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
BECKYAs I stared out the basement window, I couldn’t believe my eyes.How had Dickson known I was here?I was grateful to see him but I was confused at how he had gotten here without being spotted by the many guards stationed around the House of Moses. My colleague wasn’t weak, but then again, I never would have taken him for a stealth operative.Dickson looked around before he attempted to move the window, but to both of our dismays, the windows were nailed down. His forehead tensed as he strained to move it, and then he looked at me and pointed at the door. His hand cupped his ear, gesturing for me to listen, and then he mouthed a sentence.Is anyone at the door?I thanked my lucky stars that I could read lips easily and then shook my head.Dickson nodded thoughtfully and then mouthed another sentence.I’ll get in through the door.My eyes widened and I shook my head as hard as I could to emphasize how bad of an idea that was. It was much too dangerous to get inside the building. I
BECKYMuch to my dismay, Adalyn didn’t seem to be affected by Oliver’s posture. Her golden eyes remained locked on mine, shooting daggers so intense I should have been frightened.But she didn’t scare me.She was a child pretending to be someone powerful. A coward, hiding behind her family name.“This girl is trying to kill Silas!” Adalyn cried as her hands balled into fists at her sides. “I caught her before, Father. She escaped with the help of her accomplice and now she intends to play some sort of trick on you, I just know it.”Oliver frowned and then fixed his gaze on his daughter.“If you caught her before, Adalyn, why didn’t you report it to me?” he asked her coldly, his lip curling into almost a snarl. It was a chilling look and I didn’t envy Adalyn in the slightest.She took a moment to make up an explanation and then spoke. “Because I knew the girl was cunning, so I wanted to deal with her carefully, Father.”Her excuse didn’t seem to convince Oliver in the slightest. He rol
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