Chapter 110

Chapter 110 Talent should be appreciated

ASHER

After what felt like dam n near an eternity, the meeting reached a conclusion. Despite the long hours of bartering and propositions, nothing had really been decided. The councilors were unwilling to give away any sort of information or allow any type of goods to be taken back to Yurene. They seemed too afraid of the Northern country and unwilling to allow any breach of security.

The poor recorder had written pages upon pages of notes. I felt sorry for him, as his job certainly hadn’t been easy. I hadn’t expected so many arguments and disputes, and my head was pounding intensely. I desperately needed some medicine to soothe the aches brought on by my illness.

“We will take all of the proposals that were made today into consideration,” I announced to the room. “Once we reach a conclusion, we will gather again and renegotiate. Thank you all for granting us your time and ideas. Councilors, you are. dismissed.”

The councilors and diplomats rose to their feet and bowed obediently. As they began to filter out of the room and stood, I decided it would be best to retire to my own chamber. Cas sandra would be by later for my health check, and until then, I needed to lie down and get some rest. All of this discussion had rendered me exhauste I, and I wanted to make sure I was more awake when I got to see her.

After all of this mess, I was excited to see the beautiful healer again.

Jacey followed me out, and once we were away from the others, he cleared

s throat.

“Your Majesty, I have selected a few locations for yo to examine,” he announced, and he procured a stack of documents from a file at his side. I accepted the papers and scanned them over.

I’d asked the councilor to look into a suitable location for Cas sandra’s clinic she

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wanted to open in Anemond. Jacoby was knowledgeable when it came to real estate and owned a decent patch of land. He would know the best place for her to be able to stay, somewhere where she could run the clinic and be safe after hours.

“Follow me,” I decided, and I inclined my head toward the stairs. “We can

discuss things in my study.”

Jacoby nodded, and just as we were about to walk in that direction, I heard a voice behind me.

“Alpha Asher, can we have a word?”

I managed to stifle a groan, and turned around to see Kaleb. I paused in place and the king of Yurene rushed over to me.

I frowned. What did Kaleb want? We’d just spent hours in a meeting. What more could he possibly have to say?

Of course, I could use this to my advantage. I had questions too, namely about Dark Abyss. Ever since I had learned that the Pack had once been in a war with Yurene, I’d wanted to figure out what had happened. Perhaps this was my opportunity.

“Sure,” I said, and then I turned to Jacoby. “We will speak later if that’s alright.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Jacoby said, and after he bowed, I turned to Kaleb.

“Let’s go to my study,” I decided. “We won’t be interrupted there.”

“Excellent,” Kaleb replied. “Thank you for granting me an audience.”

I led the king of Yurene up to my study, and as we grew closer, I thought of how

I could bring up Dark Abyss. I couldn’t ask the foreign Alph outright, or else it yould amas s suspicion. No, I needed to conduct myself carefully so I could get the answers I needed. Kaleb was smart.

But I needed to be smarter.

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Once we reached the study, the guards opened the door for us, and a pair of ser vants awaited my orders. Kaleb’s jaw dropped as he studied the room.

“I must say, Alpha Asher, this room is quite impressive,” he said as his eyes trailed over my many shelves of books. “This study looks more like a small library than an office.”

“Thank you,” I said, and I smiled at him politely before turning to the serv ants. “Please prepare some tea for us. Chamomile, preferably, unless you prefer something else, Alpha Kaleb.”

“Chamomile is fine by me,” Kaleb replied, and then he smiled. “Thank you.”

The ser vants nodded and then rushed out of the room. Once the doors were closed, I gestured toward the leather couches on the far side of the room. “Please, take a seat.”

Kaleb and I walked over, and once we were seated, I cleared my throat.

“What can I help you with?” I asked.

The foreign king’s expression grew serious.

“I heard that a dangerous man was apprehended the day before yesterday,” he

said.

“Yes” I confirmed. “You’re correct. But there’s no cause for worry. Everything is

under control.”

“Grod,” Kaleb said. “I’m glad to hear that. I don’t have all of the details of the er counter, but from what I’ve gathered, it was a scary situation. I’m pleased to know

I is alright.”

“Of course,” I replied. I tried not to frown. Had Kaleb really come here to discuss

the man?

Was this discussion going to be easier than I’d expected? I didn’t think Kaleb would offer information about Dark Abyss readily, but this seemed like an opportune

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time to bring it up.

“And how is Cas sandra?” Kaleb shifted the subject before I could speak again. “I haven’t seen her in days. How is she doing? Was she caught up in the awful affair?”

This time, I frowned.

“Healer Cas sandra is quite busy these days,” I said vaguely. “But she is fir Hard at work.”

As petty as it sounded, I didn’t like the way the king of Yurene paid too much attention to the healer and didn’t want him anywhere near her.

“I was hoping to see her again,” Kaleb mused. “But it seems that there are always guards surrounding her room or the place where she works.”

“Security measures,” I noted through gritted teeth. “Surely, you understand. Besides, she’s my private healer. What business do you have with her?”

“Oh, please relax,” Kaleb chuckled, and he raised his hand. “I was simply wondering how my friend was doing and wanted to ask her some questions.”

“What kind of questions?” I wondered as my eyebrow shot up. What kind of business did he have with Cas sandra? “I could ask them for you.”

Kaleb smirked. “That is very kind of you, Alpha Asher. I would be grateful if you could ask her on my behalf. I was simply wanting to know if she had considered my offer thoroughly.”

“Your offer?” I wondered. “What offer?”

Kaleb’s smirk shifted into a smile. He looked utterly fox-like, and I felt a mix of nger and intrigue. He was being purposely vague to both me, and as much as I ated to admit it, his efforts were working. He was hiding something, and I needed to know what it was immediately.

“I invited Healer Cas sandra to come to the North,” he revealed as he tucked his hair behind his ear casually. “I think talents such as hers would be far more

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appreciated in Turane.”