Chapter 91

Chapter 91 Imposter’s condition
ASHER
I froze in place and my blood suddenly ran cold.
Five years ago? A weak spot?
Did he… did he mean Cora? Did he know about her, about the inferno?
How?
“What are you talking about?” I demanded as I regained control over myself. Surely he was trying to rattle me, but what did he mean?
“You know what I mean,” the imposter laughed cruelly, and then he shook his head slowly. “Poor, naive boy. There’s no way you believe that it was an accident. Or that the woman was st upid enough to set the fire herself.”
The lightness of his mocking tone was enough to ignite my fury. I wanted to tear him apart for speaking about her like this. For a moment, I thought I was about to give in to my anger, but I managed to stay calm and smother my agitation.
I rolled my shoulders back and narrowed my eyes.
“What do you know about the inferno?” I demanded. “And Cora Felix?”
The imposter grinned at me and tilted his head to the side. His sheer arrogance was enough to make me sick./
“I know more about them than anyone else,” he said calmly.
I considered my options. Brute force would get me nowhere, but at the same time, I wasn’t about to just lie down and take this insolence. I was the Alpha King of Wegalla. I needed to act the part.
“How do I know I can trust any of the words that come out of your mouth?” I
asked him with a raised eyebrow. “I have no idea who you are. You could be making things up.”
The imposter shrugged. “You don’t have to trust me. I can’t make you do anything. Kill me if you want, Asher Collins, but without me, you’ll never know what happened to that poor woman.”
I knew he was goading me. The urge to just do away with this imposter was strong. But at the same time, I needed to know what he had to say about Cora.
As I pondered my next move, the imposter studied me carefully. His l*ps curled into an impish grin.
“I know you want me dead,” he said. “I can see it in your eyes. But you should know, I’m not the one you should be blaming. I was simply following orders. I’m nothing more than just a pawn.”
“What do you want?” I growled.
His grin intensified.
“You’re clever,” he noted. “What I want, Asher Collins, is simple. I need you to send me away. I swear to you I’ll never return to Wegalla again.”
I was taken aback for a second, but the moment was fleeting. There was no way I was going to let the imposter go.
I remained silent, and the man spoke again.
“I promise you, my information is worth the exchange,” he said, and then he raised an eyebrow and gripped the bars again. “Don’t you want to know who was behind the inferno? Or what your little mate said before her death? I can tell you all of that and more. Hell, I could even give you the evidence that would allow you to convict the person responsible. My information is nothing less than da mning.”
I clenched my fist as my muscles tensed instinctively.
Suddenly, I knew why the man had insisted on a private talk with me.
The imposter was crafty. As much as I wanted to end it all and kill him, he knew I wanted more information about Cora. He also knew that this negotiation would only work if we were alone because if anyone else were present, I would have to act in the best interest of Wegalla.
And for the best interest of the empire, the man deserved execution.
He’d taken the Alpha King’s wife hostage and wounded her almost lethally. That alone was a punishable offense.
The situation in the lab between Adalyn and Ca ssandra had been far less terrible and Oliver had practically demanded the healer’s head. There was no doubt that he would feel even more strongly about this.
Then again, his behavior in the corridor had been troubling.
Had the Beta tried to kill the man to avenge Adalyn? Was that the reason for his bloodthirstiness? I wouldn’t blame him if that was the case, but then again, he didn’t seem okay with the idea of me speaking with this imposter alone. So, the question
remained.
What was I supposed to do with all of this?
I pushed aside my concerns about Oliver Moses. Right now, he didn’t matter.
I turned away from the imposter. I didn’t need him to bear witness to my turmoil. Vulnerability wasn’t something I felt very often, but recently, all I felt was emotionally raw.
For the past five years, I’d done nothing but obsess over what had happened to Cora. It haunted my every waking minute and plagued my mind. No matter how much I threw myself into my royal duties, I could never shove the memories of my former mate aside, or allow myself to truly live.
I’d never been able to forgive myself for what had happened to her, nor allowed. myself to let anyone else in like I had with her. Adalyn, Marco… As sick and twisted
as it sounded, I could never care for them like I’d cared about Cora.
I released a heavy sigh. I wished I could receive counsel from someone, anyone really, but I knew exactly what they’d say.
free.
Cora Felix was dead.
And countless more lives would be put at risk if I allowed the man to be set
The
imposter said he wanted to leave Wegalla, but how could I trust him? I didn’t know anything about him and I had no reason to take his words to heart. For all knew, I could set him free, and he could sneak back down to his lair and continue to plague my kingdom with poisoned vipers.
Besides, there were too many unanswered questions. Who was the man? Where had he come from? And who was the boss that he worked for?
I didn’t want her to risk her safety to be here, but for the briefest of instances, I wished Ca ssandra was here. She was strong and brave, more so than I was feeling at this moment.
What would she do if she was me?
What choice would she make? The right one, or the selfish one?
The man began to laugh again, and a shiver traveled down my spine.
“What are you laughing at?” I growled as I turned to face him. “I’m getting sick
of this.”
“Oh, nothing” he mused.”Color me shocked. I didn’t expect you to take this much time to mull things over. I was certain that little tidbit of information would be enough, but apparently, it’s not. You don’t seem to believe me. Well, Asher Collins, let me give you something first. An appetizer of information if you will. Hear me out, and you can decide if you want to cooperate or not. The choice will be yours.”
He smiled and stared deeply into my eyes. “So, what will it be?”