Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 21 Rayden’s help

CA SSANDRA

After I concluded that the pendant wasn’t in the backpack, I discarded it and looked around the room I’d been confined to. There was a stack of boxes in the far

corner I hadn’t noticed when I’d first arrived.

I rushed over to them and wasted no time. I rummaged through the closest one, and once I finished rooting through it, I moved on to the next.

I continued this way for nearly an hour.

In the process of searching my belongings, a pair of se rvants took turns delivering more boxes. With every one, I prayed to the Moon Goddess that the pendant had just gotten misplaced in a pocket or bag, and when it wasn’t in any of the spots, my frustration grew.

Finally, the se vants stopped arriving, and I began to give up. My mother’s

necklace wasn’t here.

Thankfully, one thing was certain the pendant hadn’t been found by the Alpha King’s guards. If it had, things wouldn’t be nearly as quiet as they were now. If my true identity had been revealed, Asher Collins would have been crazed and frantic, and the entire Pack House would be up in figurative smoke.

Since it wasn’t here, my mother’s pendant had to be back in my house, most likely hidden away somewhere. I tried to search my memory in an attempt to figure out where it was, but my brain was drawing an absolute blank.

There was only one logical plan of attack.

I needed to get home and find it before the guards did.

I would have to act quickly and sneak out of the Pack House as swiftly as possible.

It would only take a short amount of time- just a quick in and out, and then I could sneak back in and act like nothing ever happened.

I spent the next half hour working up the courage to make my escape, and once I was finally ready, Finnick surprised me and entered the room.

“Hi, Mommy,” he greeted me in a happy tone, but his gray eyes were even more

serious than usual.

“Hi, baby,” I replied, and my eyebrows creased together. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he murmured, and then after a moment of consideration, he continued. “Well… I ran into the bad man earlier. The King.”

“The King?” I repeated back in surprise, and a lump formed in my throat. “What… what happened? Did he say something to you, Finnick? Were you polite to

him?”

painted his face. “He invited me

said no.”

him.”

I

I remarked simply as I tried to find the

Collins have invited Finnick to

in my chest, but I did my best to collect myself. I couldn’t let Finnick know I was scared, not even a little bit. I

I

boy.

crouched down until I was level with him, and then pet his soft hair. After a moment or two, Finnick’s features softened

was polite and told him we ate already,” he

Finnick didn’t seem like he wanted

worry him.

kissed the top of Finnick’s head, and then I rose to my feet and gestured

eyes lit up and he grinned. “Okay, Mommy!”

some of his favorites, he found a corner of the room to play in. He wasted no time and began to talk his little stories out to himself. Finnick loved to play with Dominic, but he was also great at entertaining

he was deep in it to

small smile. “Just keep playing and stay here until I get

nodded enthusiastically. “Okay!”

time. I took a breath and then left the room.

hall.

sneak out again. Of course, I wasn’t about to complain. This miscalculation on his part would

not even Gareth’s. Usually, the Pack House was brimming with

quiet.

guarded as the front door was. It would be

rarely attended to.

tall guard standing at the ready. I tried to search my memory for him, but I

was one of Gareth’s guards, not the Alpha King.

wrong when I approached. The guard stiffened as I got

Ca ssandra,” he said in a stern tone. “I’m afraid I can’t allow your to leave the Pack House.”

all of my effort to keep from tearing

being treated like a

I left.

ssandra,” the guard insisted, and he raised his chin and pointed down the hall. “Just go to the

sigh. Why wasn’t he

head. My hands began to shake at my sides as panic

I turned around, I was pleasantly surprised to see Rayden behind

greeted

his head to the side. His dark eyes studied me curiously, and it