CASSANDRAI sensed a strange unease in my heart, restlessness and exhaustion creeping in that I didn’t know how to curb. Perhaps it was due to Asher’s absence from Anemond, or maybe it had stemmed from Kane’s strange behavior from the day before. The words he’d uttered to me were ambiguous and set me on edge in a way I couldn’t explain.Asher’s stepbrother had told me that I hadn’t changed much, which at the time had caused my heart to skip a beat in panic.What did that really mean? And why had he said such a thing to me in private?While Kane had attempted to explain that many people changed considerably after attaining a significant position in Anemond, such as that of a royal healer, his reasoning didn’t quite convince me.I could sense that he was hinting at something else, yet I couldn’t decipher or make sense of his true intent. Was it possible that he could know something about me, that he could know who I’d been in the past? The idea startled and scared me; after all, I’d ne
CASSANDRAI struggled to keep up with Lancel’s long strides as we reached Merliscire. The older guard was much taller than I, so the effort made my heart race, but I managed to speed up enough to follow alongside him. His urgent gait only made my worry increase.What had Spike discovered?And how did he manage to get Lancel’s attention in the first place? Had the guard been posted near the dungeon at the right time? Or had Spike merely waited for him to appear so he could relay the message?Focus, Cassandra, I urged myself. I knew the more questions I asked, the more I would panic, and I needed to remain level-headed. For all I knew, the news was going to be important, and I needed to be calm in order to think clearly.When we reached the dungeon, we practically raced down the stairs until we arrived at the hall of cells. I nearly tripped as I speed-walked, but Lancel managed to steady me before I could fall and hurt myself on the cold stone floor.“Thanks,” I said gratefully, and aft
ADALYNAs I led Marco away from the busy corridor of the palace and left the attending guard’s side, a snarl rose from my belly.“Silas is a complete and total ass,” I cursed under my breath as my head began to pound with anger. My hands curled into fists at my side and an indescribable sense of agitation swelled within me.My spiteful brother hadn’t bothered to inform me that he was going to be leaving Anemond with Asher, and I couldn’t wrap my mind around his reasoning.Why hadn’t he told me they were leaving?I had assumed my threats against his little mate would have stuck, rendering Silas obedient and compliant with my demands to watch my husband, however, it seemed my little brother had changed. He no longer heeded me as he had in the past.I cursed again. It seemed as if no one truly graced my company these days, nor did they wish to.I realized that I hardly saw Margaret anymore. Kane Collins, ever the gallant playboy, had suddenly transformed into a devoted son. He rarely lef
ADALYNAfter I nodded in surprise, Father gave me a small gesture of his own and then disappeared into the mansion. I stood there, frozen for the briefest of moments as my heart pounded heavily in my chest.What did Father wish to speak to me about?His tone was as serious as usual, but it lacked the severity I’d come to expect. So, what was the problem? Did this have something to do with Margaret? Or perhaps with Asher or even Silas?Whatever it was, I knew better than to leave my father waiting, so I leaned down and ran my hand over Marco’s soft hair.“Let’s get you over to Grandma, baby,” I suggested to the young prince gently. “Grandpa and I have some business we have to attend to.”Marco’s eyebrow shot skyward, and just as I thought he was about to whine, his expression shifted and he simply smiled a dimpled smile.“Okay, Mommy,” he said patiently.I was a little surprised at the lack of argument or whining but didn’t question it. My mind was too preoccupied with whatever Father
CASSANDRAThat night, I had a terrible dream.It wasn’t the first time I’d dreamt about Emmett since his death, but this one was peculiar, to say the least.In the dream, Emmett wore a long black robe with a good that mostly obscured his handsome face, though I could still see the familiar glow of his blue-green eyes. They were a strange shade, a rich teal blue with a ring of emerald around them, and in the dream, they were so bright, that it was as if they were lit from within.We lingered outside the forest, and it seemed as if he were about to embark on a journey. As he breached the line of trees, I stood there for a moment and then decided to follow discreetly behind.I followed the trail of his cloak and shadowed him closely, so much that I could smell the familiar warmth of his cologne. All around me, the trees loomed above, so far into the sky that I could hardly see anything else. The immense forest seemed endless, and as I peered around us, a strange, anxious feeling crashed
CASSANDRAAfter spotting the mysterious dark figure outside, I meticulously inspected the entire lab. I searched high and low and examined every surface to make sure that nothing had been stolen or removed by an unknown intruder.But much to my confusion, nothing was amiss.My heart still raced in my chest from being startled, so I stood there for a second and forced myself to breathe deeply. As the cold air flooded my lungs, I found myself finally growing calmer. Perhaps this was merely a delusion, a residual effect from the unsettling dream. Clearly, I was still frightened and at least half-asleep when I glanced out the window. Seeing shadows out of the corner of your eye at night wasn’t out of the ordinary. It happened to just about anyone.When I settled down, I turned on a lamp, and as its warm, calming light filled the room, I pulled up my favorite chair and picked up Becky’s report. I sunk into the chair and allowed the soft fabric to comfort me before diving into the report.B
CASSANDRAThough I wanted to immediately go straight to the dungeon, I suddenly remembered Spike’s request for an alcoholic beverage and the approval I’d given to Lancel in Asher’s absence.The last time I’d spoken to Lancel, he’d told me what kind of liquor the imposter preferred, so I decided there was no time like the present. Spike would likely be more willing to speak with me if I sweetened the deal.So, I left the palace and went to Anemond’s market in an attempt to hunt it down.The market was far more bustling than I’d expected at such an early hour. As an array of smells and conversations filled the air around me, I wove through the crowds of people and peered around at the shops.Spike’s request was a strange one- it was an orange and cinnamon liquor that apparently had exotic spices and herbs in it that weren’t present in many other drinks.I had to travel to three separate shops in the market before I managed to locate it on a shelf in the back. The bottle was tall and ski
CASSANDRA“A strong catalyst?” I wondered, and as my brow furrowed, I took a step closer toward Spike’s cell. What do you mean by that?”Spike took a long deep breath and ran his hand through his dark brown hair. His equally dark eyes stared down at the ground for a moment and then he spoke.“Look, it was nothing more than a mere story that was popular among the members of Dark Abyss,” he said dismissively, and then he waved his hand in the air as if to further his point. “It’s nothing, really. I was just supposing.”When he didn’t say more, frustration swelled within me, along with curiosity.What did he mean, and why was he being so vague with it?I began to wonder if coming here was a mistake and debated turning around and heading back to the clinic. I had gotten my answers and needed to get back to work before patients arrived for healing. We were understaffed anyway, so it would make sense for me to throw in the towel and leave Spike to keep working on the cure to the poison.But
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