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.

I repeated myself, and then I took a breath. “I

scooted in a little closer, but I could tell from her body language that she

“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 hand on you and I promise it’s being dealt with. I’ve always tried to play nicely with

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 by

somewhere else.

I’d been too lax with her. I needed to punish her for what

okay,” the healer remarked quietly. “After all, Your Majesty, Adalyn was wounded in my laboratory. I understand why Margaret would be angry that her daughter-in-law

to say something in response but

earlier conversation between us where Ca ssandra had asked me if I cared about

relationship with Adalyn, and I’d said

my heart

Kaleb was the one that stopped

and tucked a lock of

I said. Ca ssandra stopped what she was doing and raised her eyes to

she said. “He

when she didn’t, I decided I needed to pry a little bit more. Why wasn’t she sharing any of this with

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

silent and then her eyes fell

He brought me some salve from his country to soothe my burn. I don’t know if he’s sent any to Lady Adalyn, but the stuff was quite useful. It took much of my pain away.”

last night,” I said. “At her

making notes in her journal

little, but she managed to steady them quickly and offer me a

Your Majesty,”

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 almost felt like an insult coming