Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 17 Healer’s fear

ASHER

Once the healer left, I leaned back in the armchair in Alpha Gareth’s meeting room and released a sigh. My head was aching, as if I had a million hammers, pounding at it at once. I pinched the bridge of my nose between my fingers.

It was difficult to say whether the headache was from the mysterious disease worsening or the lack of sleep. I barely got a full night’s rest these days, and it was, beginning to take its toll on my entire body. It was simply too difficult to rest when there was so much plaguing my mind.

And now, there was someone else to consider, someone I couldn’t get out of my

head.

Cas sandra Keller.

Even though she was gone, her name ran circles in my mind, over and over, as if it were a song rather than a name.

Ca ssandra Keller, a nobody healer from a long-forgotten Pack on the border of

Wegalla.

Over the past few conversations I’d held with her, I knew there was something special about her, something weirdly familiar that drew me in in unexplainable ways. As much as I wanted to dismiss those feelings, I knew they couldn’t be ignored.

Had I heard her name before? Or known someone with a similar one? Was her face similar to one I’d seen before? I couldn’t place it anywhere in my memory, but perhaps she just reminded me of another subject… It was so hard to say.

Either way, I couldn’t figure it out.

Deep down, I knew there was no need to bring the girl all the way to Anemond with me. My son was nearly healed from his encounter with the viper and was going

to make a full recovery. And she had been right- she could easily conduct her research here and report her findings to me in the capital city.

But I wanted her to come with me.

want to admit it, I was immensely attracted to her. Her long, wavy copper hair that shimmered like flame, her beautiful dark green eyes, and her full lips… even her petite, lovely figure drew me in. Since yesterday, I’d fantasized about the way her slender hips curved and how much I wanted to place my

hadn’t taken any interest in any woman after

was it about this woman that I couldn’t get out

knock rang out and interrupted my

my command for years and was one of the few I actually trusted. Despite being the king of the realm, there were few I could trust in Anemond. Everyone was conniving with ulterior motives and agendas

had been close to me for as long as I could remember. He had been my bodyguard since I was very young, and was the only one who still referred to me as “Alpha” rather than “Your Majesty” or “King”

and Lancel entered. He was an older man of nearly fifty, with deep-set blue eyes, and hair that had turned prematurely white. He was broad and muscular and reminded me of a kinder version of my

room, he stopped in

bags are all packed,”

to Ca ssandra Keller’s house to pack her belongings while we spoke, so she

and I pinched my nose again as my head continued to pound. I closed my eyes again and leaned back into the chair.

letter we found on the kitchen table,” Lancel revealed. “It

assistant before she fled to the forest.”

eyes flew open. “Have you

read it?”

suspicious

nodded. “It seems that the healer was preparing to leave this Pack for good. She planned to leave her

back. “I’m

slowly, and he lowered his

I frowned. “Really?”

into the matter, but

afraid of Anemond.”

I repeated back.

guard nodded.

laugh rose up from my chest.

“She’s afraid she might struggle to take on the responsibilities I’m asking of her. Why else would she try to run away?”

yet Lancel didn’t seem too

Alpha,” he said. “But that’s not quite what I

I urged, and I released a sigh. With my head pounding as severely as it was, I needed rest, and my guard was taking too long to