CassiusJulian’s gasp echoed through the room, too dramatic for someone with nothing to hide. “I would never dream of hurting you like that,” he said.I stared at him, unsure if I believed him, unsure if I even wanted to believe him anymore. There was a time when that answer would have comforted me. Now it just felt rehearsed. Predictable.I said nothing, just moved to the chair behind my desk and sank into it, feeling the weight of my mistakes settle onto my shoulders like a boulder. The pain was ever-present—tight in my chest, pressing against my lungs, a constant reminder of what I’d done… what I’d lost.Julian lingered by the door like he couldn’t decide whether to flee or fight.“Come in,” I said coolly. “I’m not done with you.”He stepped inside, shoulders tense.I sat there for a moment, recollecting my thoughts, digging for clarity through the fog of emotion. Then, finally, I looked up.Julian looked like he’d rather be anywhere but here, and for once, I didn’t care how uncomf
CassiusI was going insane. That was the only explanation for the way my chest kept tightening every time Lorien opened his mouth and said something that chipped away at the fragile hope I had been clinging to.“I don’t know what you want from me, Cassius,” Lorien said softly, his eyes shining with something that wasn’t quite anger, wasn’t quite sadness, but something far more suffocating.I stepped forward, barely keeping the emotion out of my voice. “What do I want from you?” I laughed, short and hollow. “I want you to tell me what the hell I’m supposed to do to prove to you that I’m not lying. Everything I’ve said to you since the moment we reconnected has come straight from my soul, Lorien. And yet, every time I try to move us forward, it’s like you pull away.”He flinched.“You act like you understand me,” I continued, voice strained, “but then your words… gods, Lorien, your words tear me apart every single time. Why can’t you just—” I stopped myself, biting down on my frustratio
LorienThe noise from the field drew me out of the house before I even realized I was moving. I followed the crowd with a sense of dread tugging at my chest, each step heavy with the weight of a thousand questions I wasn’t sure I wanted answers to. The sun had dipped low, casting long shadows across the grass, and still, the murmurs didn’t stop. I didn’t need anyone to tell me something was wrong.By the time I reached the field, my breath caught in my throat.Cassius.He stood in the center of the chaos, disheveled, furious, gripping Julian by the collar like he was holding back from tearing him apart. I hadn’t seen Cassius like that in years. Not this raw, not this broken. Julian looked like he’d been through a war—clothes rumpled, face pale, and something feral in his expression.I wanted to rush in. I didn’t. Not yet.For a second, I just watched—watched the man I loved unravel piece by piece. And still, even with all this chaos, I couldn’t stop the wave of disappointment crashing
CassiusI didn’t even try to hide the way my heart kicked into overdrive when Lorien asked me to go get something for him. He didn’t say it with affection—his voice was calm, maybe even a little too calm—but it didn’t matter. It was something. A sign. A gesture. A crack in the wall between us.I turned away from the party with a thousand things stirring in my chest, most of which I didn’t know how to name. I thought about shifting into my wolf to get back to the house faster, but one glance down at the suit I was wearing stopped me. Lorien liked me in this suit. Said it made me look like less of a thug and more of a man. I wanted to hold onto that compliment a little longer.The roads back to the estate were unusually quiet, and as I approached the house, an eerie stillness fell over the place. My wolf growled low in my chest. Something was off. This wasn’t how I left things. There was always noise—someone talking, doors creaking, footsteps, something.I climbed the steps with my sens
LorienI wasn’t sure about the plan. I’d nodded along, agreed to it, even put some of my own twists in just to feel like I had control—but inside, doubt crawled over every inch of my mind like vines twisting tight. Still, what choices did I have left? Every path forward was a gamble. I just had to pray that this one didn’t destroy what was left of me.The elder was right about one thing, though—the end would justify the means.We set the birthday celebration for that evening. It was risky, almost impulsively so, but Isabella was clever, and she moved fast. We couldn’t afford to give her more time. If she sensed suspicion, she’d shift her plans into overdrive, and that would put Cassius directly in the path of destruction. And I… for all the pain he’d caused me, I couldn’t bear to see him fall. Not like this. Not because of someone like her.The trip back to the house was a quiet one. The twins were unusually silent, which only made the guilt crawl deeper into my bones. I watched them
LorienI left Cassius with that one word, not bothering to glance back at him. If I did, I knew I’d crumble.I clutched Caius’s hand in mine and wrapped my other arm around Lucian's shoulder as we moved briskly through the hallways. My chest burned with frustration, but I pushed it down, swallowing hard. There was no time for anger. Not right now.I needed to see the elders. I needed someone to listen. Someone to take me seriously before it was too late.I took the twins straight to the vineyard where I knew the elders were meeting. The sun was dipping into the horizon, casting golden light over the rows of grapes and ancient stone benches. A soft wind tugged at the edges of my shirt, and I tightened my grip on my boys.Lucian glanced up at me. “Where are we going, pops?”“To someone who might help,” I said quietly. “Just stay close to me, okay?”They both nodded, though Caius was already yawning.The truth? I knew the elders wouldn’t believe a word I said. Not really. They had always