Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 1 Emergency

CASSANDRA

“For the glory of Wegalla Empire, you must die!” Intruders snarled at me as I
knelt on the floor.

“Please let me see Asher. Please...” I begged.

“How dare you speak the name of our king!” The soldiers growled and grabbed
my hair, forcing me to raise my head. They were like shadows towering over me.
“Please. I need to talk to him. I'm pregnant. I have his baby!” I cried.

The head soldier snorted. “Baby? You think you'd be qualified to deliver a baby
for our king? Filthy whore! He won't come to you anymore. Don't you
understand? He's with Lady Adalyn. Now drink it!”

“Nol”

He pulled me harshly, gripped my face and pried my mouth open. Mysterious
liquid flew down my throat.

Burning. I began to gag.

“Die! You wretched moron.” They spat at me before slamming the door. And I
heard the click of the lock.

I struggled to move, but my eyes felt swollen, and my legs were strengthless. The
smell of smoke quickly filled the room.

Fire engulfed me.

My mind wandered as I stared out the window. The sky was a perfect clear blue,
and the air was filled with the sound of children’s laughter. A smile formed on my
lips at the sound.

Far beyond me, the pups, accompanied by their parents, made their way toward
the forest not too far away from where I sat. It was finally time for the annual
hunting festival, and the pups chattered and giggled with excitement as they
tugged at their mother’s and father’s sleeves.

I remembered their innocent happiness well. When I had been a pup myself, I'd
been infinitely impatient and raced far ahead of my father and brother, urging
them the entire way to move faster. I'd been so excited to get a glimpse of the
hunting group I wished to one day be a part of. I was eager to find my place
amongst the Pack.

I'd been grown for a long time now, and yet, these pups had more freedom than
me.

Ever since the deadly inferno, I'd lost the ability to shift into my wolf form, my life
had changed completely.

I lost everything. My wolf, my name, my identity, and all I used to love and
cherish. I'd moved far away and came to the Wild Crawler Pack, where I'd lived
as someone else ever since.

Just as I was starting to feel the familiar ache of loneliness, the sound of
footsteps rang out behind me. I snapped out of my stupor and turned to see
Marley behind me.

“Sheesh, Cassandra, I almost fell asleep at my desk.”

Marley paused for a breath. She ran her hands through her thick dark hair. Her
light green eyes were slightly bloodshot, but her small smile offset her tired aura.
“It's been such a crazy day. I couldn't help but doze off between patients.”

“I understand completely,” I agreed with her. “Here, come sit down. We still have
a while until our next appointment.”

Marley was my assistant here at the clinic. Fiver years ago, when Emmett saved
me from the fire and brought me to his pack, he taught me how to be a healer.
And Marley had been my first patient. Shortly after I helped heal her, she decided
she wanted to help others as well, and now she was my right-hand woman.
Marley took a seat on the stool beside me and then glanced out the window.

“I can’t believe it's already time for the hunting festival,” she sighed, and she
tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “The kids have been going crazy for days.
I swear, they've been driving me absolutely insane, Cass.”

“I'm sure,” I mused. “The village has been loud all week.”

“I wish I cared more,” Marley admitted. “But the festival really doesn't interest me
much. Visitors from other packs are troublesome. Can you imagine? I was
stopped by them three times this morning for the question — “How to get to the
forest?’. Gosh. Can't they read signposts? They are everywhere on the streets.
And with how crazy my kiddos have been...”

She let out a heavy sigh, “I wish they could be more like your Finnick. He’s such
a good boy. Mine are little monsters, no matter what I do. You're lucky Finnick
hasn't begged you to come with him-"

She paused for a moment, and a strange expression crossed her pretty face.
“Sorry, Cassandra,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean to bring that up-"

Marley knew I was unable to shift, and therefore, I was not allowed to enter the
forest, even the safe zone.

I simply gave her an understanding smile. “Don’t even worry about it. Besides,
Finnick is too young to watch anyway. If he was of age, I'm sure circumstances
would be different.”

It had been five years past since that calamity. I need to go on.

“So where is your sweet boy?” Marley wondered with a curious expression.
“He’s with the Luna and her children,” I replied.

I was grateful that the Luna of the Wild Crawler Pack had been so generous as to
offer to watch my son while I ran the clinic. The hours were incredibly long, and
my patient list had grown endless recently. Marley and I were busier than ever.
A sickness was running through the Wild Crawler Pack, one with an unsure origin
I had yet to place. It was accompanied by a peculiar mark on different parts of
the patient's bodies, each slightly raised, red, and warm to the touch. I'd biopsied
several of them, and yet, I hadn't found an answer that made any sort of sense.
“That's a good place for him,” Marley interrupted my thoughts again, and then
beyond us, bells rang out. She glanced up at the clock. “Looks like it's time for
our next patient. Ready to go?”

I nodded. “Let's go.”

I offered my hand to Marley and helped her to her feet, and then we walked out
into the front of the clinic, where our next patient was nervously awaiting us. She
was a young woman named Anna, and her brown eyes were slightly glazed over.
Her skin was pale and coated with a slight sheen of sweat, and her arms were
wrapped around herself as she shivered. Marley and I escorted her to a room
and sat her down on a comfortable seat.

We took her temperature, her information, and listened as she described her
symptoms. For a moment, I was worried she was ill with the mysterious sickness,
but it seemed to just be a common cold. I prescribed her some medicine, and
after she gratefully thanked me for helping her, the front door’s bells rang out
again.

“Who is that-" Marley began to say, and suddenly, a tall man burst into the room.
His dark clothing and the sword at his side indicated his rank. I recognized him
immediately.

It was Jasper, one of the Alpha’s guards. I knew him very well, as he was often
sent to collect me on behalf of the Alpha’s family if medical attention was needed.
“Hey, Jasper,” I greeted him, and I flashed him a smile, assuming it would be
returned. When it wasn't, I knew something was wrong. Jasper was always
friendly with Marley and me when he came to the clinic, but today, his expression
was deadly serious.

“The Alpha needs you right away, Cassandra,” he addressed me hurriedly. “You
must accompany me to the Pack House. It's an emergency.”

“What's wrong?” I asked, and worry painted my tone.

“There isn’t much time to explain,” Jasper replied. “Long story short, a prestigious
guest of ours has been bitten by a viper and needs medical attention
immediately.”

Panic flooded through me. Snake bites weren't anything to mess with, and we
needed to act fast.

“Marley, finish up with Anna,” I directed my assistant. “I'll get the kit together. Join
me once you're finished.”

Marley nodded. “Go ahead, I'll handle things here.”

I hurriedly gathered my supplies, and then when Marley reentered the room, we
followed Jasper down the hall and through the door. After I locked the clinic door
behind us, we raced out into the village and toward the Pack House. We sped in
silence, and after a while, I decided to ask for more information.

“Who is this prestigious guest?” I wondered.

“I cannot say,” Jasper said curtly. “It's confidential.”

“Where did they come from?” I pressed.

He said nothing at first, and then sighed. “Anemond.”

I flinched instinctively.

Anemond was the capital of the Wegalla Empire. It resided at the heart of the
Crescent Pack, the biggest and most powerful Pack that ruled our empire. It was
also where the Alpha King lived, along with the higher-class werewolf families.
Marley interrupted my thoughts. “The capital? They must be important.”

“Yes, they are. That's why we need to hurry up.” Jasper nodded seriously.

I tried to maintain an air of normality, and yet, my heart sank in my chest.

I hadn't heard the name Anemond in the five years. The memories began to flood
back through my mind before I could stop them. Images danced in my mind- the
fire, the grins of the soldiers, and the poison that'd been forced down my throat.
Anemond was the place of my birth, and in the end, had been my nightmare.