Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 162 The way to truth

CAS SANDRA

On the morning of Becky's return to Anemond, Asher arrived at the clinic to pay
me a visit. I was surprised when the Alpha King greeted me at the door because
just the day before, he’d mentioned that he was leaving Anemond on business
for a couple of days.

While I'd wanted to know what he was up to, I knew better than to ask. As the
leader of Wegalla, there was likely something to handle with the military,
especially with Silas’ recent return to the Pack. The Beta had been away to
observe the troops on the border and make sure they were up to the Alpha King’s
standards, so I was sure it had to do with that.

Despite his assurance and calm demeanor when he'd told me the news, that
morning when he stepped into the clinic, his expression was strange.

“Good morning,” he greeted me quietly, so as to not wake Finnick, who was still
fast asleep.

“Good morning to you as well,” I replied, and then I offered him a small smile of
surprise. “What are you doing here, Asher?”

“I wanted to check in before I left,” he explained softly, and then he reached out
to touch my cheek. “I know we said goodbye already, but I wanted to make sure
that you were going to be alright while I was gone.”

I nodded thoughtfully. “I appreciate that very much, but I'll be okay. Becky is set
to return today and we're going to be hard at work on the water sample and such.
I'll be so busy that I'll hardly have time to get myself into any trouble.”

Asher smirked. “Good. The last thing I need is for you to get into something while
I'm away.”

“I'm a tough girl,” I assured him playfully. “I'll be able to handle myself.”

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“Still,” he remarked. He then drew me closer to him and once I wrapped my
arms around his neck, he wrapped his around my waist and pressed his lips
against mine. His kiss was warm and inviting, and since there was no one around
who could possibly see us, it was more drawn out than usual.

Once it ended, the

Inba King’s gray vect

“I might have a big surprise for you when I return,” he mentioned off-handedly.
My eyebrow shot up. “Oh? What do you mean by “might'?”

“You'll just have to wait and see,” he teased, and then he leaned in and kissec
my temple. “I'll be back before you know it.”

We shared one more embrace and then Asher left. As I watched him through the
window as he walked down the drive, I frowned slightly. There was something
strange in his behavior that made me feel a little uneasy, but I dismissed those
feelings before they could fester. It was early and I might have just been overly
sensitive.

Things were getting better between us, even taking Adalyn and Marco into
consideration. Even though Adalyn had witnessed our kiss that night outside of
the clinic, she hadn't done anything about it. While that fact was a little worrying, I
wondered if she'd decided it wasn't worth the trouble and let it go.

Either way, I wasn’t going to question it too much. I had too many other things
occupying my mind. I needed to stay sharp so I could focus on Becky's return
and what this new piece of evidence could mean for our research.

As I waited for the car to arrive, I brewed some morning tea and when Finnick
awoke, I spent some time with him. Erika mentioned that they would be coloring
today, which was one of his favorite activities, so my son’s demeanor was
happier than usual.

Marley awoke a little later and sat with me in the waiting room of the clinic. We
sipped at our tea and nibbled on some pastries that Hannah had made. We
made some small talk but avoided the impending subject of Marley leaving.
Becky's arrival meant my friend would be going back to Wild Crawler, and I was
sad, to say the

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least.

Finally, after a few hours, Becky arrived, and after we gave her a warm welcome,
we helped her carry her things inside.

Once she was settled in, we had lunch together, and then Becky went to focus on
the water sample. To my surprise, my assistant didn’t seem all that excited about
her findings. I could tell from the weary look in her russet eyes that something
had happened in Wild Crawler- not something big, but something that was clearly
weighing on her mind.

I decided not to ask, even though I wanted to. If she wanted to talk about it,
would wait for her to bring it up.

Before she went straight to the lab, she gave Marley a tight hug and wished her a
nice journey.

As my friends said goodbye to one another, my heart began to ache. I would do
anything to keep Marley with me. With her, Erika, and Becky in the clinic,
Anemond was finally beginning to feel like home. But Marley had children to
worry about. She had done me a huge favor by staying here in Becky's stead,
and now that my assistant was back, Marley had to go figure out the details of
her own life, including her divorce.

Marley collected her bags, and I helped her carry them to the car. The driver
loaded them up and Marley and I stepped away to say our goodbyes.

“My kids are going to be thrilled to see the toys I got them here,” Marley
remarked. “I can’t wait to give them to them.”

But as soon as the words left her lips, her light green eyes started to well up

with tears.

“Oh, Cas sy,” she managed to say. “I know it’s not like we're never going to see
each other again, but leaving you is... it's so hard. I miss you so much.”

“Trust me, I miss you too,” I agreed, and I reached out and touched her arm.
“Maybe next time, you can bring your family.”

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“That would be great,” Marley said through her sniffles.

“Maybe you could even bring Jasper-" I teased, and before I could finish my
sentence, Marley punched my arm and then began to laugh.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she chuckled, and then she pulled me into her arms. We
hugged each other tightly and remained there for a minute or two until finally, she
pulled away. “I love you, Cas sandra.”

“I love you too

Marley,” I replied, and finally, I began to tear up as well.

She climbed into the car and I watched it leave until it disappeared at the end of
the street. I took a moment to collect myself and then I walked back into the
clinic.

but I decided to be productive instead. Becky had left part of the water sample
with me, and an idea crossed my mind.

Part of me wanted to go back to my room and cry a little more

Becky had mentioned the idea of the water source in the mountain area being
poisoned.

Who better to look at the water sample than Spi ke, our resident poison expert?

I picked the second tube from the lab, tucked it into my medical kit, and once it
was secure, I headed out of the clinic and toward the palace dungeon.

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