CASSANDRA
“Cassandra?” Marley mudged me back into reality. Her pretty eyes were wide with concern. “Are you okay?”
I gulped, and then nodded as I pushed away my memories of Anemond. “Yes.”
I managed to pull myself together. I needed to be level-headed if we were going to heal this patient.
It didn’t take us long to reach the Pack House. The enormous mansion wasn’t far from the clinic.
When we crossed through the doors, we were surprised to see a crowd of people hustling around. The Pack House seemed to be in a huge commotion, and I had to duck to avoid bumping into anyone around me. This was the most activity I’d seen here in a while.
“Wow,” Marley remarked as Jasper led us down the hall. “This must be serious. Everyone seems so upset.” She tugged at Jasper’s sleeve. “Can you tell us what’s going on?”
“The Alpha will tell you once we find him,” Jasper remarked.
“Oh,” Marley replied, and she let out a sigh. “So much secrecy.
I wanted to ask follow-up questions, but Jasper’s tone was so serious, I decided to wait. When we reached the end of the busy hall, a pair of people were waiting for us. One of them was Gareth, the Alpha of the Wild Crawler Pack, and the other was his eldest son, Rayden.
We bowed respectfully when we stopped in front of them.
The Alpha of the Wild Crawler Pack was a stern man, yet fair, and he was well-respected amongst the Pack. He was normally quite calm, but today, his brown eyes were wide with concern. Rayden wore a similar expression.
Rayden was tall, with big, dark brown eyes, and black hair that glinted blue in the light, and his perfect teeth were white as pearls. He was slim, but covered in exotic tattoos, and girls in the pack admired his high cheekbones and fit frame.
When I first arrived here five years ago, Rayden had been a young man of sixteen. Now he was all grown up, and it likely wouldn’t be long until he took his father’s place as Alpha of the Wild Crawlers.
I was a little surprised to see him here at the Pack House. The last time I’d seen him was two years ago at a dinner hosted by the Alpha’s family. It’d been a farewell dinner to celebrate Rayden’s departure for the Wegalla Empire’s army- an elite group known as the Myriad. It was an honor to be recruited, and so we’d honored the young man accordingly.
“Cassandra,” Gareth greeted me in a relieved tone, and then he looked at Marley. “And Marley. I’m so glad to see you.”
Then he turned to Jasper. “You can leave us. Thank you for collecting them for me.”
“Of course,” Jasper replied, and after he gave us a small smile, the guard turned and left us. After he disappeared down the hall, my attention turned to Rayden.
He offered me a kind smile as we approached.
“Hello, Cassandra” he greeted me warmly, if not formally, and he nodded his head at me.
“Hi, Rayden,” I replied politely. “It’s a surprise to see you here.”
“It’s been too long,” he agreed, and then he looked at Gareth. “If you’ll excuse me, father, I have some quick business to attend to.”
“Of course,” Gareth replied. “Do what you need to do, son.”
Once he was gone, Gareth turned his attention to the young male servant standing politely in the corner. “Please escort the doctor and her assistant to the second floor,” he ordered in a stern voice. “I must be going.”
Surprise flooded through me. The second floor of the Pack House was usually reserved for the Alpha’s family and their servants. It was considered private quarters while the first floor was used for meetings and dinners.
Marley and I exchanged a glance. There was a bad feeling forming in the back of my mind, but I did my best to brush it away.
“Follow me,” the servant addressed us, and after Marley and I offered polite nods toward Gareth, we followed him down the hall and up the stairs.
At the top of the stairs was a pair of double doors, and on either side of them stood four guards. Much to my continued surprise, they weren’t a part of the Wild Crawler, but the Crescent.
“Crescent guards?” Marley whispered under her breath. She too recognized the special crest on the guards’ shoulders. Her pale green eyes darted around the hall. “What’s going on here?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. I was just as curious as she was. This guest of honor must have been very important if there were so many heavily-armed guards outside of the door.
The guards stared at us coldly as we approached the door, but they stood aside and allowed us to enter the chamber anyway.
The moment the doors flew open, a chorus of sounds flew toward us. A tingle of anxiety moved through me, but I managed to remain calm.
The cavernous room was pure chaos. The curtains were closed, and the only light in the room came from candles and the fireplace that blazed with a crackling fire.
Servants rushed around hastily, a few with piles of towels, and others with trays of various foods, drinks, and other supplies. They all seemed to hover around a specific part of the room, and when a few moved out of the way, I noticed a large, canopied bed.
At the center of the bed was a young boy, around the same age as my Finnick. Servants attended to the boy, and even from across the room, I could see his lips were blue. Perspiration ran down his face and his eyes were squeezed tightly shut. He was clearly in pain, and his expression broke my heart.
“There’s our patient,” Marley noted sadly as we followed the servant toward the bed. “Poor thing.”
“We’ll take care of him,” I assured her. As we walked, I pulled my waist-length copper hair into a ponytail and steadied my nerves. I needed to have my wits about me if I was going to heal the poor boy.
When we got closer, I noticed the Luna of the Wild Crawler Pack, Sofia Bailey, stood beside the bed. She was just as beautiful as ever, but her short dark hair was a little out of place, and her skin was paler than usual.
When she heard our footsteps, she turned her attention to me and I noticed her eyes were underscored by light purple shadows.
“Oh, Cassandra,” she sighed in relief. “Thank goodness you’re here.”
The Luna’s beautiful face looked tired, but she managed to smile at me anyway.
“The boys are downstairs with a maid,” she answered before I could ask. “They’re safe and playing quietly.”
I nodded. “Good. I’m glad they’re okay. Now, how’s our patient?”
“Not as good, I’m afraid,” Sofia lamented, and she nodded her head toward the young boy. “Please, doctor, you must do something to help him. I fear he’s in a great deal of pain, and nothing we’ve been doing seems to be working.”
I nodded again. “Of course. You’re in good hands now. I promise I’ll do everything in my power to help.”
“Thank you,” Sofia whispered, and then she stood aside so Marley and I could approach.
I crouched down beside the boy, and when I placed my hand gently on his forehead, I was surprised to find he was hot to the touch. He’d already broken out in a fever.
I glanced over at Marley and waved her forward. “Marley, can you prepare the heart rate monitor?”
Marley nodded and as she opened up the kit, I turned back to the boy. My eyes traveled down until they reached his right leg. His trousers had been rolled up, and the skin of his ankles was ghostly white, except for a huge swollen area. Clear canine marks were dug deep into the tenser skin, and a low sigh escaped me.
“Poor thing,” I whispered. I retrieved a pair of gloves from my pocket and pulled them on.
As I carefully examined the bite marks closer, a string of thoughts formed in my mind. Where would the boy have encountered a viper? There hadn’t been any reports of serpents recently, at least not in the forests of the Wild Crawler Pack, and besides, at his age, he wouldn’t have been allowed past the safe zone. So where had the snake come from?
I turned to Sofia. “Did they happen to catch the viper that inflicted the bite?”
The Luna appeared unsure, and her eyes flicked over to a point beyond me.
“No,” a deep, smoky voice said behind me. “The guards are still searching the forest for the wretched thing.”
A tingle ran down my spine. I’d know that voice anywhere.
For a moment, I was frozen in place, but after a deep breath, I turned around.
A man stood in the darkened corner, tucked away just far enough that I hadn’t been able to sense him initially. He lingered in the shadows for a moment and then stepped toward me.
My heart skipped a beat when his rugged but handsome face was revealed. Though he’d changed a little with time, his cold gray eyes were the same, and they bore into mine with intensity as he advanced closer.
The tall man was none other than Asher Collins- the Alpha of the Crescent Pack and the king of the Wegalla Empire. But none of that mattered to me. He was much more than just the legendary leader of all werewolves.
He was my mate.
All those years ago, he’d left me in that house, pregnant and alone to face the inferno.
CASSANDRA“Well, then you’ll have to tell them to hurry up and find the beast,” Marley remarked beside me, and she rolled her pretty eyes in annoyance. “The sooner the better.”The room suddenly grew heavy and my eyes widened.While part of me agreed with her sentiment, I couldn’t believe she’d been so bold as to say that to the Alpha King. Of course, I wasn’t fully convinced that my friend knew that’s who she’d been addressing. If she had, I doubt she’d have spoken so tersely.“Marley!” Sofia exclaimed. The Luna looked shocked and embarrassed at my assistant’s outburst, and her cheeks flushed scarlet.Asher’s eyes narrowed, and the room fell silent.“Your Majesty, please excuse her,” Sofia begged, and she offered the Alpha King an apologetic expression and a small bow. “We-”Asher raised his hand, and the Luna immediately froze in place and shut her mouth.“Wait, ‘Your Majesty’?” Marley whispered. “Oh, holy shit.”Her expression was awestruck. Clearly, she’d realized who had been add
CASSANDRAThe next few hours passed by laboriously. As we waited for the guards to return with some sort of news about the viper, Marley and I did all we could to keep the boy comfortable. We took his temperature, monitored his heart rate, and continued to apply cold compresses to keep his fever from rising any higher.Meanwhile, it took all of my concentration to remain perfectly focused on the boy. My mind was trying to wander to different places, and Asher Collins wasn’t helping. The Alpha King remained close to us as we attended to his son, and it was unclear if he was monitoring our treatment or just studying me.The hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up as chills continuously ran down my spine. I wasn’t the kind of woman who got nervous easily, but the Alpha King’s very presence set every inch of my body on edge.Of all of the people to be here, he was the last one I’d ever have expected, and my emotions were running wild. I wasn’t sure whether to cry or be relieved to
CASSANDRAI was stunned by the severity of his tone. He wasn’t addressing me as Asher Collins. He was ordering me as the Alpha King.The last thing I wanted was to stay in the chamber alone with him and the sleeping prince, but as much as I wanted to disobey his order, I knew I had no choice. He was the ruler of the realm, and I could face horrible consequences if I didn’t obey.So, I turned back around. I was about to walk back over to the bed when a thought crossed my mind.“My apologies, Your Majesty, but I need to go and take care of my son,” I explained, and it took all of my effort to keep my voice steady.“Your son?” Asher repeated back, and he crossed his arms against his chest.“Yes, my son,” I answered. “He’s waiting for me. I’ve been working all day, so I haven’t had the chance to see him yet.”“Where is he?” the Alpha King pressed. His gray eyes narrowed as if he didn’t wish to let me leave.“He is with the Luna Sofia’s children,” I answered. “Downstairs, I believe. ”“He
CASSANDRAMy lip quivered as I searched for an explanation, and Asher rose from his seat. However, just as the Alpha King took a step toward us, the sleeping prince’s eyes opened.“Daddy?” the young boy managed. “What happened?”Asher seemed to forget about us completely and turned his full attention to his son. He squatted down beside the boy and took his hand.“You’re awake,” he said in relief. “Oh, thank goodness. Do you feel any better now?”His tone was gentle, something I’d never heard from him before. Or perhaps I had, but the memories were buried now.The young prince nodded and smiled at his father. “I feel better now, Daddy...”“Do you remember what happened?” Asher asked quietly and when the boy shook his head, he sighed. “That’s alright. What’s important is that you’re safe and feeling better than before. I’m so relieved.”As he held his son’s hand, I noticed Finnick gazing at them longingly. It tugged at my heartstrings, but there was nothing I could do except get the bot
CASSANDRA“Mommy, what’s going on?” Finnick whispered, and he stared up at me with widened eyes. I froze in place, unsure of how to answer him. Surely, the Alpha King couldn’t be serious.Me, go with him to Anemond?I studied Asher’s expression and wondered if he’d seen past my changed face and voice. Had he discovered it was me after all? No. There was no way.Regardless, why would he bring me there? As the capital city of the Wegalla Empire, there were countless outstanding healers that resided there. While I knew I was good at my job, I didn’t believe for a moment that I was any more talented than any of them.If anything, I could just write down the list of herbs I’d used and have the servants pass it along to the royal healers, and if something was amiss, they knew where to find me.“I-I don’t understand, Your Majesty,” I asked him. “Why bring me all the way to Anemond?”“Must I repeat myself?” the Alpha King sighed and he shook his head in frustration. “I thought you were smart,
CASSANDRAI remained in bed with Finnick for a while and stared lovingly at his adorable face as he dreamt. Part of me could have stayed here forever, holding my sweet baby boy in my arms, but the other part knew there was so much to do.I carefully tucked Finnick deep into the covers, and once I was sure he wasn’t going to wake, I quietly slipped out of his room and headed toward mine down the hall. I gently closed the door behind me, and once it was shut, I released the sigh I’d been holding onto for hours now.This was all such a mess, and there was only one thing I could do.I had to pack- not for Anemond, but somewhere else.I needed to take Finnick and run as far away as we could.I didn’t see any other choice. My son and I couldn’t go to Anemond.So, I started moving around my room and got to packing.I grabbed only the essentials- a few pairs of clothes, some money I’d stashed away, necessary toiletries, and the legal documents I needed to hold onto for Finnick’s sake. We woul
CASSANDRAWhen I entered my son’s room, I half-expected him to be awake, but he was fast asleep.He had his arms wrapped around his favorite teddy bear, Teddy, and for a moment, I didn’t want to wake him up. He seemed so peaceful, and I was about to put him through so much stress.But not as much as I would be if we went to Anemond.So, I leaned down and gently touched his arm.“Finnick,” I whispered, and when he didn’t rouse, I said his name again. After a moment, his nose crinkled and his eyes blinked open.“Mommy?” he said, and he yawned lightly.“Sorry to wake you, baby,” I said, and I gave him my most apologetic smile. “We have to go.”“Go?” he repeated back in a confused voice. “Go where?”“I’ll tell you on the way there,” I explained. “For now, we just need to get ready, okay?”Finnick nodded, though his gray eyes were concerned. I pulled the covers aside and helped him down. We walked over to the closet, and we got him dressed.After I zipped up his jacket, I picked out a coup
CASSANDRA“Finnick!” I cried .“Mommy!” Finnick shouted back through tears. “Mommy, help me!”I shined the flashlight over the rocks and coordinated a small path. I could get a better look at the situation if I shifted a little around them.“Hold on, baby,” I pleaded. “Mommy is going to help. Just keep breathing.”“Okay,” Finnick whimpered, and the sound tugged at my heartstrings.I followed the beams of light and made my way down over the rocks. It was a little difficult to navigate, but I had to save my son.When I reached the bottom, I shined the flashlight around me to get my bearings, and when I did, I realized we were at the entrance of a small cave. Somehow, Finnick had managed to stamp on it and get caught in between rocks.“Keep breathing, Finnick,” I urged him as he wiggled and writhed. “I think I can get you out.”I carefully climbed back up to the top of the rocks and over to Finnick. Even in the dark, I could see his cheeks were soaked from his tears. His lower lip trembl