Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 4 He said stay

CA SSANDRA

The next few hours passed by laboriously. As we waited for the guards to return
with some sort of news about the viper, Marley and I did all we could to keep the
boy comfortable. We took his temperature, monitored his heart rate, and
continued to apply cold compresses to keep his fever from rising any higher.
Meanwhile, it took all of my concentration to remain perfectly focused on the boy.
My mind was trying to wander to different places, and Asher Cellins wasn't
helping. The Alpha King remained close to us as we attended to his son, and it
was unclear if he was monitoring our treatment or just studying me.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up as chills continuously ran
down my spine. I wasn't the kind of woman who got nervous easily, but the Alpha
King’s very presence set every inch of my body on edge.

Of all of the people to be here, he was the last one I'd ever have expected, and
my emotions were running wild. I wasn’t sure whether to cry or be relieved to see
him after so long. All I knew was that this was unbelievably complicated.

After long, a pair of guards returned. They'd finally tracked down the viper.
Luckily, it was one that I'd seen in a medical book. I relayed all of the information
I knew to Marley and Asher, and the pair of them seemed relieved to know there
was

a potential cure.

The Alpha King had assigned guards to accompany Marley back to the clinic to
procure the herbs needed to heal the boy. My assistant seemed nervous to be
surrounded by such heavily-weaponed men, but she accepted the help.

Haff an hour later, she returned with the herbs, and we got to work. We prepared
a salve to apply directly to the wound, and then used others to brew a tea that
would treat the boy internally. The prince was weak, but we managed to help him
get enough of the tea into his system to treat him properly.

Hours passed by, and by dusk, the boy finally became stable. After much fitful
moaning and crying, he'd finally fallen into a quiet sleep. The blueness of his lips
had disappeared, and color had returned to his cheeks. Beneath the salve, the
swollenness of the bite had eased.

Once he was sustained, I sent Marley back home. She put up a bit of a fight and
insisted on staying with me, but I pushed back and told her she needed to go
back. to her boys.

“They're going to be excited to show you what they hunted in the forest,” I'd
reminded her. “They need you more than I do right now.”

After a little more convincing, Marley agreed to go, and once she packed up and
left the Pack House, I'd turned to the rest of the people standing around in the
chamber and asked for some time alone with my patient. The guards seemed
hesitant to leave me alone with the prince, but the Alpha King heeded my request
and ordered the others to do the same. They filtered out of the chamber, and
once they were gone, I released a sigh.

As much as the quiet was nice, asking everyone to leave us was more of an
excuse than anything. My patient was stable, but I needed time to think and
process the emotions that swirled around in my mind like a storm.

I hadn't been prepared to see Asher again, and I was surprised to see just how
much he’d changed over the years. He was the Alpha King now, and as such, he
was the ruthless leader of the Wegalla Empire. In the past, he'd seemed hesitant
to take on the position, but it seemed like he’d embraced his destiny.

Not only that, but he had a son.

1 glanced over at the boy. Was he also the son of Adalyn Moses?

A pang of sadness struck me. He had to be. Asher had abandoned me all those
years ago and left me to suffer for the sake of marrying Adalyn. It would make
sense that he'd have a son with her.

I

My chest suddenly felt tight, and for a moment, I thought I was about to cry, but I
forced those feelings down. Asher Collins was the Alpha King now. What he

did was none of my business anymore, and I couldn't let him affect me like this.
Besides, I had Finnick and my career here in the Wild Crawler Pack, not to
mention my dear friend Marley and her family. I was loved and respected here,
and that's all I needed.

I looked back at the prince. He reminded me a little of Finnick, though they didn’t
look alike. The prince had a sweet round face and soft curly hair, just like his
mother, Adalyn. She'd been the most beautiful she-wolf in the Crescent Pack, so
it was unsurprising her son took after her.

My Finnick had a more serious appearance, much like his father. He was cute,
but there was something mature and intelligent in his eyes.

Suddenly, a soft whimper interrupted my thoughts, and when I looked over, I
watched the prince roll on his side. His sheets were thoroughly soaked from
perspiration, and his forehead appeared damp as well.

“Oh, sweetheart,” I murmured, and I hopped to my feet. The poor child was at
risk of catching a cold.

I rushed over to the door, and peeked my head out. A pair of guards stood at
attention, and they stared at me with expressions of concern.

“I need a se rvant,” I said. “The prince needs a fresh set of blankets.”

The guards nodded, and one of them disappeared down the hall. I stepped back
into the chamber, and a few minutes later, the doors flew open to reveal a pair of
se rvants with piles of fresh linens. But they weren't alone. Asher Collins walked
int with them, and his gray eyes flashed with concern.

“How is he?” he demanded as he rushed over, but when he caught sight of his
son, his expression softened.

“Better,” I answered gently. “I just thought he would be more comfortable with
fresh sheets.”

“Oh,” Asher said simply, and he nodded. It was clear that he was a caring father,
and it was strange to seem him in this light.

I stepped aside as the se rvants changed the prince’s sheets, and as Asher
spoke quietly to his son, I felt a lump form once again in my throat. My stomach
turned and for a moment, I thought I was going to throw up. Tears welled in my
eyes, and I dug my nails into my palms.

This was too hard.

Once the ser vants were done, they left the chamber, and I wanted to follow. So, I
turned to Asher.

“Your son just needs rest,” I managed to say. “He's recovering quite well, so I
think I should take my leave.”

Before he could say another word, I turned on my heels and headed toward the
doors. I'd nearly made it there when Asher’s voice rang through the chamber.
“Stay,” he demanded.

I froze for a moment, and then took a step forward. Then he spoke again, his
voice hardened and deadly serious.

“I said stay.