ASHER I was only half awake as I sat in the meeting room and listened to the morning report. Jacoby was informing me about the investigation being conducted about the attempted kidnapping that’d taken place in the market, and the councilor’s dark eyes were glum as he spoke. “We checked the identity of the kidnapper, Your Majesty,” he said. “They didn’t live in Anemond, nor did they seem to be residents of Wegalla at all.” My brow shot up immediately. “Do you think they were foreigners?” Jacoby nodded. “I believe so, Your Majesty. But without officially issued certification, no foreigners would have been able to pass the territory line of Wegalla.” I frowned. This was all very strange. “Did the soldiers stationed there fail their duties?” I wondered as frustration rose within me. “How could a foreigner enter the territory without anyone knowing?” Jacoby hesitated for a moment. “Perhaps,” he began. “There’s another possibility. I find it a little coincidental that the king of Y
ASHER My brow raised instinctively as I stared at Oliver Moses in surprise. Had he really just suggested something like that? Now, of all times? “Why?” I asked, and I raised my chin slightly. This suggestion reeked of suspicion, and I was going to get to the bottom of it. “Your Majesty, it’s been five years since the death of our former king,” he explained evenly. “I understand that you’re still in a state of mourning, as anyone in your position would be. But I firmly believe that the Crescent Pack needs a Luna, someone who could raise the morale of both this Pack and all of Wegalla for that matter. It’s been five years since your wedding. I believe this is the right time to declare her your mate.” I opened my mouth to protest this fact, but I knew it would get me nowhere. Adalyn may have been my wife, but she wasn’t my mate. Cora had been my mate and no one would ever replace that, no matter how much Oliver Moses wanted to change that fact. I had to admit that I’d underestimate
CASSANDRA Once Kaleb left my chambers, I crawled back into bed and stared up at the ceiling. My fever was lessening by the moment, but I was feeling all sorts of awful, not to mention downright tired. The king of Yurene had given me an emotionally charged speech, but I couldn’t help but ponder the authenticity of his words. Kaleb had always been kind to me and didn’t have any reason to lie to my face, but I knew better than to accept someone’s statements blindly. Despite his explanation, I didn’t understand why he wanted me specifically to help treat his ailing father. Any number of the healers in Anemond were more talented than I was, and even with the knowledge that Emmett had been the one to gift them medicine, it wasn’t as if my late husband had left me with notes. I had no idea what he’d used to treat the king and there was no guarantee that I could figure it out. Yet, once again, why would he lie about something so serious? I couldn’t help but think about what going to Yure
CASSANDRA Asher’s gray eyes darkened instantly and his nostrils flared. “Absolutely not,” he growled. “No, Cassandra. We’ll find another resolution. There’s no way I will allow you to set foot in the viper pit.” “Your Majesty, we’re running out of time,” I insisted. “We need to find out what’s going on down there.” “I need you here to treat the guards,” Asher said, but I shook my head. “Becky is here and she’s more than capable of handling it while I’m gone,” I pressed. The Alpha King ran a hand through his dark hair and shook his head. “There has to be someone else,” he murmured. “Anyone else.” “There’s not,” I said firmly. “You heard your men. Every guard you have at your disposal is too strong and large to make it down that corridor. I’m not. If the size he indicated is accurate, I should have no issue making it down there. Besides, I’m the best choice anyway. I know the vipers well. I’ve been studying them for years and I know how to protect myself.” Asher shook his head
CASSANDRA My heart pounded in my chest as I stared at the bottle. My hands began to shake so hard that for a moment, I nearly slipped and dropped the container on the ground. Were all of these bottles full of poison? Did someone raise these vipers here? Everything was so strange and confusing and my mind began to drown in the possibilities. Just as I started to steady myself, I heard something move behind me. I started to turn around, but I was shoved forward before I could. A cry rose up from my chest, and when I whipped around, a tall, dark figure stood behind me. The light down here was too dim to make out his features, and even if I could, he was moving far too quickly for me to recognize him. The man lunged at me, and suddenly, my mask was knocked off and crashed to the floor. As it broke into pieces, the smell of the basement hit me in full force. I plugged my nostrils as I tried to put some distance between my assailant and me, but it was too late. The scent of the anest
ADALYN Father didn’t look well when he returned home. His cheeks were red and his eyes were frantic as they darted around. As his hands twitched at his sides, I realized that wherever he’d come from, he was in a terrible mood. Whenever he was angry or agitated, his hand twitched, along with his right eye. As he paced around the room, I saw his eye tick, and I knew that whatever had happened, it wasn’t good. “What happened, Father?” I asked as I timidly approached. “You’re an idiot and a fool, Adalyn!” Father shouted as his nostrils flared. His sudden outburst startled me and I took a step back. “What do you-” I started to say, but before the words could leave my mouth, Mother appeared and swooped in between us. “Oliver, dear, what’s going on?” Mother said gently, and she rubbed Father’s shoulder. As she tried to soothe him, I took the opportunity to create some distance between us. After the incident in the palace laboratory, I’d remained in the House of Moses. My parents had to
CASSANDRAI awoke with a start. My chest heaved as I fought to catch my breath and once my vision adjusted to the low light, I realized I was staring into Asher’s steel-gray eyes. Startled, I nearly jumped out of my bed.As I blinked and looked around, I realized I wasn’t in mine at all.What was going on?What had happened to me?“Cassandra,” Asher said softly in surprise. “You’re awake.”We were in a spacious room I’d never seen before. The furnishings were extravagant and fine, from the golden-threaded rug on the dark floors to the intricate tapestry hung on the emerald-painted walls. Soft embers glowed from the fireplace on the far end of the room and provided warmth and a light glow. Every surface gleamed and sparkled, and I admired the warm comforter on the bed.Yet, I couldn’t relax, not when I had no idea what was going on. I pulled myself out of bed and offered the Alpha King a small bow of respect.“Y-your M-majesty,” I stammered as my head swam with slight dizziness.As Ash
CASSANDRA I gulped involuntarily and searched my mind for the right words to say. The scar on my inner thigh? I knew the mark all too well, but I’d never expected Asher to see it. How had it come about? Had I been undressed for the royal healers? Had he stayed here to watch Erika change my clothing? I felt a little violated, but at the same time, there was a strange feeling knowing that Asher had seen my body like that. As I trembled, a puff of air came out of Asher’s nose. He lifted away from me and the air suddenly grew a little colder around us. The Alpha King seemed to be suppressing a laugh, but his lips were still curled into an amused expression. “I didn’t mean to see it,” he revealed. “I wasn’t purposefully looking there. But your maid let out a small gasp when she noticed it and I was worried that something was wrong, so I went to check.” Suddenly, the smile left his expression and he studied me seriously. “Cassandra, where did you get such a scar like that?” he asked,
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