Chapter 147

Chapter 147 She had made a promise

CAS SANDRA

As I waited in Asher’s study for him to return, I paced the room and pondered what Spi ke had said. The imposter’s words swirled around my mind like a storm, and I felt baffled by all of this.

If the two diseases or chronic poisons were in fact, different, then how had Asher been infected? How had the Alpha King contracted a disease that was so similar yet so different from the one I’d been treating in Wild Crawler?

Was he poisoned?

And if so, who could have done it?

Just a day ago, I thought we had finally found a small shred of hope in this nightmare of a situation. But if what Asher suffered from was different than the patients in Wild Cralwer, did that mean I couldn’t cure him even if Becky or Spi ke

found a cure?

couldn’t bear the thought of losing Asher, not now, not ever.

my heated cheeks, I

As tears began to well up and threatened to spill onto closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. I forced any and all thoughts to leave my mind as I centered myself, and soon, I was able to calm down.

Suddenly, just as I was about to open them, a warm hand covered my eyes.

“Guess who?” Asher’s voice playfully tickled my ears.

I tried to fight my smile, but it was impossible.

“Hmm…” I feigned ignorance. “I have no clue. Who is there?”

Asher chuckled. “You’ve never been a good liar.”

1/5

His arms wrapped around me and hugged me tightly from behind. This had always been his favorite playful gesture when we were young. But today, in the midst of all of these discoveries and realizations, I couldn’t help but feel a little sorrowful.

I forced myself to push through it and remain calm. I shoved my emotions to + side.

Asher released his hold around me.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he apologized as he walked over to his favorite leather sofa and took a seat. “Have you been here long?”

I shook my head. “Not too long. It’s okay.”

“Good,” he remarked, and then he patted the cu shion beside him. “Come sit

with me.”

I nodded and then happily joined him on the sofa. We sat there for a moment, so close that I could feel the warmth that radiated from his b*dy. At the very least, it was good that he wasn’t yet cold. Had he been freezing, I would have been much more worried. He seemed to be in good spirits despite the dark circles that underscored his beautiful gray eyes.

“I spoke with Spi ke today,” I decided to share.

“Oh?” he asked in surprise. “And how was that? Has he made any new

discoveries?”

“Sort of,” I admitted. “He… he noticed that the blood samples weren’t from the same person. He recognized that the blood was yours.”

The Alpha King was taken aback and his l*ps parted in surprise.

“Oh,” he said quietly.

“He also…” I trailed off, and I fought to gather myself. “He thinks that your illness is different from the one I was dealing with in Wild Crawler.”

2/5

Asher’s dark eyebrows shot up and his normally tanned face paled. As he

stared at me in shock, my heart beat rapidly in my chest and I felt as if I were going to cry again.

I hadn’t wanted to tell him. In a perfect world, I would have withheld this information until I knew what it meant for sure. I did this all the time with patients Sometimes, remaining quiet until all of the facts were in place was better. It kep patients from getting prematurely upset.

But Asher Collins wasn’t just another patient.

He was the love of my life, and he was

incredibly sick. Even if I wanted to lie to preserve his feelings, I couldn’t do it. He meant too much to me, and I’d spent too much time lying to him.

Just as I was about to speak, Asher reached over and gently ran his hands through my hair.

“I now understand why you didn’t seem too happy when I walked in,” he said softly as he stroked my hair.

I leaned into his touch and then forced myself to put on a cheerful facade.

“I made you a promise, Asher,” I a*sured him quietly. “I’m going to find a way to

cure you.”

Asher smiled back and nodded. “I know. I trust you, Cas sandra. More than anyone else.”

We sat there for a little bit, and once his hand dropped back down into his lap, I cleared my throat and oriented my b*dy toward him.

“Asher, when did you first notice the symptoms of the disease?” I wondered.

He considered the question for a moment.

“I can’t pinpoint the exact time,” he admitted. “But it started not long before my visit to Wild Crawler.”

3/5

“Had you taken anything suspicious during that period?” I inquired, but he

shook his head.

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” he said.

I nodded as his words sank in.

It would have been easier if he’d known, but there was nothing I could do about

that now.

We sat in silence for a little while and then I smiled at him.

“Would you like to visit Finnick today?” I shifted the subject.

Finnick had been feeling quite bored lately. Despite his dislike for Prince Marco, he missed the times when he wasn’t so alone. We were so overwhelmed at the clinic that Erika and Hannah had started helping with patient care, leaving Finnick with more free time on his own. Though he was an independent boy, he was still at child and yearned for some fun.

Asher nodded, and without hesitation, we got up from the couch and made our way to the clinic.

The walk was silent, but I could tell Asher was pleased.

Once we got there, I led Asher upstairs and down the hall until we reached

Finnick’s room.

I knocked on his door.

“Finnick,” I called out. “Finnick, I brought a guest to keep you company.”

The door opened at once, and Finnick’s eyes were wide with excitement as he greeted me, but when he spotted the Alpha King, his smile waned and he looked disappointed. Though he didn’t say anything, his expression conveyed his feelings.

“Hello, Your Majesty,” he greeted Asher politely. I shot the Alpha King an apologetic look, but he didn’t seem to mind.

4/5

We stepped into Finnick’s room and sat down with him on the soft rug in the. center of his room. We sat in silence for a moment until Asher reached behind him and grabbed the small backpack he’d grabbed before we left his study.

“I have something I wanted to show you,” Asher said, and he reached into the backpack and pulled out a box. He handed it to Finnick. “Do you know what this is?

Finnick carefully opened the box and then widened his gray eyes.

“It’s a chess set,” he noted in awe. “Dominic showed me a set in his brother’s room in Wild Crawler. He said it was a challenging game.”

“It is,” Asher said with a small nod, and then he smiled. “But I can teach you how. to play if you’re interested.”

Finnick’s expression brightened and he nodded.

“Yes, please!” he said. “I want to learn.”