CassiusThe bar was quiet at midnight, the kind of silence that made every sound feel heavier than it should. Only the faint hum of the refrigerator and the occasional creak of the old wooden beams broke through the stillness. Even the shadows seemed to lean in closer, clinging to the corners as though they, too, were listening.Lorien sat hunched at the counter, the soft amber glow of the hanging lamp throwing sharp lines across his face. His glass was already half-drained, his fingers curled around it like it was the only thing holding him together. His back was rigid, shoulders squared in that stubborn way of his that screamed he wasn’t going to let me in—not tonight, maybe not ever.And yet, here I was.Because sleep was impossible without him.I dragged the stool beside him out, the legs scraping against the wood floor with a groan that echoed too loud in the stillness. I lowered myself into it, folding my arms on the bar. “You planning to drink yourself into oblivion tonight?” I
LorienI told myself to stay in the room.To keep my distance.To trust that my boys would be safe.But no matter how much I tried to convince myself, my chest felt tight. Every time I thought of them being out there without me, a gnawing unease clawed at my insides.It wasn’t paranoia. I knew—deep in my bones—that eyes were watching them. Evil eyes. And with everything I had seen and heard lately, it wasn’t a matter of if someone tried to harm them, but when.Lucian and Caius were special. That wasn’t a blessing—it was a target painted across their backs. The kind of power they carried was enough to start wars, and I’d be damned if I let anyone get the first move on us.So I stepped out of the room.I wasn’t ready for who was waiting.Julian.He was leaning casually against the wall like he’d been expecting me, his gaze slicing through me—cold, sharp, judgment dripping from every word before he even opened his mouth.“You should be ashamed of yourself,” he said, voice like a blade wr
LorienI told myself to stay in the room.To keep my distance.To trust that my boys would be safe.But no matter how much I tried to convince myself, my chest felt tight. Every time I thought of them being out there without me, a gnawing unease clawed at my insides.It wasn’t paranoia. I knew—deep in my bones—that eyes were watching them. Evil eyes. And with everything I had seen and heard lately, it wasn’t a matter of if someone tried to harm them, but when.Lucian and Caius were special. That wasn’t a blessing—it was a target painted across their backs. The kind of power they carried was enough to start wars, and I’d be damned if I let anyone get the first move on us.So I stepped out of the room.I wasn’t ready for who was waiting.Julian.He was leaning casually against the wall like he’d been expecting me, his gaze slicing through me—cold, sharp, judgment dripping from every word before he even opened his mouth.“You should be ashamed of yourself,” he said, voice like a blade wr
CassiusI didn’t give a damn about the whispers trailing behind me as I carried Lorien’s bags myself. Let them stare. Let them think whatever the hell they wanted. All that mattered was the weight in my hands—not the physical weight of the luggage, but the meaning behind it. Lorien had let me do this for him. For us. He’d allowed me this small, simple act of care, and that made it more precious than any victory I’d ever won on the battlefield.I wanted him to know—without doubt, without question—that I could take care of him, that I would take care of him.We walked the corridor together, and I took him straight to the room beside mine. I’d been preparing it for weeks—renovating it, choosing every detail myself. The bed, the lighting, the curtains, even the damned scent that lingered faintly in the air—it was all picked with him in mind. I’d imagined him here so many times, but now I was going to see it with his eyes.The moment we stepped inside, I kept his bags in one corner and wav
Lorien Cassius’s hand clamped around my wrist before I could take another step, the grip firm but not bruising. He was pulling me back, his eyes blazing with that overprotective edge I’d come to know too well.“I’m not in danger,” I tried to convey with a small shake of my head, even softening my expression so he’d understand. But of course, Cassius didn’t get it. His jaw was already locked, and I could practically see the storm brewing in him.He turned sharply toward the elder, voice low but carrying the weight of a snarl. “I didn’t expect this from you,” he said, each word like a lash. “You’ve always gone for the truth before — fought for it. And now? You’re speaking to my mate without an ounce of respect. You think I’m going to stand here and let you speak down to him like that when everything is already a mess?”The tension between them thickened, heavy enough that even the guards near the doorway shifted uneasily.I stepped forward quickly before things could explode into somet
LorienI wasn’t blaming myself—at least, not in the way Cassius thought. I was blaming the situation. The moment sat heavy on my chest like damp, unrelenting fog, pressing until I could barely breathe.My voice came out in a whisper, thin but sharp.“I’m not blaming me… I’m blaming this. Because I should have done better, Cassius. I should have seen it coming. But I didn’t. And now… now I’m going to pay for it for the rest of my life.”He tensed beside me, but I couldn’t stop. The words had been festering for too long.“I don’t know how to change what happened. I’m trying—Gods know I’m trying—to stay positive, but it’s hard when I was the one who let Alpha Mathias into our lives.” My voice cracked on his name. “I opened the door for him, and he walked right in with his poison.”Cassius growled, the sound deep enough to vibrate in my bones.“No, Lorien. I’m the one to blame. Every damn thing—every piece of this—is on me. I listened to others instead of you. I ruined us. But I swear to