Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 39 Jealousy and Mystery

ASHER

“Checkmate!” Kane laughed as he shifted his pawn.

An agitated grumble rose out of me and I sat back on the couch in irritation.

“That’s the third time you’ve lost today,” my stepbrother remarked, much to my annoyance, and then he grinned at me. “So strange, brother. Ever since we began playing years ago, you’ve never lost a single match. Tell me, what’s bothering you?”

I remained silent and did my best to ignore him as I crossed my arms against my chest. It had been a huge mistake to invite Kane to play chess with me, but I’d needed something to distract me from thinking about Ca ssandra Keller. That being said, this experience only added to my frustration.

“Let me take a guess,” Kane continued on, and he rubbed his chin and gave me a mischievous, boy-like expression. “It’s the healer, Ca ssandra, isn’t it?”

I wanted to curse him out at even mentioning her, but I held my tongue and rolled my eyes instead. How dare he pretend to know me?

“Don’t deny it,” my brother prodded, and then he chuckled. “She’s really rather

cute.”

“She’s alright,” I mentioned off-handedly, and I regretted my words immediately. Kane sat forward and leaned on his elbows.

“She’s more than alright,” he replied with a shake of his head. “I can see the lust in your eyes, brother. You want to f**k her, don’t you?”

“Kane!” my voice hardened, and I nearly rose from my seat at his crude remark. He was entirely unbothered, though, and pressed further.

“Well, well,” Kane mused, and then he laughed. “Sorry for my bluntness, but do

you really think you’re hiding it that well? Everyone in Merliscire knows you fancy the woman. Besides, you’re rather obvious about it, Asher. You personally had her promoted to be your private healer, and we all know that you let her stay in your chamber late in the day… every day.”

“In my office,” I corrected him through narrowed eyes.

“What’s the difference?” Kane retorted, and he sat back in his brown leather armchair. “The office, your chamber… either way, Adalyn is sore about it.”

Adalyn?

Sore?

a

I tucked my

practically smell it in the air when she enters the room. She wants to kill your

“No, she wouldn’t dare do something like that. It isn’t like her to be prone to violence.”

disappeared. “She knows you don’t want her, not in the way she needs you to. Jealousy has twisted her heart, that much is

you,” I said, and a

on a woman since Cora died, Asher,”

silence at the mention of Cora’s name. The two of us hadn’t spoken about her in ages. I’d practically outlawed any remarks about my former mate, yet there was something nice

you need to move on,” Kane continued on, and then he sighed. “You can’t live in a memory forever. She’s haunting you and

say. I knew three was some truth to my stepbrother’s words. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I knew Adalyn was prone to jealousy, and I knew that that jealousy had only surged with time. I couldn’t touch her, not when the memories

until Ca ssandra Keller arrived in Anemond.

I forget Cora? I missed her every day of my life

Kane spoke up again, and he rose to his feet. “I’m going to get some rest, but before I do, I have to tell you something about

healer.”

her-” I started to say, but Kane

was quite protective over you. She wouldn’t let any of us come too close to you while she was treating you. It seemed like she was prepared to do anything if

saving you.”

my mouth to speak, but no sound

protective of me? I’d had

through my frown. “For telling

as if he were amused by his own words. It was hard to say if he was simply teasing the issue or if he

sigh and closed my eyes. I was still so

ordeal that it felt nice to relax in

long after, I heard a knock

called out, and moments later, Lancel stepped into the room. He’d been on a mission for a while now out in Wild Crawler territory, doing some investigative work for

I

me a small bow of respect. “I would have arrived back in Anemond sooner,

“About