Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

Chapter 52 Rude Northerner

ASHER

“You’re very late, Alpha Asher. Is it customary of your Pack to keep your guests

waiting?”

The moment I stepped into the first-floor meeting room, a heavily accented voice reached my ears, and

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Though I knew the voice belonged to the King of Yurene, I was

shocked by how callously I was being

spoken to.

The king stood from the couch very slowly and then extended his hand toward mine. “I jest, of course,

though you do appear to be quite busy.””

I stared at his hand for a moment before I accepted it in mine. “I suppose I am quite busy. I’m sorry to

keep you waiting-”

“Are you ill?” Kaleb blurted out. “You look tired-”

Lancel took a step forward in warning, but I raised a hand to stop him.

“It’s fine,” I murmured.

Kaleb studied us with a curious expression and then chuckled. “It seems the people of the South are

more tense than us Northerners.”

The king of Yurene was one of the tallest men I’d ever seen. I wasn’t short by any means, but

compared to his impressive stature, I felt like a child again. His hair was somewhere between gold and

brown, and his deep blue eyes were dark and haunting. His appearance was sophisticated but his

attire was another thing completely. He was dressed in deep leathers and furs that suggested a colder

climate than it was. It made sense- Yurene’s climate was likely much colder than that of Wegalla’s.

Despite his height, he appeared to be a few years younger than me and still

had a softness to his smile.

“I suppose so,” I remarked.

Though I’d never met Kaleb before, I’d heard from my men that he was a very capable Alpha. While his

father, the former king of Yurene, had taken most of their land through war and disputes, Kaleb was

known to use softer policies to annex other packs into their empire. That being said, I could see a

certain glint in his eyes that suggested he shouldn’t be doubted. He was cu nning and dangerous, and I

needed to stay on my toes around him.

“Alpha Kaleb, this is Lancel, Bert, and my counselors,” I introduced the group to the king, and then I

took a seat in the leather chair opposite him.)

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Kaleb said politely.

A pair of se rvants entered the room moments later with trays in their hands. They arranged a teapot,

cups, and small tiers of snacks on the table before us, and then filled each of the cups with my favorite

blend of tea. My mouth watered as the smell hit my nose. I hadn’t had much of an appetite lately, but I

was rather fond of tea.

“Thank you,” I addressed them as I accepted my cup.

“Yes, thank you,” Kaleb’chimed in, and when he lifted the tea to his lips, he inhaled deeply and smiled.

“This smells lovely.”

He took a sip and his smile widened. “A wonderful selection, Alpha Asher. I must say, the tea in the

South is very worthy of praise. The only praise I’ve been able to give so far.”

“It seems to me that you have had a rather bad impression of Wegalla,” I remarked, and I pushed down

the feeling of irritation that had arisen.

“Yes,” Kaleb said bluntly, and then he offered a strange expression of amusement. “I didn’t expect to

see an attempted kidnapping upon my arrival to Anemond.”

“A kidnapping?” I repeated back, and I set my tea cup down. My eyes flew to Lancel, but my guard

looked just as confused by the king’s words.

Kaleb nodded. “Yes. My men and I were walking around the market earlier. I wanted to get a feel for

Anemond before I arrived in the palace. I’ve only heard tales. of Wegalla from my father, you see, so I

wanted to get to know the city myself. I was in the middle of the market when I heard a woman cry out

for help. My men and I ended up finding her in the middle of an alley being pursued by a wicked man

and

woman.’

“Oh my,” I uttered before I could stop myself.

“My men intervened before she could be hurt,” Kaleb continued. matter-of-factly, but his bright

expression faded quickly. “But I must say, the experience left quite an impression. I didn’t realize this

place was so dangerous.”

An attempted kidnapping? In Anemond? Sure, the capital could be dangerous, but something like

this… it all sounded so strange. Crime hadn’t been this bad in

years.

“I will look into this,” I announced as my eyebrows creased together. “I can assure you, Alpha Kaleb,

this kind of thing doesn’t happen around here-”

“And yet it did,” Kaleb interrupted me with a slight tilt of his head. “Do you mean to say that it was

simply a stroke of bad luck, a moment of inconvenient timing?”

“It doesn’t happen around here,” I emphasized. Alpha Kaleb’s tone was tiresome. and I couldn’t believe

I was being challenged like that in my own palace. I wasn’t sure how things were done in Yurene, but

Kaleb was testing my patience.

The king stared at me for a moment and then chuckled.

“Then it appears we have brought you bad luck,” he remarked, and he turned his attention back to his

tea.

Rather than get riled up, I decided to sip at my own and try to steady my breath. I needed to stay calm

and collected. Politics between our empires forced me

to do so.

“So, what brings you here, Alpha Kaleb?” I wondered. “From our correspondence, I hadn’t expected

you to come in person.”

“I thought things would be easier if I arrived myself,” Kaleb replied simply, and he shrugged. “There are

many matters to discuss and I would rather be present during the conversations rather than hear them

parroted back by my diplomats.”

Suddenly, a yawn escaped him.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied. “Though, we have just traveled all along the continent to arrive here. I’m afraid I need

some rest, along with my men.”

“Of course,” I said, and then I turned to Bert, the head se rvant. “Have the rooms for our guests been

prepared?”

Bert nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty, the rooms are ready. The welcoming party has also been prepared in

the grand dining room.”

Kaleb’s eyebrow shot up in interest and his strange smile returned to his face. “A welcoming party? I

look forward to seeing your traditional southern dance.”

He rose to his feet. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Of course,” I replied, and I carefully stood as well. My head swam at the sudden movement, but I tried

not to let it bother me. I would rest just as soon as they left.

“Follow me, Your Majesty,” Bert addressed Kaleb. The king of Yurene nodded and then urged his men

forward. As they filed out the chamber door, relief began to swell within me. I was ready to be alone.

“Alpha Asher?” Kaleb spoke up before he left. He lingered in the doorway for a moment and tilted his

head. “I wanted to mention the lady from earlier, the one who was nearly kidnapped. She was quite

admirable, you see, and quite brave

considering the circumstances. She mentioned her name was Ca ssandra and she was a royal healer

here in the palace.”

“Ca ssandra?” I said in shock, and Kaleb nodded.

“I hope that I will get to see her again at the party,” he said, and then he turned around. “She was very

lovely to get along with.”