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

the vipers in the basement?” Asher shifted the subject.

they stared into mine, I was grateful for the shift

venoms were noted,” I relayed. “But many of them were new or ones that she

others we didn’t know

about them in our books.

all? We can’t risk any more viper

“Right,” I agreed.

pack my supplies away neatly. As ! made sure

strange box in

about the box in

and his eyebrows creased

library,” I repeated, and then I clarified.

room?”

seem to

don’t know of any such box,” he said, and he pinched the bridge of his nose between his

I said. “It’s got a large lock on the top. I asked the librarian what it was, but she had no recollection of

then 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

I think,

ssandra, now you’ve lost me entirely. Catch me up to speed about whatever key details I

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

about Wegalla being built to fight the

about that,” he remarked. “I

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

about the poisons they’d produced, and that although they’d been

poisons, I might be able to find their cures,” I