Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 11 Alpha King found her?

CA SSANDRA

When 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 Ca ssandra,” 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, Ca ss,” Marley continued on, and she wiped a tear from her cheek. “So extremely worried.”

She then took my hand in hers.

“I’m sorry to scare you,” I managed to say. I wanted to comfort her further, but when I attempted to squeeze her hand, a sharp pain shot through my entire body.

When I winced, she pulled her hand away quickly.

“Oh, Ca ss,” Marley uttered, and her eyes widened. “I’m so sorry, that must have

hurt!”

“It’s… it’s okay,” I said through the pain, and then a thought crossed my mind.

Where was my Finnick?

I glanced around the room, but my son was nowhere to be found. Panic flooded through me, and my heart rate increased exponentially. Had he made it out of that cave? And how had I ended up here anyway?

and my lower lip trembled

words. “What’s going on? Is he alright? And how did I get here in the first

a breath,” Marley urged, and her expression grew serious. “Finnick is perfectly safe. He’s back at the Pack

my vision grew cloudy with tears

the cave crashed over me.

take a deep breath. Doctor’s orders. You’re in pretty

my friend’s advice and took a long,

and my eyebrows creased together. “And how did I get back

look crossed Marley’s

of her eyes, and she let out a

in

had found

a little sense, I supposed. Before I’d lost consciousness, the last face I

I hadn’t hallucinated after

found me,” I repeated back quietly. I attempted to sit up, but the effort sent another pang of pain through my chest, so I laid back down. “Wow.”

call from him in the middle of the night,” Marley remarked. “When he explained the situation to me, he sounded like he was

“What do you mean?”

I totally understand the urgency, and I would have rushed there in a second anyway to help you, but he was

I asked in surprise

he was so gentle with you,” she explained. “You were passed out cold, and he handled you so carefully. He helped me get you down on the table and made sure you

“Wow,” I uttered.

she shook her head slowly. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. He could have sent a guard to handle the whole thing, but he wouldn’t let anyone else into the clinic the entire time I was taking care of

I

had personally escorted me

being in my small house, but the other part of me was grateful that he’d intervened and helped Marley get me home safe. That meant more to me

all was so strange.

made sure you were comfortable, and then he left. for the Pack House. It was so strange, Ca ssandra. It was like he was a

I tried to readjust myself in bed, my shoulder cried out in pain, and

to be careful,” she urged. “You’re going to stress your body out

I

eyes as I suddenly became aware of the rest of the

bad is it?” I wondered even though I was

gonna lie, it’s not great,” Marley replied, and she gave me an apologetic look. “The bear’s claws scratched your stomach up

is sprained.”

My eyes widened.

friend insisted. “You’re going to be just fine. It’s just gonna take some time to heal. Now, I’m gonna take

“Okay,” I agreed.

from me