Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 31 Her grave

CA SSANDRA

The dream began just like many others before it.

I knelt on the floor, begging the intruder to see Asher until my throat was raw. But
the soldiers never listened.

Their faces were black, undiscernible no matter how much I stared at them. They
were like shadows, mocking my every word, my every whimper, my every cry.
As my voice caught in my throat, one of the shadow men took a step forward and
gripped my arm. He pulled me harshly to my feet, gripped my face, and pried my
mouth open. I kicked and kicked, but the effort was useless. The shadow man
forced a liquid down my throat, and as it streamed into my mouth, I began to gag.
It was cold and harsh and burned every bit of the way down.

My mind started to swirl as the room spun around me. I collapsed to the cold
ground and froze, unable to move.

The shadow men spit and snarled at me. They cursed me, called me an
indecent, terrible woman, and swore that I deserved every bit of what came next.
And then, they left the room, locking the door behind them as I sobbed and
shook.

Then, the smell of smoke- soft, at first, but then it filled the room. My eyes burned
and my skin itched as I struggled to breathe, but I couldn't move. I was frozen,
trapped on the ground, unable to scream.

Fire consumed me until there was nothing left.

“Mommy?” a small voice woke me up, and then suddenly, a push rocked my
body. I woke with a start and startled Finnick, who stood beside my bed.
“Finnick?” I managed to say and then I shot him a confused glance. “What's...
what's going on?”

“Are you having bad dreams again, Mommy?” Finnick wondered, and his serious
gray eyes stared into mine with concern.

Truth be told, I'd been having nightmares every night since I'd arrived in
Anemond. They varied in subject, but they mostly centered around Finnick in
Asher. In those dreams, in particular, Asher discovered Finnick’s identity and
wanted to take him far away from me. The Alpha King would stare deeply into my
eyes as they hauled Finnick away kicking and screaming, and then a mysterious
fire would appear and engulf the room with flames.

They always ended in flames and me waking

un with a scream.

Sometimes, the mu ffled screams against my pillows would wake Finnick up. On
those nights, I repeated the same story- that I was just exhausted these days and
was struggling to adjust to life in Anemond.

Finnick never seemed to believe me, but he respected my words and didn’t pry
further.

“I'm okay,” I assured him now, and then I kissed his forehead. “I'm going to go for
a walk, baby. Why don’t you get back to bed and try to get some rest?”

“Can I come too?” my son inquired, but I shook my head.

“I need you to get some rest,” I repeated softly, and I ran my hand through his
hair. “I'll come tuck you in, okay?”

“Okay,” he murmured, and he nodded his head politely. I climbed out of bed and
then crossed our large room until I was over in Finnick’s area. I helped him into
bed and then pulled up the plush white comforter around him and secured the
sides.

Finnick let out a small sound of contentment. His new bed was far more
comfortable than the one back home, and aside from my nightmares interrupting
him every so often, he was sleeping much better here. The feeling was
bittersweet. I was glad my son wasn't upset about his new living quarters, but I
was sad that I'd never feel comfortable here, no matter how fine our surroundings
were.

There was simply too much hurt, too many bad memories.

“I love you, Finnick,” I whispered, and I kissed his forehead.

“I love you too,” Finnick replied, and then he closed his eyes. About two minutes
later, his breathing changed, and he slipped right back into sleep. I smiled down
at him. He was an angel for caring about me the way he did.

Once I was sure he was asleep, I crept to the door and slipped out into the
hallway.

Itd been nearly a week since we'd come here to Anemond, and I'd made few
breakthroughs. Asher had supplied me with a small lab here in the palace, along
with an assistant, a young woman named Becky. Becky was a quiet girl, not
nearly as talkative as Marley, but she was intelligent and very helpful. She also
didn’t ask as many questions, which is why I assumed Asher had appointed/her
to help me.

The Alpha King had also assigned Finnick a babysitter to take care of him while I
worked. She was a nice older lady who seemed very attentive to my son’s needs.
I'd wanted to request Erika, but I couldn't. As much as it pained me, I needed to
pretend I didn’t know her.

Every day, I would visit the Alpha King's study at sunset and check the mark on
his body. I had to wait until he was finished with his daily duties and
appointments so it wouldn't alert anyone else to the matter.

At first, it was an awkward experience. With the proximity required to examine
the mark, I could feel his hot breath every time I leaned in to examine the mark.
As I studied his skin closely, I could feel his steel-like gaze on-me, and the
warmth of his body radiated onto mine. The smell of his earthy cologne danced
across my nose and reminded me of different times, times when he was mine
and would press his lips against mine,..

But I would force myself to not get drawn into the appeal. I had to remain
professional and attentive to his condition.

We hardly spoke during this time, and when we did, it was only about his
symptoms and how he felt that day physically. He always kept it short and to the
point.

Luckily, I also hadn't seen Adalyn at all. I figured Asher’s wife was making it a
point to stay away from me, which I didn’t mind at all.

Yet, I was still uneasy. Something here wasn't right and I couldn’t put my finger
on why.

I managed to make my way down the stairs mostly undetected. A few guards I'd
come to know nodded as I walked by, but other than that, the dark palace was
quiet.

I took the back way to the doors that led to the gardens and slipped outside. I
wandered out into the cool night absently, enjoying the slight breeze as it tangled
through my hair. My nightgown flared around me slightly, and I let out a sigh of
relief. There wasn’t so much pressure to appear a certain way out here. I could
breathe and allow myself to relax.

I wandered down past the beautiful, fragrant garden until I reached Othe
expansive dew-covered lawns. The grass was cold against my feet, but it was a
welcome sensation.

As I walked, I began to lose track of my destination. I allowed my mind to wander
completely, forgetting all about Asher and Adalyn, and the nightmares that
plagued me. I wasn’t sure how long I'd been out here until I stopped in place and
became aware of my surroundings.

I had reached the gates of Rosepetal, my old mansion. A strange sensation
traveled through me as I stared up at the white brick building and nostalgia
rushed into my brain. It was the same as ever, just as beautiful as it'd been back
then. Tall rosebushes were planted on the other side of the gate, and as I inhaled
the red blooms deeply, it felt as if nothing had changed.

I knew it was a bad idea, but there was an indescribable feeling in my heart that
told me to push the gate open. So, I did just that.

The lock was rusty, so I was able to get it open quite easily. I peered around to
make sure I wasn’t being watched, and once I was certain there was no one
around, I opened the front doors and entered the mansion.

I'd expected Rosepetal to look desolate and deserted, and yet, much to my
surprise, the mansion was well-tended. The walls and floors, along with the
furnishings, were pristine, and there was not even a trace of the inferno..

I continued down the marble floors until I reached the back doors that led to

the gardens. I stepped back outside, and when I did, I was pleasantly surprised
again.

The gardens were even more beautiful than they'd been back then. Hundreds of
rosebushes were arranged into paths and were filled with white blooms. Their
fragrance filled the air with sweet perfume, and after I inhaled deeply, my eyes
fell to the ground. Beautiful white stones paved the paths made by the roses and
led to a point just beyond me. My eyes followed along the path and as I took a
few steps forward, suddenly, I caught sight of something that made me freeze.
Since the mansion had been empty, I'd assumed there wouldn't be anyone else
here. And yet, a silhouette was standing at the edge of the garden. I gulped. Who
was that?

Suddenly, they tilted their head, and I realized it was Asher.

I narrowed my eyes to see what he was standing in front of, but I couldn’t see it
from back here. So, I took small, quiet steps until I reached a tall bush. I ducked
down to make sure I wasn't spotted, and once I was certain he hadn't seen me, I
peered over at Asher.

My heart stopped.

He was standing in front of a white marble tomb.

My eyes widened and I held my breath as I read the name engraved on the
grave.

Cora Felix.