Chapter 155

Chapter 155 Suspicion

ASHER

“Checkmate,” I announced with a small smirk, and when I looked at Finnick, I had to fight a laugh. The poor boy pouted as his big gray eyes stared down at the board and appeared disappointed.

“Shoot,” he muttered.

“Don’t be sad,” I chuckled, and I reached across the table and touched his arm gently. “You’re making excellent progress, Finnick. You’re learning chess in such a short amount of time. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before you will defeat

me.”

The young boy didn’t seem all that convinced and continued to study the board carefully without saying a word.

Meanwhile, I looked at Finnick and began to wonder whether I should let him win the next time we played. It was incredibly tempting, but I remembered Cas sandra’s advice that Finnick was a proud child who wouldn’t be happy if he found out I’d deliberately lost the game.

Just as I was about to say something to cheer Finnick up, Cas sandra finished her call and entered the room. Her emerald eyes were full of worry and her fair cheeks were even more pale than usual. She tugged at a strand of her long copper hair and then turned to Finnick.

“Honey, I need to speak with the Alpha King alone,” she requested politely.

Finnick nodded right away and rose to his feet. He was far more polite than most boys his age and I admired how easily he seemed to understand his mother’s needs.

Erika stepped in to play with the boy while Cas sandra gestured for me to follow her. I stood up and once we were in the hallway, I tried to read her expression.

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“What’s going on?” I asked.

Cas sandra remained silent but took my hand and led me to the meeting room. Once the door was closed behind us, she let out a small sigh.

“I just spoke with Becky on the phone,” she revealed. “It seems like the situation in Wild Crawler is far worse than we imagined.”

“What do you mean?” I said as my eyebrows came together in confusion. I was well aware that C a*s andra’s former Pack was in rough shape. I’d sent a group of royal healers to aid the singular clinic, but from the look on her face, it was clear that it hadn’t been enough.

Cas sandra carefully took a seat on the edge of one of the leather sofas and stared vacantly in the distance. Distress painted her features, and while I wanted to push to find out what had happened, I knew I needed to grant her some space to gather her thoughts.

We lingered in silence for a few minutes until she relinquished a sigh.

“Becky went to visit the mountain area in Wild Crawler,” she revealed finally. “She got Alpha Rayden’s permission to go investigate. She got a tip from one of the patients in the clinic who mentioned that the disease originated from there.”

My l*ps parted in surprise.

“The mountain area,” I repeated back.

Cas sandra nodded. “There’s a lake there that’s a prominent water source for the Pack. Becky thinks there’s a chance that the waters are infected. We aren’t sure how many people have drank from it, but it seems to be a high amount. As such, Becky took a sample of the waters. We want to test it and see if it holds any properties that could support her theory.”

“A tainted water supply,” I breathed, and as the word, sank in, I ran my hand through my hair.

This wasn’t good at all.

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I could see the worry in Cas sandra’s demeanor. She had a deep attachment to Wild Crawler after living there for five years. I could tell her heart was aching for her

people.

I reached out and gently squeezed her hand. When her beautiful eyes met my gaze, I pulled her closer and then into my arms. I rested my chin on her head and rubbed her back to soothe her.

“More healers and soldiers are ready to support Wild Crawler,” I a*sured her gently. “I promise, Cas sandra, we’ll get to the bottom of this and make sure that the people of the Pack are taken care of.”

She nodded quietly.

We remained locked in each other’s arms. I snuggled her close and buried my face in her sweet-smelling hair.

When Cas sandra spoke again, she said something that made me freeze in surprise.

“If the disease came from the water, someone must have poisoned it,” she whispered.

Though she didn’t name names in her declaration, I knew at once that we likely had the same suspect in mind.

Emmett Keller.

Cas sandra’s former husband.

I could feel her heart pounding in her chest and squeezed her tighter. I knew this was all almost too much to bear. She had been Emmett’s friend and mentee. It was probably hard to even consider him to be a villain.

“I’ll be by your side no matter what the truth is,” I a*sured her. “I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

“Thank you, Asher,” she replied, and when we pulled apart, she offered me a

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tiny smile and wiped her eyes. They were red and wet with tears. I hadn’t even realized she had been crying.

Just as I was about to say something more, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Cas sandra called out, and she quickly regained her composure.

The door opened to reveal Erika.

“Cas sandra, there’s a guard here who wants to report something to the Alpha King,” she said with an apologetic look.

Cas sandra nodded and then turned to me.

“Go ahead,” she urged me. “We can talk more later.”

I nodded and after Erika stepped back out into the hallway, I k*ssed Cas sandra on the forehead. After she smiled at me, I headed out of the meeting room.

A pair of guards stood waiting for me, and after they offered me bows respect, one of them spoke.

“Your Majesty, the Beta Silas wishes to see you,” he declared. “He has an urgent report.”

“Thank you,” I said, and without hesitation, I left the clinic and followed the guards back to the palace.

Once we reached my study, I was surprised to see Silas waiting outside of the doors. My brother-in-law’s face was deadly serious and his golden eyes appeared troubled.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” I said, and I held the door open for him. The Beta and I went inside, and once the door was closed, I released a short breath. I had no idea what this was about, but Silas wasn’t one to call an impromptu meeting.

Silas took a seat on the chair opposite my desk, and once I was seated, he cleared his throat.

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Your Majesty, I received a report from the border about Ector Felix’s illness,” he

revealed solemnly. “His condition is deteriorating and the healers at the border

couldn’t provide the necessary medical care. I worry that if there isn’t some kind intervention on Anemond’s royal healer’s behalf, he may not survive much longer.”

As his words crashed over me, I rubbed my temples. I would need to visit the border sooner than planned. I had intended to go after Kaleb returned to the North,

but now I had to expedite the trip.