Chapter 240
Cassian's POV
"Unity requires more than pretty words, gentlemen." I forced my voice to remain steady, clinical. "It requires a demonstration of strength and consistency." I let my gaze sweep the room, deliberately pausing on that fucking empty seat. "A unified front. Clear communication. Mutual respect."
Alpha Kai leaned back, arms crossed over his barrel chest. Those amber eyes—the kind that had witnessed more bloodshed than most wolves saw in ten lifetimes—fixed on me with open skepticism.
"Actions speak louder than words, Cassian." His voice was gravel and ice. "You need to prove this so-called unity exists."
My fingers curled into fists beneath the table. Every instinct screamed at me to lunge across the mahogany and show this bastard exactly what unity looked like when it came in the form of my fist connecting with his face.
Easy, Zero growled in my mind. Not worth it.
Then I felt it—a subtle shift in the air. My father's presence, heavy and deliberate.
Alpha Austin gave me the barest nod. Nothing more than a fractional tilt of his head, but it was enough. Enough to remind me that I wasn't just Cassian Thornwood in this room. I was the future Alpha. The one who had to hold his shit together when his twin brother couldn't.
I exhaled slowly through my nose. "You'll have your proof, Alpha Kai."
"Will we?" The question hung in the air like a blade.
Before I could respond, my father's voice cut through the tension. "Cassian is right." He stood, commanding immediate attention. "We will demonstrate our strength and our unity."
His eyes locked onto Kai with an intensity that would have made lesser wolves bare their throats. "When Casper arrives, any doubts you harbor will be dispelled. This meeting is merely the beginning of our journey together."
The promise in those words was unmistakable. A threat wrapped in diplomacy.
As discussion resumed around territorial boundaries and patrol rotations, my mind drifted—again—to Casper. To where the fuck he was. To why he'd do this to me. To us.
Casper, where the hell are you?
I reached out through our bond, that twin connection that should have been as natural as breathing. But all I hit was that same goddamn wall he'd been keeping between us for months.
Still nothing, Zero confirmed, his tone acidic with frustration.
I clenched my jaw until my molars ached. Casper wasn't just my brother. He was supposed to be my co-leader. My partner in this clusterfuck of pack politics and power plays.
And he'd left me here. Alone. To face the vultures.
Alpha Viper was watching me with those snake-like eyes, a smirk playing at his thin lips. He knew. They all fucking knew that something was wrong with the Thornwood heirs.
The meeting dragged on. Border disputes. Alliance proposals. Resource sharing agreements. I answered questions. Made commitments. Projected strength and confidence I didn't feel.
But underneath it all, one truth burned:
This wasn't just about alliances and boundaries anymore. This was about proving that Casper and I could lead. That we were fit to inherit our father's legacy.
And every second my brother wasn't here, that proof crumbled a little more.
Especially after what we'd done. The choice we'd made six months ago.
Elowen.
Her name was a wound that wouldn't heal. The taste of her skin. The sound of her laugh. The way she'd looked at us that night, love and trust shining in those amber eyes—
Our cubs, Zero reminded me, voice thick with longing. She's carrying our cubs.
I forced my attention back to the discussion, but the pressure in my chest only intensified. The other Alphas were debating trade routes now, but I could feel their judgment. Their doubts.
They knew we'd handled the Elowen situation. They knew she was gone, tucked away under Ronan's protection at the Ashborne Pack. And they were wondering—just like everyone else—if we'd made the right call.
If we were strong enough to lead.
Finally—fucking finally—the meeting drew to a close. The Alphas filed out, expressions ranging from grudging acceptance to outright skepticism. Alpha Kai paused at the door, his gaze heavy with unspoken warning before he left.
The door clicked shut.
My father's hand landed on my shoulder, and I almost flinched. Almost.
"Cassian." His voice had gentled, just a fraction. "You did well. But we need Casper present for these meetings. This kind of absence cannot happen again."
I stared at the empty chair, my throat tight.
"I know he misses Elowen and the cubs," Father continued.
"We all miss them." The words came out harsher than I'd intended.
I felt Father's gaze sharpen, assessing. Calculating.
"I mean..." He chose his words carefully. "I know he's struggling with her departure. But if he wants to ensure those babies are safe when she returns, he needs to—"
"I know." I rubbed my temples, exhaustion crashing over me in waves. "I'll find him. I promise."
And I would. Because I knew exactly where Casper would be.
The same place he'd been every day for the past six months. Drowning.
"I trust you, son." Father's hand squeezed my shoulder. "We all do. Just make sure your brother understands what's at stake."
I nodded. "I will. He won't let us down again."
Liar, Zero whispered. But I couldn't tell if he was talking about Casper or me.
My father left, and I was alone in the conference room. Alone with Casper's empty chair and the weight of promises I wasn't sure I could keep.
Unlike my father, I knew the truth he refused to see:
Elowen wasn't coming back anytime soon. Maybe not ever.
And my brother was destroying himself one drink at a time because of it.
Casper, I reached out one more time, putting every ounce of frustration and fear into the bond. You better have a damn good reason for this.
For a moment, nothing. Just that familiar wall of resistance.
Then—
A flicker. Weak. Distant. But there.
Sorry, brother. Did I fuck up again?
His mental voice was slurred, distant. Like he was speaking from the bottom of a very deep bottle.
Which he probably was.
I closed my eyes, defeat washing over me. "Stay where you are. I'm coming to get you."
At least he was alive. At least he was responding.
That's what you tell yourself every day, Zero observed dryly. At what point do we admit this is the new normal?
I didn't answer. Couldn't.
Because if I was being honest with myself, worrying about whether my twin brother would make it through another day had become as routine as breathing.
I just hoped I could reach him before it was too late. Before whatever darkness he was drowning in finally pulled him under for good.
He'd have to be sober enough for that conversation, Zero added with brutal honesty. And since Elowen left, he hasn't been sober long enough to piss straight, let alone have a serious talk.