Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 90 Alpha King’s weak spot

ASHER

Oliver had been trying to kill the man. Of that, I was certain.

I narrowed my eyes and studied my father-in-law, who was now checking on
Adalyn with his wife beside him. Linda was sobbing but gave Ca ssandra the
space to fully examine her daughter. Meanwhile, Oliver's normally stoic face was
even

more stern than usual.

Once I gave the order to bring her to the royal healers and Ca ssandra deemed
her ready to be moved, the guards swept Adalyn up off of the ground.”

I watched the Beta family follow the guards out of the corridor, and once they
were gone, I considered Oliver's actions.

The way the events had all unfolded was very suspicious, to say the least. Oliver
hadn't seemed even a little worried about Adalyn when he'd stepped forward to
attack the imposter, nor had he waited for my orders. If I hadn't interfered at the
last moment, the Beta would have killed the man and kept us from getting the
answers we so desperately needed.

Curious. It was all so curious.

I pondered it for a moment and then turned back to the imposter. I would deal
with Oliver's insolence later. For now, I needed to deal with this criminal.
Though he’d been shackled, Lancel maintained a strong grip around the
imposter. I stepped forward and finally got a good look at the man.

I'd expected someone like him to look more ragged and haggard, but much to my
surprise, he was immaculately groomed. His light brown eyes were clear and
laser-focused and his black hair had been brushed back away from his face. His
cheekbones were high, but not hollow, and there was no sign of stubble or dark
circles. In fact, he appeared to be quite well-rested. I supposed he could be

1/5

considered handsome, if it weren't for the cruel sneer on his otherwise nice-
looking

face.

Whoever he was, he was well taken care of.

The imposter gave me a look of amusement as I stood before him.

“I underestimated you,” he mused as his eyes trailed over me. “You're far more
capable and swift than I'd expected.”

“Is that supposed to flatter me?” I scoffed.

“Only if you want it to,” he retorted, and then he smiled. “I know at this point, I'm
little more than dead meat, but I have a proposal. Spare my life and I'll help you
out. What do you say?”

He stared at me in a calculated way, but I wasn’t having it. Instead, I turned to
Lancel.

cell.”

“Take this criminal down to the dungeon,” I ordered. “I'll question him from his
“Yes, Alpha,” Lancel replied loyally, and after he bowed his head, the guards
stepped in and carried the man away. I half-expected the imposter to put up a
fight, but he didn’t make any fuss. He was a strange one, that was certain, and I
was relieved when he was out of my sight.

The corridor grew louder as the guards vanished, and my head began to pound
from the commotion. I pinched the bridge of my nose and then took a deep
breath before making an announcement.

“Everyone return back to your chambers,” I ordered loudly. “Clear the corridors
and keep to yourselves while we sort through this business.”

I made sure my tone radiated with power to show emphasis, and much to my
relief, it worked wonders. The mass of people dissipated at once until it was only
Ca ssandra Keller and I left in the room.

The healer started to move but I reached out and gently grabbed her arm. She
stopped in place and looked up at me. Her already fair complexion was ghostly
white, and she looked exhausted.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

She nodded lightly.

We stared at each other for a moment until she finally spoke up.

“Can I go with you to the cell and listen to what you have to say to the man?” she
asked quietly..

As much as I wanted to bring her with me, it was too dangerous.

I couldn't risk her getting hurt.

“I think it would be best for you to go back to your chamber,” I advised gently.
“The imposter was pretty insistent about wanting to speak to me in private. I don't
know how much he’d reveal if you were around.”

“I understand,” she said, but she didn’t seem too thrilled by my explanation.
Again, she fell quiet, and a moment later, she gave me a polite smile. “Just be
safe, okay?”

I smiled back. “I will.”

Ca ssandra turned to leave, and just as she started walking, I called out to her.
“Cassandra?” I said. “Can I escort you back to your room?”

The healer shook her head. “I'll be okay, Your Majesty. I can handle myself just
fine. I don’t think the imposter has any accomplices here in the palace. Besides, I
think it would be best for you to deal with him right away, before he loses his
patience.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

She was right, of course, but I wished she would let me walk her back. I knew
she could take care of herself, but I wanted to be the one to protect her.

I'd been so scared when she'd bravely offered herself up to be held hostage. Ca
ssandra Keller was a brave woman, far braver than any of us. I'd been so
terrified of her getting hurt.

But now it was my turn to handle things.

I needed to deal with this criminal before anyone else could be hurt.

I walked straight to the dungeon, and when I got there, Lancel was posted up in
front of the cell. An involuntary shiver ran through me at the temperature drop.
The dungeon was a dark and cold place, and I'd been here only a handful of
times before.

I pulled myself together and approached my most trusted guard.

“You can go now, Lancel,” I said. “I'll take it from here.”

Lancel didn’t look too thrilled to comply. “Are you sure, Alpha?”

When I nodded, he offered me a small bow.

“Be safe,” he said, and then he headed toward the stairs. Once he was gone, the
imposter began to speak.

“An iron cage,” he remarked. “I don’t know what you expect me to say in these
conditions, Asher Collins.”

“I don't have time for this, I replied shortly, and I crossed my arms against my
chest. “So I'm going to suggest you get straight to the point. You wanted my
attention, here it is.”

The man laughed. “Oh, I think you'll want to hear every detail of what I have to
say.”

“You seem confident for someone behind bars,” I said.

“I know for certain you must be interested in my words,” the imposter said as he
leaned forward and wrapped his hands around the metal bars of his cell. “If you
weren't, you would have just let the Beta kill me.”

He laughed and then dropped his hands and began to pace.

“I must admit, I apparently chose the wrong hostage,” he mused. “I figured you
would have been more concerned for your wife’s safety, but it seems you were
more worried about the healer. I wonder what you would have done if she'd been
inmy

arms instead.”

“Enough,” I growled. “You're wasting my time with these theories of yours.”

“Is that so?” the imposter said through an irksome grin. “You seem to have a
weak spot again, Asher Collins. It's been five years. I figured you would have
grown past that by now.”