Chapter 270

Chapter 270

CASSANDRA

Confusion flooded my mind and my l*ps parted as I stared at Asher. I felt lost, and I kept waiting for the Alpha King to say something more for clarification, but instead, he simply

stared at me.

For a moment, he reminded me of Finnick. The two looked so much alike and this expression was no exception. Sometimes, Finnick would stare at me in the same way if I forgot something I had promised like he was a puppy who had been wronged by his owner. It was a vulnerable look I’d never expected to see on an adult man’s face, and the mere sight of it made my heart hurt.

“What do you mean?” I asked him directly after another moment of silence.

Asher’s dark eyebrows creased together and then he let out a soft sigh.

“I heard that you are about to marry the king of Yurene,” he revealed. “That you two are engaged to one another. Is that true?”

A lump formed in my throat and

my eyes

widened.

How had Asher found out about this? Kaleb had promised to not let him know. It was one of the requirements of our agreement, and he’d violated it somehow.

My cheeks suddenly began to burn as heat surged through my b*dy. Though I had done nothing wrong, I still felt embarrassed. This was something I’d never wanted Asher to find out about, and from his large–eyed stare, I knew my fears had been valid.

“It’s true,” I admitted, but I kept speaking before his mouth could open. “But it’s nothing more than a strategy, Asher. Kaleb wants to use me to achieve some great sorcery, and I, on the other hand, need him to provide antidotes for Wild Crawler. I have no intentions to marry him. I just need to bide my time until the antidotes are ensured, and then I’ll find a way to break it off.”

I took a step closer and stared deeply into his eyes. “You’re the only man I’d ever want to marry, Asher,”

Asher’s expression softened and then he nodded,

“I never doubted it for a moment,” he assured me and then reached out and took

my hands

in his. “I was just afraid that Kaleb had forced you into this and was scared for you, Cassandra.”

“How did you find out about our engagement?” I wondered. “The news wasn’t supposed to leave Vlokwell.”

“We caught a sorceress named Roxy out in the woods,” he explained. “She tried to attack us, but we stopped her before she could cause too much damage. She said she was from Vlokwell-”

“Roxy?” I gasped, and my voice caught in my chest. That’s why I hadn’t seen Roxy in quite some time. Had Kaleb sent her to kill Asher?

A chill ran down my spine. I shouldn’t have trusted him for a single moment. All of the promises he’d made to me had been lies.

“Do you know her?” Asher wondered as his eyebrows creased together.

I nodded. “She’s the lead of Kaleb’s soldiers and the sister of Raven, another sorceress who’s in charge of medical research. She’s an important figure here in Vlokwell.”

As I considered all of this new information, I felt alarmed. Asher had mentioned an attack. Had Roxy managed to hurt him? The very thought made my stomach twist in knots and before I could stop myself, I asked Asher out loud if he was alright.

He nodded and offered me a reassuring smile. “I’m fine. Thanks to Kane’s plan, I came out unhurt and we were able to get Roxy under control. In fact, if it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t have figured out a lot of things and I wouldn’t have gotten here.”

I frowned. “Kane’s plan?”

I was completely confused. Kane was supposed to be back in Anemond, or at least that’s what I’d asked him to do when I’d left for Yurene.

“It’s a story for another time,” Asher said vaguely. “But Kane’s been with me since I left Anemond.”

“And

Shere is Roxy?” I wondered.

“She’s still with Kane in the Sky Pride Pack,” he answered. “He’s perfectly fine and safe but something terrible happened before my departure. Silas was attacked by someone who tried to take Roxy back with him. He must have been her accomplice or something. From what she explained, he was a skillful killer, but he died in the fight with Silas and the other

Skillful killer?

I knew at once that had to be Anubis, the suspicious man with the dark eyes and vile smile.

If I was correct, that meant that Kaleb had lost two of his trusted assistants. And Raven didn’t seem to be very loyal to him. This could be a chance to break him, could it? Though I didn’t trust him much either, I could indicate this to Ronald. If Kaleb was busy with his own troubles, he wouldn’t be able to interfere with the South’s business.

But this needed to be done after I got the antidotes. I couldn’t risk losing the medication needed to cure the ailing people in Wegalla, not when I’d endured this for so long already.

Suddenly, Asher took my chin and raised it, causing me to meet his eyes.

“Cassandra, I’m here to take you away from Yurene,” he explained softly.

I was stunned. What did he mean by that? We couldn’t leave just like that. What about the plots that Kaleb was planning to overthrow Wegalla? What about Oliver Moses, who wanted to use this opportunity to usurp the throne?

I didn’t understand.

How could we throw this all away?

Asher moved the lamp toward him and raised his chin, exposing his n*eck. Though it was covered with heavy makeup, I could still see the blackness underneath. The dark marks of his disease had traveled nearly up to his chin.

“The disease has developed quickly recently,” he said quietly. “There was one point where I was unable to move my b*dy, it was so bad.”

I suddenly felt disoriented and on the verge of tears.

What did that mean? How could that happen?

He drew me close and stroked my hair. “Don’t cry. I didn’t tell you this to upset you. I just… Cassandra, I don’t know how long I’m going to make it. I’m afraid… I’m afraid of losing the opportunity to spend my last days with the ones I love. If I were to draw my last breath without you…”

As his voice trailed off, I shook my head firmly and stopped him.

“No,” I said as my tears fell down my cheeks. “No, Asher. I won’t allow the disease to take you away from me. No one can take you away from me. Never again.”

I planted a firm k*ss on his l*ps and pressed against him so tightly I could hear his heart beating against my chest. A thousand emotions flooded through me, but above all, I was feeling determined.

When we pulled away, I stared deeply into Asher’s eyes and suddenly, a thought crossed my mind. Perhaps all wasn’t lost at all.

“I think I know someone who could cure you,” I revealed. “Someone here in Vlokwell.”