Female Novel
Chatper 279
Chapter 270
CASSANDRA
Confusion flooded my mind and my lips parted as I stared at Asher. I felt lost, and I kept waiting for the
Alpha King to say something more for clarification, but instead, he simply
stared at me.
For a moment, he reminded me of Finnick. The two looked so much alike and this expression was no
exception. Sometimes, Finnick would stare at me in the same way if I forgot something I had promised
like he was a puppy who had been wronged by his owner. It was a vulnerable look I’d never expected
to see on an adult man’s face, and the mere sight of it made my heart hurt.
“What do you mean?” I asked him directly after another moment of silence.
Asher’s dark eyebrows creased together and then he let out a soft sigh.
“I heard that you are about to marry the king of Yurene,” he revealed. “That you two are engaged to
one another. Is that true?”
A lump formed in my throat and
my eyes
widened.
How had Asher found out about this? Kaleb had promised to not let him know. It was one of the
requirements of our agreement, and he’d violated it somehow.
My cheeks suddenly began to burn as heat surged through my body. Though I had done nothing
wrong, I still felt embarrassed. This was something I’d never wanted Asher to find out about, and from
his large–eyed stare, I knew my fears had been valid.
“It’s true,” I admitted, but I kept speaking before his mouth could open. “But it’s nothing more than a
strategy, Asher. Kaleb wants to use me to achieve some great sorcery, and I, on the other hand, need
him to provide antidotes for Wild Crawler. I have no intentions to marry him. I just need to bide my time
until the antidotes are ensured, and then I’ll find a way to break it off.”
I took a step closer and stared deeply into his eyes. “You’re the only man I’d ever want to marry, Asher,”
Asher’s expression softened and then he nodded,
“I never doubted it for a moment,” he assured me and then reached out and took
my hands
in his. “I was just afraid that Kaleb had forced you into this and was scared for you, Cassandra.”
“How did you find out about our engagement?” I wondered. “The news wasn’t supposed to leave
Vlokwell.”
“We caught a sorceress named Roxy out in the woods,” he explained. “She tried to attack us, but we
stopped her before she could cause too much damage. She said she was from Vlokwell-”
“Roxy?” I gasped, and my voice caught in my chest. That’s why I hadn’t seen Roxy in quite some time.
Had Kaleb sent her to kill Asher?
A chill ran down my spine. I shouldn’t have trusted him for a single moment. All of the promises he’d
made to me had been lies.
“Do you know her?” Asher wondered as his eyebrows creased together.
I nodded. “She’s the lead of Kaleb’s soldiers and the sister of Raven, another sorceress who’s in
charge of medical research. She’s an important figure here in Vlokwell.”
As I considered all of this new information, I felt alarmed. Asher had mentioned an attack. Had Roxy
managed to hurt him? The very thought made my stomach twist in knots and before I could stop
myself, I asked Asher out loud if he was alright.
He nodded and offered me a reassuring smile. “I’m fine. Thanks to Kane’s plan, I came out unhurt and
we were able to get Roxy under control. In fact, if it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t have figured out a lot of
things and I wouldn’t have gotten here.”
I frowned. “Kane’s plan?”
I was completely confused. Kane was supposed to be back in Anemond, or at least that’s what I’d
asked him to do when I’d left for Yurene.
“It’s a story for another time,” Asher said vaguely. “But Kane’s been with me since I left Anemond.”
“And
Shere is Roxy?” I wondered.
“She’s still with Kane in the Sky Pride Pack,” he answered. “He’s perfectly fine and safe but somethingnovelbin
terrible happened before my departure. Silas was attacked by someone who tried to take Roxy back
with him. He must have been her accomplice or something. From what she explained, he was a skillful
killer, but he died in the fight with Silas and the other
Skillful killer?
I knew at once that had to be Anubis, the suspicious man with the dark eyes and vile smile.
If I was correct, that meant that Kaleb had lost two of his trusted assistants. And Raven didn’t seem to
be very loyal to him. This could be a chance to break him, could it? Though I didn’t trust him much
either, I could indicate this to Ronald. If Kaleb was busy with his own troubles, he wouldn’t be able to
interfere with the South’s business.
But this needed to be done after I got the antidotes. I couldn’t risk losing the medication needed to cure
the ailing people in Wegalla, not when I’d endured this for so long already.
Suddenly, Asher took my chin and raised it, causing me to meet his eyes.
“Cassandra, I’m here to take you away from Yurene,” he explained softly.
I didn’t understand.
How could we throw this all away?
“The disease has developed quickly recently,” he said quietly. “There was one point where I was unable
to move my body, it was so bad.”
I suddenly felt disoriented and on the verge of tears.
What did that mean? How could that happen?
As his voice trailed off, I shook my head firmly and stopped him.
“No,” I said as my tears fell down my cheeks. “No, Asher. I won’t allow the disease to take you away
from me. No one can take you away from me. Never again.”
I planted a firm kiss on his lips and pressed against him so tightly I could hear his heart beating against
my chest. A thousand emotions flooded through me, but above all, I was feeling determined.
When we pulled away, I stared deeply into Asher’s eyes and suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
Perhaps all wasn’t lost at all.
“I think I know someone who could cure you,” I revealed. “Someone here in Vlokwell.”