Chapter 22
Chapter 22 Elope?
CA SSANDRA
Rayden suddenly grabbed my hand, and when I whipped around to stare at him, his eyes bore into
mine intensely, so much that my heart began to race.
“Let me go with you, Ca ssy,” he insisted, and his eyes grew sorrowful, as if he was a young boy who’d
lost something he couldn’t recover again. “Please.”
My eyes widened as I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening.
“Rayden…” I uttered.
As Rayden stared at me with hisrge brown eyes, a feeling swept through me. along with
understanding. Asher’s earlier words in the meeting room yed through. my mind. The Alpha King
had quipped that the prince of the Wild Crawlers fancied me. At the
time, his words had been a massive shock, but as I stood here in the garden, I began to suspect that
Asher may have been right.
But I didn’t want to believe it.
At the time, I never could have imagined that Rayden could see me like that. I’d always been
something of a friend to him, as well as a healer. Just as I’d done with countless others in the Pack, I’d
treated Rayden once when he was quite ill.
I’d assumed Rayden’s outbursts in the meeting room were because he was worried about the Pack
losing their healer. And I desperately wanted that to be
true.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I just… I just want to talk to you, that’s all.”
Suddenly, a pping sound cut through the air, and when I turned around, Asher Collins was right
behind me. The Alpha King’s face was cruel and mocking, and the expression on his amused face sent
a pang of anger through me.
“How touching!” Asherughed, and he continued to apud. Just beyond him, Alpha Gareth and Luna
Sofia stood with their arms crossed. Sofia’s cheeks were red with embarrassment, but Gareth looked
completely angry. Their brows furrowed as they stared at me.
“Are you trying to elope with the healer, Prince Rayden?” Asher continued. His tone was still amused,
but his smile quickly faded.
A lump formed in my throat as I tried to find my words
“There’s b-been a misunderstanding, Your Majesty,” I spoke up. “It’s my fault.”
“What’s your fault?” Asher demanded through narrowed gray eyes.
“Prince Rayden was just trying to help me,” I managed to exin. “There is something I need to pick up
at my house, and he was trying to apany me…”
N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.
My words trailed off as Asher’s expression darkened, and for a moment, I felt as if I couldn’t breathe.
This was bad.
Suddenly, the Alpha King uttered a single, dryugh.
“Do you think I’m st upid, healer?” he asked, and then his voice deepened. “You must not have heard
me earlier. If you want to run, run wisely. This… is not wise at all, is it?”
“I don’t want to run, Your Majesty!” I blurted out before I could consider my words. “I meant what I said,
I have something important left in my house.”
“What is it then?” he demanded. “Why don’t you tell the guards to get it for you. I’m sure they would
love to assist you. It’s their job, after all.”
I swallowed.
“It’s… it’s just something personal, Your Majesty,” I murmured.
Asher Collins practically stared through me and I felt trapped, as if he were the predator and I were the
prey. Every inch of me was terrified, but I had to remain
calm.
Everyone remained silent as they awaited the Alpha King’s response. Event Gareth seemed scared of
Asher.
Finally, Asher smirked.
“Fine,” he announced. “If it’s that important, I will apany you.”
My eyes widened instinctively, and Asher clocked the reaction immediately.
“What?” he demanded. “Is it something you couldn’t show to your king?”
His tone dripped with suspicion, and I knew I needed to act fast.
“No, Your Majesty,” I said, and I shook my head quickly. Like it or not, everything in the Wega Empire
belonged to the King in a legal sense. Any attempts to hide anything from the King could be considered
treason. And I knew treason was al felony better than most.
It was the charge they’d ced on my father, after all.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Asher Collins demanded. “We will leave at once. Meanwhile, it
appears that your little suitor needs to be taught some discipline. Am I right, Gareth?”
His eyes shot over to the Alpha of the Wild Crawlers, and I watched Gareth’s
face lose whatever color it had left.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he said quickly, and then he bowed in respect. “He will be dealt with immediately.
Thank you for apanying our healer.”
As this exchange went on, my brain spun in circles and tried to decide how to handle things. I had no
choice but to let Asher apany me back to my house, but how would I conceal my mother’s
ne from him? How could I possibly look. for the pendant with him so close to me?
This was a nightmare.
Suddenly, a chorus of footsteps rang out behind us, and a mass of guards
swarmed into the garden. My body froze for a moment, scared they were after me, but instead, they
stopped in front of Gareth.
“F-f-”
“A-A-Alpha Gareth,” the closest one managed to say through trembling breath.
“Spit it out!” Gareth demanded.
“Fire!” the guard replied as his chest heaved.
“Report it clearly!” the Alpha demanded again, and all of looked around at one. another as we waited
for the guard to borate.
“Healer Ca ssandra’s house is on fire,” he finally managed to blurt out, and! nearly sank to my knees.
What??
No… not my home…
“Send more guards to put out the fire at once!” Alpha Gareth ordered, and the guards sprang into
action and rushed out of the garden.
Before I could stop myself, I followed suit and took off in the direction of my house. I was running so
quickly that I felt as if I were floating, but suddenly, I was halted in ce when someone gripped my
arm and tugged.
“Stop,” Asher demanded, and he tightened his hold around me. “You can’t go there, Ca ssandra, it’s too
dangerous.”
His expression was firm but I could spy a tiny molecule of caring in his eyes. I stared him down for a
moment and then tears sprang forth from my eyes.
“You don’t understand!” I shouted, and I erupted into s obs.