Alpha King’s Lost Luna by Aubrey Pepper novel Chapter 164

Chapter 164 His chance at redemption
ASHER
Darkness fell as we reached the military base near the borderlands.
Our journey to search for Ector Feliz was so cla*sified that apart from myself and Silas Moses, only one guard of the Beta’s accompanied us.
Normally, a mission of this caliber would have required a vehicle, but we opted not to use one to avoid attracting attention. So, instead, my brother-in-law, the guard, and I shifted into our wolf forms and ventured out of Anemond, toward the border.
It took a whole day of traveling to reach the edge of Wegalla. We were so eager to carry out our mission that we didn’t pause to rest for even a moment during the journey. Each of us was well-trained and physically in shape enough to meet the demands of that kind of travel, so our wolf forms were easily able to handle an endless run.
According to Silas’ intel, the military base was miles away from Ector’s place of residence. Although we were all capable wolves and could have continued running the rest of the way, we needed something in our bellies.
The lieutenant commander of the base had received news of our visit
beforehand and had prepared a nice feast for the King and his Bera. Goddess knew how he managed it considering how deserted the borderlands were..
While I appreciated the effort and lengths they had gone to to ensure that we were taken care of, neither Silas nor I seemed to have much of an appetite. I picked at my food politely and ate just enough to satisfy the people who’d taken the time to prepare it for us. Their time and effort were important, but I was too worried about finding Ector Felix and what it would mean for Cas sandra if it was him.
I had no idea how she would react to his reappearance, but I knew this was too important of a situation to not follow through. I knew the sight of her long-lost
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brother might be too much to bear, but I cared about her more than anyone else. I owed it to Cas sandra to investigate.
After we ate, we were escorted to one of the empty guest buildings on base by the lieutenant. His mood was far more chipper than mine and Silas’ and for a moment, I was a little agitated as he spoke, but I forced myself to breathe. He was merely doing his job, and I couldn’t fault him for treating us with loyalty and kindness.
The plan was for us to take an hour or two to rest and then head back out. If we were fast enough, we would arrive at Ector’s place in a few hours.
But as we lingered in the guest building, the lieutenant cleared his throat.
“Perhaps, Your Majesty, you should get a good night’s sleep here and then continue on your journey tomorrow,” he suggested cautiously.
Silas glanced at me.
I simply shook my head. I hadn’t planned to waste time here, and even if we did stay on the base, I knew I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. I needed to ensure that Ector was alright, and more importantly, I needed to confirm it was really Ector after
all.
I had been casting this doubt aside since Silas mentioned the possibility of finding him, but what if the man wasn’t him at all?
What if he was simply in possession of the Felix family badge? What then?
But I couldn’t think that way. I needed to think positively.
This was my chance at rédemption.
We made the decision to leave an hour later. We bid the lieutenant farewell and thanked him for his generous hospitality before shifting and getting back on the road, so to speak.
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Silas took the lead, and we ran for a few hours until finally, we reached the far reaches of the borderlands.
The area around us was desolate and terrible. The few trees around us were dead and I couldn’t spy a water source anywhere. This land was even more awful than I’d expected and it was a miracle anyone had survived living out here.
We shifted back into our human forms, and then I stood outside the ragged wooden house while Silas checked with the guard stationed there.
“How is he?” the Beta wondered, and the guard’s face grew solemn.
“His condition has deteriorated greatly, Lord Beta,” he replied, his tone somber. “He’s less aggressive than the last time you were here, but physically, he is much worse off. He can’t remove himself from bed.”
Silas’ gold eyes darted over to me, and it took all of my effort to remain calm. That certainly wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but I couldn’t let it outwardly affect me. I needed to keep my wits about me and conduct myself like the king I was.
“What would you like us to do, Your Majesty?” the Beta asked me as he smoothed his dark wavy hair from his forehead.
“We should speak with him,” I decided. “I don’t want to disturb him in his weakened state, but we came all of this way. I suppose we should enter quietly as a group and evaluate what he needs. If medical intervention is necessary, we’ll need to act quickly.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the guard replied dutifully and he offered me a bow of
respect.
Silas nodded. “Shall we?”
I nodded back, and after I took a deep breath, I opened the door.
When we entered the crude house, a rotten odor streamed forth and nearly sent me to my knees. My hand flew over my nose instinctively and my stomach turned at the scent. It was the stench of medical decay along with dirtiness and
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something else. I could only a*sume the man had soiled himself or something,
especially knowing that he couldn’t leave his bed. My heart ached. Ector or not, no one deserved that kind of fate.
Silas and the guards immediately frowned and studied each other with
concern.
As I moved on from the odor and acclimated to our surroundings, my gaze shifted over to the bed along the back wall, and I caught sight of the man within it.
His dirty face was partially obscured by locks of long, golden blond hair. Even though the tresses were sticky and greasy, the color was unmistakable.
Shock traveled through me.
The man appeared to be sleeping, yet his snores were interrupted by soft groans of pain.
“He won’t allow anyone to clean his face or b*dy,” the guard spoke up quietly as he fell back. “Every time someone has tried, he acts as if he’s ready to attack. My men want to help, but it’s a safety issue. We don’t know what he’s capable of.”
Silas nodded. “Of course.
Though there was so much I could have said, I remained silent as my brain swam with a million thoughts. Despite their warnings, I decided to approach the bed anyway. I took quiet steps so as not to wake the man up, and once I was at his bedside, I leaned in just enough to get a better look at the man.
His skin was tanned from the sun exposure, but his cheeks were hollow and sunken. His b*dy was bony and emaciated and his face was different than it had been in the old days, but when I caught sight of the birthmark on his neck, my eyes. widened and I was certain.
This had to be Ector Felix.