Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

ASHER

Chapter 81 A taste of jealousy

When Ca ssandra Keller arrived at my study for the health check the next day, was still thinking about Adalyn’s accusatory words. I wasn’t st upid enough to fall for the claim that the healer was somehow entangled with the king of Yurene. There

was no way she had anything to do with him..

I knew Adalyn’s words had come from jealousy.

And yet, I couldn’t help but consider Kaleb. The way the king from the North treated Ca ssandra bothered me greatly. There was something there in the way the tall, foreign man studied her. There was an affection that I didn’t like, one that even now, I couldn’t deny.

But a spy? No. There was no way that the beautiful healer I’d plucked all the way from Wild Crawler was an operative.

“Is everything okay?” she asked me quietly.

“Sure,” I remarked simply.

She spread her supplies out on my desk and then got to work. As she poked. and prodded me, my mind began to wander until I finally slipped back into reality. Ca ssandra was engrossed in her work. I watched her closely as she made notes about my blood pressure and then moved on to the next task with ease.

I wanted to make small talk, but I had the sense she didn’t want to speak with me at all after what had happened between us in my chamber yesterday. What could I say, and what could I do about it all?

A sigh escaped me before I could stop it.

“You can sit closer,” I said-softly.

Ca ssandra looked up from her notes and seemed taken aback by the offer.

“Excuse me?” she asked as her brow furrowed.

closer,” I repeated myself, and then I took a breath. “I promise, I won’t touch you

a little closer, but I could tell from her body language that she was still too nervous

said after I cleared my throat. “About Margaret. I just wanted to apologize for what she did. There was no reason why she should have shown up to your chambers and tried to seize you. Her guards had no reason to lay a single

my father was gone, there was really no reason for her to remain in Anemond. But I resisted the urge to exile her for Kane’s sake. I didn’t want to damage my relationship with him

somewhere else.

needed to punish her for what she’d attempted to do to Ca ssandra.

remarked quietly. “After all, Your Majesty, Adalyn was wounded in my laboratory.

in response but didn’t know what. I was reminded of

where Ca ssandra had asked me if I

with Adalyn, and

unease in my

that Kaleb was the one that stopped Margaret,”

nodded and tucked a lock of her

that the king had a private conversation with you,” I said. Ca ssandra stopped what she was doing and raised

she said. “He

bit more. Why wasn’t she sharing any of this with me? Did she really trust me so little and the king of Yurene

he talk to you about?” I asked her directly as

remained silent and then her eyes fell

his courtesy as a gentleman. He brought me some salve from his country to soothe my burn. I don’t know if he’s sent any to Lady Adalyn,

on Adalyn last night,” I said. “At her family’s estate. She said she was feeling just fine.”

She stopped making notes

thin line. Her hands shook a little, but she managed to steady them quickly and offer me a response.

to hear that, Your Majesty,” she

much to the formalities that came with my position, but I didn’t like hearing the words “Your Majesty” coming from her lips. They were too cold, too courteous, too/polite. As absurd as it seemed, they