Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper
Chapter 72

Chapter 72 Snake pit

CA SSANDRA

Once Kaleb left my chambers, I crawled back into bed and stared up at the ceiling. My fever was lessening by the moment, but I was feeling all sorts of awful, not to mention downright tired.

The king of Yurene had given me an emotionally charged speech, but I couldn’t help but ponder the authenticity of his words. Kaleb had always been kind to me and didn’t have any reason to lie to my face, but I knew better than to accept. someone’s statements blindly.

Despite his explanation, I didn’t understand why he wanted me specifically to help treat his ailing father. Any number of the healers in Anemond were more talented than I was, and even with the knowledge that Emmett had been the one to gift them medicine, it wasn’t as if my late husband had left me with notes. I had not idea what he’d used to treat the king and there was no guarantee that I could figure.

it out.

Yet, once again, why would he lie about something so serious?

I couldn’t help but think about what going to Yurene could mean for Finnick and me, as well as the Alpha King. With a cure to his disease, Asher Collins could go back to the life he’d had before he’d come to Wild Crawler, and I could satisfy my part of the bargain and return to my old position.

There were so many factors to consider and I wasn’t sure how to handle it all. I was confined to my chambers for the foreseeable future and had no opportunity to speak to the Alpha King unless he came to me. Even if he did come here… what would he say? Would he even let me leave Anemond?

Just as the thought entered my mind, the door suddenly opened, and in walked a guard. Completely startled, I sat up in bed immediately and my heart began to

race.

What was going on?

Was this guard working for Margaret?

“My apologies for walking in unannounced, Healer Ca ssandra,” the young guard apologized to me earnestly. “But I had to make haste.”

“What’s happening?” I asked as I tried to catch my breath.

“A snake pit has been found, my lady,” the guard explained, and then he gestured toward the door. “I need you to come with me. A few guards were attacked by the vipers within and they need treatment immediately.”

My eyes widened. The snake pit?

I jumped out of bed and glanced down. I was still in my night clothes.

“Give me a moment to change,” I said quickly, and I rushed over to my closet. “Will you wait outside?”

“Yes,” the guard replied. “Please, hurry. I’ll be outside of the door.”

Without another word, he stepped out into the hall, and once the door was closed, I pulled on a sweater, pants, and some boots. Once I was dressed, I pulled my hair into a bun and winced at the effort. The salve Kaleb had given me was helping, but my arm was still tender from the burn.

I pushed the pain from my mind and walked out of the room. The guard straightened up and started to lead me down the hall, but before we could go, I turned to a se rvant just beyond us.

“Please tell Erika that I left to take care of the wounded guards,” I instructed, and after the se rvant nodded, I turned to the guard, and we made our way down. the hall.

As we rushed down the stairs, I told the guard I needed to stop at the lab to grab my kit. The guard agreed and escorted me there.

“Stay close,” he urged me as we shuffled through a small crowd of people, and I was suddenly reminded that I wasn’t supposed to be out and about. I kept close as ordered, and once we reached the lab, I rushed in and began to a*semble my

things.

“If this situation is as bad as it sounds, we may need my a*sistant,” I informed the guard. Becky wasn’t currently in the lab since I was in confinement.

The guard nodded and then glanced toward the door.

I finished quickly and then followed him out of the lab.

Our destination was a house a few districts away from the palace. The guard informed me it’d long been deserted, but once we got there, I could tell it belonged to a wealthy family. It was enormous with tall pillars, an expansive lawn, and a few

statues in front of the house.

The moment we stepped foot in the house, I could hear groaning. Five cots had been arranged in the long hallway, and on them, I could see the guards lying there, writhing in pain.

We rushed over to them, and as I glanced around at the wounded me, I noticed they’d been bitten in different places. Arms, legs, faces, all swollen heavily.

“Did they catch the vipers?” I asked, but the guard shook his head.

“The snake pit was found in the basement,” he said. “The vipers are very aggressive. All of the guards that entered were attacked. We need more support and protective suits if we want to go back.”

I nodded slowly and then got to work. I examined each of the guards’ bites thoroughly. The situation was worse than I’d expected. Two of the guards seemed to have difficulty breathing and their blood pressure was dropping fast.

Before long, Becky arrived, and she was shocked by what she saw. Once I briefed her with what I knew, her eyes widened.

“Why would a snake pit be here of all places?” she asked, but all I could do was

E

shrug and shake my head. I had no idea either, but we didn’t have time to worry about that. We had to start treating the guards.

After long, more guards arrived on the scene, all wearing protective suits. Soon after, Asher arrived.

The Alpha King and I locked eyes, and after I offered him a nod of respect, Asher got to work and began to interview the guards.

He asked them questions about the basement and what was down there. I was curious myself, but my main focus was treating my patients.

Once he got some information, he turned to his men.

“Get down there at once,” he urged. “We need to handle this quickly.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the guards said with a salute, and then they vanished.

A few minutes went by, and then the leader of the squad, a tall young man with intense black eyes, rushed over to Asher.

“Your Majesty, we were stopped by a narrow corridor once we descended the stairs,” he explained. “We couldn’t pa*s it. However, we did manage to drop a few tubes of anesthesia inside. I don’t know how effective it will be, but it might stop some of the vipers.”

h

“We couldn’t pa*s the corridor either,” the guard I was treating groaned. “When we were down there, we heard a hiss and then we lit the torches. We were surrounded. The vipers attacked, but after they bit us, they retreated and we ran for our lives.”

“They retreated?” Asher repeated back and when the guard nodded, the Alpha King growled. “What in the world?”

“How narrow is the corridor?” I blurted out before I could stop myself. The leader of the squad seemed surprised by the question but gestured with his hands anyway. I studied the distance.

“There’s no way any of these guys can fit in that,” Asher cursed and his eyebrows creased together as he considered a plan.

I took a deep breath.

I had a crazy idea.

“Do you have another suit?” I asked the leader. “A smaller one?”

The leader and Asher stared at me in confusion.

“Send me in,” I suggested. “I’ll give it a try.