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?

lower lip trembled as I choked

he alright? And how did I get

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

I stammered, and my vision grew cloudy with tears

bear and the cave crashed over me.

serious, take a deep breath. Doctor’s orders. You’re in pretty rough shape and

it did, I heeded my friend’s advice and took a long, deep

saved me from the bear?” I wondered, and my eyebrows creased together. “And how did I get back here in the first place?”

crossed Marley’s face.

from Anemond brought you here,” she replied with a roll of her eyes, and she let out a small sigh. “He was

in surprise.

had found me?

I supposed. Before I’d lost consciousness, the

possible I hadn’t hallucinated

attempted to sit up, but the effort sent another pang of pain through my

to get a call from him in the middle of the night,” Marley remarked. “When he

“What do you mean?”

the clinic-to help. I totally understand the urgency, and I would have rushed there in a second anyway to help you, but he was intense, to say the least.

I asked in surprise and she

he handled you so carefully. He helped me get you down on the table and made sure you were comfortable as I started treating you.”

“Wow,” I uttered.

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 your injuries. Then he

I

had personally escorted me back

part of me was grateful that he’d intervened and helped Marley get me home safe. That meant more to me than I could express,

was

sure you were comfortable, and then he left. for the Pack House. It was so strange, Ca ssandra. It was like he was a completely different person than he’d been when we were taking care of his

definitely strange,” I said. When I tried to readjust myself in bed, my shoulder cried out in

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

I

I suddenly became aware of the rest of the pain. It was there in my abdomen, my arm, my head… I was a wreck.

wondered even though

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

is sprained.”

My eyes widened.

time to heal. Now, I’m gonna take a look at your stomach and make sure nothing

“Okay,” I agreed.

from me and