ASHER “Ector Felix?” I replied back in disbelief, and when he nodded, my calm expression turned into a frown. There was no way. Ector, Cora’s brother, had been banished to the border shortly after their father, Darrin Felix was imprisoned for allegedly trying to harm Oliver Moses. On paper, his punishment seemed kinder than that of his father’s, but in all reality, it was far worse. It was nearly impossible to survive at the border of Wegalla. The land was deserted and lacked many resources. A sentence to the borderlands was a sentence of death. Back then, after Cora perished in the fire, and I’d built my own power in Anemond, I’d sent guards out there to search for Ector and see if he was still alive. But when my team returned, they were empty-handed. Ector was nowhere to be found. Since that day, I’d assumed he was dead. But now, Silas said he’d found him? “How did you find him?” I asked as I tried to wrap my brain around this information. “And how do you know for sure that it
CASSANDRA When I returned to the clinic after Asher’s health check, Marley was speaking with a patient. I waited patiently for them to finish, and when she turned around to face me, she smiled. “Have you seen Becky?” I wondered. My friend nodded and gestured behind her. “She’s in the lab room. She’s been back there all day. Hasn’t taken a break at all today.” Becky hadn’t come to breakfast either. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t stop worrying about her. She had always been a dedicated worker and assistant, but she was pushing herself too far. She needed to take a break and face what was going on. So, I nodded and then headed toward the lab room. When I reached the door, I knocked twice, and when I didn’t get a response, I entered anyway. Becky was standing in front of one of our devices, studying it so closely that she hadn’t even realized I’d entered until I walked up beside her. “Cassy,” she exclaimed, and she pushed her round glasses up her nose. “I didn’t even see you.” Aft
CASSANDRAMarley had originally planned to leave Anemond in a few days to return home, but when she heard that Becky was going to Wild Crawler, she pointed out that my clinic was going to be short-handed.“As much as I want to get home, I won’t leave you to deal with all of these patients on your own,” my friend insisted with a twinkle in her light green eyes. “I’ll extend my stay a little longer so I can help.“You don’t have to do that,” I countered. “What about your boys?”“They’ll be fine,” she assured me with a wave of her hand. “Besides, I’ll just call my parents. They love spending time with the kids and the kids love their grandparents. It works out well for everyone, Cassy.”I offered her a small smile. “That’s really kind of you, Marley. Thank you. I really appreciate the help.”“Of course,” she said. “That’s what sisters are for.”Sisters.The words from her lips brought me joy like no other. Though my identity prior to Wild Crawler was a mystery to them both, I considered
BECKYAfter saying goodbye to Cassandra and Marley, I made my way back to my house, and the entire walk there was spent with a mounting anxiousness in my belly.I knew there was likely going to be a confrontation with my mother the moment I stepped through the door. She would likely inquire about my whereabouts from the night before and would also undoubtedly bring up the subject of marrying the seemingly decent yet boring man she’d been campaigning for weeks now.I sighed as I walked. This was all so exhausting. I worked long hours in the clinic and the lab, only to have to come home to tiring conversations about my love life.I slowed my pace a little. I’d already been gone all night. She could wait for me a little longer.The night air was crisp and I stared up at the glittering stars above me. It was a nice evening, but I felt so suffocated. I longed for the freedom the stars had. I wanted desperately to distance myself from my mother’s pressure, but it was all so complicated. Des
BECKYAs he stared at me with what I’m sure he thought was a debonair, suave expression, I felt my stomach begin to quake.His offer?I simply stared back at him. He hadn’t even bothered to ask me for my hand in marriage. He’d expected me to be completely swept off my feet after a single mediocre date. I knew what he meant by his question. His offer was to make an obedient wife out of me and turn my thoughts away from my dreams.I fought the urge to roll my eyes.“No, thank you,” I said politely but firmly. “I appreciate you coming to my house tonight to see me, but I don’t think we’re… compatible. So I’m unfortunately going to have to decline.”“Decline?” Frederick asked in surprise, and his fake-charming persona immediately dropped. “What do you mean?”My stomach threatened to heave again. I couldn’t believe his audacity. I was being more than polite to him, even though after our date, I shouldn’t have given him the time of day. I could still remember his offhand comments about my d
BECKY I widened my eyes and for a moment, I couldn’t react. I was frozen like a statue, trapped in this moment with the Beta of the Crescent Pack. This was all so crazy. Frederick, Silas, my mother, all of it. My mind was filled to the brim with swirling thoughts, and I was thinking so fast that I could hardly process it all. But as I stared into Silas’ eyes, I remembered the night in the garden, and my mind shifted to anger. “What are you trying to do?” I demanded as I glared at him. “Why are you here, Silas?” “I told you, I came here to help,” he replied, and then his mouth hardened into a thin line. “And I don’t want you to be touched by other men.” Irritation bloomed within me and I shook my head as I thought again about the fact that he had kicked Frederick to the ground. Surely, my would-be suitor would bring this mess of drama to my mother’s door, which would lead to even more nagging. “I didn’t need your help or your attention,” I insisted as I pulled my arm back. “I co
BECKYMuch to my surprise, Mother didn’t ask any further questions. She simply tucked her long, reddish-brown hair behind her ears and smiled at Silas. If I had to guess, I would say she appeared to be pleased to have such a prestigious guest visiting. Though we’d been on our own for quite some time, she used to have friends over all the time. She loved having company.“Why don’t you come inside,” she said to Silas with a warm smile.“That would be lovely,” Silas replied, much to my dismay.He was conducting himself very politely, but I wasn’t sure that I wanted him anywhere near my mother. I wouldn’t know how to explain this to her.But, it was too late. Silas had already accepted her invitation, and Mother had already opened the door for him. As his tall frame moved past me, his cinnamon and clove scent reached my nose, and my mouth watered.Damn this attraction.I released a sigh and entered the house behind him.On a more personal note, I was scared by how he would react to our ho
CASSANDRAThankfully, obtaining permission for Becky to leave Anemond wasn’t difficult in the least. After I told Asher all about the new chemical compounds and the potential research that my assistant was planning to conduct in Wild Crawler, the Alpha King’s eyes widened, and his lips parted in surprise.“Wow,” he said. “Yes, by all means, she is welcome to go to Wild Crawler. Any bit of information she can get will be helpful. She has my permission to leave for however long she needs.”With the king’s blessing in mind, Becky went straight to work right away and packed her belongings. Marley and I advised her on the right things to wear and supplied her with warmer coats and sweaters just in case.“With it being near the border, there’s a lot of forests, so the weather is going to be a lot colder,” Marley explained as she exchanged coats with Becky. “This has a sherpa lining so it’ll keep you nice and warm.”“Thank you, Marley,” Becky thanked my friend happily. “I really appreciate 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