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.

the mu ffled screams against my pillows would wake Finnick up. On those nights, I repeated the same story- that I was just exhausted these days and was struggling to adjust

believe me, but he respected my words

okay,” I assured 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 and try to get some rest?”

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

of bed and then crossed our large room until I was over in Finnick’s area. I helped him into bed and then pulled up the

far more comfortable than the one back home, and 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 his new living quarters, but I was sad that I’d never feel comfortable here, no matter

too much hurt, too many

I whispered, and I

minutes later, his breathing changed, and he slipped right back

crept to the door and slipped

here in the palace, 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 had appointed/her to help

nice older lady who seemed very attentive to my son’s needs. I’d wanted to request Erika,

King’s study at sunset and check the mark on his body. I had to wait until he

feel his steel-like gaze on-me,

appeal. I had to remain professional and attentive

during this time, and when we did, it was only about his symptoms and how he felt that day physically. He

it a point to

uneasy. Something here wasn’t right and

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

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

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

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

reached the gates of Rosepetal, 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