Chapter 15

Chapter 15 Don’t get caught again

CA SSANDRA

I gulped back the lump in my throat as I stared at the black mark on Asher’s skin. Of anyone, I never would have expected the Alpha King to become infected with the mysterious disease. Especially since he’d just arrived here from Anemond.

Was the disease running rampant in the capital just as it did here?

We hadn’t heard anything about it here, and besides, if it was so prevalent, there would have been no reason for Asher to keep his condition so private and concealed. So, how did he get infected in the first place?

From the research I’d conducted with my patients, I’d come to the conclusion that the disease didn’t transfer very easily, which was especially lucky for us. Otherwise, we’d all have been infected by now, especially me. I worked around the infected so often that it was a miracle that Marley and I hadn’t become infected

yet.

Though the illness was peculiar and mysterious, there was one thing I did know- the disease weakened werewolves’ power. Once present in the system, the disease latched onto the blood and caused the victim’s bodies to deteriorate from the inside out. It was incredibly deadly and fast-acting, so it was only a matter of time before the patient died from the illness.

No matter how much I didn’t want to admit the feelings for Asher Collins that lingered in my heart, I still cared and worried for him. I didn’t wish this disease on

anyone, not even him.

“Your Majesty, I can treat you here,” I proposed in a last-ditch effort to avoid. -Anemond. “We have more samples here and it’ll be better for me to continue my

research where I have all of my prior records, devices, and books. I work better in a

familiar environment-”

“Well, in that case, I can move everything you need from here to Anemond,”

Asher countered. “Even your little house. We can completely rebuild and replicate it in the capital with little difficulty.”

Part of me wanted to ask why he was so insistent on me returning with him to Anemond, but the other part knew I couldn’t ask a question like that. The conversation wouldn’t work well in my favor, and besides, Asher Collins probably just wanted everything under his absolute control, just like any king would

I exhaled quietly. There was nothing I could do to argue my case anymore. I had to go against my own desires and accept my fate.

I was going to Anemond whether I liked it or not.

“There’s no need to bring everything,” I replied. “Just my books, devices, and

records would suffice.”

“Good,” Asher replied, and as he readjusted his shirt and buttoned the buttons back to the top, his mood seemed to brighten. I hated that he seemed so thrilled to have gotten his way, but there was nothing I could do about it. For now, I needed to

focus on what I could control.

“Your Majesty, may I be excused?” I asked as I straightened up in my seat. “I’d like to return home before it gets too late.”

“Go home?” the Alpha King replied back in surprise, and then he shook his head. “I’m afraid you won’t be returning home, Ca ssandra. I’ve asked Alpha Gareth to prepare a room for you and your son. The belongings you left in the forest are in your room already, and a few guards have been sent to pick up the rest of your things. You won’t need to return home for them.”

all?

My eyes widened and my heart dropped at his statement;

What was actually happening?

Was I a prisoner here now? Was I actually being punished for my actions after

“But Marley is waiting for me-” I blurted out before I could stop.

“Your a*sistant?” Asher replied, and then he smirked and leaned forward to grab the cup of coffee that sat in front of him on the coffee table. He took his sweet time blowing on the steaming cup and then took a long, measured sip. Once he was done, he set the cup back down and looked back at me. “Don’t worry, she’s already gone.”

“She is?” I asked, and the Alpha King nodded.

“I heard them out in the hall,” he revealed. “Alpha Gareth had her escorted out when he and his Luna left with their son. She’s returned home.”

“Oh,” I remarked, and for a moment, I had to fight back my disappointment. wanted to share all of the details of my encounter here with my friend and find comfort in her arms and words.

“You can say goodbye to her on the day of your departure,” Asher said absently and I froze in place.

The day of my departure? I wouldn’t be allowed to see my best friend until then?

My chest heaved as I fought to keep myself calm. This was unfair on so many levels, and I could hardly contain my anger.

If I was the girl I’d been so many years ago, I’d have leapt to my feet and demanded he let me leave. I would have put up a strong fight and insisted he let me stay here in the Wild Crawler Pack.

But I wasn’t that girl anymore. She’d died in the inferno, and besides, Asher Collins wasn’t the same boy he’d been back then. He was the Alpha King of Wegalla now, and I had no choice but to obey his demands.

So, I took a deep breath, collected myself, and raised my chin slightly.

“May I go to my room and see my son, Your Majesty?” I requested formally. If he was going to hold me hostage, the least I could do was make sure my dear Finnick was okay. The poor kid was likely traumatized from our ordeal with the bear, and it was my duty to comfort him in these times of crisis.

I expected Asher to put up more of a fight, but he nodded his head.

“Of course,” he said, and then he gestured to the door.

I’d expected him to keep me hostage in this chamber, but his expression had softened significantly. Despite his harshness, he seemed to have a soft spot for children, which I needed to use to my advantage as much as possible.

Despite the pain that radiated through my shoulder, I rose from my seat and started to make my way across the chamber to the door. Every step was agony without an a*sistant to help me, but I managed to make it happen without tearing up. I couldn’t let the Alpha King see me cry, not after everything I’d been through.

I nearly made it to the door when Asher’s voice spoke up from behind me.

“Ca ssandra,” he said, and when I turned around his eyes had grown cold again. “The next time you want to run, run wisely. Don’t allow yourself to get caught.”

My heart sank down in my chest. For the briefest of moments, it felt like he was looking straight past my changed face and voice and was speaking to not Ca ssandra, but Cora Felix, the girl I’d been five years ago.