Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 218

ASHER

As Silas reported on what his father had been doing in Anemond, I pursed my
lips in irritation but listened without making any sort of comment.

In my absence. Oliver Moses had taken the Beta’s guards into the royal palace
and imprisoned the Head of the King’s Guard. The councilors who had been loyal
to me, their Alpha King, had either been imprisoned or killed. Everything had
been. done in the name of his so-called “justice” to expose the “imposters who
caused the king's disappearance”.

And of course, my father-in-law was recruiting soldiers, using the excuse that he
needed an elite army to fight for the Alpha King when I returned to Anemond. He
was doing all in his power to make it seem as if someone else had taken me
hostage to dispel blame from himself and his family.

When Silas finished his report, silence hung in the room, and for a long moment,
neither of us spoke. I wasn't sure how to word what I needed to say, and my
brain felt frazzled by this influx of information. I was angry. Impossibly angry. At
this situation, the Moses family, the king of Yurene, and all of those who had
orchestrated this awful takeover.

“How many soldiers does Oliver have?” I asked finally.

Two thousand, perhaps.” Silas replied, his golden eyes somber as they stared
into mine. “All from different Packs. And since he had control over most of the
councilors, he assumed control of their guards as well. But... the actual number
is unsure. There are a few Packs that support him and others he’s always been
close with

I nodded as I considered this information. It was unpredictable which side the
different Packs would be on. Wegalla was such a large country that most of the
Packs ruled themselves in their own way. Despite the pledges of allegiance they
made to the Alpha King, I couldn't rely on that ancient oath when war
approached.

Many of them might not care who was the king so long as their lives continued
like normal. Others might be power-hungry and wish to win more through the
chaos. If I wanted to get their support, I would have to visit them one by one.
But first, I needed an army, which was precisely why Silas and I were going to the
Myriad tomorrow.

“Asher.” Silas spoke again, and after he took a breath, he sat down in the chair
opposite me. “Is it really better for you to remain here in the shadows? I've heard
rumors circulating in the city that you're dead. If we let that rumor get too far, who
knows what that could mean for your reign. You could lose your crown for good.”
I gulped as a lump formed in my throat. His statements held a lot of weight, and
for a moment, I was about to stagger under them, but I managed to steady
myself.

But before I could answer Silas, I heard footsteps, and when I turned my head, I
was surprised to see my brother in the doorway. The light of the many candles
made his golden hair gleam, and though he seemed tired, he appeared just as
regal and poised as ever. Our current circumstances hadn't managed to dim his
composed air.

“Staying in the shadows is the best choice for now,” Kane said. His violet eyes
were somber but his expression was perfectly calm as he entered the room.
“Oliver is probably twelve steps ahead of you. He's likely anticipated your

return and has planned accordingly. We don’t know what he’s arranged. If you
suddenly appeared...you could be in even more danger than

you are now

As much as I didn’t want to admit it, he had a good point. Oliver Moses had
conducted this usurpation right under my nose. I had no idea how long he'd been
planning this coup, nor did I know what else he had up his sleeve. This mess of a
situation was unpredictable and I needed to think strategically if I wanted to make
it out of this alive.

Silas turned to Kane and was about to speak, but just as the Beta opened his
mouth, my brother continued on.

“Silas, since you and Asher have such a long journey ahead of you

tomorrow.

morrow, you

should

try to get some rest,” he advised

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11:46 Fri, Feb 23

Chapter 218

politely but firmly. “This might be the best sleep you'll be able to get in the next
few days. Take advantage of having a nice bed. Besides, I need to have some
private time with my brother. So if you don’t mind...”

“Of course,” Silas replied dutifully, and he rose to his feet. “Good night, Your
Majesty.”

He offered me a polite bow, and when I nodded back at him, he left the room
without hesitation.

Once he was gone, Kane sat down in Silas’ seat and crossed his legs.

“What time are you leaving tomorrow, brother?” he wondered with a raise of a
golden eyebrow,

“Around 5” I answered without pause, and then I rubbed my temples. A headache
hard begun to stir within me, and I felt. exhaustion start to creep in. Ever since
Cas sandra had left, I hadn't had a proper medical check, and I was feeling the
effects of the illness much harder these days. “It's the time that the guards
change their shifts, It'll give us a fighting chance.”

Kane nodded thoughtfully. “I'll meet you at 5 then.”

“Excuse me?” I asked in surprise.

I'll be joining you.” he replied as if it were obvious.

1 shook my head immediately. “You don't need to, Kane. In fact, you shouldn't.
You should remain here, away from the potential madness.”

“I'm not asking for your permission,” my brother countered. “Let me remind you
whose house you're in now-"

“Is that a threat?” I cut him off, and I narrowed my eyes at him. “Are you truly on
my side, Kane? Because from what Silas has informed me, your mother,
Margaret, has allied with Oliver Moses.”

“Are you questioning my loyalty?” Kane asked, and he shook his head in
disbelief. “I can't believe you'd doubt me after all of this time. If I wanted to betray
you, Asher, I would have done it when I found you and Silas lingering around the
palace after your return from the forest. I could have let Oliver Moses’ guards
know where you were. It would have been all too easy to give you up. But I
didn’t. And it would be good for you to remember that. I'm not your enemy. I'm
your ally, and I'm here to help

Though his tone was genuine, a lingering feeling of doubt remained in the back
of my mind. With how impossible and confusing things had been lately, it was
hard to determine who was truly my ally and who was a traitor. I didn’t know who
trust in light of this awful coup

But as Kane's violet eyes stared directly into mine, I found myself nearly
convinced by his words. Yet... a thought plagued me, one that I couldn't cast
aside.

“Are you doing this for her?” I wondered. “Are you staying by my side because of
Cas s andra?”

[iN]

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