BECKYThough I was no stranger to witnessing Adalyn’s awful behavior, this was something else entirely. When she had ransacked our lab and gotten into altercations with Cassandra, she had been whiny, childish, and bratty. But here in Silas’ room, she was acting differently. It was awful and infuriating to see her acting as if she cared about her brother or all of these healers.Strangely, I had the sense that Adalyn was trying to control her father. I thought it was the other way around, but Adalyn seemed to be pulling the strings successfully.Oliver Moses scanned the room and then his son’s lifeless form for a moment and then let out a heavy sigh. He ran his hand through his graying hair and then nodded his head. The pair left the chamber and once the door closed behind them, I shook my head and frowned.As the healers around me let out collective sighs of relief and talked amongst themselves, I thought about Adalyn’s words.A plan?What plan?Mentioning the king and the country in
BECKYI knew Cassandra and the Alpha King needed to be informed of Adalyn’s plan before they returned to Anemond. If Adalyn really intended to use their son to manipulate the king, they needed to be aware in advance so he wouldn’t fall for the ruse.Of course, I had no idea how to get this information to them. I hadn’t received any news about Rayden or Cassandra before I arrived in the House of Moses, nor had I in a while. I phoned Wild Crawler every day in hopes of hearing about their whereabouts but there hadn’t been any updates since Rayden had left for Yurene. There was no telling where they were or if they were safe.I wanted to pull my hair out in frustration but I managed to remain calm and level-headed. I needed to keep my wits about me here if I wanted to survive this mess of a situation.As their talk ended, I was about to get close to the door so I could peer out through the door crack. I needed to make sure no one would see me when I left the room, maids or otherwise.Befo
CASSANDRAWe had disguised ourselves before returning to Wild Crawler.Heavily armed Wegallan soldiers were patrolling the borders so there was no way that we could slip in undetected unless we were dressed as normal civilians. Asher was too noticeable of a person to just walk into the Pack and I was likely just as recognizable. We didn’t want harm to come to us, especially when we weren’t certain of which side the soldiers worked for.After we got dressed, we managed to look like normal Pack members.My stomach was in knots as we prepared to cross the forest but I managed to hold my own and remain brave on Finnick’s behalf. It was so strange to think about all that time ago when I was going to take my son and flee these woods to get away from Asher and his order to come with him to Anemond. Back then, I’d seen Asher as this terrible villain, and here we were.He was not the same man I’d feared so much and vowed to escape from.He was my mate.Rayden had prepared passes for us quite s
BECKYI hadn’t expected that healers were forbidden to leave once they came to the House of Moses. After I had overheard the conversation between Adalyn and the head healer, I had waited until they had long been gone from the room and then slipped out. I headed right down the corridor I’d come from and once I was near Silas’ room, I traveled down the hallway and made an attempt to go. I needed to return to the clinic so I could tell Dickson all I had heard. I needed his intellect and opinion on how to proceed.I would return once I had a plan, using Cassandra’s badge to get back into the House of Moses. I had to find some way to stop Adalyn, and by extension, the healer, from carrying out their wicked plan.Silas couldn’t be paralyzed or disabled by whatever drugs they intended to use. I wouldn’t allow it.But when I tried to leave, the guards stopped me in my tracks and my plan began to fall apart. They explained that the Moseses had arranged rooms for the royal healers and if we wan
BECKYAfter I was caught in the room by Adalyn, I was seized at once and tied up against my will. They shouted at me and forced my hands behind my back. I tried using my claws to escape the ties but it was no use. They were much stronger than me and besides, I was outnumbered. My heart beat heavily in my chest as I thought of Dickson. All I wanted was to tell him the news of Silas’ drugging and let him know that while I was rattled here in the House of Moses, I would be just fine. All I needed was to keep my wits about me and try to uncover Adalyn and Oliver’s secret plot.But all of that had been ruined and now I was bound against a wooden chair, facing Adalyn.The Alpha King’s wife walked languidly, reminding me again of a jungle cat rather than a wolf. Her calculating gold eyes assessed me with a sharp gaze that made me want to avert contact. But I maintained my own gaze to show her she didn’t scare me.“I noticed you yesterday,” Adalyn revealed. “When you attempted to blend yourse
CASSANDRAWhen Asher and I and a few Wild Crawler soldiers arrived at Keller’s, we were surprised to find that Dickson wasn’t there.Instead, there was another younger man looking after the clinic, one I didn’t recognize. He had a gloomy expression on his bored face and his brown eyes rolled at us when we entered the clinic.“I thought you were Dickson,” he remarked, then sighed as he shook his head in annoyance.“Sorry to disappoint,” I apologized, though I barely meant it.“Whatever,” he mumbled. “Who are you?”“We’re friends of Dickson,” I replied vaguely, unsure of how much information to provide to a total stranger. “And you are?”He sighed, as if my questions were inconveniencing him, and then he straightened his posture and began to speak. “Max. I’m Dickson’s friend. He asked me to do him a favor, which normally wouldn’t be an issue, but I didn’t expect to be babysitting a clinic like this. I haven’t worked as a healer in a long time. How am I supposed to look after patients?”
CASSANDRAAs my heart dropped in my chest, I felt paralyzed from sheer disbelief.I wanted to reach out to touch his face or his hands. I wanted to tangibly feel that he was real, lying in this bed before me, but I couldn’t move. For all of these years, I had believed that Ector was dead.When he had been exiled to the borderlands, I had given up any hope of ever seeing him again. Those exiled from Wegalla were never seen again and after the undoing of our family name, Ector was no exception. A small part of me had wished we would reunite one day, but after the inferno, that part of me went silent. Though my heart ached for my dear brother, no one ever returned from the borderlands unless they were soldiers specifically sent on a mission.But here he was, lying in this bed, breathing.For a moment, I felt like I was about to collapse. My knees wavered but before I could fall, Asher reached out to stabilize me.“Silas found him months ago out in the borderlands,” my mate explained as
CASSANDRAMy brother fell asleep a while later, still holding our mother’s amulet in his hands. He didn’t want to give it back to me, so I allowed him to keep it for now.We left the room soon after, and once we stepped out into the hall, Asher took my hand in his.“His physical condition seems like it’s improved,” he informed me. “He looks better than he did when I saw him last. But his mental condition is still very poor.”“He must have been through a lot,” I said sadly.Asher nodded. “The conditions out in the borderlands are harsh. He was probably struggling to survive out there alone.”My lower lip trembled but I forced myself to remain strong. What mattered was that he was alive.“I’m sure he’ll only continue to improve,” I said. “Thank you for saving him, Asher.”He smiled at me warmly. “We’re mates now, Cassandra. You don’t need to thank me for anything.”“Still,” I insisted. “It means the world to me.”Asher nodded and then his face grew serious and he let out a sigh. “It’s S