Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 66 The soldier

CA SSANDRA

That night, for the first time, after all of these years of loneliness and emptiness, I dreamt of my father and brother.

It was a nice dream. In it, I was out with my family in a field. Ector and I were running while my father watched on with a kind smile on his normally stern face. As we ran, a warm breeze kissed my cheeks and bright sunlight filled the sky. Ector and I tumbled around in our wolf forms and rolled in the tall, soft grass. It was the first time I’d pictured my wolf form in ages. I’d almost forgotten what she’d looked like.

I wished I could have stayed in that dream forever.

But it wasn’t meant to be. I awoke the next morning to the sound of someone calling my name. My eyes blinked open slowly and my vision was blurred as I came to. Who was saying my name?

Moments later, my eyes focused, and I saw Erika standing over me. The maid’s face was painted with worry and she touched my forehead gently.

“Oh, sweetheart,” she murmured. “You have a fever.”

For a moment, her stance and tone of voice reminded me of my childhood.

contain myself, I began to s ob.

swelled up in my eyes and before I reminded me

“Oh Erika,” I managed to say through my cries. “I’ve missed you so much.”

The maid stood there, completely stunned and unsure of what to say. I was confused by this interaction- why wasn’t she saying anything?

Suddenly, another voice chimed in.

“Mommy?” Finnick called out in a worried voice. “Mommy, what’s wrong?”

no longer dreaming. The

and the tears came much faster.

Erika tried to soothe me, and I felt her touch my bandaged hand. I winced from the pain but allowed her to check the wound. Her face suddenly paled. “Your wound is infected, Ca ssandra. Do you

here?”

instantly forced myself to stop crying and regained my composure. I nodded and

time and walked over to the

various bins and containers until she found

this it?” she asked for clarification, and when I nodded again, she shut the doors and walked back over to me. She took a seat at my bedside, and then carefully applied the salve to my hand. I cried out in pain as the medicine touched my wound but then

stable, I turned my attention

I

“Of

carefully, and I could tell from her perplexed expression and the glimmer in her eyes that she wanted to ask me something. Her lips

ssandra,” she offered. “You’ve been pushing yourself too

I nodded. “Alright.”

appeared on the other side of me, his gray eyes filled with tears. His lower lip trembled and he had his favorite stuffed bear in his hands. He

then the tears spilled onto his cheeks freely. “I hate it here in Anemond. Ever since we got here, there’s been no happy things. I miss Wild Crawler. I miss Dominic and Luna Sofia. I don’t like Prince Marco. He

my head and fought back the sadness that was swelling within me. “I’m so

was nothing we could do about it. Even if Asher was willing to let us go, it was unlikely we’d

handed me a glass of water.

urged, and as I obeyed, she glanced over at the door. “There were a few guards when I arrived here earlier.

here to make sure I don’t leave,” I explained. “The Alpha King confined me to my

and she shook her

don’t think it’s a punishment necessarily,” I elaborated as a chill ran through my body. “The Alpha King didn’t seem angry with me after I explained what had happened. But at the same time, it was a very firm decision. You were right, Erika.

“They’re dangerous, the lot of them. I just don’t understand their issue with you,

all,”

recognized it instantly. It belonged to Margaret. She was arguing with the