Flash Forward a few days

After our party, we celebrated all over the realm. Her family had left, but we were busy releasing magic. When Cassie passed out from pleasure, I carefully got dressed and walked outside. I called, “Ghiza.”

He immediately appeared.

I told him, “No one, and I mean no one, except the Royal family or mine gets into that house. Are we clear?”

Ghiza nodded and spoke, “Ducissa tutus erit. Tibi ambo gratulor. Scio te laetissimum esse de sententia tua, Imperator (The Duchess will be safe. Congratulations to you both. I know she will be very happy about your proposal, Commander).”

I responded in Latin, “Gratias tibi. beatissimi sumus. Ego nunc abeo fossuram pediculam agere, qui meam matem a me auferre conatus est (Thank you. We are very happy. Now I'm off to deal with the disgusting vermin that tried to take my mate away from me).”

Ghiza smiled, “Ut destiti, after you fulted. Proditorem non possum dicere bonum diem habere (I might have stopped by after you proposed. I can't say the traitor is having a good day).”

I smirked, “Good.”

I continued my walk. Several people stopped me to congratulate me.

To my shock, Jed was waiting outside the dungeons. I told him, “If you are here to plead for her on her behalf….”

He put his hands up saying, “No, I was coming to your office to tell you what I suspected that day. Then you said she felt fine in your bond, and I thought Cassie was safe. I thought I had time to warn you about the plans Cora had. I wanted you to be aware.”

He apologized, “I am sorry about all of this, Cayden. I know that your feelings of the romantic kind died for Cora a long time ago. I’m sorry she didn’t accept that. I can’t express how sorry I am that she tried to hurt Cassie. This wasn’t the first time, but it was the most unforgivable way.”

He wiped away tears, “My parents and I know what you have to do. I’d been trying to get her help for a while, but it just wasn’t enough. I will always love her because she’s my little sister, but she betrayed our people. Hell, she betrayed me. I had nothing to do with this, and I hope you know that.”

I studied him before answering.

I told him honestly, “If I, or any member of the royal family, thought you did you would be in the dungeons beside her. I do not question your loyalty. I appreciate that, although it was late, you did try to tell me.”

Jed sighed, “I was coming earlier. I just had an upset stomach.”

He paused then whispered, “Honestly, I think Cora knew I was coming to you and dosed my food or something. I’m certain she emailed you from my computer using my email too.”

I stared at him in shock. I offered, “I can find out.”

Jed shrugged, “I know in my heart of hearts that’s what happened. Will we be allowed to visit her?”

I asked, “Do you really want to?”

Jed nodded, “Until she dies, I’d like to talk to her on occasion. Before she was crazy obsessed with you, she was my adorable little sister. She always did have an obsessive streak. I didn’t mean to imply that was your fault. Maybe if we’d noticed she fixated on things we could’ve gotten her help sooner.”He looked away and I could tell the past was haunting him. Hindsight really was a bitch and half.

He acknowledged, “I know she’s going to die, but I’d like to see if I can see a glimpse of that little girl who loved turtles and coloring again before it all ends.”

I nodded, “If that’s what you all want that’s fine. I would recommend you see a therapist. You can consider it an order and it will be fully covered. I’ll put in that order tomorrow. I’m sorry for what your family is going through.”

Jed nodded and held his hand out to me, and I shook it. His eyes filled with tears, and he walked off. I actually felt really bad for him.

I walked down into the dungeons and heard cries I knew were Cora’s. I walked up to her cell which she wasn’t in. I followed the crying and found my parents with Cora, torturing her. I joked, “Well, no one told me it was family night in the dungeons.”

My brother came out of the shadows, eyes blazing. I nodded, “Angus.”

He nodded back. Cora cried, “Tell them I’m sorry, Cayden.”

I stared at her. She pleaded, “Just kill me!”

I laughed, “No, sadly you are not mine to kill.” She gasped, “What?”

I explained, “My fiancée will do the honors of killing you. I had no intention of letting you die anytime soon anyway. You committed treason. Not only against our people, but against me and the royal family.”

Cora cried, “She ruined everything.”

I grabbed her by the throat. I told her, “You and I were over LONG before she EVER came into the picture. Even if she had come in sooner, that was never going to be any of your business. You cheated on me. I’m told it was some vain attempt to get my attention.”

She cried, “You finally see the truth! I just wanted you to care.”

I shrugged, “Well, I don’t but you have my attention now. Your tears tell me that’s not what you intended to get though.”

I turned to my family, “Honestly, there is no pleasing her. She wanted my attention, now she has it and is sobbing.”

Cora sniffled, “I didn’t want it like this!”

I shrugged, “It doesn’t seem you really specified how you wanted my attention then. That sounds like a personal problem.”

Angus chuckled. Cora cried, “If she would’ve just died…”

She trailed off when I brought my elbow down into her cheekbone, shattering it.

I shouted, “Cassie is MINE! She has always been mine and she will ALWAYS be mine. She is so much more than you could ever imagine. She will not go down at the hands of someone like you. Cassie is a hundred times the woman you will ever be.”

She argued, “No she isn’t! If you’d just…”

I cut her off, “Cassie had a relationship prior to finding me. She treated it with a maturity you lacked. She didn’t act out if he hurt her feelings, or fuck someone else. For god’s sake. They talked. We were never going to work Cora. I didn’t love you, and I honestly don’t know why you’ve deluded yourself into thinking you love me.”

Cora cried, “No, I do love you Cayden! I do. Please understand that I did everything for us.”

I snorted, “No, you did everything FOR YOU! You didn’t even have the decency to respect the fact that I’d found my mate. Or be happy for me. If you’d truly held any feelings for me, that’s what you’d have done. That is what ALL the couples here do when someone finds their mates. Some leave to travel this realm because while they are happy for their past partner, they need a minute to get over it. Others are just genuinely happy because they understood what the relationship was.”

I shook my head, “I find it sad that you will never find the kind of love you see all around you. I find it sad that you will never have children or see your nieces and nephews. I will show you no mercy.

I told you after the tournament you needed to leave her alone. She was shot BECAUSE OF YOU! I watched her get shot. I watched as poison seeped into her bloodstream. I FUCKING FELT IT! Do you have ANY idea what that does to someone?”

My mom touched my arm as my dad and brother sent me their understanding and love.

I closed my eyes stating, “Cassie will be my wife. She will continue on, and you will be gathering dust, you wretched bitch!”

I lost myself to my anger for the next several hours. My thoughts kept swirling on the central fact that I could’ve lost Cassie. She was hurt because of my ex-girlfriend. I felt nothing for the woman on the table but disgust and rage. Cassie was it for me and soon she’d be my wife.