Chapter 90

Chapter 90 Alpha King’s weak spot

ASHER

Oliver had been trying to kill the man. Of that, I was certain.

I narrowed my eyes and studied my father-in-law, who was now checking on Adalyn with his wife beside him. Linda was sobbing but gave Ca ssandra the space to fully examine her daughter. Meanwhile, Oliver’s normally stoic face was even

more stern than usual.

Once I gave the order to bring her to the royal healers and Ca ssandra deemed her ready to be moved, the guards swept Adalyn up off of the ground.”

I watched the Beta family follow the guards out of the corridor, and once they were gone, I considered Oliver’s actions.

The way the events had all unfolded was very suspicious, to say the least. Oliver hadn’t seemed even a little worried about Adalyn when he’d stepped forward to attack the imposter, nor had he waited for my orders. If I hadn’t interfered at the last moment, the Beta would have killed the man and kept us from getting the answers we so desperately needed.

Curious. It was all so curious.

I pondered it for a moment and then turned back to the imposter. I would deal with Oliver’s insolence later. For now, I needed to deal with this criminal.

Though he’d been shackled, Lancel maintained a strong grip around the imposter. I stepped forward and finally got a good look at the man.

I’d expected someone like him to look more ragged and haggard, but much to my surprise, he was immaculately groomed. His light brown eyes were clear and laser-focused and his black hair had been brushed back away from his face. His cheekbones were high, but not hollow, and there was no sign of stubble or dark circles. In fact, he appeared to be quite well-rested. I supposed he could be

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considered handsome, if it weren’t for the cruel sneer on his otherwise nice-looking

face.

Whoever he was, he was well taken care of.

The imposter gave me a look of amusement as I stood before him.

“I underestimated you,” he mused as his eyes trailed over me. “You’re far more capable and swift than I’d expected.”

“Is that supposed to flatter me?” I scoffed.

“Only if you want it to,” he retorted, and then he smiled. “I know at this point, I’m little more than dead meat, but I have a proposal. Spare my life and I’ll help you out. What do you say?”

He stared at me in a calculated way, but I wasn’t having it. Instead, I turned to

Lancel.

cell.”

“Take this criminal down to the dungeon,” I ordered. “I’ll question him from his

“Yes, Alpha,” Lancel replied loyally, and after he bowed his head, the guards stepped in and carried the man away. I half-expected the imposter to put up a fight, but he didn’t make any fuss. He was a strange one, that was certain, and I was relieved when he was out of my sight.

The corridor grew louder as the guards vanished, and my head began to pound from the commotion. I pinched the bridge of my nose and then took a deep breath before making an announcement.

“Everyone return back to your chambers,” I ordered loudly. “Clear the corridors and keep to yourselves while we sort through this business.”

I made sure my tone radiated with power to show emphasis, and much to my relief, it worked wonders. The ma*s of people dissipated at once until it was only

Ca ssandra Keller and I left in the room.

The healer started to move but I reached out and gently grabbed her arm. She stopped in place and looked up at me. Her already fair complexion was ghostly white, and she looked exhausted.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

She nodded lightly.

We stared at each other for a moment until she finally spoke up.

“Can I go with you to the cell and listen to what you have to say to the man?” she asked quietly..

As much as I wanted to bring her with me, it was too dangerous.

I couldn’t risk her getting hurt.

“I think it would be best for you to go back to your chamber,” I advised gently. “The imposter was pretty insistent about wanting to speak to me in private. I don’t know how much he’d reveal if you were around.”

“I understand,” she said, but she didn’t seem too thrilled by my explanation. Again, she fell quiet, and a moment later, she gave me a polite smile. “Just be safe, okay?”

I smiled back. “I will.”

Ca ssandra turned to leave, and just as she started walking, I called out to her.

“Ca ssandra?” I said. “Can I escort you back to your room?”

The healer shook her head. “I’ll be okay, Your Majesty. I can handle myself just fine. I don’t think the imposter has any accomplices here in the palace. Besides, I think it would be best for you to deal with him right away, before he loses his patience.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

She was right, of course, but I wished she would let me walk her back. I knew she could take care of herself, but I wanted to be the one to protect her.

I’d been so scared when she’d bravely offered herself up to be held hostage. Ca ssandra Keller was a brave woman, far braver than any of us. I’d been so terrified of her getting hurt.

But now it was my turn to handle things.

I needed to deal with this criminal before anyone else could be hurt.

I walked straight to the dungeon, and when I got there, Lancel was posted up in front of the cell. An involuntary shiver ran through me at the temperature drop. The dungeon was a dark and cold place, and I’d been here only a handful of times before.

I pulled myself together and approached my most trusted guard.

“You can go now, Lancel,” I said. “I’ll take it from here.”

Lancel didn’t look too thrilled to comply. “Are you sure, Alpha?”

When I nodded, he offered me a small bow.

“Be safe,” he said, and then he headed toward the stairs. Once he was gone, the imposter began to speak.

“An iron cage,” he remarked. “I don’t know what you expect me to say in these conditions, Asher Collins.”

“I don’t have time for this, I replied shortly, and I crossed my arms against my chest. “So I’m going to suggest you get straight to the point. You wanted my attention, here it is.”

The man laughed. “Oh, I think you’ll want to hear every detail of what I have to say.”

“You seem confident for someone behind bars,” I said.

“I know for certain you must be interested in my words,” the imposter said as he leaned forward and wrapped his hands around the metal bars of his cell. “If you weren’t, you would have just let the Beta kill me.”

He laughed and then dropped his hands and began to pace.

“I must admit, I apparently chose the wrong hostage,” he mused. “I figured you would have been more concerned for your wife’s safety, but it seems you were more worried about the healer. I wonder what you would have done if she’d been in my

arms instead.”

“Enough,” I growled. “You’re wasting my time with these theories of yours.”

“Is that so?” the imposter said through an irksome grin. “You seem to have a weak spot again, Asher Collins. It’s been five years. I figured you would have grown past that by now.”