Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 49 Saved by a stranger

CA SSANDRA

Finnick cried in my arms and I wanted to soothe him, but we had to get as far away from this situation as possible.

The back door of the shop out into a small alley. There was little room between the buildings at all, but I could spy a way out in the distance. I just needed to get us back out to the main street, and then we could disappear into the crowd of people

and leave the crazed man and woman behind.

“Hang tight, baby,” I urged Finnick as I braced him against me. He sobbed quietly in my arms but kept his grip around me obediently.

“M-Mommy, who are those people?” he whimpered as he buried his head into my n*eck. “Why are we running?”

“I don’t know, honey,” I said. “Just stay quiet and close your eyes.”

The young woman suddenly rushed out into the alley with us. I continued to walk backward slowly.

“Please,” I begged her. “We don’t have to do this. We could forget about this entire thing-”

“I don’t think so,” the young woman retorted, her eyes full of venom as they bore into mine with sharp intensity. “You’re not getting away from me that easily.”

I took a breath as I continued to walk backward. She was moving slow for now, but her crazed expression told me this was about to be a chase.

“Help!” I cried out as loudly as my lungs would allow. “Help us!”

The woman laughed. “No one is coming to save you!”

“Help!” I called out again, and when my call was unanswered, I knew I had no

choice but to save myself. I turned around in one swift motion and took off down the

alleyway.

Make it to the main street, I repeated to myself in my mind. Just make it to the

main street.

I could hear the young woman chasing after us and my heart beat like a drum with every stride.

What was happening?

What had we done to deserve this?

Desperation flooded through me as I ran and tears sprang out of my eyes as Finnick sobbed in confusion.

I

The footsteps behind me suddenly got louder, and when I turned around, the woman was a mere ten feet away.

“Please, don’t,” I begged again. The woman’s vicious smile widened. “Sorry,” she mocked, but before she could get any closer a trio of figures emerged from the shadows. Their movements were swift, and they descended upon the woman. quickly and threw her to the ground.

“Mommy, what’s-”

“Shhh,” I instructed Finnick as I held him close.

It was all happening so fast that I couldn’t keep up. I took steps backward as the fight ensued. It was all a blur of limbs and shouts that lasted maybe thirty seconds at the most. Adrenaline surged through me.

When my eyes managed to focus, I watched the young woman scramble to her feet and flee.

Whoever these guys were, she didn’t want anything to do with them.

Fear flooded through me. What was all of that? And who were they?

The trio of men approached us once she was gone, but though their b*dy language and statues were fierce and tough, their expressions held no malice.

I frowned as I took in their appearances. Each of the men had long, shiny hair that fell nearly to their waist, and they wore clothing that was much different than those we wore here in Wegalla. Their leather attire was lined with dark fur, and they wore tall boots that rose past their knees. On the breasts of their strange coats was a deep green, swirling insignia I didn’t recognize.

Who were they?

Were they foreigners?

Suddenly, there was a noise behind me, and I turned to see a tall man standing about ten feet beyond us. I nearly jumped out of my skin in surprise. His face was concealed by shadows and I braced for trouble when I noticed the

heavily-weaponed guards around him.

men.

However, the tall man paid me no heed and instead looked out at the trio of

“Find the woman and the man she’s working with,” he commanded. “Make sure.

they don’t escape.”

“Yes, sir,” the trio of muscular men said in unison, and then without another word, they rushed back down the alley.

A lump formed in my throat.

What just happened?

The man stepped out of the shadows and into the light, and a gasp escaped me. He was easily the tallest man I’d ever seen in my life. He was handsome in a rugged way, with shiny light brown hair that was just as long as the others. His skin was tan but heavily freckled and his eyes were a beautiful shade of navy blue.

“Are you alright?” the man asked me in a heavily accented voice.

I managed a nod after a moment. “Yes. Thank you for saving me.”

“I take it you didn’t know those people?” he asked, and when I nodded again, he raised his eyebrow. “Hmm. I see. It must have been some sort of attempted robbery then. Perhaps werewolf trafficking. I must admit I’m surprised. I didn’t expect the Wegalla Empire to be this chaotic.”

He laughed and then the rest of his men joined in.

I was still a little alarmed by everything, but the man’s casual air helped put me

at ease.

When the laughter stopped, the man turned back to me.

“I’m sorry to be rude,” he apologized. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kaleb Adams.”

He extended his hand toward mine and I accepted it gratefully.

“Ca ssandra Keller,” I replied.

“Ca ssandra,” he repeated back and then he looked down the alley. “Ca ssandra, may I accompany you back to the market? It’s dangerous for a young lady with a child to be walking alone in Anemond.”

“Thank you for your generosity,” I said quickly. “It’s very kind of you to offer. I should probably try to get back home. My son is awfully upset and it’s been a long day.”

Finnick sniffled in my arms but maneuvered himself so he could face Kaleb. His eyes were red but his expression was calm. He was putting on a brave face for our company, and I couldn’t help but admire his efforts.

“It would be my pleasure,” Kaleb pressed. I considered his offer for a moment. more and then gestured down the alley.

“There’s an old woman tied up in the shop up there,” I remembered. “I think she could use some help.”

“I’ll send my men to help her,” Kaleb said immediately, and then with one nod, his men scrambled down the alley toward the shop.

air.

“Perhaps we should go help them-” I said, but Kaleb raised his large hand in the

“My men will be returning in a moment,” he announced, and then he cleared his throat. “The ones who went after the woman and the man, I mean. I’m not sure how to handle them once they’ve returned.”

It was a dilemma for sure. They needed to face some kind of consequences, but I couldn’t risk them revealing their true intentions to anyone. They claimed they knew my identity, my true one.

I opened my mouth to offer a suggestion, but before the words could escape my mouth, the trio of men from earlier returned to the alley. My eyes widened in horror as they grew closer.

In their hands were a pair of limp bodies.

“Keep your eyes shut,” I urged Finnick.

The bodies of the man and woman were soaked in rich dark blood. My stomach turned at the sight and I fought back bile.

saya

“Are those the ones who-” Kaleb started to say and I nodded before he could finish his sentence.

I was shocked. Did they kill themselves because their mission failed? Or were they killed by someone else?

I gulped. This was a terrifying situation.

I never should have left the palace.

“I need to go,” I managed to say through my fear. “Thank you for helping me, but I need to get out of here.”

“Where do you live?” Kaleb asked. “We could give you a ride.”

“I live in the royal palace,” I answered. “I work there as a healer. It isn’t too far from here. I could walk back easily.”

A strange expression crossed the tall man’s face and then he smiled.

“What a coincidence,” he said. “My destination is also the palace.”