43. Cassian

43

CASSIAN

A s if my father hasn't put me through enough, he's determined to break me before he tries to put me down. A feral shiver burns up my spine at his words, the disgust bringing a coppery taste to my tongue as I sink my teeth into my cheeks.

Win her? Win her powers? Over my dead body because it certainly won't happen any other way. I will never understand the confidence this man possesses. The ability to think so little of others while thinking so mightily of himself.

Those aren't the tendencies of a wolf. If anything, it sounds like I'm describing a vampire, but even that doesn't seem worthy enough of the egotistical bastard that he is.

"I won't duel for that," I spit out, my lip curling with anger as my hands ball into fists. He sparked a reaction out of me, just like he wanted, but fuck the consequences. She's mine to protect, especially from him.

"Now, now, Cassian. You know that's not how this works. I'm the alpha of this compound, duels are as I see fit," my father taunts as more wolves sweep through the forest, descending on us as they await the long-overdue duel between father and son.

"When are you going to understand that I washed my hands of this compound long ago. You banished me, remember?"

"Yet you still come back," he sneers, stepping toward me with a challenge crinkling his eyes. The dark rings that circle them confirm his lack of sleep. I wish I could blame this delusional state on that fact, but it's not true. He's been this deranged for as long as I can remember.

Edging toward him, I make sure I stand perfectly in front of Addi so he can't look at her. "I come back for the people I care about. I come back because I always wanted this to be my home, I just never wanted you to be my father."

The words leave my lips and a weight lifts from my shoulders. It has such an impact on me that it leaves me lightheaded. I've carried the weight of that fact for so long, I don't recall life without it. Now, as I stand here with my woman, my brothers, and my sister behind me, everything makes sense.

This man is my tormentor. He was never truly my father, or my alpha, he was my pain and suffering. Without Janie, I would have never known kindness. Without my brothers, I would have never known loyalty. Without Addi, I would have never known love.

Kindness. Loyalty. Love.

Three powerful words that can't be used to actually describe my blood connected family.

Twisted. Sinister. Treacherous.

I would use those for him instead.

A flicker of my mother dances at the edge of my vision, but I tamp it down. He took her away from me as well.

Everything I am is a byproduct of wanting to be nothing like this man. I should thank him, really, for teaching me how not to act, but he doesn't deserve my thanks, not even as a thought.

"You are the most ungrateful heir of this compound that has ever existed. I gave everything for you to follow in my footsteps and you tossed it all away. You could have been forged in greatness, but instead, you're tainted by weakness," he snarls, his face reddening with every word. He takes slow measured steps around the clearing between us, leaving me to follow after him, anticipating his first move.

"Your footsteps were never worth walking in. Your legacy was nothing worth chasing." The barbed words part my lips, freeing me more and more with every one.

He can taunt me all he likes, but he's never truly seen the pent up anger and rage he's infused in me.

"My legacy isn't over. I'm yet to rein, and I'm going to make sure you're obliterated in the afterlife, forced to watch down on me as I claim everything that was yours."

"That sounds like you're trying to take my legacy, old man, and there's no chance in hell," I roar back, watching as rage consumes his body. He launches at me in the next breath, shifting midair into the wolf I've always feared, but I'm done being scared now.

I have something to fight for, someone who offers a possibility of tomorrow, and a legacy I want for my own.

Every part of me wants to run to her, claim her lips one last time, but that would only draw the attention back to her, putting her at risk, and she's already the highlight of this shitshow. Instead, I hit the ground running, leaping through the air as my father's paws hit the dirt. The breeze dances over my body as I shift, my wolf consuming me as I land with a thud, turning to stare him down with murderous intent.

Declining a challenge in honor of Addi is out of the question now, but I'll fight to the death for her.

He charges at me once again, the thunder of his paws hitting the ground echoing in my ears as I snap my teeth and barrel toward him. He doesn't falter, never fearful of my presence, which only serves to outline me as the underdog.

Perfect.

I've spent my whole life with him underestimating me, which will only make taking him down that much sweeter.

He pushes off the ground a second before I can consider it, giving him the advantage, but instead of leaping into the air as I intended, I drop low, right to the ground as he flies over my head. The moment his back legs pass me, I'm up, spinning toward him with bared teeth.

As he hits the ground, I push toward him faster, sinking my canines into his back leg, earning a howl of pain. My triumph is short lived when he kicks at me. My hold relents and I skid across the forest floor, grinding to a halt in front of a row of wolves.

I anticipate one of them stepping in, pinning me in place for my father to devour me, but to my surprise, they take a step back, giving me space to gather myself before he pounces.

Scrambling to my feet, I don't even get my head up before I'm knocked to the ground again, the deep brown fur of my father's coat flashing before my eyes as I hit my head. A small yelp parts my lips, but I refuse to give in. Clawing and kicking, I blindly make contact with his side, pushing him off me enough to catch my footing and rise to my feet once again.

He doesn't waste a second turning back to me, standing with his head held high so he can look down his nose at me, even in his wolf form. Just as I expect him to charge toward me, he tilts his head, looking off to the side, and despite my efforts, I can't help but turn to see what has his attention. I snarl with rage when I see it's Addi.

She's standing shoulder to shoulder, wedged between Kryll and Raiden while Brody holds the spot right behind her protectively. Janie is mixed among the fray too, but she's in her wolf form, standing even more protective than my brothers.

A swell of love blossoms, but it quickly disappears as my father slams into me, knocking the wind out of me and taking me to the dirt once again. He tries to narrow in on my throat as he pins me to the earth, snapping and snarling as saliva drips from his feral teeth.

I push back, but he still manages to worm his way closer, inch by inch, until I extend my claws the best I can and stab them into his side. I blindly aim for the weak spot, right beneath his front legs, and he howls into the night.

Instead of weakening him as I hoped, I make him more crazed. A sight I didn't think could be possible. His teeth graze just beneath my jaw, threatening to pierce my throat and bleed me out, but the sight of Addi over his shoulder fuels me with a strength I can only harness from her.

With every ounce of force I can muster, I push at him, adrenaline coursing through my veins as my pulse thunders in my ears, and he's helpless to resist the strength behind my hit, slamming into the closest tree with a thud.

Shaking my head, I try to rid myself of the feeling of his teeth at my throat before I take off toward him. He's injured, a slight whimper on his lips, and I know I have the opportunity I need to take him down once and for all, but just as I leap through the air, ready to take what is mine, another wolf charges at me.

Knocked off course, I hit the dirt hard, and it takes me a whole second to realize who has come to my father's aid. The familiar black and white fur can only belong to one person.

Dalton.

Motherfucker.

He has me pinned, my body aching from the impact, but I still fight. Pushing, kicking, clawing. Whatever it takes, it can't end like this. As if sensing my internal pleas Dalton snaps my neck to the side, rendering me helpless before sinking his teeth into my throat.

A howl burns from my lungs as the world spins, but I refuse to succumb to the darkness that beckons me as the piercing sound of Addi calling out my name cuts through the air.

I have to get back to her. I have to be strong enough. Not just for her, not just for the kingdom, but for the little boy inside of me who deserves to know what life is truly like without an overbearing father weighing down on him.

My howl turns into a cry of rage as I use every ounce of strength I have left to send him flying through the air. I don't hear him land, I don't feel the ground shake, and I don't bother to look for him. He broke the treaty, the rules of a duel.

No one should interfere.

Yet here we are.

It doesn't matter, though. I'll rise above it.

Acutely alert, I search for my father, desperate to put an end to the misery, but when I find him, he's not alone. My pulse thunders in my ears, muting the noise around me, but the growl that vibrates from him grows weaker as another wolf heaves off him.

Panic sets into my bones at the sight of the white wolf, but a quick shift to my left and I see my girl. It's not her. The wolf looks so familiar, though. Sensing my approach, the white wolf in question turns, tilting their head back to look over their shoulder and it all makes sense.

Addi's mother.

She slinks back a step, then another, and another, her head dipped as she retreats, offering my father to me on a platter. I falter, unsure if I should continue now that she's helped, but Dalton reacted first. I think.

Peering around at the gathered wolves, I pause, waiting to see if anyone else is willing to interject, but even as I begin to approach my father, no one steps in. Blood stains his fur, pooling at his side as he pants in short, sharp breaths.

He's dying.

He just needs a little help toppling over the edge.

His glazed eyes find mine before he shifts, the remnants of a broken man lying in his wake. "C-Cass-Cassian," he croaks, feebly lifting his hands to his throat in a failed attempt to stop the bleeding. "Help. Me," he chokes, wild eyes searching mine, and I frown.

He can't be serious, can he?

This man has done nothing but break me. Repeatedly. I was convinced I would never heal, that it was never even remotely a possibility, but the woman standing across the way, she's proved it all wrong.

Glancing over my shoulder at her, I see the worry in her eyes, the pain in her rigid frame, and my heart aches, not just for me, but for her. Helping him would only serve as an opportunity for him to continue his torment, not just on me, but her too.

My body relaxes, the thrumming through my veins dulling in comparison to the desire I have to bring this to its end. I feel nauseous as I shift, my human form carrying the same struggles, cuts, and bruises as my wolf, yet I manage to remain standing over my father.

"You don't deserve my help," I rasp, dropping to my knees as his eyes grow wide with panic. "You don't deserve anything. Not from me, not from any wolf here, not even from Dalton. Your time is over. I hope you enjoy spending eternity in the afterlife, watching me correct all the wrongs you made."

Taking a deep breath, I focus on my wolf and shift my hand. Claws protrude from my flesh, making me hiss, but I want to see him through my eyes as he takes his last breath. His lips part, ready to make one final plea, but I'm done listening. I've been done for a long time.

Before a single syllable can be spoken, I slash my claws across his throat, draining the remainder of his blood in one swift move. Garbled chokes echo around me until his body goes limp.

The forest remains silent, drenched in blood and stained with the challenge that will forever be remembered tonight. Rising to my feet, the pain at my neck growing unbearable, I search the eyes watching me until I find exactly who I'm looking for.

Dalton.

Crazed eyes glare back at me from where he lies nestled beneath the weight of another wolf. Not just any wolf. Those piercing green eyes looking at me with a sense of care that can't be named. The level of care he promised to always offer the day Janie took me into her fold.

Jake.

I nod, silently communicating my thanks, and he takes the hint, releasing the fucker from his grasp. Dalton bucks quickly, pounding across the dirt without thought, and I brace for impact, ready to tear him to shreds too. But the wait lasts longer than expected when he detours at the last second, leaping just out of reach and colliding straight into the kneeling white wolf.

No action is quick enough to stop the inevitable. Time slows as Dalton's rage splatters the ground in thick crimson.

One beat of a heart. That's all it takes to kill another.

One beat of a heart, and then it's all gone.

One beat of a heart, and the afterlife gains another citizen.

One beat of a heart, and all the unspoken words cease to exist.

One beat of a heart, and Addi's mother joins my father.