Chapter 162

Chapter 162 The way to truth

CAS SANDRA

On the morning of Becky’s return to Anemond, Asher arrived at the clinic to pay me a visit. I was surprised when the Alpha King greeted me at the door because just the day before, he’d mentioned that he was leaving Anemond on business for a couple of days.

While I’d wanted to know what he was up to, I knew better than to ask. As the leader of Wegalla, there was likely something to handle with the military, especially with Silas’ recent return to the Pack. The Beta had been away to observe the troops on the border and make sure they were up to the Alpha King’s standards, so I was sure it had to do with that.

Despite his a*surance and calm demeanor when he’d told me the news, that morning when he stepped into the clinic, his expression was strange.

“Good morning,” he greeted me quietly, so as to not wake Finnick, who was still

fast asleep.

“Good morning to you as well,” I replied, and then I offered him a small smile of surprise. “What are you doing here, Asher?”

“I wanted to check in before I left,” he explained softly, and then he reached out to touch my cheek. “I know we said goodbye already, but I wanted to make sure that you were going to be alright while I was gone.”

I nodded thoughtfully. “I appreciate that very much, but I’ll be okay. Becky is set to return today and we’re going to be hard at work on the water sample and such. I’ll be so busy that I’ll hardly have time to get myself into any trouble.”

Asher smirked. “Good. The last thing I need is for you to get into something while I’m away.”

“I’m a tough girl,” I a*sured him playfully. “I’ll be able to handle myself.”

1/4

“Still,” he remarked. He then drew me closer to him and once I wrapped my

arms around his n*eck, he wrapped his around my waist and pressed his l*ps against mine. His k*ss was warm and inviting, and since there was no one around who could possibly see us, it was more drawn out than usual.

Once it ended, the

Inba King’s gray vect

“I might have a big surprise for you when I return,” he mentioned off-handedly.

My eyebrow shot up. “Oh? What do you mean by ‘might’?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” he teased, and then he leaned in and k*ssec my temple. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

We shared one more embrace and then Asher left. As I watched him through the window as he walked down the drive, I frowned slightly. There was something strange in his behavior that made me feel a little uneasy, but I dismissed those feelings before they could fester. It was early and I might have just been overly sensitive.

Things were getting better between us, even taking Adalyn and Marco into consideration. Even though Adalyn had witnessed our k*ss that night outside of the clinic, she hadn’t done anything about it. While that fact was a little worrying, I wondered if she’d decided it wasn’t worth the trouble and let it go.

Either way, I wasn’t going to question it too much. I had too many other things occupying my mind. I needed to stay sharp so I could focus on Becky’s return and what this new piece of evidence could mean for our research.

As I waited for the car to arrive, I brewed some morning tea and when Finnick awoke, I spent some time with him. Erika mentioned that they would be coloring today, which was one of his favorite activities, so my son’s demeanor was happier than usual.

Marley awoke a little later and sat with me in the waiting room of the clinic. We sipped at our tea and nibbled on some pastries that Hannah had made. We made some small talk but avoided the impending subject of Marley leaving. Becky’s arrival meant my friend would be going back to Wild Crawler, and I was sad, to say the

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least.

Finally, after a few hours, Becky arrived, and after we gave her a warm welcome, we helped her carry her things inside.

Once she was settled in, we had lunch together, and then Becky went to focus on the water sample. To my surprise, my a*sistant didn’t seem all that excited about her findings. I could tell from the weary look in her russet eyes that something had happened in Wild Crawler- not something big, but something that was clearly weighing on her mind.

I decided not to ask, even though I wanted to. If she wanted to talk about it, would wait for her to bring it up.

Before she went straight to the lab, she gave Marley a tight hug and wished her a nice journey.

As my friends said goodbye to one another, my heart began to ache. I would do anything to keep Marley with me. With her, Erika, and Becky in the clinic, Anemond was finally beginning to feel like home. But Marley had children to worry about. She had done me a huge favor by staying here in Becky’s stead, and now that my a*sistant was back, Marley had to go figure out the details of her own life, including her divorce.

Marley collected her bags, and I helped her carry them to the car. The driver loaded them up and Marley and I stepped away to say our goodbyes.

“My kids are going to be thrilled to see the toys I got them here,” Marley remarked. “I can’t wait to give them to them.”

But as soon as the words left her l*ps, her light green eyes started to well up

with tears.

“Oh, Cas sy,” she managed to say. “I know it’s not like we’re never going to see each other again, but leaving you is… it’s so hard. I miss you so much.”

“Trust me, I miss you too,” I agreed, and I reached out and touched her arm. “Maybe next time, you can bring your family.”

JA

“That would be great,” Marley said through her sniffles.

“Maybe you could even bring Jasper-” I teased, and before I could finish my sentence, Marley punched my arm and then began to laugh.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she chuckled, and then she pulled me into her arms. We hugged each other tightly and remained there for a minute or two until finally, she pulled away. “I love you, Cas sandra.”

“I love you too

Marley,” I replied, and finally, I began to tear up as well.

She climbed into the car and I watched it leave until it disappeared at the end of the street. I took a moment to collect myself and then I walked back into the

clinic.

but I decided to be productive instead. Becky had left part of the water sample with me, and an idea crossed my mind.

Part of me wanted to go back to my room and cry a little more

Becky had mentioned the idea of the water source in the mountain area being poisoned.

Who better to look at the water sample than Spi ke, our resident poison expert?

I picked the second tube from the lab, tucked it into my medical kit, and once it was secure, I headed out of the clinic and toward the palace dungeon.