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

nights, I repeated the same story- that I was just exhausted these days and was struggling to adjust to

he respected my words

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

too?” my son inquired, but I shook my head.

to get some rest,” I repeated softly, and I ran my hand through his hair. “I’ll come tuck you in, okay?”

large room until I was over in Finnick’s area.

so often, he was sleeping much better here. The feeling was bittersweet. I was glad my

hurt, too

you, Finnick,” I whispered, and

you too,” Finnick replied, and then he closed his eyes. About two minutes later, his breathing changed, and he slipped right back into sleep. I smiled down at him. He was an angel for caring about me

sure he was asleep, I crept to the door and slipped out into the hallway.

I’d made few breakthroughs. Asher had supplied me with a small lab here in the palace, along with an assistant, a young woman named Becky. Becky was a quiet

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

day, 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 his daily duties and appointments so it wouldn’t alert anyone else to the matter.

the mark. As I studied his skin closely, I could feel his steel-like gaze on-me, and the

would force myself to not get drawn into the appeal.

only about his symptoms and how he

Asher’s wife was making it a point to stay

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

the stairs mostly undetected. A few guards I’d come to know nodded

the back way to the 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

fragrant garden until I reached Othe expansive dew-covered lawns. The grass was cold against my

track of my destination. I 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

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