Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 22 Elope?

CA SSANDRA

Rayden suddenly grabbed my hand, and when I whipped around to stare at him, his eyes bore into mine intensely, so much that my heart began to race.

“Let me go with you, Ca ssy,” he insisted, and his eyes grew sorrowful, as if he was a young boy who’d lost something he couldn’t recover again. “Please.”

My eyes widened as I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening.

“Rayden…” I uttered.

As Rayden stared at me with his large brown eyes, a feeling swept through me. along with understanding. Asher’s earlier words in the meeting room played through. my mind. The Alpha King had quipped that the prince of the Wild Crawlers fancied me. At the

time, his words had been a massive shock, but as I stood here in the garden, I began to suspect that Asher may have been right.

But I didn’t want to believe it.

At the time, I never could have imagined that Rayden could see me like that. I’d always been something of a friend to him, as well as a healer. Just as I’d done with countless others in the Pack, I’d treated Rayden once when he was quite ill.

I’d assumed Rayden’s outbursts in the meeting room were because he was worried about the Pack losing their healer. And I desperately wanted that to be

true.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I just… I just want to talk to you, that’s all.”

Suddenly, a clapping sound cut through the air, and when I turned around, Asher Collins was right behind me. The Alpha King’s face was cruel and mocking, and the expression on his amused face sent a pang of anger through me.

“How touching!” Asher laughed, and he continued to applaud. Just beyond him, Alpha Gareth and Luna Sofia stood with their arms crossed. Sofia’s cheeks were red with embarrassment, but Gareth looked completely angry. Their brows furrowed as they stared at me.

“Are you trying to elope with the healer, Prince Rayden?” Asher continued. His tone was still amused, but his smile quickly faded.

lump formed in my throat as I tried

I spoke up. “It’s my

demanded through narrowed gray eyes.

explain. “There is something I need to pick up at my house,

expression darkened, and for a moment, I felt as if I couldn’t

Alpha King uttered a single, dry laugh.

“You must not have heard me earlier. If

could consider my words. “I meant what I said,

the guards to get it for you. I’m sure they would love to assist you. It’s their job, after

I swallowed.

it’s just something personal, Your Majesty,” I

and I felt trapped, as if he were the predator and I were the prey. Every inch of me was terrified, but

calm.

the Alpha King’s response. Event Gareth seemed scared of

Finally, Asher smirked.

he announced. “If it’s that important, I will accompany you.”

and Asher clocked the reaction immediately.

demanded. “Is it something you couldn’t show to your

tone dripped with suspicion, and I knew I needed to

and I shook my head quickly. Like it or not, everything in the Wegalla Empire belonged to the King in a legal sense. Any

they’d placed

are we waiting for?” Asher Collins demanded. “We will leave at once. Meanwhile, it appears that your little suitor needs to be taught some discipline. Am I

eyes shot over to the Alpha of the Wild Crawlers,

lose whatever color it

and then he bowed in respect. “He will be dealt with immediately. Thank you

exchange went on, my brain spun in circles and tried to decide how to handle things. I had no choice but to let Asher accompany me back to my house, but how would I conceal my mother’s necklace from him? How could I possibly look. for

was a nightmare.