Chapter 27

Chapter 27 Alpha’s study

CA SSANDRA

Adalyn’s eyes lingered on me for a while, and for a moment, I felt like prey. The royal family all seemed to have that effect. They were the predators while the rest of us were just lucky to survive.

Asher’s wife was even more beautiful than I’d ‘remembered her to be. She was tall, with deeply tanned skin, straight dark brown hair that fell to her middle back, and an angular face with high cheekbones. Her amber eyes were framed by long, dark eyelashes, and her full l*ps were painted a dark red to match her dress.

Those cat-like eyes stared into mine and studied me carefully. She was smiling, but there was no kindness in her gaze. A shiver traveled down my spine. There was no way for Adalyn to know my true identity, and yet, I couldn’t help but fear her.

“Yes,” Asher spoke finally. “This is Ca ssandra Keller and her son, Finnick. She is a healer from the Wild Crawler Pack.”

“The Wild Crawler Pack,” Adalyn repeated back, and her tone dripped with disgust. She was still just as snobby as I remembered her being, and she wrinkled. her nose at the mention of my Pack. “Interesting. What is she doing here?”

“I’ll explain to you later,” Asher said absently, but that answer didn’t seem to satisfy her.

pout.

“Come and join me for lunch and you can tell me all about it,” she said with a

The Alpha King shook his head. “Go ahead with Marco. I have some business to attend to.”

Adalyn was clearly unhappy with his words, but her pout faded. She straightened her posture and then nodded obediently.

“I will wait for you in your room after lunch,” she said.

I was confused by her statement. His room? Did they not share a room like a husband and wife normally do?

However, Asher’s tone and expressions toward her weren’t exactly loving. They didn’t seem like a happily wedded pair. They didn’t even have the familiar air of close friends.

Strange emotions rose from my core, but I couldn’t place them. Was I curious? Or satisfied by this realization?

“Mommy, I want to go with Daddy,” Marco whined. For a moment, I thought she’d give in to his demands, but Adalyn instead glared at her son. Marco stopped whimpering immediately and gulped. That seemed to be the end of that.

Meanwhile, Asher said nothing. He eyed Bert, who immediately disappeared down the hall after giving the Alpha King a bow of respect.

floor.

Asher then turned to me and Finnick.

“Follow me,” he commanded, and then he continued up the stairs to the next

I followed after him without question, and as we walked away, I could feel Adalyn glaring at my back. But I ignored her completely. What else could do? She was the Alpha King’s wife, after all. I had to maintain my composure here.

We continued ascending until we reached the landing on the third floor. Finnick grasped my hand and squeezed. When I looked down, his face was in awe. I smiled down at him and then turned my attention back to what was in front of us.

Ashér led us down the hall. Once we reached the end, we stopped at a set of double doors. A pair of se rvants stood on either side and after they bowed at Asher, they opened the doors for us and allowed us inside.

To my utter surprise, we were in the Alpha King’s study. Even when I’d visited he Merliscire Paace with my father, I’d never set foot there. I was always relegated

to the first floor or led by the se rvants to play in the gardens. I’d always loved the gardens. They were full of beautiful flowers and interesting plants native to Wegalla. It was my favorite part of the palace.

But the study was something else entirely. It was a confidential, secretive place, somewhere only to be entered by the Alpha King and those he trusted.

In a million years, I’d never have guessed that Asher would bring me here.

Finnick and I stepped into the room, and when we did, my jaw dropped. It was a sp acious room, larger than the lobby of the Wild Crawler Pack House. The walls, were jet black, and the floors were a deep gray marble with silver flecks. A large blackwood desk was placed near the floor-to-ceiling window, which gave a view of the grounds outside the palace. To the left was a small library. The shelves reached so high they nearly touched the ceiling, and they were arranged in a half-circle.

On the right-hand side, a coffee table and a few leather couches were arranged like it was a meeting room. It reminded me of Alpha Gareth’s, only it was more

luxurious.

“This is huge,” Finnick gasped. I was a little surprised to hear him speak. He’d remained polite and silent nearly this entire time, just as I’d told him to. But now, he was too in awe to remain silent.

“Shh,” I said quietly, and then I glanced at Asher. Luckily, the Alpha King didn’t seem to hear Finnick’s declaration. He simply wandered over to his desk and began rooting through it. I led Finnick over to the shelves as we waited and then crouched down next to him.

“You have to stay quiet, Finnick,” I whispered. “The palace is a very big place. and the Alpha King is a very busy man. He is a figure we have to respect, okay? He has plenty of things to occupy him, so we can’t waste his time.”

Finnick nodded, and his expression grew serious.

understand,” he said very maturely, and then he nodded. “I’m sorry, Mommy.”

“Don’t be sorry,” I a*sured him. “I know you’re excited about all of this. Truth be

told, I’m excited too. But we have to remain respectful. We’re guests of the king and need to conduct ourselves politely.”

“Yes,” Finnick agreed, and then he nodded again.

“Thank you,” I said, and I k*ssed the top of his head. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Mommy,” Finnick replied, and after we briefly hugged, I rose to my feet. I’d half expected Asher to be glaring at us when I turned around, but to my surprise, the Alpha King was still searching through his desk.

Finnick and I waited patiently with our hands behind our backs. I wasn’t sure what Asher was searching for, but it seemed to be of the utmost importance if it was holding his attention for this long.

Finally, he seemed to find what he needed and retrieved a small stack of papers from a drawer. He carefully laid them out on his desk, scanned them with his serious. gray eyes, and then looked up at me. Wordlessly, he rose to his feet and then. walked over to the couches. He exhaled heavily, and then seat himself in the largest

one. He took a moment and then gestured at the sofa across from him.

“Take a seat,” he addressed me. “I have a few things I wish to discuss with you

before the Chief Healer arrives.”