Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 52 Rude Northerner

ASHER

“You’re very late, Alpha Asher. Is it customary of your Pack to keep your guests

waiting?”

The moment I stepped into the first-floor meeting room, a heavily accented voice reached my ears, and I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Though I knew the voice belonged to the King of Yurene, I was shocked by how callously I was being

spoken to.

The king stood from the couch very slowly and then extended his hand toward mine. “I jest, of course, though you do appear to be quite busy.””

I stared at his hand for a moment before I accepted it in mine. “I suppose I am quite busy. I’m sorry to keep you waiting-”

“Are you ill?” Kaleb blurted out. “You look tired-”

Lancel took a step forward in warning, but I raised a hand to stop him.

“It’s fine,” I murmured.

Kaleb studied us with a curious expression and then chuckled. “It seems the people of the South are more tense than us Northerners.”

The king of Yurene was one of the tallest men I’d ever seen. I wasn’t short by any means, but compared to his impressive stature, I felt like a child again. His hair was somewhere between gold and brown, and his deep blue eyes were dark and haunting. His appearance was sophisticated but his attire was another thing completely. He was dressed in deep leathers and furs that suggested a colder climate than it was. It made sense- Yurene’s climate was likely much colder than that of Wegalla’s.

Despite his height, he appeared to be a few years younger than me and still

had a softness to his smile.

so,” I

Kaleb before, I’d heard from my men that he was a very capable Alpha. While his father, the former king of Yurene, had taken most of their land through war and disputes, Kaleb was known to use softer policies to annex other packs into their empire. That being said, I could see a certain glint in his eyes that suggested

Lancel, Bert, and my counselors,” I introduced the group to the king, and then I

you

on the table before us, and then filled each of the cups with my favorite blend of tea. My mouth watered as the smell hit my nose. I hadn’t had much of an appetite lately, but I was

as I

and when he lifted the tea to his lips, he inhaled deeply and smiled. “This

selection, Alpha Asher. I must say, the tea in the South is very worthy of praise. The

that you have had a rather bad impression of Wegalla,” I

a strange expression of amusement. “I didn’t expect to see an attempted kidnapping upon my

down. My eyes flew to Lancel, but my guard looked

“Yes. My men and I were walking around the market earlier. I wanted to get a feel for Anemond before I arrived in the palace. I’ve only heard tales. of Wegalla from my father, you see, so I wanted to get to know the city myself. I was in the middle of the

woman.’

uttered before I

intervened before she could be hurt,” Kaleb continued. matter-of-factly, but his bright expression faded quickly. “But I must say, the

Anemond? Sure, the capital could be dangerous, but something like this… it all sounded so strange. Crime hadn’t been

years.

announced as my eyebrows creased together. “I can assure you, Alpha Kaleb, this kind

tilt of his head. “Do you mean

I couldn’t believe I was being challenged like that in my own palace. I wasn’t sure how things were done in Yurene, but

stared at me for a moment and then chuckled.

you bad luck,” he remarked, and he turned his attention back to

at my own and try to steady my breath. I needed to stay calm and collected. Politics between our empires forced

to do so.

you here, Alpha Kaleb?” I wondered. “From our correspondence, I hadn’t expected you