Chapter 131

Chapter 131 What happened five years ago.
ASHER
“Asher,” Cas sandra breathed, and her lower l*p trembled as she broke eye contact with me. “We can talk about this after we get the disease sorted out-”
“What if we can’t figure it out?” I argued. “What if we can’t find out what’s going
on or how to cure the disease.”
“That’s not an option,” she countered fiercely. “I’m going to do everything I can
to find a cure.”
I knew she meant it. Cas sandra was pa*sionate and dedicated, not to mention an excellent healer. But deep down, we both understood that there was a possibility
we might not be able to find a cure, at least not in time.
I also knew that she was using the disease as an excuse to avoid this topic. Though we’d healed most of our problems, I knew she was still afraid. Moon Goddess only knew that I was as well.
But now, I felt the need to talk, not only because of Kane and Kaleb’s sudden advances but also because what Cas sandra had said about mates and protection
reminded me of our past. She was strong and clever. She didn’t need to be shielded and protected like a delicate flower. She needed the truth.
I wouldn’t hold things back in an attempt to protect her.
I would tell her the truth.
I released my hold on her chin and instead took her hand in mine.
“Will you sit with me?” I asked gently. “Please, Cas sandra?”
She hesitated for a moment and looked as if she were going to refuse. I couldn’t blame her. This wasn’t going to be an easy conversation, but it couldn’t be avoided
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any longer. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Cas sandra nodded.
“Let me set this stuff down,” she whispered.
I let go of her hand and let her stash her equipment back into her pack. Once she was finished, I scooted a little further down and gave her some room to sit on the couch beside me. It was a sp ac ious piece of furniture, and I wanted us to have some closeness while still giving our conversation literal room to breathe.
She sat down beside me and nervously tugged at a lock of her hair. I cleared my throat and then began.
“Do you want to know what happened to me five years ago?” I asked gently.
She stared at me, visibly nervous, but after a second of hesitation, she nodded.
“Yes,” she whispered.
I nodded and then gathered my thoughts before taking a long, deep breath. What happened all those years ago was the source of Cas sandra’s nightmares, but
also mine.
“As you already know, I reason I had to take the crown so hastily was because of my father’s sudden death,” I explained. “Normally, the coronation ceremony would have taken months, if not an entire year to plan. Every detail would have been
a whole team of people. It would have been a happy day for the entire Pack. But things didn’t work out that way.”
planned precisely b
Cas sandra nodded.
“Since Father’s death was so untimely, my coronation was a surprise to everyone,” I continued. “So the ceremony was hastened. With everything going on… my attention was elsewhere. It’s no excuse, but if I’d only known that the accident would happen that day… I’d wouldn’t have left you alone. I would have brought you to a safer place.”
“Asher,” she breathed.
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I sighed and ran my hands through my hair.
“Back then, being the king was just an abstract idea,” I said. “Until Father was gone. Suddenly, I was to be the ruler of an entire empire. I had so much to do, but I didn’t know how to do it.”
Cas sandra nodded again.
“For example, I didn’t know how to clear the name of your family,” I admitted. “I wanted to set the Felix family free, but I didn’t know what to do. And that’s when Adalyn turned up. She told me that she could help. She proposed that if I married her, her father would ease up enough to want to forgive your father. She said she wanted to help us-”
“And you just believed her?” Cas sandra gasped and then she shook her head.
I gave her a bitter smile and nodded. “I was st upid.”
“Yes, you were,” she mumbled, and her eyes fell to the floor. I wished I could read her mind, but I feared what she could be thinking about. I certainly wasn’t painting myself in the best light, but I had to be honest about it all. I owed her that.
“I can’t rewrite the past,” I said. “All I can do is explain myself. I innocently thought that Adalyn’s intentions were good. I thought we could use our marriage to fre: your family. It wasn’t the most perfect of plans but given the circumstances of your father’s imprisonment and your brother’s exile to the borderlands… I don’t know. I could see what she was saying. I was desperate to save you and give you your life back.”
“I know what you’re trying to say,” Cas sandra whispered. “But it was still-”
“S tupid,” I finished for her. “Yes, it was.”
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“I was saved by Emmell Keller, she foru and brought me to Wild Crawler.”
Emmett Keller.
The healer.
And Cas sandra’s ex-husband.
It all made sense now.
Back in Wild Crawler, I’d questioned Cas sandra’s origins and how she’d met Emmett Keller in the first place. Her story hadn’t lined up with what Lancel and Kane had uncovered in their reports. But now that she explained a little of what had happened… it all made sense.
I thought back to the day of my coronation ceremony. The day of the fire.
Every Pack in Wegalla had brought their elite members to Anemond and attended the coronation ceremony to greet and congratulate their new Alpha.
The elites, namely the Alpha and Luna of Wild Crawler, had said their outstanding healer had important business, so he had to return to his Pack before he could greet his new king.
Back then, I hadn’t paid much attention to it. I had no reason to think otherwise about some healer from a Pack on the border of the country. I had too much on my mind that day to care.
If only I’d known that insignificant healer was going to be the one to save Cora.
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