All Chapters of Picking Up an Alpha King: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

That night, I lay in my bed but could not sleep. I kept tossing and turning, recalling Chasel's gentle yet desperate eyes as he looked at me with affection. My face burned from shyness, and I covered my head with the blankets. Did he really say that to me?Secretly, I smiled to myself. The next morning, we pretended nothing happened, especially in front of Anna. However, Anna could sense that something was going on with us. Chasel wasn't exactly skilled at hiding how he felt.Anna's eyes were glued to him, and I could see him becoming uncomfortable. Why would she purposely make him feel bad? Surely, there was a method to her madness, right?While she stared at him for several seconds, her eyes flicked back to me. I was just as terrible of an actor as Chasel was at hiding how I felt! Here, I was thinking I'd be able to play it cool, but Anna's all-knowing eyes pierced my soul. It was like she could see into my every thought. Her eyes snapped back to Chasel. When Chasel noticed h

Just as the rogue clamped down on Chasel's throat, we heard thunderous, unified howls. Their gritty quality made them sound like roars. Everyone around us widened their eyes and ducked their heads, cowering. Almost immediately, our attackers shifted to humans. "That's the Moonlight Pack howl!" one of the hurt rogues whispered fiercely to another. "We gotta get out of here." He spun around frantically, searching for a path to escape. "We're so screwed," his wounded friend whimpered just before he passed out. Chasel had done some damage to them despite his smashed back. The rogues knew that this roar meant it was time for a crackdown, and everyone was running scared. This chance intervention drew their attention, and they were no longer concerned with Chasel and me.In fact, they raced in the opposite direction, attempting to flee. Taking advantage of the chaos, Chasel led me outside so we could slip away from Salvatore and his crew. We walked as fast as we could toward home.

As I stared at this stranger, I stepped back, feeling embarrassed about my display of affection. However, he didn't seem bothered as he stood straight and introduced himself. "I'm Felix, the new Alpha King's personal assistant," he said, touching his chest. "I also happen to be his best friend." He flashed me a confident smile. I laughed under my breath once but then knitted my brow, feeling uncertain. "It's nice to meet you, Felix," I began, "But where am I?""You're at the Moonlight Pack hospital ward. I hope that isn't a shock to you," he said with concern in his voice. “Maybe I should have led with that.” "How did I get here?" I pursed my lips together as I glanced at him. "I had no choice but to rescue you from those savages. It was a terrible sight.""You saw me in the jail cell?""Yes, I intervened. I stopped by the station to interrogate some of the rogue prisoners when I noticed you.""I see," I whispered, touching my fingers to my lips, ponderi

I was patched up well enough after the last skirmish, but the physical trauma echoed throughout my body, every inch of my suffering chronicled on my flesh. Like a gardener examining a winter-worn plot, I inspected every injury. My old wounds had already been cleaned with saline to rinse and remove debris. I was re-doing the dressing. But before that, I underwent topical treatment as advised by the medic. Lathering my skin with antibiotics and healing salves, but all the tonics and tinctures could never heal the wound in my heart. A gaping void that grew with each passing moment of his absence. My mind tormented me with blood-stained images of what could’ve happened to him.He promised me he would come back for me. And I had faith in that vow as I had trust in the Moon Goddess. My movements slowed as thoughts assailed me. Nothing would keep him from me, so something fatal must’ve happened to deepen this distance between us.But I couldn't afford to think like that. I just couldn’t.“

Juliana POVFrom that day forward, I was in the manager's good grace. Whenever I pleased, I could enter the kitchen and provide a hand to Chef Pierre. I'd earned this position and wasn't going to squander it away. Though he was prideful initially, after proving myself, the chef grew to appreciate my presence. My tasting spoon was on the ready, and I used it wisely, assisting Pierre with spice balance, and even adding my own touch to improve recipes. He was more willing to take my suggestions into account, though it wasn’t one hundred percent of the time approved. As time passed, the kitchen’s former atmosphere of exclusion and condescension metamorphosed into the welcoming arms of an old friend. Behind the stainless-steel line and plethora of pots, my feeling of belonging gradually increased. The kitchen had a rhythm; I was becoming at ease with the instruments, and it showed. Our guests often had four or more course meals. Most enjoyed a light appetizer like my scallops