ASHERKane studied me with an amused smile. His appearance was as immaculate as ever, and he looked well-rested. I envied him. Up until last night, I hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in weeks. My mind had been too vexed by the viper situation to truly let myself relax, and my body ached too much from my escalating illness.My head began to pound as if to remind me of the disease. Luckily, Kane didn’t seem to notice my turmoil.“You seem to be growingly busy these days, dear brother,” he remarked with a sly grin, and then he pouted for emphasis. “I miss playing chess with you.”“I have been busy,” I agreed, and I let out a small sigh. “How can I help you, Kane?”“Wow,” he said as his eyes trailed over me. “This definitely isn’t the welcome I expected. You seem to have lost your sense of humor.”“Too much on my mind these days,” I murmured.Kane pulled up a chair and sat opposite of me. His lithe frame was lion-like, and his violet eyes danced with amusement. He was like some kind of w
ASHER The moment Kane left my study, I ran to the dungeon at once. I wasted no time, and the moment I reached the man’s cell, I held the small crest in front of the bars. “What is this?” I demanded, my voice surging with power. The imposter’s face paled, but he shook his head swiftly. “That… that isn’t mine,” he insisted. “I don’t know why you think it belongs to me-” “It was found on your person, was it not?” I retorted, and then I took a step forward. “Dark Abyss, right?” When the man remained silent, I continued on. “Is your name really Spike Nox?” I asked him directly. The imposter refused to answer the question but followed up with one of his own. “Have you considered my offer, young Alpha?” he wondered. “The one I gave you yesterday? Information about your beloved Cora Felix in exchange for my freedom?” “You aren’t in any sort of position to bargain,” I seethed as I shook my head. “Besides, that’ll never happen. You were involved in her death. I’d never grant you freed
CASSANDRA When I got to work that day, Becky was already hard at work. She was surrounded by a stack of books, along with a long line of vials and bottles. Her eyes were so focused on her work that she hadn’t even noticed my arrival. “Becky?” I prompted her when she didn’t say anything. “Becky, is everything alright?” My assistant finally looked up at the sound of her name, and her dark eyes grew wide. “Sorry, Cassy,” she said. “I didn’t even hear you.” “It’s okay,” I assured her, and I approached her desk. “What’s going on?” “I found something strange about the venoms,” she explained, and she gestured at a few of the vials. “The ones that we couldn’t identify? I’ve been running tests all morning. Even though they’re all very different, their chemical structures are similar. If my hypothesis is correct, it seems like they were all produced according to the chemical structures of Udosyn.” “Does that mean that the other kinds of poisons were recreated using the base of Udosyn?” I
CASSANDRAWhen I arrived at my chamber, I was surprised to see it was completely empty.“Erika?” I called out anyway, and when no answer came in response, I frowned and shook my head. Where was she? And where were Adalyn and Margaret?Knowing how spiteful and petty the two women were, I’d assumed that they’d remain in my room until I was finished with work, just to incite a bigger emotional response in me. Perhaps they’d even gone as far as sending Finnick my way to hasten the process. Yet, they weren’t here.So where had they gone?I considered all of the options and landed on one in particular. I would go to every inch of the palace if I had to, but before I began checking every room, I decided I would start with Margaret’s.Asher’s wicked stepmother’s chamber was a likely place for them to convene, as her wing of Merliscire was tucked away from everyone else’s. She’d given up the larger chamber to Asher when his father had passed all of those years ago and moved into the South Wing
CASSANDRAAs my eyes took in the sight of my beloved friend, my heart sank in my chest. Erika looked terrible beyond words.“Cassandra,” she managed to utter.Her skin was ghostly pale, and though her kind eyes were happy to see me, her gaze was distant. Her lips were practically blue and her gray-streaked blonde hair had sprung loose from its usually tidy bun.I rushed over to her and helped steady her just as she was about to fall.“Hang on, Erika,” I urged. “Let’s get you back to my room.”A pair of servants appeared mere seconds later.“Can we help you, Miss Cassandra?” one asked me politely.“If you could help me escort her down the hall that would be great,” I replied.The servant nodded. “Of course.”“Are you ready?” I asked Erika. After she managed the smallest of nods, I carefully lifted her arm up over my shoulder. The servant did the same on the other side, and once we had a good grip on her, we began to guide her down the hall and out of the South Wing. With every step, I
CASSANDRA I smiled back at Erika. Even though my time back in Anemond had been nothing short of turbulent and dangerous, knowing she had my back meant the world to me. I felt relieved to finally be able to tell her the truth. I didn’t have to sit with the guilt any longer. Erika covered her mouth but didn’t manage to conceal her yawn. Her eyes started to appear a little distant. She looked exhausted. “I’m going to go to the lab and get the medicine for you,” I said gently. “Why don’t you lay down and try to get some rest?” I half-expected her to protest, but instead, she simply nodded and then laid back down. I carefully tucked her in, and within seconds, Erika nodded off. As I rose to my feet and stared down at her, I wiped the stray tears from my cheeks. The maid meant more to me than just about anyone. I would do everything in my power to take care of her injuries. I carefully cleaned the blood off of myself and then slipped out of the chamber. I would grab the necessary medi
CASSANDRA My voice caught in my throat and I blinked in surprise as I fought to find an answer. I knew Erika hadn’t intended to slip, but it was a slip nonetheless and I needed to find a proper explanation to keep Finnick from finding out the truth. He couldn’t know I was Cora. Luckily, Erika spoke again. “Oh,” she mused, and she rubbed her eyes and let out an exaggerated but still believable yawn. “I’m so sorry Cassandra. I didn’t realize it was you. I was having this… dream… and I apparently mistook you for someone else. I’m sorry.” “It’s alright,” I replied, and when I glanced over at Finnick, he didn’t seem too thrown off by the answer. He nodded his head and held his stuffed bear up. He pursed his lips slightly and then frowned. “Everything okay, Finnick?” I prompted him. Finnick stared at his toy for a little while longer, and then realization crossed his serious features. “I remember!” he announced. “Cora was the name of the poor mate of the Alpha King. I remember you tal
ASHER “The trash bins were empty when we found them, Your Majesty,” the guard lamented to me with a bowed head. “We searched high and low. We even checked with the cleaner. He couldn’t find anything either. It seemed that the supposed masked man worked too quickly.” I released a heavy sigh though I wasn’t surprised in the slightest. I sat back in my chair and fought the urge to grow frustrated. The guard resumed a more polite posture and waited for my response. When he’d arrived in my study just minutes ago, I’d been hoping for good news. But sure enough, the masked man was far more skillful than I wanted. He had to be, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to hide here in Anemond for so long. I’d sent a team to investigate Spike’s claim that he’d discarded the books stolen from the royal library in a trash bin out in the street in the development beyond the palace. Now that I knew that the books were still missing, I wasn’t completely certain if Spike was lying or not. “I want h
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