Chapter 14

Chapter 14 Alpha’s mark

CA SSANDRA

I felt like a rabbit cornered by a fearsome predatory. My entire b*dy broke into goosebumps, and as I stared back at the Alpha King, I couldn’t believe what was happening. Was this truly the Asher Collins I’d known since childhood?

I’d always known the Alpha King was ruthless. I’d heard countless tales from others in the Wild Crawler Pack about his heartlessness and his cruelty. It’d been said on many occasions that he was much like his father, the old Alpha King, a man who’d centralized his power and oppressed the members of his own empire.

At the time, I hadn’t believed the stories. I’d thought there had to be some sort of disconnect, a misunderstanding of some sort that kept people from seeing the real Asher. He might not have been a loyal mate, but I’d always trusted that he would be a great Alpha.

Past memories flooded through my mind.

Asher had never been a cold and dominant man all those years ago. We’d grown up together and spent most of our childhoods with one another. Even as a young boy, he’d been loving, caring and compa*sionate, and that’d only continued into his teenage years.

I remembered all of the times we’d sat together, discussing the future. He always told me that he wanted to be a kind Alpha. He wanted to be nothing like his cruel father who’d never shown him an ounce of affection.

Asher had sworn he wanted to release this corrupted empire from its old ways and usher in a time of peace and kindness. He valued all lives, poor and rich, and wanted to make sure the people of the empire knew that their well-being mattered

to him.

His father used to scold him for being a coward, but Asher had never wavered from his beliefs.

And yet, as he stared at me now, he looked just as cold as his father, the former

King.

As much as my heart pleaded and hoped that Asher still had good in him, I knew I needed to accept that what others had said about his cruelty was true. The idea brought me a deep-rooted sadness, but I had to release those feelings if I was going to survive this ordeal.

What could I do? Rayden, for whatever reason, had pleaded his case, but it had made no difference other than embarra*sing the young prince in front of the Alpha King of Wegalla.

From Luna Sofia’s saddened expression, I could tell she didn’t want me to go either, and though Alpha Gareth’s gaze was somewhere else, I knew deep down that he surely felt the same. I was valued in this Pack, but their words and pleading

didn’t matter.

I was a

to Anemond.

I couldn’t risk harm coming to the Wild Crawler Pack. They had been too good to me to risk any lives.

Asher finally turned away from me and fixed his gaze on Gareth.

“Will you, your wife, and the young prince please excuse us?” he requested in a regal tone, and he lifted his chin. “Ca ssandra and I need to have a private talk.”

“Yes, of course, Your Majesty,” Gareth said, and he nodded generously. He rose to his feet, and Sofia followed suit. She reached out and took Rayden’s hand. Her son didn’t seem like he wanted to leave the chamber, but soon, his face softened and he gave his mother a small nod. The Alpha King’s orders couldn’t be ignored, not when the lives of their Pack mates were in danger.

“Your Majesty, will you please escort Ca ssandra to the door once she is finished?” Sofia requested in a soft voice. “Her a*sistant remains outside and will help her the rest of the way home, but-”

“Yes,” Asher replied coldly, but he offered the Luna a nod. “I will see to it that

your healer is a*sisted. Now please, leave us to speak alone.”

Sofia nodded again, and without another word, the Wild Crawler’s royal family left the chamber. Once the door had closed behind them, my heart rate

skyrocketed.

What did he want to talk to me about? And why was it necessary to conduct the conversation in private? Was I in trouble?

Asher Collins stared at me for a moment and then spoke.

“Alpha Gareth has informed me about the illness prevailing in your Pack, Cas sandra,” he began in an even tone. “One of the symptoms is black marks on the b*dy, is that correct?”

I was taken aback by the question. I hadn’t expected him to ask about the sickness, especially at a time like this, when my loyalty to the empire was being questioned.

But I nodded anyway.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” I said.

Asher nodded back slowly. “What do you think it is?”

“The marks?” I asked, and after a brief pause, I continued. “It’s a strange symptom I’m not certain of. But lately I’ve been wondering if it’s some kind of poison.”

“A poison?” Asher repeated back in surprise.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” I replied, and I leaned in closer, ignoring the pain in my shoulder. “There’s a book my husband left me, all about the poisons he’s dealt with -in the past decade. I’ve combed through the book like mad, and each time, have.

noted a section that talks about something similar to this.”

“Interesting,” the Alpha King remarked. “Please continue on, Ca ssandra..”

I nodded. “Well, it says when werewolves were exposed to certain poisons, their blood would darken and continue to do so day by day. Blood marks would appear throughout their bodies. But that isn’t the same as the disease that now prevails.”

“Really?” he replied, and somehow, he looked disappointed by this. “How so?”

“This one is more peculiar,” I said. “Similar marks are there in my patients, but they don’t grow like the ones written about in the book, They don’t resemble the shape of veins. In fact… they’re more like tattoos. It’s bizarre, Your Majesty. I’ve never seen anything like this illness.”

When I finished explaining, Asher fell silent and sat back in his seat. I could see him considering something, and after a minute or two, he leaned back forward and began to unbutton his white shirt from his collar.

Heat spread through my b*dy. What was happening?

My entire face felt as if it were burning, and my hands shook at my sides.

When he got three buttons down, he pulled the collar from his n*eck and exposed the skin beneath. My heart dropped.

A large black mark spread from the area below his collarbone and appeared to

continue downward.

Shock set in and my jaw dropped.

“Yes, you’re guessing correctly,” he said plainly. “It seems I have caught the very same disease that plagues your Pack.”

My throat tightened as dread set in. This was unbelievable.

“My trusted healer in Anemond couldn’t figure out the source of my affliction,” the Alpha King revealed. “He did all that he could, and yet he couldn’t come even close to an answer. So, healer, I will need you to come with me to Anemond so you can find out the reason. Do you understand?”