Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 74 Strange man

CA SSANDRA

My heart pounded in my chest as I stared at the bottle. My hands began to shake
so hard that for a moment, I nearly slipped and dropped the container on the
ground.

Were all of these bottles full of poison?

Did someone raise these vipers here?

Everything was so strange and confusing and my mind began to drown in the
possibilities.

Just as I started to steady myself, I heard something move behind me. I started
to turn around, but I was shoved forward before I could. A cry rose up from my
chest, and when I whipped around, a tall, dark figure stood behind me.

The light down here was too dim to make out his features, and even if I could, he
was moving far too quickly for me to recognize him.

The man lunged at me, and suddenly, my mask was knocked off and crashed to
the floor. As it broke into pieces, the smell of the basement hit me in full force. I
plugged my nostrils as I tried to put some distance between my assailant and
me, but it was too late. The scent of the anesthetics was too strong. My knees
began to wobble involuntarily and my head swam with dizziness.

I tried to run, but the man was too fast. He came up behind me and shoved a
cloth over my mouth. I tried to scream, but the sound was mu ffled. Another
pungent scent reached my nose before I could stop it. There was something on
the cloth, something toxic, and it was strong enough to finally send me to my
knees. I collapsed halfway and then moments later, I was completely on the
ground.

I wanted to scream and cry out for help, but I was frozen, paralyzed. A wounded
animal trapped on a cold dark floor.

This feeling was all too familiar. It was similar to how I'd felt just before the
inferno five years ago. My eyes were swollen and my legs were completely
numb.

Even though the effort was nearly impossible, I strained to keep my eyes open.
Beyond me, the man stood at the table with his back turned. When he shifted, I
could see him gathering up all of the books and bottles. He threw them into the
bag. he had draped on his shoulder, and once they were all collected, he turned
to look.

at me.

Fear ran through me.

Now that he'd collected what he wanted, what was he going to do to me?

He began to walk toward me and I wanted nothing more than to disappear. I'd
been through hell all those years ago, but every day I'd spent here in Anemond
had become nightmarish in of itself.

face.

I tried again to cry out, but the effort was of no use. I was trapped.

When the man reached me, he squatted down, and I finally got a look of his
Well, sort of.

His features were concealed under a grotesque mask that made my stomach
turn. Whoever he was, he was a villain for sure.

As I trembled, the man snorted, and without another moment's hesitation, he
scooped me up off of the cold basement ground.

I wanted to kick and scream as he gripped my paralyzed body tightly, but there
was no use.

Where was he going to take me?

I tried again to make a sound, but none would escape me. The anesthetics
thrown into the basement coupled with whatever chemical the man had put on
the cloth were far too much for me to overpower. I was completely at a loss here.
The man carried me over to the far right wall. As we moved through the
darkness, I tried to stay focused, but my vision was obstructed.

Once we were there, however, I could see a small button on the wall.

A button?

What was that doing here?

The man pressed it gently, and moments later, the wall before us began to rotate.
Dread rose within me as the rotating door revealed a hallway. The corridor was
dimly lit and appeared to be never-ending. I couldn't even see the end of it if I
tried.

Where did it lead? And how far was he going to take me?

The man let out a soft sigh and just as he was about to take a step forward, I
heard a voice far in the distance.

“Cassandra?”

I managed a gasp.

It was Asher.

“Cassandra?” the Alpha King called out again, his tone full of concern. “Ca
ssandra, where are you? Are you alright?”

I wanted to call out after him, but I couldn't. Everything was far too numb.
Footsteps rang out around us, and I heard Asher order his men to break through
the corridor. A few other voices, those of his guards, urged the king to reconsider.
One pointed out that there was a chance the wall could collapse.

“I don't care!” Asher practically bellowed. “Do it. Do what you have to do!”
Suddenly, a series of crashes and thuds rang out, and my assailant let out a
curse. The guards sounded like they were getting closer.

The man whipped around and practically threw me to the ground. As I landed

I with a heavy thud, the wind was practically knocked out of me. I struggled to
catch my breath, meanwhile, the man grasped the hidden door and ran through it
into the strange corridor. The door closed behind him, and as he got away, Asher
finally

reached me.

“Cassandra?” he cried out in alarm, and he got down on the ground. Even in the
darkness, I could see the worry that painted his features. “Ca ssandra, can you
move?”

I wanted to reply, but I couldn't.

Asher took me into his arms and lifted me up. He cradled me gently against his
chest and held me close.

“Ca ssandra, what happened?” he asked.

His eyes locked onto mine, and suddenly, I decided I needed to do anything I
could to say something back. I took a deep, steady breath, and tried to move my
hands. It took all of my effort, but I managed to raise one of my fingers high
enough to point at the wall the man had escaped through.

My lips trembled and I felt as if I were trying to speak underwater.

“H-h-he,” I forced out of my mouth co ar sely. “H-he... ran...”

Asher followed the direction of my finger. He seemed confused but nodded
anyway. The guards swarmed around us and the Alpha King gestured to the wall.
“Check over here,” he commanded. “There was someone down here and we
need to find them, quickly. Then I need a few of you to deal with the vipers. I'll get
her upstairs.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the guards replied obediently in unison, and they got to work
immediately.

A few of the guards headed toward the pit, and Asher tightened his hold around
me.

3

“Let's get you out of here,” he said to me quietly.

I managed the smallest of nods as relief began to swell within me. Asher was
here. I was safe.

My eyelids began to feel heavy as the Alpha King carried me through the
basement and toward the corridor. Just as we reached the stairs, my eyes closed
completely, and I was lost in oblivion.