Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 31 Her grave

CA SSANDRA

The dream began just like many others before it.

I knelt on the floor, begging the intruder to see Asher until my throat was raw. But the soldiers never listened.

Their faces were black, undiscernible no matter how much I stared at them. They were like shadows, mocking my every word, my every whimper, my every cry.

As my voice caught in my throat, one of the shadow men took a step forward and gripped my arm. He pulled me harshly to my feet, gripped my face, and pried my mouth open. I kicked and kicked, but the effort was useless. The shadow man forced a liquid down my throat, and as it streamed into my mouth, I began to gag. It was cold and harsh and burned every bit of the way down.

My mind started to swirl as the room spun around me. I collapsed to the cold ground and froze, unable to move.

The shadow men spit and snarled at me. They cursed me, called me an indecent, terrible woman, and swore that I deserved every bit of what came next. And then, they left the room, locking the door behind them as I sobbed and shook.

Then, the smell of smoke- soft, at first, but then it filled the room. My eyes burned and my skin itched as I struggled to breathe, but I couldn’t move. I was frozen, trapped on the ground, unable to scream.

Fire consumed me until there was nothing left.

“Mommy?” a small voice woke me up, and then suddenly, a push rocked my body. I woke with a start and startled Finnick, who stood beside my bed.

“Finnick?” I managed to say and then I shot him a confused glance. “What’s… what’s going on?”

“Are you having bad dreams again, Mommy?” Finnick wondered, and his serious gray eyes stared into mine with concern.

Truth be told, I’d been having nightmares every night since I’d arrived in Anemond. They varied in subject, but they mostly centered around Finnick in Asher. In those dreams, in particular, Asher discovered Finnick’s identity and wanted to take him far away from me. The Alpha King would stare deeply into my eyes as they hauled Finnick away kicking and screaming, and then a mysterious fire would appear and engulf the room with flames.

They always ended in flames and me waking

a scream.

up. On those nights, I repeated the same story- that I was just exhausted these days and was struggling to adjust to life in Anemond.

he respected my words and didn’t pry further.

I kissed his forehead. “I’m going to go for a walk, baby. Why don’t you get back to bed and try to get some

inquired, but I

I ran my hand through his

until I was over in

aside from my nightmares interrupting him every so often, he was sleeping much better here. The feeling was bittersweet. I was glad my son wasn’t upset about

much hurt, too many

whispered, and I kissed

then he closed his eyes. About two minutes later, his breathing changed, and he slipped right back into

crept to the

along with an assistant, a young woman named Becky. Becky was a quiet girl, not nearly as talkative as Marley, but she was intelligent and very helpful. She also didn’t ask as many questions, which is why I assumed Asher

of him while I worked. She was a nice older lady who seemed very attentive to my son’s needs. I’d wanted to

I would visit the Alpha King’s study at sunset and check the mark on his body. I had to wait until he was finished with

I leaned in to examine the mark. As I studied his skin closely, I could feel his steel-like gaze on-me, and the warmth of his body radiated onto mine. The smell of his earthy

into the appeal. I had to remain professional and attentive to his

hardly spoke during this time, and when we did, it was only about his symptoms and how he

making it a point to stay away from me, which I didn’t

here wasn’t right and I couldn’t put my finger on why.

stairs mostly undetected. A few guards I’d come to know nodded as I walked by, but other than that, the dark palace was quiet.

doors that led to the gardens and slipped outside. I wandered out into the cool night absently, enjoying the slight breeze as it tangled through my hair. My nightgown flared around me slightly, and I let out a sigh of relief. There wasn’t so much pressure to appear a certain way out here. I could breathe

past the beautiful, fragrant garden until I reached Othe expansive dew-covered lawns. The grass was cold against my feet, but it was a welcome

allowed my mind to wander completely, forgetting all about Asher and Adalyn, and the nightmares that plagued me. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been out here until I stopped in place and became aware of

my old mansion. A strange sensation traveled through me as I stared up at the white brick building and nostalgia rushed into my brain. It was the same as ever, just as beautiful as it’d been back then. Tall rosebushes were planted on the other side of the gate, and as I inhaled the red blooms deeply, it felt as if nothing