Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 286 Plan for the future CASSANDRA = One thing was certain. The view outside of the country house was indeed beautiful.

Once Asher and I pulled ourselves out of bed, we stepped outside and took a look at the wildlife surrounding us.

Beyond the house, a great stretch of open field seemed endless. Green plants covered the field and colorful wildflowers grew everywhere. They dotted the field like confetti, and their perfume filled the air with a pleasant aroma.

For a moment, I completely forgot our circumstances and simply enjoyed the gorgeous sight. We hadn’t had a moment of peace in so long. Life had

~ been an endless string of battles, violence, and schemes, and it felt nice to breathe. os Unfortunately, we couldn’t rest for too long or enjoy the scenery for more than a few minutes. We had to think about what to do next.

A meeting was called soon after. We all gathered around the backyard, save for Erika, Helene, and the children.

Once we were all gathered, the Alpha of Red Stone began to speak. He told us that this house was located near the borders of Wegalla and Yurene. It was a forgotten place and very few people lived out here. He assured us that the smells from the flowers and fruit trees would make it nearly impossible for outsiders to track tour scents, so we were safe here.

He then explained that there was a channel only a few miles away through which we could leave the country. The sentry post that should have been filled with Yurenian soldiers had been abandoned long ago, so it would be easy for us to leave through the channel. But it would cost us more time.

We took a moment to deliberate. We needed to get back to Wegalla as soon as possible but we had to do it strategically.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen in Vlokwell,” I said. “Kaleb and Ronald sought to destroy each other and it’s hard to say who would win.

Regardless of the victor, they would surely consider this channel, so we’d better not take this chance lightly.”

~ Asher nodded. “We should move out as soon as possible.” I knew he was right, but we needed time to get some rest and tend our wounds. Rayden and a few of the men had been wounded pretty severely, and although Asher continued to claim he was alright, he was still very pale.

Admittedly, I was still exhausted too.

My muscles ached and I had quite a few wounds that could use some care before we left.

We went back and forth for a while until finally, we decided we would need to leave this place in three days. That would be more than enough time to rest and ready ourselves for the next | half of this mission.

The Alpha of Red Stone recommended that we should go with him to his Pack.

He assured us that we would be safe from any soldiers and invited us to stay | as long as we wanted until we recovered.

It was a tempting offer, but we knew we couldn't take it. We needed to go back to Wegalla and deal with the chaos there.

Rayden insisted that he would come with us, but Asher commanded him to go to Red Stone and remain there until he was fully recovered. Rayden seemed reluctant, but Asher reminded him that even if he took the three days to rest, his condition would be too poor for him to travel back to Wegalla, and Wild Crawler couldn’t lose its Alpha.

After she was given the option to stay or go, Helene decided that she would go with the Alpha of Red Stone. She

* didn’t want to get herself in trouble and she wasn’t a citizen of Wegalla.

“I have no place there,” she mused. “I need to figure out my next step, so Red Stone seems like the rational option.” She then presented the idea of taking Lila with her, which surprised me greatly. She explained that she liked the little girl very much and considered her to be a friend. She swore she would take care of her as if she were her own.

While it was a surprise, when I saw the glittering twinkle in Helene’s caramel brown eyes, I knew Lila would be in good hands.

Once that was settled, I advised Erika to go with Helene. Anemond would be

too dangerous and I didn’t want to risk my dear friend to get hurt. Erika was like a mother to me. I couldn’t lose her when things were so precarious.

As for Finnick, I wasn’t sure what to do. I couldn’t make a decision. I knew I shouldn’t leave him behind, but I was worried about what could happen if he came with us. Just as I feared Erika’s safety, I feared my son’s too, so I decided I needed to have a discussion with him. He was such a young boy, but he was mature beyond his years, so I knew he would understand if I explained things to him.

Once our meeting was over, one of Rayden’s men came over and told me that Raven had woken up. The sorceress had apparently refused to eat, drink, or say anything aside from wanting to see me.

Iwas annoyed at the interruption but decided to see her anyway. I wasn’t too pleased with the young woman, but | | had brought her with us for a reason.

When I entered the room she’d been placed in, Raven’s eyes lit up and trailed over me.

“Cassandra!” she practically shouted.

“Look at you! You're a great sorceress now! How do you feel? I've heard that great sorceresses can predict their own fates. I bet you feel amazing, huh? You should thank me for that, because without my brilliant idea, Kaleb would never have known how to cultivate your potential.” I stared at her coldly. “Could that terrible fire really be called a brilliant idea?”

~ She nodded manically. “Without the fire, you never would have been able to connect with your past, your painful memories... Your potential was linked to your bad memories, Cassandra. You needed to see them. The method may have been unorthodox, but it was brilliant nonetheless.” As irritation swelled within me, I fought the urge to hit her.

“What do you want?” I asked her coldly. “I was told you refuse to eat or drink. Do you want to die?” Raven tilted her head slightly.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that question? Why did you bring me here, Cassandra? Do you want to torture me like we did to the guinea pigs? Or do you plan to dismember my body and see what a sorceress would be like on

the inside? I know you're a healer, so the research could be-" «1 don’t have twisted interests like you,” I cut her off before she could continue and I stifled a snarl. “I want you to tell me how to command the magic within me. I haven’t been able to control my newfound power freely and I want to learn how.” “And why should I do that?” Raven wondered and she rolled her pretty eyes in annoyance.

“Because your life is in my hands,” I replied, and then I extended my nails into claws and narrowed my eyes at her. “If you don’t want to die, you'd better cooperate. And you better not play any tricks or attempt to fool me, Raven. I can assure you that if you try to cross me, I'll slit your throat

without hesitation.