Chapter 23

Chapter 23 Her sorrow

“You don’t understand!” Ca ssandra shouted, and then suddenly, she broke into a fit of heavy s obs. The healer’s knees buckled slightly as she cried, and her chest heaved as she fought to breathe. Her copper hair fell into her face and her cheeks flushed pink.

I stood there, completely stunned and unsure of what to do.

For the briefest of seconds, she reminded me of Cora.

Cora had once said the exact same phrase to me once many years ago when she thought I’d lost a pendant she once gave me.

It had been the first time I’d been allowed to join the Crescent Pack’s hunting group, and furthermore, the first time I’d been allowed to enter the hunting zone of the forest in Anemond. I’d admittedly been a little nervous, but Cora was absolutely terrified. She was always looking out for my well-being and cared so deeply for me

which meant the world.

I remembered putting on a brave face, but that wasn’t enough for Cora. So, one day, she came over to my house and presented me with a pendant. It was a gorgeous thing- white gold with a moonstone at its center, ringed by tiny, sparkling diamonds. The n*ecklace was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen.

“What is this?” I’d asked.

“It was my mother’s,” Cora explained, and her l*ps curled into a sad smile. She never spoke about her mother, but I knew the memory brought her pain.

“It’s lovely,” I said, and then my brow furrowed. “Why did you bring it?” “It’s for you to wear,” she said, and before I could protest, she leaned in close and wrapped the chain around my n*eck. I was still confused, but I let her do it anyway. When the clasp was fastened, the moonstone settled against my skin. It was cold,

but the sensation had been pleasant, comforting somehow.

“I don’t understand,” I said. “Why do you want me to wear your mother’s n*ecklace.”

“It’s a good luck charm,” Cora insisted, and this time, her smile was brilliant. “Wear it with you into the forest. My mother will protect you just as she did me.”

Her smile was so earnest that for a moment, the entire world faded away. Coral had that effect. She was so sweet and so kind that I could hardly grasp just how much she cared.

Not only that but there was a comfort in knowing that Cora’s mother could be watching me. My own mother died right after I was born. I hadn’t gotten a chance to know her, so something about the idea of having a maternal presence with me during my first hunting festival meant a lot.

Days later, it was time for the festival. I’d worn the n*ecklace under my shirt, and something about it helped my bravery. My nerves faded away almost instantly, despite the darkness of the forest, and when I howled along with the rest of the Crescent Pack, I swore I could feel someone watching over me.

When I returned from the festival, I decided to stop by Cora’s house. The entire time, I began to wonder if the n*ecklace had really helped or if it was just in my head. It didn’t matter, but for some reason, my brain couldn’t let go of the small sense of

doubt.

I was a very young man back then, and despite my upbringing, there was a little mischief in my mind. I couldn’t help but be co cky and a little tricksy. So, on the way there, I decided to play a joke on Cora.

“Asher!” she greeted me at the door when I arrived. “How was the festival?”

“It was fine,” I said, and then I pretended to be sad. “But something happened.”

Cora’s eyes widened. She brushed her blonde hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear, just as she always did when she was nervous.

“What happened?” she asked, and her eyebrows creased together in concern.

“Well… it’s about your mother’s n*ecklace,” I said, and Cora gasped.

“Where is it?” she demanded, and her eyes fell to my throat.

“I think I lost it in the forest,” I said, and immediately, Cora burst into tears. Her knees had buckled as her chest heaved with heavy s obs, and I regretted the joke immediately. I’d never seen her cry so hard, and I felt awful for playing tricks on her.

“Cora, wait,” I insisted, and I reached into my pocket and pulled out the n*ecklace. “I was just kidding, it’s right here!”

I held it out to her and expected her to stop crying, but she didn’t. She sn atched the n*ecklace from me and nearly fell to the ground as she sobbed.

“Oh, Cora,” I pleaded. “Please don’t cry. It was a stu pid joke. I’m so so sorry, please stop crying.”

Cora’s eyes suddenly stared deeply into mine, and she glared at me. “You don’t -understand, Asher! You don’t understand how important this is to me.”

As I stared at Cas sandra Keller, I was reminded of Cora’s pain, and the feeling. tugged at my heartstrings. There was a dryness in my throat, and a strange sadness that overcame me as I watched the healer finally fall to the ground. She covered her beautiful face with her hands and continued to cry.

I wanted to say something to soothe her, just as I’d done with Corá, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. She wasn’t Cora, she was just one of my subjects.

My Cora was gone.

But I had to help the healer anyway.

I turned to Lancel, who’d appeared just as Ca ssandra had started crying.

“Find the arsonist,” I demanded, and Lancel nodded immediately.

“Right away, Alpha,” he replied, and then he turned to his men. “Let’s go!”

The guards bowed at me in respect, and then the crowd of them disappeared from the garden. Once they were all gone, I tuned my attention back to Ca ssandra. Just beyond us, Gareth and Sofia stood in shock. They didn’t know how to react

either.

I let out a heavy sigh and then squatted down beside the healer. I reached out and touched her arm, and when that didn’t work, I gently pulled her hand from her face. Her large eyes were red from all of the tears.

“It’s going to be okay,” I a*sured her. “They’re going to figure this out. Now, can you tell me what was so important in that house?”

With every word, I’d calmed my voice, and even I was surprised at the gentleness. I wasn’t usually one to comfort.

Ca ssandra took a long, deep breath, and then shook her head. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and then shook her head again.

“There’s no need, Your Majesty,” she said quietly. “It’s not… important. It’s just… the house belonged to my late husband…”

Her voice trailed off, and there was a strange look in her eyes. I a*sumed she simply was mourning, but there was a part of me that felt like she was lying.

“This is just a huge shock, Your Majesty,” she continued, and as she rose to her feet, I knew she was lying.

She’d been so intent on returning to the house to retrieve something, and now it was just unimportant. Why? What was she holding back?

Ca ssandra bowed to me respectfully. “Please excuse me, Your Majesty.”

Before I could say another word, she nodded at Gareth, Sofia, and Prince Rayden, and then fled from the garden. Perhaps she really was in shock at the idea of her house burning, but I had the sense that there was more.

Cora had been so inconsolable back then and wasn’t keen to get out of her sorrow so easily. As I watched Ca ssandra leave, I was reminded of all of the hours I’d spent soothing her.

But Ca ssandra wasn’t Cora.

Frustration bloomed within me.

Enough thinking about the past. Tomorrow, I would return to Anemond and put all of these delusions behind me.

I rose to my feet, brushed off my hands, and turned to Gareth.

“Please have the car ready for me, Alpha Gareth,” I instructed. “I hope to leave tomorrow morning.”