Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 204 Mysterious woman

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I blinked in confusion and tried to gather myself, but my heart raced, and my
head felt as if it were drowning in a sea of thoughts.

Beams of sunlight filtered in through the window, which told me it was already
morning. That dream had felt so short, but hours had passed by like minutes.
“I'm sorry to wake you,” Erika apologized when I met her eyes again. “I found you
shaking and grew worried. Your teeth were clenched, and you were whimpering.
Did you have a nightmare, honey?”

I shook my head, but only a little. It wasn’t exactly a nightmare, though it had
been unpleasant. I wondered if “Emmett” would have told me something useful if
my dream hadn't been interrupted. I didn’t believe the dream would have been
prophetic, but I wondered if my late husband had indeed left me something like
he'd said.

He must have because otherwise, why was Kaleb so determined to bring me to
the North? But what could it be? Emmett hadn't left me anything besides thick
medical tomes and some of his notebooks. Nothing in those books seemed
suspicious... but had I missed something?

Part of me wanted to scream in frustration. This was all such a tangled mess. All I
wanted was to go back to my life at Kellers and divide my time between patients,
Finnick, and Asher. I dreamed of a world that didn’t involve warring Packs,
military coups, mysterious illnesses, and hidden identities. I just yearned for a
normal life.

But I knew that wasn't possible. I was too deep in it now to go back to living a
normal, carefree life.

I managed to gather myself and convince Erika that I was fine, and though the
maid didn’t seem all that convinced, she let the subject go. We woke Finnick up a
bit

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later, and soon after, a guard arrived at our door and informed us it was time to
leave.

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We tidied the room quickly, left the inn, and filed back into the car. Just like last.
night, we remained silent, and once Kaleb was seated in the passenger seat, the
driver started the car, and we resumed our journey.

I stared out the window the entire time and admired the snow on the ground. It
wasn't a thick layer, but it was enough to make me stare in wonder. Though
Yurene thus far was different than Wegalla, it reminded me a lot of Wild Crawler
in the winter. It was full of forests and wildlife, something that was wholly absent
in the bustling city of Anemond.

It was already noon when we finally arrived to a place Kaleb informed me was
called Viokwell. It was a large city, resembling Anemond, but with much fewer
people. The streets weren't even remotely bustling, and there were half as many
tall buildings. I was taken aback by the architecture. Everything was all white and
gray brick, giving it a sort of gloomy, wintery feeling.

Eventually, the car stopped at a palace, or rather, a large structure more like a
castle or fortress. The white brick walls were very high, with towers rising into the
sky and a large, s piked gate surrounding it. The many windows of the palace
were covered by thin black bars, and I noted that the structure’s stone sparkled in
the sunlight. It was beautiful but strange to see.

The gate was patrolled by several guards outfitted in heavy silver armor, and as
they let us through and into the palace grounds, I wondered if Yurene was at war.
I wasn't sure if they had any conflicts with any of the surrounding countries or
Pack s at the present, but the security here was obviously strict. We had passed
quite a few sentries after entering Viokwell, and I had the feeling that once we
entered the palace, there would be many more security checks.

When the car stopped, Kaleb turned around to face us.

“Welcome to my palace,” he said, and though he still appeared tired, there was a
glint in his dark blue eyes.

We got out of the car, and as we followed the king into the castle, he spoke

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again.

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“I have a meeting with all of the diplomats, so I'll be indisposed for a while,” he
announced, and he ran his hand over his golden brown hair to smooth it. “I trust
you can handle yourselves in my absence.”

He introduced us to the head ser ant, a woman named Ms. Benn. She was a
serious woman with pale blue eyes, a slightly pinched mouth, and blonde hair
that was pulled back into a neat bun. She greeted us simply, and then Kaleb
turned to

me.

“Ms. Benn will take you to your room,” he said. “I'll visit you when I have the
time.”

I nodded and shoved down the lump in my throat. When the king left us, Ms.
Benn escorted us to our room, which was located in the side building. She didn’t
speak much, but I was alright with that.

The room was clean and large, though somewhat sterile and plain. Like the rest
of the palace, the walls and floors were white, and while there was a little color
from the pale blue bedspreads, it wasn’t enough to feel comfortable. Though it
had many amenities, like the enormous beds, a desk, a small dining area, and a
sitting room, this place was akin to an ice palace. Cold and uninviting.

“If you need anything else, come visit me in my parlor,” Ms. Benn announced
after she finished the tour of the room. “It's located at the left comer of the first
floor.”

us.

“Thank you,” I replied, and after she gave me a slight nod, the head se rvant left
Once we were alone, Erika and I exchanged a glance, and then she offered me
a bitter smile.

“It feels like a prison,” she commented, and I nodded. She was right. The whole
castle felt like a well-guarded prison. There weren't any guards inside because
there was no need for them. The walls surrounding the place were thick and
high. Looking through the window, I could see nothing but the gate.

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Strange.

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As we began to unpack, I realized Finnick had been quiet since our arrival. While
normally, that wasn’t too unusual, I noticed that his face and lips were pale. Since
our departure from the inn this morning, he had been sleeping in Erika’s arms,
but I hadn't thought much about it.

When I placed my hand on his forehead, I realized he had a fever.

Erika laid him on the bed, and I checked his temperature to confirm my
suspicions. I supposed it could be a cold due to the quick weather change.

I tried to keep him warm and wrapped a thick blanket around him. I held his hand
and rubbed his back with the other gently.

He didn’t say anything; just closed his eyes and shivered

After a couple of hours, I began to wonder if it was more than just a cold. Despite
the heavy blanket, Finnick wasn't sweating at all, and his fever persisted. His lips
were not only pale but had started to turn purple.

I knew I needed to seek help at once.

“Can you keep an eye on him?” I asked Erika, and once she nodded, I swiftly left
the room and hurried down the winding staircase to the first floor. I followed Ms.
Benn’s instructions and found the parlor, but it was locked. I glanced at the clock.
It was 3:00 PM, yet the space seemed rather empty, with no se rvants in the long,
white marble hallway.

I wasn’t sure what to do. I needed help, but no one was around. I wondered if I
should yell and call out for someone. But I heard a woman’s voice behind me
before I could do so.

“What are you doing here?”

I turned around to find a young woman standing there. She was beautiful, with
high cheekbones, large, curious greenish-blue eyes, tanned skin, and shoulder-
length wavy black hair. She was quite tall and had a thin but subtly

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muscular build. She wasn’t wearing armor or a se rvant’s attire, so I wasn't sure
what her station was, nor her identity.

“I'm looking for Ms. Benn,” I explained.

“Ms. Benn is usually busy at this time and is probably in the kitchen overseeing
dinner preparations,” the young woman explained, her voice heavily accented
like Kaleb’s. “What do you need?”

Her tone was polite and hospitable enough, so I quickly explained Finnick’s
current condition and asked if there was a healer in the castle.

The woman nodded thoughtfully. “There isn’t a healer here, but I know what
you're talking about. It sounds like a poison, but don’t be worried. I can help.