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 addressing us, and her cheeks darkened until they were the same color as Sofia’s.
“Shh,” I whispered as quietly as possible. Luckily, neither Sofia nor the Alpha King seemed to hear us.
Instead, Asher released a huffy sigh.
“Are these two qualified, Sofia?” he asked, and his gray eyes bore into mine intensely. “My son deserves the utmost care, and I will not allow him to be treated by anyone who doesn’t know what they’re doing.”
His… son?
Had I heard him correctly?
That explained the severity and amount of guards around us, not to mention Gareth and Sofia’s worried expressions. The boy was the son of the Alpha King, and heir to the Wegalla Empire. His survival was not only of the utmost importance, but it was in mine and Marley’s hands.
No pressure or anything.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Sofia answered him. “Cassy is the best healer in our Pack. If anyone can take care of him, it’s her.”
The Alpha King’s eyes continued to study me carefully.
“Cassy?” he repeated back in a confused voice.
My heart thrummed in my chest as if it was ready to burst forth as I stared back at Asher. It’d been five years since I’d seen his handsome face, and my entire body felt like it would explode from the sheer emotion of it all. I never thought I’d see him again, yet here he was, standing before me with the same gray eyes I’d peered into with all my love so many years ago.
The whole world seemed to melt away as I stared back at him. While the years and likely stress of his position had aged him slightly, he was just as handsome as he was back then. His dark hair fell to his shoulders in soft waves and his skin was perfectly tan and clear. He was muscular yet lean, and with his arms folded in front of him, I could see the prominent veins that came with much physical training.
Even after all of these years, Asher Collins was still the most beautiful man I’d ever seen.
But he was no longer mine, and I was no longer his.
“Your name is Cassy?” he addressed me directly. He leaned in closer as if to examine me, and it took all of my effort to keep from shaking. For a moment, I thought he’d find a clue of my past identity, but I knew in my heart that I looked too different now to recognize.
The inferno had destroyed my face, distorted my voice, and taken my wolf away. No part of my past identity had remained.
Asher could stare all he want.
I was no longer the same woman I once was.
“Cassandra,” I replied politely. “My name is Cassandra Keller, Your Majesty.”
The Alpha King paused for a moment.
“You’re the best?” he asked, and when I didn’t answer, he clarified. “Healer, that is?”
For a moment, I considered being humble, but his stern expression told me I needed to be confident in my abilities.
“Yes,” I said. “Yes, Your Majesty. I’ve been taking care of this Pack for many years. I’m well-versed in injuries, illnesses, and bites such as the one your son has sustained. My assistant, Marley, is also well-qualified. We’re going to do everything we can to help.”
“Okay, Cassandra,” he said in a low voice that sent a chill down my spine. “Let’s see what you can do.”
His expression softened slightly, but not enough to appear friendly. Still, I took a long, deep breath, and then addressed him calmly.
“I’ll do my best,” I promised, and I fought back a shiver. “But it will be difficult to find the cure to the boy’s bite without first identifying the viper. Different snakes have different venom, and the severity of his injury will depend on the breed and size of the creature.”
For a moment, I expected more resistance, but Asher simply nodded.
“Guards,” he called out in a stern and regal tone, and without further question, the guards who’d been stationed at the outside doors appeared before us. Once they were in position, Asher straightened his stance and held his head high.
“Please tell Alpha Gareth that more search squads will need to be sent to the forest,” he said. “We need to locate the viper as soon as possible so the doctors can properly address my son’s wounds. Please make haste. Time is of the essence.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the guards replied in unison, and after each offered the Alpha King uniform bows, they rushed out of the chamber and shut the doors behind them.
Asher raised his chin toward us. “If you can’t heal my son, I’ll let the whole Pack die with him.”
His warning was stated calmly, as if it were just another sentence, but the rest of us felt the weight of his words crash over it. A lump formed in my throat, and when I glanced over at Sofia, her face grew pale. Marley’s expression was no better, and as I looked around the room, the servants held similar looks of fear.
The Alpha King was no one to mess with. We needed to keep our wits about us.
So, without another word, I motioned toward Marley, and the pair of us turned our attention back to the boy.
“I’ll leave you to it, Cassy,” Sofia said quietly. “I’m going to check on Finnick and the boys downstairs.”
“Thank you,” I said, and I offered the Luna a small nod of respect. She smiled back at me, and then she left the chamber.
Marley and I got to work and started to fully examine the bite on the young prince’s bite. It’d worsened even since Marley and I had arrived, and knew Asher was right- time was of the essence. We needed to act fast if we were going to save his life.
“Can we do this?” Marley whispered just loud enough for me to hear. “Cassandra, this looks bad.”
“We have no choice in the matter,” I reminded her gently. “Besides, we’ve dealt with worse before. We can do this, Marley.”
My assistant paused for a moment, and then she nodded. “You’re right. Let’s get to work.”
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
CASSANDRAWhen I awoke, my vision was blurred, and my head swam with incoherent thoughts. As I fought back the dizziness, my eyes began to adjust, and images of the Moon Goddess and the Holy Moon appeared.For a moment, I stared at them and wondered if this was the afterlife.Had the bear managed to take my life? Was I… dead?Suddenly, the room came into focus, and I recognized the mural I’d painted on my ceiling long ago. I wasn’t dead. I was in my bedroom, tucked tightly into bed.How had I gotten here?Suddenly, I felt the soft touch of a warm hand on my arm. When I glanced over, I caught sight of Marley.“Oh Cassandra,” she gushed in pure relief, and her pale green eyes glittered with tears. “You’re awake!”It took me a moment to register everything. I blinked a few times and then I smiled up at my dear friend. “H-hi, M-Marley.”The effort of speaking hurt my throat, but I was so relieved to see her that it didn’t matter.“I was so worried, Cass,” Marley continued on, and she wipe