CASSANDRAIt was a sunny day, the first one in a long time.After the long winter and cold spring, summer eventually came, and it was hotter than it had been in forever.Sunlight streamed in through the clinic window, and I was a little distracted as I stared out at the window at the kids in the yard.Finnick, Lila, Marley’s boys Eric and Adrian, and Dominic were all chasing each other, playing a game of tag with one another. Marco was out there with them too, but he was sitting on a bench alone, meters away from the rest of the kids. He looked lonely and didn’t move as the others played around him.It had been a month since the chaos in Merliscire and Adalyn’s death. I supposed it was still hard for Marco to accept the fact that his mother was gone. She had killed herself right in front of him after holding him hostage and threatening to hurt him. The poor little boy had endured so much trauma in such a short amount of time.He wasn’t a bad kid. He had a mean disposition at times, bu
CASSANDRA“For the glory of Wegalla Empire, you must die!” Intruders snarled at me as I knelt on the floor.“Please let me see Asher. Please…” I begged.“How dare you speak the name of our king!” The soldiers growled and grabbed my hair, forcing me to raise my head. They were like shadows towering over me.“Please. I need to talk to him. I’m pregnant. I have his baby!” I cried.The head soldier snorted. “Baby? You think you’d be qualified to deliver a baby for our king? Filthy whore! He won’t come to you anymore. Don’t you understand? He’s with Lady Adalyn. Now drink it!”“No!”He pulled me harshly, gripped my face and pried my mouth open. Mysterious liquid flew down my throat.Burning. I began to gag.“Die! You wretched moron.” They spat at me before slamming the door. And I heard the click of the lock.I struggled to move, but my eyes felt swollen, and my legs were strengthless. The smell of smoke quickly filled the room.Fire engulfed me.*****My mind wandered as I stared out the
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
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,