Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper
Chapter 80

Chapter 80 Lie

ASHER

I stared into my son’s eyes with disdain as I fought to refocus my mind. Out of the corner of my vision, I could see Ca ssandra leaving the chamber. Though I needed to concentrate on Marco’s words, I was still a little bothered after my

encounter with the healer.

“Marco, why are you here?” I asked him as my frustration began to rise. When my son began to pout, I decided to soften my tone. The boy was visibly distressed and I didn’t want to usher in another tantrum. “What’s going on?”

Though I didn’t want to admit it, part of me knew that I’d been neglecting the boy quite often these days. I’d been so caught up in all of the drama of the snakes and the market, and the other various goings on in Anemond that I’d barely even seen Marco.

“Daddy, why haven’t you visited Mommy?” Marco whined, and his l*p began to quiver. “She was severely hurt and she’s in pain. She needs you right away, Daddy!”

A heavy sigh escaped me before I could stop it.

Adalyn.

Just the thought of her made my head ache again.

“Marco, I don’t have the time right now,” I said gently as I pinched the bridge of my nose between my fingers. “Daddy has a lot that he has to deal with, and besides, it’s late-”

“You could visit Mommy now!” Marco announced. “IE you have time to talk with the healer lady, why can’t you talk with Mommy?”.

The young prince’s theory wasn’t a bad one, and I had to acknowledge the logic in his words. But then again, I knew that this idea wasn’t unprompted.

“Did your mother ask you to come here?” I asked, and I tried to shove down the mounting frustration within me. Marco’s cheeks lost their color and his eyes fell again to the ground.

“Mommy did want you to come see her,” he said quietly as he gave a little kick. “But she didn’t tell me to come here. It was my idea, Daddy. I just want you and Mommy to be happy, that’s all.”

The sentiment hung in the air and I felt a tug at my heart. I couldn’t blame Marco for feeling this way. Adalyn and I hadn’t been model parents lately. He deserved better adults to look up to. How was he ever going to learn what a healthy relationship looked like if we didn’t at least pretend to conduct ourselves like

adults?

“Okay,” I decided, and I reached out and took his hand. “Let’s go see Mommy.”

Marco lit up immediately. “Really?”

I nodded.

The young prince’s l*ps curled up into a grin and he laughed.

We left the chamber and I took a moment to tell the guards where I was going. One of them decided to remain outside of the room while the other offered to accompany us to the House of Moses. I agreed to the young man’s offer, and then the three of us made our way out of the palace.

The House of Moses was technically part of the palace grounds, but existed just on the outskirts. The walk was a quiet one, but I could tell that Marco was beyond excited. I wanted to remind him to lower his expectations, but at the same time, I didn’t want to ruin his good mood.

Once we reached the grand estate, Marco rushed ahead to the front door and knocked on it happily. Moments later, the door opened, and Linda Moses greeted

“Oh,” she remarked in surprise. “Hello there! Please, come in.”

She ushered us inside, and I said a small prayer to the Moon Goddess. This was likely going to be a terrible idea.

“Is Oliver around?” I asked as we lingered for a moment in the foyer. I peered up

the stairs but didn’t see the Beta up there.

“No, no,” Linda replied politely. “He’s away visiting some friends.”

“At this hour?” I wondered, but I decided not to press any further. Admittedly, I was happy that he wasn’t around. I wasn’t in any mood to speak with him anyway.

joy.

“We’re here to see Mommy!” Marco exclaimed as he practically bounced with

“That’s sweet,” Linda said enthusiastically. “I’m sure she’ll be very happy to see you. Come along. She’s in her bedroom.”

Without further ado, Linda led us to Adalyn’s room on the top floor. With every step, I forced myself to breathe. I could do this. I just needed to visit Adalyn to satisfy Marco.

Linda knocked on the door and moments later, there was a loud thud on the

other side.

“Go away!” Adalyn’s mu ffled voice called out. It sounded as if she’d been crying.

Her mother looked embarra*sed as she turned back to face me.

“Adalyn had a small… quarrel with her father,” she explained gently and Marco looked worried. I raised my brow. What had the Beta said to make Adalyn so upset?

I approached the door myself, and once Linda stood aside, I knocked.

“It’s me,” I said. “And Marco.”

“Asher?” Adalyn said timidly, and then the door flew open. Adalyn stood there, wearing a simple dark red robe. Her eyes were completely bloodshot, and her cheeks were slightly swollen.

“We came to see you!” Marco said, and he wrapped his arms around Adalyn’s legs. Adalyn’s golden eyes remained fixed on me.

“Thanks, baby,” she said, and then she crouched down until she was at Marco’s level. “Why don’t you go see Grandma for a while while Daddy and I have a grown-up talk?”

Marco nodded happily. “Take your time! I’ll go play with Grandma!”

Linda obediently took Marco’s hand and led him away. Adalyn and I stepped

into her room and closed the door behind us.

The room was silent as I tried to replace the right words to say.

“Has your wound improved?” I asked, and Adalyn nodded.

“Yes,” she said quietly. “I feel much better. I should be able to return to the palace soon.”

“Don’t rush,” I a*sured her. “There’s no hurry. Take all of the time you need to rest here.”

A flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes and she frowned.

“Oh.”

Silence again, and then I decided to just lay it all out.

“Adalyn, you shouldn’t lie to Marco,” I said. “He came to me crying. I’m worried that lying will only teach him bad habits.”

Her l*ps parted, but I had to continue anyway.

“If taking proper care of him and teaching him is too difficult, I could hire someone else to do it,” I said. “I don’t want him to grow up to be spoiled or-”

“The healer!” Adalyn seethed, and her hands curled into fists at her sides. “I-| knew it! You want her to take my position!”

“What?” I demanded, and I took a step backward. “What are you talking about?”

“You want to replace me!” Adalyn accused and then she shook her head and pointed at me. “I knew it! Well, you listen here, Asher. That woman is suspicious in every conceivable way.”

“She has nothing to do with this,” I said. “This is between us.”

“Who’s the lying one now?” Adalyn laughed cruelly as tears fell down her cheeks. “Asher, you’re kidding yourself here. Don’t you think it’s strange that the king of Yurene cares so much about her? Or that the viper attacks started with her? I’m telling you, Asher, that woman is a spy… or something even more vicious. Mark my words. Something is wrong with her, and letting her into your life… it’ll be your undoing.”