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 good

I tucked my hair behind my

clear as day, my brother,” Kane replied. “Adalyn is jealous. You can practically smell it in the air when she enters

she wouldn’t dare do something like that. It isn’t like her to

a more simple-minded girl in our youth, but she’s changed, Asher,” my stepbrother insisted, and this time, the playfulness in his tone. disappeared. “She knows you don’t want her, not in the way she needs you to. Jealousy has twisted her heart, that much is clear. I understand that you want to think the best

you,” I said, and a strange expression

haven’t laid a finger on a woman since

fell into 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

on, and then he sighed. “You can’t live in a memory forever. She’s haunting you and will continue haunting you until you

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 of touching Cora still lingered in my mind. I hadn’t desired a single

is until Ca ssandra Keller

forget Cora? I missed her every day of my life

been a very long day,” 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 your

healer.”

about her-” I started to say, but Kane waved me

is important, Asher. The night you were attacked by the viper… Ca ssandra Keller was quite protective over you. She wouldn’t let any of us come too close to

saving you.”

opened my mouth to speak, but no

protective of me? I’d had

you,” I managed to say through my frown. “For telling

flashed me a slightly playful smile as if he were amused by his own words. It was hard to say if

he was gone, I released a sigh and

ordeal that it felt nice to relax in the quietness of my

after, I heard a knock

now out in Wild Crawler territory, doing some investigative

I wondered

gave me a small bow of respect. “I would have arrived back in Anemond sooner, but while I was there in Wild Crawler territory, I found something suspicious and had to follow the

I said. “About the