Chapter 107

Chapter 107 Call Marley

CAS SANDRA

“Name it, Cas sandra, and it’s yours.”

My new name from his l*ps sounded just as sweet as ever, and a chill ran through me. No matter how many days went by, I remained so enamored with Asher Collins. For a moment, I was surprised by his generosity, but then I realized I was just getting a glimpse at the old Asher. He’d always been so dedicated and caring. There was no reason for me to be shocked that he still was.

As his gorgeous gray eyes stared into mine intensely, I thought of what Erika had said. I wanted to ask him about Adalyn and the circumstances that led to their marriage. I wanted to know if she’d trapped him or if there was some unknown reasoning that I wasn’t aware of. If I could get answers, maybe I could settle the storm of my thoughts and figure out how we could move forward.

Everything was such an intricate puzzle and all I wanted were answers.

Before I could gather the courage, Asher spoke again.

“Think about it,” he advised. “In the meantime, I wanted to tell you that I spoke with the imposter. He told me that he wasn’t the masked man in the basement, but he believes that man is the one who’s the mastermind behind all of this.””

As he explained what the imposter had told him, my stomach twisted into knots and a chill ran through me.

“The masked man was also the one behind the inferno,” he revealed quietly.

Another shiver travelled down my spine and for a moment, I swore I was about lose my balance and sink to my knees. I knew it. I knew they were all involved in that awful fire. Images of the flames danced in my mind, along with the voices that mocked and sneered at me as the poison was shoved down my throat. My hand rose up to my n*eck instinctually.

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“I can stop if this is too hard to hear,” Asher whispered. His words brought me back to reality, and I managed to shove down the terrible thoughts.

“It’s okay,” I insisted after I gathered myself. “Please, keep going. What else did you find out?”

“The imposter didn’t know the identity of the masked man,” Asher said, and he let out a sigh. “But from the sounds of it, he’s a powerful man in Anemond.”

So, it likely wasn’t Oliver Moses after all. The imposter would have known it was him by the sound of his voice that day in the corridor.

Still, I wasn’t going to relax. The Beta couldn’t be trusted and I couldn’t cast aside my doubts about him, no matter what was presented.

“Do you remember anything about the masked man from your encounter in the basement?” Asher asked.

I shook my head. “Not really. He attacked me from behind and placed a cloth over my nose. The chemicals on the rag paralyzed me and made me too dizzy to keep anything straight. I was too weak to recall any specific details.

Asher nodded. “I figured as much. That’s alright. Well, if anything comes to mind, please let me know. On another note, I think the imposter might at least be able to help us figure out the poisons in the venoms.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Becky and I have also made progress on that front. I think we’re getting closer to an answer.”

“Good,” Asher remarked, and then his expression grew even more serious. “I h o re we can find the truth behind everything soon.”

“Me too,” I agreed. “Me too.”

***

The next day, Asher made good on his word, and Finnick and I were escorted from our room by a pair of ser vants. They led us down the bustling hallway until wa

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reached a door I’d never noticed before.

One of the ser vants held it open for us, and once we stepped inside, I was surprised to see we had been brought to what looked like a personal office. Much like Asher’s study, the room had tall windows, bookcases, and a large, dark wood desk in the center of the room. A pair of leather chairs flanked the desk on either side, and in the center of the table, was a telephone.

Finnick’s gray eyes widened and he perked up immediately. His grip on my hand tightened and he bounced in place. He knew exactly why we were here.

“Mommy, can I talk to Dominic first?” he requested politely once the se rvants. left the room.

I smiled and nodded. “Yes, baby.”

We pulled one of the chairs to the other side of the desk so we could sit beside one another. Once we were situated, I dialed the number of the Pack House of Wild Crawler. I waited patiently, and once someone picked up, I requested to speak to Luna Sofia.

The line went quiet for a moment, and then Sofia’s voice came through.

“Cas sy?” she asked in surprise. “Cas sy, is that really you?”

“Hi, Sofia,” I greeted her warmly. “Yes, it’s me. How are you?”

“I’m… I’m good,” she remarked. “I’m surprised to hear from you. It’s been a month since you left us, but it feels like so much longer. We miss you very much.”

“Trust me, the feeling is mutual,” I a*sured her. “We miss you too. It’s definitely en… eventful around here. I feel like we’ve been here in Anemond for so long.”

As we chatted, Finnick began to bounce in his chair. He stared at the phone with longing, and I knew it was time to hand it over to him.

“Sofia, I have Finnick beside me,” I explained to her. “He was wondering if he could speak with Dominic.”

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“Of course he can,” Sofia replied warmly. “Just give me one minute while I go and grab him.”

“Sounds good,” I said. As I waited for her to return, I explained the situation to Finnick and pa*sed him the phone. He accepted it carefully, and once another voice came through the line, his expression lit up.

As he spoke with his friend, he looked happier than he’d been since we’d arrived in Anemond. My heart swelled with joy at the sight of it. He’d been through so much recently, he deserved some happiness.

He told Dominic all about what he’d seen in the capital, the bustling market, and the “adventure” he’d experienced. He spoke of a pair of “villains” who I knew at once were Adalyn and Margaret.

All of it was a little amusing to hear in his childish voice, but his next declaration. tugged at my heartstrings.

“I don’t like Anemond, Dominic,” he said quietly. “I think Wild Crawler is much better. And besides, you aren’t here.”

I felt terrible for Finnick. This move had been so hard on him. I completely understood where he was coming from.

Luckily, it seemed like Dominic had something kind and uplifting to say, as Finnick’s smile returned moments later.

“You’re right,” Finnick agreed. “Besides, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m al man now and I’m prepared for challenges like the ones we read about in our favorite

books.”

I couldn’t help but smile.

When Finnick said goodbye and handed the phone back to me, I heard Sofia’s voice again. We made a little more small talk, and then I shifted the subject.

“How is Marley?” I asked. “And the clinic?”

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“Marley is somewhere around here,” Sofia replied. “Why don’t you ask her for yourself?”

“That would be wonderful,” I said. “Thank you!

“It’s no trouble at all, Cas sy.”

Moments later, Sofia called Marley’s name, and I heard my a*sistant ask who it was. Sofia said “You can come see for yourself!”, and seconds later, Marley’s voice came through.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Marley,” I said softly.

Marley gasped and then let out a squeal. “Oh, Cas sy! It’s you! I thought your forgot about me already!”

“I could never forget you,” I a*sured her.

She then

“It’s been a month, but it feels like an eternity,” my friend sighed. began to ramble as she always did. It was so nice to hear her voice again.

“How have you been, Cas s?” she asked me.

“I’m okay,” I said simply. I didn’t want to complain about my experience in Anemond. The last thing I needed was to worry Marley.

But my friend seemed to pick up on my distress anyway.

“I know Anemond isn’t the best place to be,” she said gently. “Especially with at ba stard of an Alpha King around. I’m sure he isn’t making things easily. He was so awful when he was here in Wild Crawler. I can only imagine how much more arogant he is in his own domain.”

Heat spread to my cheeks and I quickly changed the subject.

“It’s okay,” I said. “Don’t worry about me. How are you doing?”

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