Chapter 12: Confrontation

KADE

I walked toward the barracks with murder on my mind.

My wolf was howling for blood, demanding I rip Cassandra apart for what she'd done. The image of Sera lying on that clinic bed, her shoulder dislocated, her face pale from pain, it burned my brain.

She'd been hurt, on my territory, by someone I'd allowed to stay.

That was on me.

Rogues scattered as I approached, reading the fury in my expression. Good, fhey should be afraid. Anyone who thought hurting Sera was acceptable was about to learn otherwise.

I found Cassandra in the barracks common room, sitting with a group of older rogues who'd served with her years ago. She was laughing at something one of them said, completely relaxed.

Like she hadn't just deliberately injured someone under my protection.

"Everyone out," I said, my voice broke through the conversation.

The rogues looked between me and Cassandra, then quickly left. They knew that tone and what it meant.

Cassandra stood slowly, her expression neutral. "Kade. I was just.."

"You were just what?" I interrupted, stepping closer. "Having a nice chat after you dislocated Sera's shoulder?"

"That was an accident," she said smoothly. "I told Elena…."

"Don't." My voice changed to something dangerous. "Don't insult me by lying, Marcus saw what happened, other rogues aren't blind. That was no accident."

Something flickered in her eyes. She was deciding whether to keep up the act or drop it.

"Fine," she said finally, crossing her arms. "Yes, I pushed her hard, maybe too hard but she needs to toughen up, Kade. She's weak."

I said coldly. "She's the last Silver Blood. She's anything but weak."

"Her power is strong," Cassandra corrected. "She is weak, there's a difference." She took a step closer, "She can barely control that power, she flinches during training, scared of her own shadow and you're so busy protecting her, coddling her, that you can't see she's going to get people killed."

"So you decided to hurt her?" My hands clenched into fists. "To what? Teach her a lesson?"

"To wake you up!" Cassandra's mask broke, and real emotion came through. Anger, Hurt. "You're so distracted by that Omega that you're not thinking straight. The Council are planning, Aldric is out there waiting for his chance. We need to be preparing, strategizing, Instead, you're playing teacher to a girl who should never have been brought here in the first place."

"That's not your decision to make."

"No, it's yours," she shot back. "And you're making the wrong one. You're letting your feelings cloud your judgment."

The accusation hit too close to home. "My feelings aren't the issue here."

"Aren't they?" Cassandra laughed, but it sounded bitter. "I've known you for seven years, Kade. I helped you build this compound from nothing, I fought beside you, bled beside you. We were partners and then she shows up, some rejected Omega with power she can't control, and suddenly I'm nothing."

There it was, the real reason.

"This isn't about Sera being weak," I said quietly. "This is about you feeling replaced."

Cassandra's jaw tightened. "I'm not jealous, if that's what you think."

"Then what do you call deliberately hurting her? Undermining her? Making her feel worthless?"

"I call it trying to protect you," Cassandra said, and for the first time, she sounded genuine. "That girl is going to get you killed, Kade. She's a liability, the Council wants her dead. By keeping her here, you've made this compound a target. Every wolf here is in danger because of her."

"We were already targets," I reminded her. "I've been fighting the Council for five years, Sera didn't change that."

"She made it worse." Cassandra moved closer, her voice dropping. "I left because I couldn't watch you destroy yourself with this vendetta and now I come back, and you're not only still on this suicide mission, you're using some broken Omega as your weapon. It's going to end badly."

"Then why come back at all?" I asked. "Why not stay gone?"

She was quiet for a long moment. "Because despite everything, I still care about what happens to you and when I heard about the Silver Blood, heard that Aldric was hunting on your borders, I knew you'd need help, real help. Not some.."

"Don't," I warned. "Don't finish that sentence."

Cassandra met my eyes, and I saw the conflict there.

"She's changed you," Cassandra said finally. "The Kade I knew wouldn't have risked everything for one person, he was smarter than that."

"Maybe that Kade was wrong," I said. "Maybe some things are worth the risk."

Cassandra's expression hardened. "Then you're a fool."

"Probably." I took a breath, steadying myself. "But that doesn't change what you did. You hurt someone under my protection, that's unforgivable."

"So what?" Cassandra challenged. "You're going to execute me? For your old partner trying to knock some sense into your new pet?"

My wolf snarled at her tone, but I kept my voice level. "You're going to leave, you have until sunrise to be off my territory. If you're still here after that, you're an enemy, and I'll treat you as one."

Cassandra stared at me for a long moment. Then she laughed, sharp and bitter. "Fine. I'll leave but you're making a mistake, Kade. A fatal one."

She turned to walk away, then paused.

"Although," she said slowly, "there is something you should know before I go. Information that might help you survive what's coming."

I narrowed my eyes. "What kind of information?"

"About Elder Clearwater." She glanced back at me. "About what he's really planning, why he wants Sera dead so badly."

My pulse quickened. "Talk."

"No." Cassandra shook her head, "Not for free. You want this information? I get to stay one more day. Tomorrow, I'll tell you everything I know then I'll leave peacefully."

"Why should I trust anything you say?"

"Because I might hate what you've become, but I don't want to see you dead." Her expression was serious now. "What I know about Clearwater changes everything and if you're going to keep that girl alive, you need to hear it."

I studied her face, looking for the lie but she seemed genuine. Cassandra was manipulative, bitter, jealous but she'd never been a liar. When she gave her word, she kept it.

"One day," I said finally. "You stay away from Sera completely. You don't train her, don't talk to her, don't even look at her. Tomorrow, you tell me everything then you leave."

"Deal," Cassandra said.

"And if you cause any more trouble," I added, my voice dropping to a growl, "if you so much as breathe wrong in Sera's direction, the information won't save you. Understood?"

"Understood." Something flickered in her expression. "For what it's worth, I am sorry I hurt her. I just.." She stopped, shook her head. "Tomorrow I'll tell you everything."

She left, and I stood alone in the empty barracks, my anger still hot.

I'd bought us information that might be crucial but I'd also given Cassandra another day in the compound. Another day where Sera would have to see her, fear her, remember what she'd done.

Another day where I'd failed to fully protect her.

I headed back toward the clinic. The sun was starting to set, rogues were changing shifts, preparing for night patrols.

Everything looked normal but nothing felt normal anymore.

When I entered the clinic, Elena looked up from her desk.

"She's sleeping," she said quietly. "The pain medicine knocked her out."

I nodded and moved to Sera's bedside. She lay on her back, her injured arm in a sling across her chest. Even in sleep, there were lines of pain around her eyes, bruises were forming on her arms and face.

Evidence of Cassandra's "training."

I sat on the chair beside her bed, my chest tight.

This was my fault, all of it. I'd let Cassandra stay. I'd been too focused on Aldric and border patrols, I'd noticed Sera pulling away but hadn't pushed hard enough to find out why.

I'd failed her.

Her eyes moved behind her closed lids, like she was dreaming or having a nightmare.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly, knowing she couldn't hear me. "I should have been there to protect you better."

My hand moved to brush a strand of hair from her face, and I remembered doing this earlier, remembered telling her she wasn't a weapon.

But did she believe that? After everything Cassandra had done, all the poison she'd dripped into Sera's ear, did Sera still think she was just a tool I was using?

The thought made my chest ache in a way I didn't want.

Sera stirred slightly, a small sound of pain escaping her lips even in sleep.

I stayed beside her till darkness filled the clinic, stayed as her breathing evened out and the pain lines around her eyes softened.

Stayed because leaving felt impossible.

Tomorrow, I'd figure out how to protect Sera from the Council.

But tonight, I just sat in the dark and watched her sleep, and tried to figure out when exactly this Omega I'd brought here as a weapon had become someone I'd burn the world down to protect.