Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 82 Let’s open the box

CA SSANDRA

Even though I wanted to tell Asher everything and reveal what the king of Yurene and I had spoken about after Margaret had left the room, Kaleb had asked me to keep the details of our conversation a secret. I couldn’t betray anything about his father’s illness, not when he’d been kind enough to save me so many times.

And besides, there was no way I could even remotely mention Kaleb’s offer to join him in the North. There was no possible way Asher could understand that, not even a little bit. Hell, I couldn’t even understand it myself, not when there was so much going on.

The snake pit.

Adalyn.

The encounter with the Alpha King in his chambers last night…

I certainly couldn’t say anything after last night.

I could hardly stand to be in the same room as Asher. His proximity to me was far too much already that I could barely handle this health check without losing my mind.

Was he still thinking about it as much as I was? Still thinking about me, the way I’d wrapped my legs around him, the way I’d quivered under his touch? Did he spend the night as I had, dreaming about what could have been if Prince Marco hadn’t walked into the chamber and interrupted us?

Pull yourself, together, Ca ssandra, I chastised myself. I couldn’t succumb to those thoughts, not now.

I half-expected the Alpha King to get upset with me for not betraying my encounter with Kaleb, but he didn’t. He simply sank back into his chair and closed

his eyes. I had the sense that a headache had arrived, so I decided not to push too

far.

I worked in silence for a while, taking notes, measurements, and different details of Asher’s health. Just as he’d mentioned, it seemed like the disease was in fact progressing. I wished I had more research on the subject to tell me how this was going to play out, but at the end of the day, it just wasn’t there.

want to worry him, but this new mark on his forearm wasn’t looking

you heard anything more about the vipers in

eyes opened, and as they stared into mine, I was

of them were new or ones that

were a few others we didn’t know about.”

in our books. She

That certainly doesn’t bode well, does it? I wonder what can be done about it all? We can’t risk any more viper attacks around here. We only have so many healers, and I

“Right,” I agreed.

! made

box in the royal library.

you know anything about the

Asher asked, and his

in the library,” I repeated, and then I clarified.

room?”

seem to understand.

of any such box,” he said, and he pinched the bridge

top. I asked the librarian what it was, but she had no recollection of it

he sat up. “Okay, I know what you’re describing. But I’m afraid I don’t know anything about it. Why, what does it have to do with the vipers? I don’t understand.”

I said slowly. “But I think,

“Okay, Ca ssandra, now you’ve lost me entirely. Catch me up to speed about whatever key details I appear to be missing. What are the Ewonmiams and what have they to do with anything we’ve discussed?”

detail about everything I’d uncovered in the royal library. I explained the Ewonmiams and the sorcery, every last thing I’d read

and once I reached the part about Wegalla being built to fight the Ewonmiams and stop

heard anything about that,”

don’t think any of us were,” I said as I shook my head. “I think it’s an idea that

him all about the poisons they’d produced, and that although they’d been mentioned, there were

I might be able to find their cures,” I