Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 32 He protected her?

CA SSANDRA

My heart sk ipped a beat in my chest and every inch of my skin broke out in

goosebumps.

Was this real?

Was that really my tomb?

But as I stared on at the marble monument, I knew it to be true. That tomb was

indeed for Cora Felix.

Had Asher built it himself? And furthermore, did he have Rosepetal

reconstructed? There was no other logical reason for the mansion to be intact

after the inferno. The blaze had rendered everything damaged and destroyed.

I stared at the Alpha King and frowned. His stance, his bowed head... he

appeared to be in mourning. As sad as it was, it made little sense to me, and

many questions swirled around my mind like a tornado. Why did he do all of this?

Was he sorry for me? Why had he left me alone that night and why didn’t he

come to my rescue if he was so sad?

My instincts told me to run to him and demand answers, but after a moment of

deliberation, I managed to get myself under control.

What would change if I got the answers anyway? It was too late. Cora Felix was

long gone.

I decided the best course of action was to turn around and leave. If I was quiet

enough I could slip right back over to the palace and put this strange encounter

behind me. I could bring Finnick into my bed and snuggle him until I fell back

asleep. Perhaps his mere presence would be enough to push the nightmares

away.

I turned on my heels and started creeping forward. Each footstep was cautious

and careful until I accidentally lost my momentum and brushed against one of the

rosebushes that lined the path. The thorns brushed the skin of my arms and I

cried out a little in surprise. My hands suddenly flew to my mouth at the sudden

sound.

“Shoot,” I whispered, and even though I said a silent prayer that Asher hadn't

heard, it wasn’t enough.

“Cas sandra Keller?” the Alpha King’s voice called out angrily, and when I turned

around, I saw him coming toward me swiftly. The cold light of the moon made his

gray eyes even more piercing, and his nostrils flared as he glared at me. “What

are you doing here?”

The moment he reached me, he lunged and gripped my arm. The sudden force

made me cry out. He was angrier than I'd seen him before and heat spread to my

cheeks as I fought back nervous tears.

“Y-Your M-majesty,” I stammered as I fought to find my words. “I'm s-sorry”

“What are you doing here?” he demanded again, his tone even more severe this

time. I was in deep trouble, that much was certain.

“I didn’t mean to sneak about and watch you, Your Majesty,” I insisted as I fought

back the lump in my throat. “I was... I was just taking a walk, but I got lost out on

the grounds. There's still so much of the palace I haven't seen and the roses.

were so beautiful...”

My lower lip trembled as the lies poured out of me, and my entire body shook

with nervousness. Asher’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, but he lessened his grip.

around my arm. He studied me for a while in silence, as if he were evaluating my

lies. My heart thrummed in my chest like a hummingbird’s wings, and as his lips

drew into an irritated line, I wondered what he was going to do to me.

“Do you know anything about Cora?” he asked finally, and it took all of my effort

to keep from gasping in surprise.

“No, Your Majesty,” I managed, and then I shook my head for good measure. “I

don't.”

“Hmm,” he remarked, and then his glare intensified. “I think you're lying Ca

ssandra.”

“No, Your Majesty-" I insisted, but Asher raised his hand to silence me.

“I saw your expression just now,” the Alpha King said sternly. “If you were simply

lost on the grounds, you wouldn't have made that face at the mention of Cora.

You must have known her or known about her. Unless you were stalking me-"

“I don’t know her, Your Majesty, and I wasn’t following you,” I pleaded with him.

His lips curled downward into a frown, and he sighed. His grip suddenly tightened

again and when he tugged, I accidentally bumped into his chest with a solid thud.

My heart raced even faster. I had no idea what was happening and what he was

about to do to me.

Suddenly, I heard a noise behind us. It was a strange rustling sound, and when

my eyes fell to the ground, I spotted an enormous viper heading toward us.

“Your Majesty!” I cried out as the beast hissed at us. Asher dropped my arm and

gasped.

The viper was enormous, bigger than any I'd seen before. Its large body was

studded with black and red scales, and even from here, I could see its pointed

fangs.

It slithered toward us with incredible speed, and before I could react, it lunged

right at me to attack.

There was no way to escape. I was trapped by the enormous snake. I closed my

eyes at the last second, ready to be attacked. And yet, as braced myself for

impact, it never came.

Moments later, a strange gurgling sound and a sudden thud.

My eyes flew open to a gruesome sight.

The black-scaled viper lay on the ground, its large body ripped open from its

mouth all the way to the bottom of its tail. Blood seeped onto the lawn and glinted

crimson in the moonlight. My jaw dropped as I took in the sight, and then they

raised to see Asher standing off to the side. His hand was raised in the air, blood

dripping from his claws.

My voice caught in my throat as I fought to find the right words to say. The Alpha

King had taken out that viper like it was nothing.

Suddenly, I spied a mark on Asher’s wrist. I took a step forward and horror

spread through me.

He'd been bitten.

“Your Majesty-" I started to say, but before I could finish my sentence, Asher

began to tremble. Perspiration broke out along his forehead and his entire body

shook. Then, he collapsed to his knees wordlessly, his head practically falling

from his neck as he slumped over.

“Asher!” I cried out, forgetting all formalities, and I dropped to the ground beside

him. I wiped the sweat from his brow and then grasped his arm. His wrist had

started to swell and his gray eyes were absent as they looked at a point beyond
ik

I tried to steady him, but he was much too big and heavy for me to hold up.

Seconds later, he collapsed on top of me and the two of us fell onto the wet

grass.

My efforts to push him off of me were useless.

“Stay with me!” I insisted.

Asher’s clammy cheek pressed against mine and the sound of his shallow breath

filled my ears. Suddenly, a whimper, followed by a single sentence.

“Cora,” he whispered. “I miss you so much, Cora.”