Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper

ASHER

Chapter 97 Report about the imposter

I stared down at the report that had just been hand-delivered to my office, and as my eyes trailed over

it, my eyebrows creased together.

The report had been drafted by my guards after their full investigation of the imposter we’d

apprehended yesterday. Unfortunately all they’d uncovered was his name, and a small crest they’d

found on his person.

I held the small medallion in my hands and studied it carefully. I knew all of the Packs crests by heart,

and none of them matched the one on the charm. This crest didn’t belong to any group in Wegalla, I

was sure of it.

I

Apparently, the man’s name was Spi ke Nox, though it sounded more like an alias than his given name.

According to the register list of all the guards in Merliscire, he’d been recruited as a five years ago, and

had served as a private guard of Margaret’s ever since.

Apart from these details, nothing else had been recorded. His origin, his background, his

qualifications… none of that could be found anywhere. Apparently, the man hadn’t been recruited form

the official channels. Someone had arranged this position for him, but who?

Was it my wicked stepmother?

As I considered the idea, I heard a knock at my door. I sighed.

“Come in,” I called out. The door opened and in walked Lancel. The guard’s expression was as serious

as ever, and when his eyes fell to the papers in my hands, his mouth set into a thin line.

“Is everything alright with Ca ssandra?” asked him first.

Lancel nodded politely. “Yes, Alpha. The healer is perfectly fine. She’s with her

son right now.”

“Good,” I remarked, and then I getsured at him with the report. “Have you heard about this yet? It’s a

report about the imposter.”

When he shook his head, I nodded, and then told him everything. As I read every detail written down,

Lancel grew more and more surprised. His eyebrows raised until they were nearly at his hairline, and

then he frowned.

“Do you think Margaret hired him?” I asked directly. “Do you think she’s behind all of this?”

My most trusted guard considered the idea and fell silent for a minute. He approached my desk and

took a seat in front of me.

“I don’t think so, Alpha,” he said finally. “She’s a smart woman. If Margaret were entangled in this, she

wouldn’t have arranged for this man to be so close to her. She’d maintain her distance to keep from

getting exposed.”

“That’s a good point,” I agreed. Lancel was right. Margaret may have been wicked, but she wasn’t st

upid.

If my stepmother hadn’t hired the man, who did? And why had he been. assigned to her? Was he there

to spy on her on someone else’s behalf?

What was going on?

“Lancel, is there anyone else you’re suspicious of?” I wondered as I leaned back in my chair. “Anyone

at all. Please, don’t spare my feelings here. I want your honest. insight.”

He nodded at once and sighed as he stared into the distance. He began to nod his head in

consideration, and then met my eyes agaon.

“Alpha, I find Beta Oliver to be quite strange,” he remarked, and then he paused.

“Go on,” I urged as I sat forward.

Lancel took a deep breath and then continued.

“His behavior in the corridor the other day struck me as odd,” he stated calmly. “I think when he lunged

forward to attack the man holding Lady Adalyn hostage, he intended to kill him. This surprised me,

Alpha, as Adalyn could have easily been killed in the struggle. He didn’t seem all tha worried about her

at all. It was… strange.”

I nodded. “I thought the same thing.”

“We’re living in troubled times, Alpha,” Lancel said seriously as his expression grew concerned. “I think

we need to be wary of Oliver Moses.”

He was right. I’d never trusted Oliver, and now that I knew Lancel found him just as suspicious as I did,

my feelings toward him were even stronger. We needed to keep a close eye on him. I didn’t care if he

was my father-in-law. We had to be

cautious.

“Lancel, I want you to arrange a team of trusted guards to check Spi ke Nox’s room,” I decided. “As

well as his closet. I want every last inch from the floorboards to under the furniture to be examined. I

would also like a couple to keep an eye on

Oliver Moses. I need to know if he’s involved in all of this.”

“Do you need me to keep guarding Ca ssandra Keller?” Lancel wondered.

I considered it for a moment and then nodded. “Yes. Things haven’t been sorted out completely, and I

have a bad feeling that something isn’t right. I need your to guard her for a little while longer. She’s too

tied up in this to leave alone.”

Lancel nodded dutifully. “Of course.”

A thought crossed my mind, and for a second, I was too nervous to say it aloud. But Lancel was one of

the few people that I trusted more than anyone else. He would understand me completely.

“I don’t want anyone to know I went to see Ca ssandra last night,” I said softly. “No one needs to know.

Not Marco, especially not Adalyn. Is that understood?”

The last thing I needed was for anyone to find out I’d slept over in the healer’s room, especially Adalyn.

She was already quick to temper, but if she found out

about this, she’d do more than go after Ca ssandra with a vial of chemicals. She would try to hurt her.

And the healer meant too much to me to lose.

The older man seemed taken aback by my statement. His lips parted as if he were going to say

something, but he changed his mind.

“Yes, Alpha,” he said formally, and he offered me a solemn bow. “I won’t speak a word of it. I’ll carry out

your orders at once.”

“Thank you,” I replied, and then I raised the medallion in the air. “One more thing. Lancel, do you

recognize this crest?”

I handed the small token to him, and he accepted it carefully. He examined it

closely, and his frown deepened. He shook his head.

“I don’t believe so, Alpha,” he said, and he handed the medallion back to me.

“But I can look into it further if you’d like.”

“That would be great,” I said. “Thank you.”

Suddenly, another knock rang out. I stifled a sigh. I wasn’t looking forward to another guest.

“Who is it?” I called out.

“Your favorite brother.”

Kane. I smirked and then shook my head. “Enter.”

The door opened, and Kane entered the study. As he approached my desk, I dismissed Lancel.

“Keep me updated on the situation,” I whispered just low enough for him to hear. He nodded and then

glanced at Kane.

“It’s been a long time, hasn’t it, Lancel?” my stepbrother greeted the guard with

a smile. “How are you these days?”

“Quite well, thank you,” Lancel replied politely, and then he offered us a bow

and left the room.