s going on or how to cure the disease.” “That’s not an option,” she countered fiercely. “I’m going to do everything I can to find a cure.” I knew she meant it. Cassandra was passionate and dedicated, not to mention an excellent healer. But deep down, we both understood that there was a possibility we might not be able to find a cure, at least not in time. I also knew that she was using the disease as an excuse to avoid this topic. Though we’d healed most of our problems, I knew she was still afraid. Moon Goddess only knew that I was as well. But now, I felt the need to talk, not only because of Kane and Kaleb’s sudden advances but also because what Cassandra had said about mates and protection reminded me of our past. She was strong and clever. She
CASSANDRA I suddenly felt as if it were hard to breathe. The air felt heavy, and a strong wave of emotion engulfed me as I thought about the fact that Asher had ventured into the inferno to find me. The burn marks that covered his back made sense and answered the questions that hid in the back of my mind for so much time. He’d plunged right into the blaze and searched for me. As my thoughts swirled around my mind like a hurricane, I felt almost sick. I couldn’t help but think about what life could have been like had he found me after all. What if he’d arrived in time to save me? Would I have retained my old face, my old form? We wouldn’t have been separated all of these years. But as tempting as it was to consider what could have been, there was no room for regret. Had Asher saved me in time, I wouldn’t have become a healer. Finnick’s life would have been in immediate danger since he was Asher’s son, and I was nothing more than an exiled, foolish girl in love. Everything happene
CASSANDRAI was stunned by Asher’s question.My lips parted in shock and her entire body trembled as I stared at a point beyond me.Emmett?Related to Dark Abyss?Or even worse, a sorcerer?No… there was no way.Emmett may have been a mysterious person, but there was no way that he had anything to do with the sorcerers, the Ewonmiams, or any of it. The man I knew in Wild Crawler was nothing like those wicked magicians.After a long silence, I shook my head.“I… I don’t think so,” I said quietly. “Emmett was always so nice and kind and kind to everyone, including me and Finnick. It’s impossible. There’s no way he was entangled in dark magic.”When Asher simply stared at me, confusion swelled within me. We’d barely ever spoken about Emmett before. Why would he be acting so strange about all of this?“Did you like Emmett?” he asked me after a minute.I frowned and then shook my head. “It wasn’t like that, Asher. And this has nothing to do with it, either.”When he continued to study me,
ASHERCassandra stiffened up at the mention of Silas’ name and quickly gathered up her belongings.“I should take my leave,” she said quietly, and she nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. “We can speak more later. Have a good night.”“You too,” I said, and then I addressed the guard. “Send him in at once.”The doors parted and in walked Silas Moses. My brother-in-law’s face was weary, and his eyes had dark circles beneath them as if he hadn’t gotten much sleep. Not that I could blame him, of course. Last night's events had gone long into the night. The entire Pack had been so thrilled to see the Beta that the celebration had been drawn out.Silas glanced at Cassandra but didn’t say a word as the beautiful healer passed him. Instead, he offered her a soft nod, which she returned in kind, and then he gave me a polite bow of respect.“Good evening, Your Majesty,” he said formally in his calm, even voice. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”“No, not at all, Silas,” I said, and I
CASSANDRAIt was a sunny day, the first one in a long time.After the long winter and cold spring, summer eventually came, and it was hotter than it had been in forever.Sunlight streamed in through the clinic window, and I was a little distracted as I stared out at the window at the kids in the yard.Finnick, Lila, Marley’s boys Eric and Adrian, and Dominic were all chasing each other, playing a game of tag with one another. Marco was out there with them too, but he was sitting on a bench alone, meters away from the rest of the kids. He looked lonely and didn’t move as the others played around him.It had been a month since the chaos in Merliscire and Adalyn’s death. I supposed it was still hard for Marco to accept the fact that his mother was gone. She had killed herself right in front of him after holding him hostage and threatening to hurt him. The poor little boy had endured so much trauma in such a short amount of time.He wasn’t a bad kid. He had a mean disposition at times, bu
ASHERIt had been a while since Cassandra entered the building, and with every passing minute, my nervousness and anxiety grew stronger. While I knew she was capable of handling herself, I didn’t like the idea of her being in the House of Moses without me.I began to feel restless. It was a mistake to let her leave with Adalyn alone.I pondered my options for a minute and then decided I couldn’t wait out on the grounds any longer, not when my mate could be in danger. I started to walk toward the building, but before I could get too far, the soldiers guarding us stopped me.At first, they were polite but quickly, they became rude. They shouted and told me to back up. I wasn’t allowed in, not until Lady Adalyn said so.I considered pushing past them but didn’t want to escalate the situation, so I nodded and retreated ever so slightly. All around me, the councilors grew restless. They too, wanted to leave, only they desired to go back to Merliscire. However, when a group of them tried to
BECKYAfter our conversation with Oliver Moses, Dickson and I had been seized by the Moses guards and taken into a room that appeared to be used for interrogation. The door was crafted from iron and there were no windows, so the room was dim and quiet. There were only a pair of chairs, each a little rickety and old-looking. It was a pathetic, desolate sort of place, which was surely on purpose.Time didn’t make much sense in there and I soon couldn’t figure out how long we’d been locked in. My body ached and my mind was spinning out with a million thoughts as I absorbed all of the information I’d heard in the past couple of days.I had thought Oliver Moses would quickly find out the truth or ask me to confront Adalyn again, but Dickson thought the opposite when I presented the idea to him.“Look at this place, Becky,” he said, his voice gloomy and negative. “No one is going to visit us any time soon.”Sadly, he appeared to be correct, and his point was only proven as time went on. Tho
ADALYN Ada. How long had it been since I’d heard that name? My parents had never referred to me as Ada. They had never given me a single nickname or pet name. Mother had always said it was improper to call a child by anything other than their name and Father had never given me enough affection to bother. There were only two people in this world who had ever called me Ada. Asher. And Cora. I tensed as I tried to understand how Cassandra knew this. Had Asher told her about our close friendships when we were young? No, there was no way. Suddenly, I was hit with a realization, one I couldn’t ignore. I stared at Cassandra and studied her carefully. I searched her features, scrutinizing her nose, her mouth, the shape of her eyes. None were familiar, but as I stared at her deep emerald green irises and recognized the hue of them, it all began to make sense. I’d never understood how Asher could fall in love with a common healer. Cassandra wasn’t ugly by any means but to care so deepl
CASSANDRAAdalyn’s golden eyes narrowed and then locked on mine.“Why would that wicked woman come with us?” she demanded as she continued to shoot daggers in my direction.“Those are my terms,” Asher insisted. “You want an audience with me? Those are my requirements.”It was a bold assertation on his behalf. As long as Adalyn had Prince Marco in her grasp, she had the upper hand, but she was far too weak to realize her power. Asher was still the Alpha King, after all, so I supposed that subconsciously, she felt compelled to obey.Silence hung heavily in the air and then finally she sighed.“Fine,” she huffed and then she flashed me a sneer. “Let her come. Perhaps we’ll have some fun with your little plaything once we’re there.”“You won’t harm her,” Asher growled.“We’ll see,” Adalyn said with a shrug. “Come. It’s time we left this musty room.”Her big eyes scanned the room and then she addressed the councilors. “The rest of you shall come as well. Might as well make an event of it.”
CASSANDRAAdalyn’s face twisted again at Karsh’s cold and daring question, only this time, she didn’t recover and lost any sense of calm within her.“How dare you demean the future king’s mother?” she roared, her golden eyes flashing with anger as she bared her teeth.Despite her outrage and fierce expression, the councilor remained as cool as ever and didn’t even flinch. It was an impressive sight to behold and it made me respect Karsh even more. Adalyn had always been a brat but I had the sense that her ferocity wasn’t something to take lightly, at least not today.“I’m just stating the truth, Lady Adalyn,” Karsh said with a slightly raised chin, his eyes locked on hers. “The king is alive, I can assure you-”Before he could finish his statement, Adalyn motioned with her hand and gave a signal to the soldiers behind her.“Seize that traitor!” she ordered, and her men launched into action at once.My heart raced in my chest as I saw the soldiers approach Karsh, but before they could
CASSANDRAThankfully, Adalyn’s proposal wasn’t as convincing to the councilors as she’d expected. It was clear from the glint in her golden eyes and the proud expression on her beautiful face that she assumed all would accept the idea of Marco’s ascension without complaint, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. The room dissolved into whispers and gasps at once.One of the councilors I didn’t know the name of cleared his throat and all fell quiet.“Pardon me for my bluntness, Lady Adalyn, but it’s absurd to announce a new Alpha King when there is no evidence showing that the king is dead,” he pointed out, his thick dark eyebrows furrowed at her. “We have nothing of the sort before us-”“The forensic report will explain everything-” Adalyn began to say but the councilor waved her off with his hand.“A report means nothing,” he stated boldly, and then he glanced around the room to garner attention from the other councilors. “If the Alpha King is dead, we need to see his co
CASSANDRAOne thing was absolutely certain amongst Asher, the councilors he trusted, and I.Whatever Oliver Moses wanted to do at the council meeting, we needed to stop him. We were in complete agreement but knew we needed others to agree to our cause. We needed the support of other Packs in order to bring him down, and knew we wouldn’t get far without it.“Oliver Moses has quite a number of soldiers stationed in Anemond, especially around Merlisicre,” Karsh revealed solemnly. “If we want to confront the Moseses, we will need a troop of good soldiers of our own.”Though I didn’t want to admit it, the councilor was correct in his assessment. Despite having support from Alpha Gareth, Wild Crawler on its own couldn’t provide enough soldiers. If we wanted to gather real numbers to stand against the Moses soldiers, we needed to contact other Packs and ask for their support.“Your Majesty, it would be best for you to remain in the darkness before the meeting,” Jacoby advised after a moment
ADALYNThis girl was stupid and annoying, to say the least.Yet, despite these facts, I regretted that I had underestimated her. I should have dealt with the tiny redhead girl right after Cassandra Keller had disappeared. Now, she had become a big problem, one I wasn’t sure how to handle.“I was hiding in the room next to yours when you spoke,” Becky chimed in.Father’s face changed when she mentioned the meeting. His complexion paled and his hazel eyes widened, but when he ran his hands through his graying hair, it was clear that he seemed convinced by her words.I had to hand it to her.Placing herself at the scene of the crime was a bold move, one I wasn’t sure how to work around. This was damning to be certain but I had to remain collected if I wanted to make it out of this and continue my plans without interruption.Silas’ little kitten was a true thorn in my side.Father studied the girl’s expression like a fox studying its prey. “I hope you acknowledge that you will be punished