Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Emergency

CASSANDRA “For the glory of Wegalla Empire, you must die!” Intruders snarled at me as I knelt on the floor. “Please let me see Asher. Please…” I begged. “How dare you speak the name of our king!” The soldiers growled and grabbed my hair, forcing me to raise my head. They were like shadows towering over me. “Please. I need to talk to him. I’m pregnant. I have his baby!” I cried. The head soldier snorted. “Baby? You think you’d be qualified to deliver a baby for our king? Filthy whore! He won’t come to you anymore. Don’t you understand? He’s with Lady Adalyn. Now drink it!”“No!” He pulled me harshly, gripped my face and pried my mouth open. Mysterious liquid flew down my throat. Burning. I began to gag. “Die! You wretched moron.” They spat at me before slamming the door. And I heard the click of the lock. I struggled to move, but my eyes felt swollen, and my legs were strengthless. The smell of smoke quickly filled the room. Fire engulfed me. ***** My mind wandered as I stared out the window. The sky was a perfect clear blue, and the air was filled with the sound of children’s laughter. A smile formed on my lips at the sound. Far beyond me, the pups, accompanied by their parents, made their way toward the forest not too far away from where I sat. It was finally time for the annual hunting festival, and the pups chattered and giggled with excitement as they tugged at their mother’s and father’s sleeves. I remembered their innocent happiness well. When I had been a pup myself, I’d been infinitely impatient and raced far ahead of my father and brother, urging them the entire way to move faster. I’d been so excited to get a glimpse of the hunting group I wished to one day be a part of. I was eager to find my place amongst the Pack. I’d been grown for a long time now, and yet, these pups had more freedom than me. Ever since the deadly inferno, I’d lost the ability to shift into my wolf form, my life had changed completely. I lost everything. My wolf, my name, my identity, and all I used to love and cherish. I’d moved far away and came to the Wild Crawler Pack, where I’d lived as someone else ever since. Just as I was starting to feel the familiar ache of loneliness, the sound of footsteps rang out behind me. I snapped out of my stupor and turned to see Marley behind me. “Sheesh, Cassandra, I almost fell asleep at my desk.” Marley paused for a breath. She ran her hands through her thick dark hair. Her light green eyes were slightly bloodshot, but her small smile offset her tired aura. “It’s been such a crazy day. I couldn’t help but doze off between patients.”“I understand completely,” I agreed with her. “Here, come sit down. We still have a while until our next appointment.” Marley was my assistant here at the clinic. Fiver years ago, when Emmett saved me from the fire and brought me to his pack, he taught me how to be a healer. And Marley had been my first patient. Shortly after I helped heal her, she decided she wanted to help others as well, and now she was my right-hand woman. Marley took a seat on the stool beside me and then glanced out the window. “I can’t believe it’s already time for the hunting festival,” she sighed, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “The kids have been going crazy for days. I swear, they’ve been driving me absolutely insane, Cass.”“I’m sure,” I mused. “The village has been loud all week.”“I wish I cared more,” Marley admitted. “But the festival really doesn’t interest me much. Visitors from other packs are troublesome. Can you imagine? I was stopped by them three times this morning for the question – ‘How to get to the forest?’. Gosh. Can’t they read signposts? They are everywhere on the streets. And with how crazy my kiddos have been…” She let out a heavy sigh, “I wish they could be more like your Finnick. He’s such a good boy. Mine are little monsters, no matter what I do. You’re lucky Finnick hasn’t begged you to come with him-” She paused for a moment, and a strange expression crossed her pretty face. “Sorry, Cassandra,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean to bring that up-” Marley knew I was unable to shift, and therefore, I was not allowed to enter the forest, even the safe zone. I simply gave her an understanding smile. “Don’t even worry about it. Besides, Finnick is too young to watch anyway. If he was of age, I’m sure circumstances would be different.” It had been five years past since that calamity. I need to go on. “So where is your sweet boy?” Marley wondered with a curious expression. “He’s with the Luna and her children,” I replied. I was grateful that the Luna of the Wild Crawler Pack had been so generous as to offer to watch my son while I ran the clinic. The hours were incredibly long, and my patient list had grown endless recently. Marley and I were busier than ever. A sickness was running through the Wild Crawler Pack, one with an unsure origin I had yet to place. It was accompanied by a peculiar mark on different parts of the patient’s bodies, each slightly raised, red, and warm to the touch. I’d biopsied several of them, and yet, I hadn’t found an answer that made any sort of sense. “That’s a good place for him,” Marley interrupted my thoughts again, and then beyond us, bells rang out. She glanced up at the clock. “Looks like it’s time for our next patient. Ready to go?” I nodded. “Let’s go.” I offered my hand to Marley and helped her to her feet, and then we walked out into the front of the clinic, where our next patient was nervously awaiting us. She was a young woman named Anna, and her brown eyes were slightly glazed over. Her skin was pale and coated with a slight sheen of sweat, and her arms were wrapped around herself as she shivered. Marley and I escorted her to a room and sat her down on a comfortable seat. We took her temperature, her information, and listened as she described her symptoms. For a moment, I was worried she was ill with the mysterious sickness, but it seemed to just be a common cold. I prescribed her some medicine, and after she gratefully thanked me for helping her, the front door’s bells rang out again. “Who is that-” Marley began to say, and suddenly, a tall man burst into the room. His dark clothing and the sword at his side indicated his rank. I recognized him immediately. It was Jasper, one of the Alpha’s guards. I knew him very well, as he was often sent to collect me on behalf of the Alpha’s family if medical attention was needed. “Hey, Jasper,” I greeted him, and I flashed him a smile, assuming it would be returned. When it wasn’t, I knew something was wrong. Jasper was always friendly with Marley and me when he came to the clinic, but today, his expression was deadly serious. “The Alpha needs you right away, Cassandra,” he addressed me hurriedly. “You must accompany me to the Pack House. It’s an emergency.”“What’s wrong?” I asked, and worry painted my tone. “There isn’t much time to explain,” Jasper replied. “Long story short, a prestigious guest of ours has been bitten by a viper and needs medical attention immediately.” Panic flooded through me. Snake bites weren’t anything to mess with, and we needed to act fast. “Marley, finish up with Anna,” I directed my assistant. “I’ll get the kit together. Join me once you’re finished.” Marley nodded. “Go ahead, I’ll handle things here.” I hurriedly gathered my supplies, and then when Marley reentered the room, we followed Jasper down the hall and through the door. After I locked the clinic door behind us, we raced out into the village and toward the Pack House. We sped in silence, and after a while, I decided to ask for more information. “Who is this prestigious guest?” I wondered. “I cannot say,” Jasper said curtly. “It’s confidential.”“Where did they come from?” I pressed. He said nothing at first, and then sighed. “Anemond.” I flinched instinctively. Anemond was the capital of the Wegalla Empire. It resided at the heart of the Crescent Pack, the biggest and most powerful Pack that ruled our empire. It was also where the Alpha King lived, along with the higher-class werewolf families. Marley interrupted my thoughts. “The capital? They must be important.”“Yes, they are. That’s why we need to hurry up.” Jasper nodded seriously. I tried to maintain an air of normality, and yet, my heart sank in my chest. I hadn’t heard the name Anemond in the five years. The memories began to flood back through my mind before I could stop them. Images danced in my mind- the fire, the grins of the soldiers, and the poison that’d been forced down my throat. Anemond was the place of my birth, and in the end, had been my nightmare.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Viper bite

CASSANDRA “Cassandra?” Marley mudged me back into reality. Her pretty eyes were wide with concern. “Are you okay?” I gulped, and then nodded as I pushed away my memories of Anemond. “Yes.” I managed to pull myself together. I needed to be level-headed if we were going to heal this patient. It didn’t take us long to reach the Pack House. The enormous mansion wasn’t far from the clinic. When we crossed through the doors, we were surprised to see a crowd of people hustling around. The Pack House seemed to be in a huge commotion, and I had to duck to avoid bumping into anyone around me. This was the most activity I’d seen here in a while. “Wow,” Marley remarked as Jasper led us down the hall. “This must be serious. Everyone seems so upset.” She tugged at Jasper’s sleeve. “Can you tell us what’s going on?”“The Alpha will tell you once we find him,” Jasper remarked. “Oh,” Marley replied, and she let out a sigh. “So much secrecy. I wanted to ask follow-up questions, but Jasper’s tone was so serious, I decided to wait. When we reached the end of the busy hall, a pair of people were waiting for us. One of them was Gareth, the Alpha of the Wild Crawler Pack, and the other was his eldest son, Rayden. We bowed respectfully when we stopped in front of them. The Alpha of the Wild Crawler Pack was a stern man, yet fair, and he was well-respected amongst the Pack. He was normally quite calm, but today, his brown eyes were wide with concern. Rayden wore a similar expression. Rayden was tall, with big, dark brown eyes, and black hair that glinted blue in the light, and his perfect teeth were white as pearls. He was slim, but covered in exotic tattoos, and girls in the pack admired his high cheekbones and fit frame. When I first arrived here five years ago, Rayden had been a young man of sixteen. Now he was all grown up, and it likely wouldn’t be long until he took his father’s place as Alpha of the Wild Crawlers. I was a little surprised to see him here at the Pack House. The last time I’d seen him was two years ago at a dinner hosted by the Alpha’s family. It’d been a farewell dinner to celebrate Rayden’s departure for the Wegalla Empire’s army- an elite group known as the Myriad. It was an honor to be recruited, and so we’d honored the young man accordingly. “Cassandra,” Gareth greeted me in a relieved tone, and then he looked at Marley. “And Marley. I’m so glad to see you.” Then he turned to Jasper. “You can leave us. Thank you for collecting them for me.”“Of course,” Jasper replied, and after he gave us a small smile, the guard turned and left us. After he disappeared down the hall, my attention turned to Rayden. He offered me a kind smile as we approached. “Hello, Cassandra” he greeted me warmly, if not formally, and he nodded his head at me. “Hi, Rayden,” I replied politely. “It’s a surprise to see you here.”“It’s been too long,” he agreed, and then he looked at Gareth. “If you’ll excuse me, father, I have some quick business to attend to.”“Of course,” Gareth replied. “Do what you need to do, son.” Once he was gone, Gareth turned his attention to the young male servant standing politely in the corner. “Please escort the doctor and her assistant to the second floor,” he ordered in a stern voice. “I must be going.” Surprise flooded through me. The second floor of the Pack House was usually reserved for the Alpha’s family and their servants. It was considered private quarters while the first floor was used for meetings and dinners. Marley and I exchanged a glance. There was a bad feeling forming in the back of my mind, but I did my best to brush it away. “Follow me,” the servant addressed us, and after Marley and I offered polite nods toward Gareth, we followed him down the hall and up the stairs. At the top of the stairs was a pair of double doors, and on either side of them stood four guards. Much to my continued surprise, they weren’t a part of the Wild Crawler, but the Crescent. “Crescent guards?” Marley whispered under her breath. She too recognized the special crest on the guards’ shoulders. Her pale green eyes darted around the hall. “What’s going on here?”“I don’t know,” I admitted. I was just as curious as she was. This guest of honor must have been very important if there were so many heavily-armed guards outside of the door. The guards stared at us coldly as we approached the door, but they stood aside and allowed us to enter the chamber anyway. The moment the doors flew open, a chorus of sounds flew toward us. A tingle of anxiety moved through me, but I managed to remain calm. The cavernous room was pure chaos. The curtains were closed, and the only light in the room came from candles and the fireplace that blazed with a crackling fire. Servants rushed around hastily, a few with piles of towels, and others with trays of various foods, drinks, and other supplies. They all seemed to hover around a specific part of the room, and when a few moved out of the way, I noticed a large, canopied bed. At the center of the bed was a young boy, around the same age as my Finnick. Servants attended to the boy, and even from across the room, I could see his lips were blue. Perspiration ran down his face and his eyes were squeezed tightly shut. He was clearly in pain, and his expression broke my heart. “There’s our patient,” Marley noted sadly as we followed the servant toward the bed. “Poor thing.”“We’ll take care of him,” I assured her. As we walked, I pulled my waist-length copper hair into a ponytail and steadied my nerves. I needed to have my wits about me if I was going to heal the poor boy. When we got closer, I noticed the Luna of the Wild Crawler Pack, Sofia Bailey, stood beside the bed. She was just as beautiful as ever, but her short dark hair was a little out of place, and her skin was paler than usual. When she heard our footsteps, she turned her attention to me and I noticed her eyes were underscored by light purple shadows. “Oh, Cassandra,” she sighed in relief. “Thank goodness you’re here.” The Luna’s beautiful face looked tired, but she managed to smile at me anyway. “The boys are downstairs with a maid,” she answered before I could ask. “They’re safe and playing quietly.” I nodded. “Good. I’m glad they’re okay. Now, how’s our patient?”“Not as good, I’m afraid,” Sofia lamented, and she nodded her head toward the young boy. “Please, doctor, you must do something to help him. I fear he’s in a great deal of pain, and nothing we’ve been doing seems to be working.” I nodded again. “Of course. You’re in good hands now. I promise I’ll do everything in my power to help.”“Thank you,” Sofia whispered, and then she stood aside so Marley and I could approach. I crouched down beside the boy, and when I placed my hand gently on his forehead, I was surprised to find he was hot to the touch. He’d already broken out in a fever. I glanced over at Marley and waved her forward. “Marley, can you prepare the heart rate monitor?” Marley nodded and as she opened up the kit, I turned back to the boy. My eyes traveled down until they reached his right leg. His trousers had been rolled up, and the skin of his ankles was ghostly white, except for a huge swollen area. Clear canine marks were dug deep into the tenser skin, and a low sigh escaped me. “Poor thing,” I whispered. I retrieved a pair of gloves from my pocket and pulled them on. As I carefully examined the bite marks closer, a string of thoughts formed in my mind. Where would the boy have encountered a viper? There hadn’t been any reports of serpents recently, at least not in the forests of the Wild Crawler Pack, and besides, at his age, he wouldn’t have been allowed past the safe zone. So where had the snake come from? I turned to Sofia. “Did they happen to catch the viper that inflicted the bite?” The Luna appeared unsure, and her eyes flicked over to a point beyond me. “No,” a deep, smoky voice said behind me. “The guards are still searching the forest for the wretched thing.” A tingle ran down my spine. I’d know that voice anywhere. For a moment, I was frozen in place, but after a deep breath, I turned around. A man stood in the darkened corner, tucked away just far enough that I hadn’t been able to sense him initially. He lingered in the shadows for a moment and then stepped toward me. My heart skipped a beat when his rugged but handsome face was revealed. Though he’d changed a little with time, his cold gray eyes were the same, and they bore into mine with intensity as he advanced closer. The tall man was none other than Asher Collins- the Alpha of the Crescent Pack and the king of the Wegalla Empire. But none of that mattered to me. He was much more than just the legendary leader of all werewolves. He was my mate. All those years ago, he’d left me in that house, pregnant and alone to face the inferno.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Alpha King

CASSANDRA “Well, then you’ll have to tell them to hurry up and find the beast,” Marley remarked beside me, and she rolled her pretty eyes in annoyance. “The sooner the better.” The room suddenly grew heavy and my eyes widened. While part of me agreed with her sentiment, I couldn’t believe she’d been so bold as to say that to the Alpha King. Of course, I wasn’t fully convinced that my friend knew that’s who she’d been addressing. If she had, I doubt she’d have spoken so tersely. “Marley!” Sofia exclaimed. The Luna looked shocked and embarrassed at my assistant’s outburst, and her cheeks flushed scarlet. Asher’s eyes narrowed, and the room fell silent. “Your Majesty, please excuse her,” Sofia begged, and she offered the Alpha King an apologetic expression and a small bow. “We-” Asher raised his hand, and the Luna immediately froze in place and shut her mouth. “Wait, ‘Your Majesty’?” Marley whispered. “Oh, holy shit.” Her expression was awestruck. Clearly, she’d realized who had been addressing us, and her cheeks darkened until they were the same color as Sofia’s. “Shh,” I whispered as quietly as possible. Luckily, neither Sofia nor the Alpha King seemed to hear us. Instead, Asher released a huffy sigh. “Are these two qualified, Sofia?” he asked, and his gray eyes bore into mine intensely. “My son deserves the utmost care, and I will not allow him to be treated by anyone who doesn’t know what they’re doing.” His… son? Had I heard him correctly? That explained the severity and amount of guards around us, not to mention Gareth and Sofia’s worried expressions. The boy was the son of the Alpha King, and heir to the Wegalla Empire. His survival was not only of the utmost importance, but it was in mine and Marley’s hands. No pressure or anything. “Yes, Your Majesty,” Sofia answered him. “Cassy is the best healer in our Pack. If anyone can take care of him, it’s her.” The Alpha King’s eyes continued to study me carefully. “Cassy?” he repeated back in a confused voice. My heart thrummed in my chest as if it was ready to burst forth as I stared back at Asher. It’d been five years since I’d seen his handsome face, and my entire body felt like it would explode from the sheer emotion of it all. I never thought I’d see him again, yet here he was, standing before me with the same gray eyes I’d peered into with all my love so many years ago. The whole world seemed to melt away as I stared back at him. While the years and likely stress of his position had aged him slightly, he was just as handsome as he was back then. His dark hair fell to his shoulders in soft waves and his skin was perfectly tan and clear. He was muscular yet lean, and with his arms folded in front of him, I could see the prominent veins that came with much physical training. Even after all of these years, Asher Collins was still the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. But he was no longer mine, and I was no longer his. “Your name is Cassy?” he addressed me directly. He leaned in closer as if to examine me, and it took all of my effort to keep from shaking. For a moment, I thought he’d find a clue of my past identity, but I knew in my heart that I looked too different now to recognize. The inferno had destroyed my face, distorted my voice, and taken my wolf away. No part of my past identity had remained. Asher could stare all he want. I was no longer the same woman I once was. “Cassandra,” I replied politely. “My name is Cassandra Keller, Your Majesty.” The Alpha King paused for a moment. “You’re the best?” he asked, and when I didn’t answer, he clarified. “Healer, that is?” For a moment, I considered being humble, but his stern expression told me I needed to be confident in my abilities. “Yes,” I said. “Yes, Your Majesty. I’ve been taking care of this Pack for many years. I’m well-versed in injuries, illnesses, and bites such as the one your son has sustained. My assistant, Marley, is also well-qualified. We’re going to do everything we can to help.”“Okay, Cassandra,” he said in a low voice that sent a chill down my spine. “Let’s see what you can do.” His expression softened slightly, but not enough to appear friendly. Still, I took a long, deep breath, and then addressed him calmly. “I’ll do my best,” I promised, and I fought back a shiver. “But it will be difficult to find the cure to the boy’s bite without first identifying the viper. Different snakes have different venom, and the severity of his injury will depend on the breed and size of the creature.” For a moment, I expected more resistance, but Asher simply nodded. “Guards,” he called out in a stern and regal tone, and without further question, the guards who’d been stationed at the outside doors appeared before us. Once they were in position, Asher straightened his stance and held his head high. “Please tell Alpha Gareth that more search squads will need to be sent to the forest,” he said. “We need to locate the viper as soon as possible so the doctors can properly address my son’s wounds. Please make haste. Time is of the essence.”“Yes, Your Majesty,” the guards replied in unison, and after each offered the Alpha King uniform bows, they rushed out of the chamber and shut the doors behind them. Asher raised his chin toward us. “If you can’t heal my son, I’ll let the whole Pack die with him.” His warning was stated calmly, as if it were just another sentence, but the rest of us felt the weight of his words crash over it. A lump formed in my throat, and when I glanced over at Sofia, her face grew pale. Marley’s expression was no better, and as I looked around the room, the servants held similar looks of fear. The Alpha King was no one to mess with. We needed to keep our wits about us. So, without another word, I motioned toward Marley, and the pair of us turned our attention back to the boy. “I’ll leave you to it, Cassy,” Sofia said quietly. “I’m going to check on Finnick and the boys downstairs.”“Thank you,” I said, and I offered the Luna a small nod of respect. She smiled back at me, and then she left the chamber. Marley and I got to work and started to fully  examine the bite on the young prince’s bite.  It’d worsened even since Marley and I had arrived, and knew Asher was right- time was of the essence. We needed to act fast if we were going to save his life. “Can we do this?” Marley whispered just loud enough for me to hear. “Cassandra, this looks bad.”“We have no choice in the matter,” I reminded her gently. “Besides, we’ve dealt with worse before. We can do this, Marley.” My assistant paused for a moment, and then she nodded. “You’re right. Let’s get to work.”

Chapter 4 Chapter 4 He said stay

CASSANDRA The next few hours passed by laboriously. As we waited for the guards to return with some sort of news about the viper, Marley and I did all we could to keep the boy comfortable. We took his temperature, monitored his heart rate, and continued to apply cold compresses to keep his fever from rising any higher. Meanwhile, it took all of my concentration to remain perfectly focused on the boy. My mind was trying to wander to different places, and Asher Collins wasn’t helping. The Alpha King remained close to us as we attended to his son, and it was unclear if he was monitoring our treatment or just studying me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up as chills continuously ran down my spine. I wasn’t the kind of woman who got nervous easily, but the Alpha King’s very presence set every inch of my body on edge. Of all of the people to be here, he was the last one I’d ever have expected, and my emotions were running wild. I wasn’t sure whether to cry or be relieved to see him after so long. All I knew was that this was unbelievably complicated. After long, a pair of guards returned. They’d finally tracked down the viper. Luckily, it was one that I’d seen in a medical book. I relayed all of the information I knew to Marley and Asher, and the pair of them seemed relieved to know there was a potential cure. The Alpha King had assigned guards to accompany Marley back to the clinic to procure the herbs needed to heal the boy. My assistant seemed nervous to be surrounded by such heavily-weaponed men, but she accepted the help. Half an hour later, she returned with the herbs, and we got to work. We prepared a salve to apply directly to the wound, and then used others to brew a tea that would treat the boy internally. The prince was weak, but we managed to help him get enough of the tea into his system to treat him properly. Hours passed by, and by dusk, the boy finally became stable. After much fitful moaning and crying, he’d finally fallen into a quiet sleep. The blueness of his lips had disappeared, and color had returned to his cheeks. Beneath the salve, the swollenness of the bite had eased. Once he was sustained, I sent Marley back home. She put up a bit of a fight and insisted on staying with me, but I pushed back and told her she needed to go back to her boys. “They’re going to be excited to show you what they hunted in the forest,” I’d reminded her. “They need you more than I do right now.” After a little more convincing, Marley agreed to go, and once she packed up and left the Pack House, I’d turned to the rest of the people standing around in the chamber and asked for some time alone with my patient. The guards seemed hesitant to leave me alone with the prince, but the Alpha King heeded my request and ordered the others to do the same. They filtered out of the chamber, and once they were gone, I released a sigh. As much as the quiet was nice, asking everyone to leave us was more of an excuse than anything. My patient was stable, but I needed time to think and process the emotions that swirled around in my mind like a storm. I hadn’t been prepared to see Asher again, and I was surprised to see just how much he’d changed over the years. He was the Alpha King now, and as such, he was the ruthless leader of the Wegalla Empire. In the past, he’d seemed hesitant to take on the position, but it seemed like he’d embraced his destiny. Not only that, but he had a son. I glanced over at the boy. Was he also the son of Adalyn Moses? A pang of sadness struck me. He had to be. Asher had abandoned me all those years ago and left me to suffer for the sake of marrying Adalyn. It would make sense that he’d have a son with her. My chest suddenly felt tight, and for a moment, I thought I was about to cry, but I forced those feelings down. Asher Collins was the Alpha King now. What he did was none of my business anymore, and I couldn’t let him affect me like this. Besides, I had Finnick and my career here in the Wild Crawler Pack, not to mention my dear friend Marley and her family. I was loved and respected here, and that’s all I needed. I looked back at the prince. He reminded me a little of Finnick, though they didn’t look alike. The prince had a sweet round face and soft curly hair, just like his mother, Adalyn. She’d been the most beautiful she-wolf in the Crescent Pack, so it was unsurprising her son took after her. My Finnick had a more serious appearance, much like his father. He was cute, but there was something mature and intelligent in his eyes. Suddenly, a soft whimper interrupted my thoughts, and when I looked over, I watched the prince roll on his side. His sheets were thoroughly soaked from perspiration, and his forehead appeared damp as well. “Oh, sweetheart,” I murmured, and I hopped to my feet. The poor child was at risk of catching a cold. I rushed over to the door, and peeked my head out. A pair of guards stood at attention, and they stared at me with expressions of concern. “I need a servant,” I said. “The prince needs a fresh set of blankets.” The guards nodded, and one of them disappeared down the hall. I stepped back into the chamber, and a few minutes later, the doors flew open to reveal a pair of servants with piles of fresh linens. But they weren’t alone. Asher Collins walked in with them, and his gray eyes flashed with concern. “How is he?” he demanded as he rushed over, but when he caught sight of his son, his expression softened. “Better,” I answered gently. “I just thought he would be more comfortable with fresh sheets.”“Oh,” Asher said simply, and he nodded. It was clear that he was a caring father, and it was strange to seem him in this light. I stepped aside as the servants changed the prince’s sheets, and as Asher spoke quietly to his son, I felt a lump form once again in my throat. My stomach turned and for a moment, I thought I was going to throw up. Tears welled in my eyes, and I dug my nails into my palms. This was too hard. Once the servants were done, they left the chamber, and I wanted to follow. So, I turned to Asher. “Your son just needs rest,” I managed to say. “He’s recovering quite well, so I think I should take my leave.” Before he could say another word, I turned on my heels and headed toward the doors. I’d nearly made it there when Asher’s voice rang through the chamber. “Stay,” he demanded. I froze for a moment, and then took a step forward. Then he spoke again, his voice hardened and deadly serious. “I said stay.”