Ch. 306..310: Alpha King’s Lost Luna Chapter 306-310

Chapter 306 Kill ADALYN El This girl was stupid and annoying, to say the least.

Yet, despite these facts, I regretted that I had underestimated her. I should have dealt with the tiny redhead girl right after Cassandra Keller had disappeared. Now, she had become a big problem, one I wasn’t sure how to handle.

“I was hiding in the room next to yours when you spoke,” Becky chimed in.

Father’s face changed when she mentioned the meeting. His complexion paled and his hazel eyes widened, but when he ran his hands through his graying hair, it was clear

that he seemed convinced by her words.

I had to hand it to her. 3 Placing herself at the scene of the crime was a bold move, one I wasn’t sure how to work around. This was damning to be certain but I had to remain collected if I wanted to make it out of this and continue my plans without interruption.

Silas’ little kitten was a true thorn in my side.

Father studied the girl’s expression like a fox studying its prey. “I hope you acknowledge that you will be punished for your confession, girl. You heard something you weren't meant to hear in a zone that was out of bounds to you.

Not that you were meant to be in the House of Moses anyway. Do you

understand that those actions will have consequences, even if you are my son’s... mate?” St a She nodded, much to my agitation, and tucked a lock of her auburn hair behind her ear innocently. “I understand it well, Lord Oliver, which is why I confessed. You wouldn't trust me if I withheld any information. I can tell you don’t like to be deceived, so I will do no such thing.” The moment Father fixed his gaze on me, I knew he believed the little bitch over me. I couldn’t be all that surprised. He had

always distrusted me. Why would today be any different? “I’ll have to figure this out for myself,” he said, and then he glanced at the guards. “Take the girl and her

accomplice away. Lock them up.” The guards nodded and before they left, Father pointed at Becky. i “You better not be lying,” he warned her. “If you are, I will see to it that you suffer.” She nodded and without another word, the guards led the pair from the room.

They closed the door behind them, leaving only Father and I in the room.

Father didn’t speak for a few minutes and the silence was palpable. Silence could add to the pressure, especially in his presence. I used to fear this atmosphere because it always meant heavy punishment, but to my surprise, I didn’t feel fear.

I only felt hatred.

At the situation, at Father, at Silas.

Stupid, stupid, Silas, and his awful little bitch of a pet. How had I gotten so unlucky? I had the girl chained up for goodness sake! How had her accomplice gotten in under my nose? “Is what the girl said true?” Father finally spoke, clearly holding in his anger. He seemed on the verge of exploding into a blind rage. “I’m giving you a chance, Adalyn.” A chance? A chance? A chance to what? To admit I wanted to cripple his beloved son? Why would I do that? What was he expecting from me? A full confession? For me to beg for his forgiveness as I wept and whimpered for him?

I wanted to laugh.

His question brought old memories to my mind. Fa Father had said the same thing when Silas and I were very young.

It was the first time he had brought us to the forest to hunt. Back then, Silas had only been five years old. All he knew was crying, especially out for my mother. He only ever sought her attention.

Father wanted me to look after Silas, but I was fed up with him. I wanted to run into the forest and hunt with the other strong werewolves. I wanted to be like Cora, the beautiful golden- haired girl who was said to be better than any kids at our age.

So, I'left Silas near an old tree trunk

and warned him to stay there. I told him if he didn’t remain there, a scary monster would drag him deep into the woods and tear the very flesh from his limbs.

After he nodded fearfully at me, I ran deep into the forest and hunted a deer all on my own. I was ecstatic as I carried my kill back out from the woods. I wanted to show Father how good I was, how capable I was. Perhaps if he knew I was talented, he would speak to others in the Pack, and I would be talked of as highly as Cora.

We could be the best of the best in the Pack one day if only I could get his praise.

But instead of praise, Father was angry with me. It was the first time he whipped me, the old way of punishing disobedient werewolves that was rare,

but not outlawed.

All because Silas was wounded. p It wasn’t my fault. If he hadn’t left his spot, his legs never would have been cut by the sharp rock. But Father always blamed me. Every mistake was my mistake.

To this day, I couldn’t understand what I ever did to hurt him.

I was his daughter. Why did he treat me so differently than he did his son? I stared at him now and shook my head in denial. “I didn’t do anything, Father.

I' would never harm Silas. I've always loved him. He’s my brother, after all.

I'll make you a vow-" “A vow is of no value to me, Adalyn,” he interrupted me with a glare.

“There’s only one way to know the

truth. I'll call the head of healers here at once.” I knew the healer would confess everything. Father was great at interrogation and the head healer was weak. He would give in at once.

“This will be your last chance,” Father continued. “You know what the consequences would be if what the girl said is true.” The consequences. Would he ground me in the basement, not allowing anyone to talk to me, and giving me no food to eat for days until I had no strength to beg? Or would he whip me in front of all of the Moses soldiers? Perhaps he would kill me this time.

“Why can’t you trust me?” I blurted

out.

Father frowned. “You're avoiding the question.” = “I’m not,” I fired back. “It’s you who keeps avoiding the problem, Father.

Why have you always loved Silas better? Why can’t you be fair to me?” He stared at me with an expression of disgust and disdain. He didn’t even bother to answer my questions.

Instead, he walked toward the door, probably to find some guards to bring the head healer to the study.

But I didn’t give him the chance.

Out of anger and desperation, I pulled a knife from my pocket. I had kept it on me since Asher went missing and Anemond became a mess. I had wanted

to protect myself, as it was clear that there was only one person looking out for me. = Myself.

Father didn’t notice, so I took the opportunity and rushed over and stabbed the knife into his neck.

He tried to struggle but it was too late.

He didn’t even make a sound before he collapsed lifelessly to the floor.

I dropped the knife in shock and then stared at my bloodied hand in shock.

What had I just done?

Chapter 307 Council Meeting CASSANDRA One thing was absolutely certain amongst Asher, the councilors he trusted, and I.

Whatever Oliver Moses wanted to do at the council meeting, we needed to stop him. We were in complete agreement but knew we needed others to agree to our cause. We needed the support of other Packs in order to bring him down, and knew we wouldn’t get far without it.

“Oliver Moses has quite a number of soldiers stationed in Anemond, especially around Merlisicre,” Karsh revealed solemnly. “If we want to confront the Moseses, we will need a troop of good soldiers of our own.”

Though I didn’t want to admit it, the councilor was correct in his assessment. Despite having support from Alpha Gareth, Wild Crawler on its own couldn’t provide enough soldiers.

If we wanted to gather real numbers to stand against the Moses soldiers, we needed to contact other Packs and ask for their support.

“Your Majesty, it would be best for you to remain in the darkness before the meeting,” Jacoby advised after a moment of silence. “We don’t know which Packs are complicit with Moses and don’t want to show our hand before we even get to the meeting.

Karsh and I should make the calls ourselves. We can do so here while we’re gathered, given that your phones are capable?” After I nodded, the councilors gathered

alist of Packs and began to make their calls while Asher and I waited and listened quietly. I took notes after every call, writing down every Paack who supported the Alpha King and those who seemed to support Oliver Moses.

Unfortunately for us, the calls did not go well.

Most of the Alphas of Wegalla had an ambiguous attitude toward the running of the country, which frustrated Asher to no end.

Many of them in favor of Asher’s rule noted they wouldn't want to go against Moses, the regent of Wegalla, and didn’t have extra soldiers to send to the capital. They needed to protect their own lands in case war broke out, so they couldn’t spare their men even

if it was in support of the Alpha King.

Some were more straightforward than that. They said in a variety of ways that the Alpha King was missing and probably dead, so they had better listen to Oliver Moses, the former Beta who might be the next king.

It was infuriating to say the least.

I wasn’t prone to anger, not like I used to be, but I was still hurt and annoyed that so many didn’t seem to care about their Alpha King at all. Asher had stressed for years and worked hard to be a good king and they didn’t care to help him in his time of need.

Once the calls were through, Karsh and Jacoby left the clinic, warning us again before they left that Asher needed to lie low before the meeting.

“We will contact you if something changes,” Karsh swore to him. “Stay strong, Your Majesty. We will get you through this if it’s the last thing we do.

Oliver Moses won't be the next Alpha King of Wegalla, not if we have anything to say about it. We'll stop him. I swear it.” kok ok The next two days passed quickly but there was almost no progress made in any direction.

There was much to do and a lot of things to worry about, things that consumed my mind so completely that sleep was impossible.

First, Becky and Dickson still hadn’t returned. A guard had been sent to the | House of Moses on our behalf to look for news, but when he returned, he was

empty-handed. He told us that Oliver Moses had caught two people, who were possibly Becky and Dickson and locked them up, but he couldn’t get access to them no matter how hard he tried. The good news was that Oliver hadn’t given any orders on how to deal with them, so if they were our friends, they were at least safe for now.

Second, Asher couldn’t get in touch with Kane, who was supposed to be in Sky Pride. He placed dozens of calls to the remote Pack but none of them were picked up. My mate was worried to death about his stepbrother and no amount of convincing was helping him relax.

Third, and this was a strange one, no one had apparently seen Oliver Moses in two days. The guard had told us Oliver hadn’t appeared after he

allegedly interrogated Becky and Dickson and ordered them to be locked up. - Karsh and Jacoby were worried that he was out of Anemond and seeking more military support, but it was hard to say for certain. All we could do was focus on the tasks at hand and mentally prepare for the council meeting.

Asher would get his crown and country back from those villains.

I would do all in my power to see to it.

My sorcery had a great deal of work to go before it would be mastered but I would stand by my mate’s side no matter what danger came our way.

* kk The day of the council meeting came swiftly.

Asher and I disguised ourselves as Karsh and Jacoby’s attendants and went to the meeting with them. It was held in the royal palace, and according to the pair on our side, every councilor and important noble in Anemond had been invited to attend.

Sure enough, when we entered the large room, I spotted many familiar faces. The seats were arranged beforehand with ornate name cards on the table.

Karsh and Jacoby’s seats were arranged on the far end of the table, opposite where Oliver Moses was meant to be seated.

Where Asher should have been seated.

Adalyn and Margaret were sitting on either side of the main seat. I noticed

Asher’s lips curling downward into a frown when he saw them. It was strange. The women should not have been at the council meeting because they had no concrete power. Adalyn had brought Prince Marco, who was sitting on her lap with an anxious expression.

But strangest of all, Oliver Moses wasn’t anywhere in sight. All of the attendees soon filled their seats, but Oliver’s was still empty. People began to chatter, wondering where he could be. It was unlike him to be late and absent from something so important.

As everyone grew more baffled, Adalyn stood and walked toward the main seat. Her golden eyes glowed and she flashed everyone a smile as all fell silent.

“My apologies everyone,” she remarked to the room. “My father is very ill, so I will be speaking on-his. — behalf.” The councilors started to whisper in confusion. Apparently, none had heard he was sick.

Asher and I exchanged a glance.

Something was strange here.

“His illness stems from his great sorrow,” she continued to say. “My dear brother Silas is still in a coma, and my father is extremely worried.” “Why would he suddenly be ill when he was the one who announced this meeting?” a councilor blurted out. “If he is indeed that sick, shouldn't the meeting be postponed?” “This meeting was too important for

him to call off,” Adalyn explained with a wave of her hand. “He believes the matters to be discussed are for the best of this country so he doesn’t want to put this meeting off.” The councilor seemed like he wanted to speak, but just as he opened his mouth, Adalyn snapped at him.

“Do you want to challenge the authority of Moses and the royal family?” she demanded.

The councilor fell silent, as did the rest of the room.

My heart pounded in my chest as Adalyn cleared her throat.

“As everyone is well aware, the Alpha King is missing,” she said in a formal, sorrowful sort of voice. “And has been for a long time. The Moses family has

done everything they could to search for him, especially my father.

Unfortunately, days ago... we discovered the king's corpse-" The room suddenly erupted in gasps, whispers, and exclamations of shock.

Asher and I exchanged a look of shock.

His corpse? I couldn’t believe my ears.

What was she doing? “1t’s awful news to the whole country,” Adalyn lamented with a frown. “I couldn’t believe it until I read the forensic report myself.” She wiped a tear from her eyes and then raised her chin and changed her tone.

“Despite the terrible news, I believe

the people of Wegalla need to stick together and move forward,” she continued. “We need to get the country back to normal.” She gently pushed Prince Marco’s shoulder, nudging him forward.

“My father believed a new king would cheer up the morale of the whole country,” Adalyn announced. “And who better than the son of the late Alpha King?”

| Chapter 308 Argument CASSANDRA Thankfully, Adalyn’s proposal wasn’t as convincing to the councilors as | she’d expected. It was clear from the glint in her golden eyes and the proud expression on her beautiful face that she assumed all would accept the idea of Marco’s ascension without complaint, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. The room dissolved into whispers and gasps at once.

One of the councilors I didn’t know the name of cleared his throat and all fell quiet.

“Pardon me for my bluntness, Lady Adalyn, but it’s absurd to announce a new Alpha King when there is no

evidence showing that the king is dead,” he pointed out, his thick dark eyebrows furrowed at her. “We have nothing of the sort before us-" “The forensic report will explain everything-" Adalyn began to say but the councilor waved her off with his hand.

“A report means nothing,” he stated boldly, and then he glanced around the room to garner attention from the other councilors. “If the Alpha King is dead, we need to see his corpse for our own eyes. From there, he will need a proper funeral so that he can be buried here in the land of Wegalla, per the tradition of every king before him.

Only after the burial can a new Alpha King be appointed.” A few other councilors nodded,

emboldened by his words.

“If he is dead, the people must witness | and then mourn,” another spoke up.

“A new king matters not to us right now.” The room suddenly filled with the voices of the councilors, and then, another one I didn’t recognize rose to his feet.

“I think Lady Adalyn is thinking about what’s best for the country,” he said loftily, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes in his direction. “Since the Alpha King’s disappearance, the country has been in chaos, chaos that has lasted for too long. Our people long for peace and prosperity-" Some disagreement interrupted him, but he simply spoke louder to drown out the complaints.

“As shocking as the proposal initially sounds, Prince Marco is old enough to take the throne,” he continued, and he pushed his spectacles up his hooked | nose. “The youngest king in Wegalla’s history was three years old, after all.

He will need guidance to be certain, but this isn’t unheard of.” I gritted my teeth and forced myself to remain as silent as I could manage.

When I turned to Asher, Karsh, and Jacoby, it was clear they shared the same dilemma. This was insane. This councilor was on the side of the Moses family, and I wondered how much they had bribed him with to agree with this insane plan.

A couple of councilors sitting beside him chimed in and started to argue with the others in his favor. Their voices filled the room and the chaos

was enough to make me want to throw my hands over my ears to drown it out.

I'd known this wouldn’t be an easy task, but I hadn’t expected some of the councilors to be as captivated by the Moses family as they were. It was as if they were under some kind of spell.

Finally, the first councilor who had spoken rose to his feet and spoke louder than the others, forcing the room to fall completely silent as all turned to look at him.

“I don’t believe this decision can be made without the presence of Lord Oliver of Lord Beta Silas,” he spoke clearly and concisely.

Though he didn’t point out directly that he thought Adalyn wasn’t qualified to make this sort of announcement, his demeanor was

clear enough, as was his facial expression.

All remained silent and when I glanced at Adalyn, I saw her face twist into a look of anger. It only lasted for the briefest of instances, but it was there all the same. She quickly recovered and her red-painted lips curled into a polite smile.

“I don’t know how else to say this,” she spoke evenly. “And I don’t want to say it twice, but I fear I must. My father wanted me to make this announcement on his behalf, which is exactly why I’m here. As for my brother, I think it’s rude to mention the need for his presence when he is currently fighting for his life. We have no idea when he will awaken, councilor.”

Adalyn then gestured at Margaret.

«Besides, we have Lady Margaret here.

I do not know who else is needed with her present.” Margaret smiled and nodded. Clearly, she thought she was some sort of authority figure and believed in Adalyn’s proposal. The truth of the matter, though, was that Margaret held no power here and she didn’t mean a thing to the councilors. My theory was proven when they simply ignored the widow of the late king and began to talk amongst themselves.

Margaret's cheeks flushed in embarrassment, and I leaned in and whispered to Asher.

“The number of councilors on Adalyn’s side equals the ones against her,” I remarked.

Asher nodded. “And the rest seem too afraid to speak up or get involved. They may not approve of this ridiculous idea, but they probably don’t want to vex the Moses family.” It was my turn to nod, and then I

glanced around the room. It was an interesting observation since I had expected the Moseses would get more support. Perhaps this proposition was too radical even for them, too shocking. A boy king wasn’t exactly a sane plan.

“I don’t think Oliver would make this decision,” I whispered to Asher aftera moment. “It seems crazy even for him.” “I think so too,” Asher agreed, his gray eyes fixed on what should have been Oliver’s seat at the table. “I think

something happened to Oliver Moses, something more than mere sickness.” When he turned to face me, I simply blinked at my mate in surprise.

“Are you suggesting he’s... dead?” I whispered.

“Either dead or like Silas,” he whispered back solemnly.

A lump formed in my throat as I pondered the idea. It made a good deal of sense, though I didn’t want to accept that as truth. There was no love lost toward Oliver Moses, but who would have done something like that? It was hard to say. The man surely had his enemies.

Adalyn raised her voice again, forcing

Asher and me to pay attention once more.

“It’s a shame to see so many councilors having no sense of responsibility for the country,” she said, her lips pouting slightly. “If you don’t want to comply, I’m afraid the Moses family will have to teach you a lesson.” As she spoke, the soldiers behind her stepped forward as a threat. It was illegal to bring soldiers and other military members into a council meeting, but the Moseses had clearly taken enough power to ignore the rules.

The room fell silent as all sat tensely in their chairs.

After a minute or so, I was worried the councilors would cave and allow

Adalyn to carry on with her proposal, but before all hope was lost, Karsh stood up.

“What if the king returned?” he blurted out boldly, and as all stared at him in confusion, he continued to speak. “Since no one can prove the Alpha King is dead with any real certainty, there's a chance this alleged report is false and the king might return at any time. What then?” Adalyn offered him a chilling smile.

“Hypothetically speaking, the Alpha King would still be king if he were to return before Prince Marco’s 18th birthday, but any time after that, he would have to forfeit the crown.” She let out a soft, dramatic sigh. “But I’m afraid this idea is merely a theory. I read the report carefully, councilor,

and I can confirm it’s real and true.” Karsh clenched his jaw and then gave her a small smirk.

“How can you confirm this information?” he asked her directly.

“Since you haven’t yet been claimed by the king?”

Chapter 309 Hostage CASSANDRA Adalyn’s face twisted again at Karsh’s cold and daring question, only this time, she didn’t recover and lost any sense of calm within her.

“How dare you demean the future king’s mother?” she roared, her golden eyes flashing with anger as she bared her teeth.

Despite her outrage and fierce expression, the councilor remained as cool as ever and didn’t even flinch. It was an impressive sight to behold and it made me respect Karsh even more.

Adalyn had always been a brat but I had the sense that her ferocity wasn’t something to take lightly, at least not today.

“I’m just stating the truth, Lady Adalyn,” Karsh said with a slightly raised chin, his eyes locked on hers.

“The king is alive, I can assure you-" Before he could finish his statement, Adalyn motioned with her hand and gave a signal to the soldiers behind her.

“Seize that traitor!” she ordered, and her men launched into action at once.

My heart raced in my chest as I saw the soldiers approach Karsh, but before they could get too close, Asher suddenly stood up and stepped forward. The fluid motion made the hooded cape that concealed his face fall aside, revealing his features to | everyone in the room.

“I don’t think Councilor Karsh has done anything to demean you, Adalyn,” he said, his voice radiating power.

Everyone in the meeting room uttered gasps and stared at the Alpha King in shock, Adalyn especially. Her pretty face turned ghostly white and those catlike eyes of hers widened so much they appeared as if they were about to fall out of her skull.

Though the moment was tense and the air was palpable, witnessing the expression on her face amused me greatly. I wasn’t one who found satisfaction in other’s misery, but she was so arrogant and full of herself that it was admittedly nice to see her so shocked.

For a moment as Adalyn blinked at

Asher, I thought she was happy that he was alive after all, but the tiny trace of happiness on her face faded quickly when she caught my eye. Her lips curled into a snarl and her nostrils flared.

“This is some kind of trick,” she | growled at her soldiers. “This king is a fake one, I can assure you. This evil healer is trying to pull off some sort of scheme!” As her soldiers glanced between us and her, it was clear they weren’t convinced by Adalyn’s words. Asher remained silent but his stance was regal and unmistakeable. They recognized the Alpha King for who he was, which only agitated Adalyn further.

«geize him!” she demanded again, her

volume louder and angrier than before. | The soldiers reluctantly moved forward, but suddenly, the councilor who had been firmly on Asher’s seat rushed over and knelt before my mate.

Karsh and Jacoby followed suit, pushing their chairs aside so they could approach him.

My breath caught in my throat as I tried to predict what would happen next. It was no surprise that those councilors would know Asher for who he was, but the rest of the men in the room could be a different story. The Moses family had their fingers in everything and there was no telling who would fall for Adalyn’s deception.

Just as I whispered a prayer to the

Moon Goddess, the sounds of shifting chairs filled the meeting room, and suddenly, the councilors rose to their feet and walked toward Asher. As they approached, they knelt on the ground and bowed their heads in respect to their Alpha King. None dared to support Adalyn anymore, not in the presence of the true king.

“Daddy!” I heard Prince Marco gasp, and my heart ached for the poor child.

He had been misguided and used as a pawn for all of his life. All he’d wanted was love and he certainly hadn’t gotten that from Adalyn.

She ignored her son’s utterance and shouted at the soldiers.

“1 told you to seize him!” she cried, a vein in her forehead jutting out as she yelled at the men. “He’s not the real

king. The Alpha King is dead!” But no matter what she said, the soldiers didn’t dare move. Despite their loyalty to the Moses family, they wouldn’t challenge their true king under any circumstance. They soon followed the lead of the councilors and bowed to Asher.

Asher, meanwhile, fixed his gaze on Adalyn.

“It’s time to stop, Adalyn,” he said calmly but firmly. “Where is your father?” “Shut up!” she snarled back at him as her nails sharpened into claws at her side. I remained in place to not escalate the situation further, but I was prepared to launch myself at her if she tried to harm my mate.

Adalyn suddenly glared at me and then looked back at Asher.

“Why are you still with this nasty, vile woman?” she demanded. “And why did you come back to Wegalla? Things would have been just fine if you’d stayed away! We were doing just fine without you,

Asher!” She sounded crazed, more so than usual, and I'd half-expected Asher to be more intense as he stood against her, but instead, he merely frowned and looked concerned for her.

His lips parted to speak, but before they could utter a word, Marco sprang up from his chair and ran toward Asher.

“Daddy!” he called out again, his big eyes full of tears and confusion. He was clearly freaked out and upset at his

father’s return, and it seemed that all he wanted was a hug from Asher.

Asher stepped forward to receive the little prince but Adalyn swooped in faster and grabbed Marco instantly.

Her grip was strong enough to elicita gasp from Margaret.

“Adalyn, let him go-" she started to say but Adalyn hissed at her.

“Shut up!” she snarled and then she turned back to Asher. She placed both hands around Marco’s neck as if she intended to strangle him.

Asher froze and his gray eyes widened at the same time mine did. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

How could a mother threaten to hurt her own son? Asher stopped and held his hands up as

if in surrender. “Adalyn, let Marco go.” “Don’t tell me what to do,” she hissed at him as Marco squirmed. She tightened her grip and the little prince began to weep.

“If you stop now, I'll spare you and give you a chance to live,” Asher pleaded. “Please, Adalyn. There's no need to hurt our son.” She laughed, a cruel sound that sent a chill down my spine. “A chance to

live? Oh please. That's the kind of bullshit a captor tells their captee. I know the consequences of my surrender, Asher.

There’s no way back, not after everything I've done.” “What did you do?” Asher asked her cautiously. “What is so terrible that you can’t come back from it?”

As he spoke, he slowly took a step closer, but Adalyn caught on quickly and tightened her grip on Marco’s neck.

“Back up or I'll do it,” she threatened as Marco whimpered.

Asher’s cheeks paled and he obediently retreated a few steps. The councilors in the room remained frozen, their expressions as nervous as mine likely was.

“I need to go back to the House of Moses,” Adalyn continued. “If you want to talk, we'll talk there.

Otherwise, there’s no way I'll let him go. If you try to kill me, Marco will die with me.” My jaw tensed. This was a cunning proposition. If we went to the House of Moses, we would be surrounded by

As he spoke, he slowly took a step closer, but Adalyn caught on quickly and tightened her grip on Marco’s neck.

“Back up or I'll do it,” she threatened as Marco whimpered.

Asher’s cheeks paled and he obediently retreated a few steps. The councilors in the room remained frozen, their expressions as nervous as mine likely was.

“I need to go back to the House of Moses,” Adalyn continued. “If you want to talk, we'll talk there.

Otherwise, there’s no way I'll let him go. If you try to kill me, Marco will die with me.” My jaw tensed. This was a cunning proposition. If we went to the House of Moses, we would be surrounded by

 

Chapter 310 Please stop, Ada CASSANDRA Adalyn’s golden eyes narrowed and then locked on mine.

“Why would that wicked woman come with us?” she demanded as she continued to shoot daggers in my direction.

“Those are my terms,” Asher insisted.

“You want an audience with me? Those are my requirements.” It was a bold assertation on his behalf.

As long as Adalyn had Prince Marco in her grasp, she had the upper hand, but she was far too weak to realize her power. Asher was still the Alpha King, after all, so I supposed that subconsciously, she felt compelled to

obey. ) Silence hung heavily in the air and then CARIES finally she sighed.

“Fine,” she huffed and then she flashed me a sneer. “Let her come.

Perhaps we’ll have some fun with your little plaything once we’re there.” “You won’t harm her,” Asher growled.

“We’ll see,” Adalyn said with a shrug.

“Come. It’s time we left this musty room.” Her big eyes scanned the room and then she addressed the councilors.

“The rest of you shall come as well.

Might as well make an event of it.” kkk The distance between the royal palace

and the House of Moses wasn’t very far, but we would have to cross a street to get there. If Adalyn planned to continue threatening Marco's life, she would surely be seen.

But she seemed to know that and turned to face Asher with an icy smile as we stepped outside.

“If anyone raises suspicion or attention from passersby, I will snap Marco’s neck,” she threatened as she dropped her hands from his throat. She smiled viciously as she picked her little son up and held him close against her.

When Asher nodded, I noticed a sheen of sweat covered his forehead, and his complexion was pale. He quivered a little and he swallowed heavily. It wasn’t often that I saw him scared but

it was clear he cared deeply for his child. : We began to walkand as I stared at the back of Adalyn’s head, I had to push down the rising feelings of rage within me. I wanted to wring her neck myself but wouldn’t dare intervene for fear of her hurting Marco.

I was beyond angry. I didn’t think she had ever treated Marco like a real son, and if she had once, things had surely changed. As a mother, I couldn’t believe her actions. The thought of anyone threatening to harm Finnick made my stomach turn and my heart race. How could a parent treat their child this way? Poor Marco would likely carry the trauma of this day for the rest of his life, and he didn’t deserve that kind of suffering.

Our walk to the House of Moses was silent and once we reached the doors, Adalyn stopped and turned to look at me.

“T want to speak with Cassandra in private,” she suddenly declared and a lump formed in my throat as I glanced at Asher in surprise. “The rest of you can wait outside.” My mate frowned and shook his head.

“No, absolutely not. There’s no way I | can allow you to speak with her alone.” Adalyn snorted. “I wasn’t asking your permission.” She raised her hand and sharpened her nails into claws before bringing them to Marco’s neck. The little prince stiffened, horror overtaking him. He looked terrified and pitiful as tears

flowed down his face.

Just as before, there was no choice. I couldn’t allow harm to come to the poor boy.

So, I reached out and grabbed Asher’s hand.

“I'll do it,” I announced. “Don’t worry about me. Adalyn won’t be able to do anything to me.” Adalyn rolled her eyes and snorted again. She didn’t wait to hear Asher’s reply and instead, walked into the building with Marco in her arms. I hadn’t expected her to be intimidated by me, but her lofty arrogance was a bit annoying. I didn’t want to give in to her demands but I couldn’t sit by and allow her to hurt Marco. Besides, if it came down to it, I knew I could handle myself. I wasn’t as skilled of a sorcerer

as Raven or Roxy, but I'd learned a thing or two. I wasn’t mousy little Cassandra Keller anymore. My wolf — was back, as was my spirit.

Asher studied me for a moment and then squeezed my hand and stared deeply into my eyes.

“Be careful,” he urged quietly. “I’ll be right out here.” I nodded my head and then Asher stepped back and walked toward the crowd of councilors. All were solemn and silent, and as I prepared to step into the House of Moses, a cluster of Adalyn’s family soldiers appeared.

Though they didn’t immediately attack the councilors, I knew that if something were to go awry, they would likely swoop in to cause harm.

A bunch of bullies.

I took a deep breath. Should it come to that, Asher was more than capable of handling himself. I needed to stay focused on Adalyn.

So, I followed her into the House of Moses.

As we walked down the corridor, Adalyn was greeted by a few servants, and she smiled at them as if nothing was wrong. The servants had no idea that Adalyn’s hand could snap Marco’s neck at any moment, nor did they know what stunt she had tried to pull in front of the councilors. Hell, they likely didn’t know what had really happened to Oliver to keep him from the meeting.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and followed Adalyn into a room. It was simply decorated, with nothing more

than a pair of sofas, some end tables, and a large lamp to illuminate the space. Se “Take a seat,” Adalyn said calmly as she inclined her head forward. “Do you want anything to drink?” My eyebrows shot up in bewilderment and I shook my head.

“No,” I said firmly. “What do you want, Adalyn? There’s no point in dragging your heels. What did you want to talk to me about so badly?” Adalyn uttered a short laugh and then smirked at me. “Do you understand why I wanted to speak to you in private?” I blinked at her in confusion. Hadn’t I just asked her about her intentions?

When she didn’t answer, she sighed.

“I wanted to watch you die,” she said calmly, and a chill ran through me.

I stared back at her and fought the urge to part my lips in surprise. I suddenly felt numb. Adalyn had changed so much over the years. She had always been spoiled and jealous but she had never been evil. I thought I could understand her because jealousy was an instinct. Children experienced it naturally when they wanted something they couldn’t have. But now... Adalyn’s jealousy had shifted into something else.

“You aren’t going to hurt me,” I managed to say through my nervousness and Adalyn laughed again.

“You don’t know what I'm capable of,” she scoffed. “Do you know what I hate the most about you, Cassandra? You're always so arrogant. I hate the way you look at me. That smug, pretentious look on your face reminds me so much of my father.” Her expression darkened and her lower lip trembled. I watched her demeanor change right before my eyes and anxiety swelled within me as it became clear how dangerous she had become.

“How dare you look at me like that?” she continued. “Who do you think you are? You're just a nobody, a commoner from a Pack no one cares about. You think you're so interesting and beautiful? You think you're better than me?”

Her voice grew more frantic and suddenly she started fumbling in her pocket. Her entire body shook and she seemed lost in a state of hysteria as she searched around. My heart pounded in my chest in anticipation and then nearly stopped when she retrieved a knife.

Asher’s words in the meeting room suddenly reappeared in my mind.

“You killed your father,” I realized.

Adalyn laughed again and she gave me a cold smile. “Yes, I did. I killed the undefeatable Lord Oliver. It’s so funny how everyone thought he was so unstoppable when in all reality, he was just as weak as the others. He didn’t have the strength to fight against me.

All T did was stab him once and then twist the knife. That’s it. That’s all it

| took.” i Though she laughed, her golden ee EE ees clouded with tears that spilled onto her cheeks.

I should have been horrified, but instead I felt bad for her. We had once been such great friends and here she was, standing before me a broken womarn.

Every instinct fought against it, but I took a step forward.

“Ada,” I pleaded. “Ada, please drop the knife. It’s going to be okay.” My words felt as if they had fallen out of me. Ada had been the nickname I’d called her back when I was Cora, back when there were no jealousies or competitions between us.

Back when we were best friends.

Adalyn’s face froze upon hearing it and she stared at me with a shocked expression. Vas