Chapter 17: The Ride

Due to the condition of our own car, Castiel proposed that we ride with him. Kieran visibly protested, but I noticed Lind’s excitement, making me yield.

After he got traumatized by the events earlier, I at least owe him this.

But Castiel’s sedan was cramped already with his things, and another apprentice of his from the Temple came with us, leaving almost no room for a fifth person to sit in.

“The military car’s quite spacious,” Augustus said. “Don't you think it'll be better if some of you ride with me?”

Nobody answered. Augustus stared at me, hoping I might, but Kieran stood up and grabbed his bag.

“Yeah, maybe I should, brother.”

I watched as he stepped out of the car and into Augustus’s, who seemed dismayed.

Brother…

Kieran always remained vague about his past. I tried snooping around and asking Uncle Reuben, but he often gave me crumbs. All I knew was that he was blaming Augustus for his mother's death.

Now knowing that his mother was Lady White, the fated mate of the late Alpha Hunt, who got ambushed by Luna Hunt’s own Black Wolves, I couldn’t help but have this sinking sensation in my stomach that everything would go perfectly well.

If Kieran decided to run amok and punch the living daylights out of Augustus again, we might not need to compete at all. We’ll just be on the run as Rogues again, hunted by half of the Lycan high society.

“Hestia, aren’t you going to introduce me to your companion?”

My head flipped as Castiel spoke. He had been awfully silent since learning of the ambush, his head seemingly deep in thought. I glanced at Lind, who was still smiling at him as if nothing had happened.

“Your Eminence, this is Lind. He was an Omega that escaped slavery, so Kieran’s Rogue settlement took him in.”

He gently grabbed Lind by the jaw and checked his mouth. “Your tongue…”

I bitterly smiled. “It has been cut. That’s how they treat escaped slaves. To prevent them from spilling secrets…”

His fist clenched. Castiel took a deep sigh and placed his hand over his head before uttering a silent prayer.

Wolves regenerate a lot. But we both knew that no matter how powerful our divine powers could be, there were some consequences created by monsters among our own that we could never undo.

I had checked Lind’s tongue before when I was helping out with the settlement’s clinic. It wasn’t a clean cut. His tongue was shredded, as if to ensure that it would be difficult for him to heal again, especially as an Omega.

“Please allow him to visit me often. I’ll do my best to heal him.” Castiel smiled at Lind. “Based on how your eyes are sparkling since you stepped into my vehicle, I believe you’re interested with what I’m doing?”

Lind nodded. Castiel pulled out a spell book from one of his bags and gave it to him.

“Here, study this. I’ll teach you when we meet again.”

That was the Castiel I knew. He would often help his struggling classmates fit in when we were still studying. He was often teased as the golden boy of the Illuminas Pack, and I couldn’t help but agree with that.

He has a big heart, which was why I didn’t ask for his help when I saw myself lying in the middle of that forest floor, half-dead, despite him giving me all the means to contact him.

Castiel deserves every ounce of glory that he has now. And the path I’m going to take isn’t the place for him.

“Your Eminence,” I softly called at him. “Thank you.”

He scooched closer to me, leaving Lind to read in silence. He glanced at his apprentice in the driver’s seat before looking back at me. “It’s nothing.”

In the darkness of the vehicle, I could feel his warm fingers trying to play with mine. My body instantly froze as I felt them interlace with each other. I was confident enough that Lind won’t say anything to anyone, but what about his apprentice?

As if reading my thoughts, Castiel leaned closer to whisper to my ear. “I just casted a spell. These people won’t know what we’re going to do, because they’ll only see us sleeping throughout the ride. They won’t hear anything either, so speak freely, dearest…”

My eyebrow raised. “Is this how you use your powers, Your Eminence?”

The corner of his lips raised. “Only when necessary.”

He reached for my cheek, and his gentle warmth made me close my eyes. I gently rested my head against his shoulder, which I would often do when we were young.

“Did you know that I almost wanted to punch Augustus earlier for hurting you?” he whispered as his hand went down to my neck, lightly tracing the marks he left on my skin. “I almost lost my wits as that Rogue carried you away as if you were nothing but a sack of potatoes.”

“I’m not delicate,” I replied before glancing at the military car following us. “Besides, Augustus… he seemed…”

I paused. What am I thinking? No matter how much I trust Castiel, I shouldn’t tell him anything about our observations.

It might put him in danger.

“He seemed?”

I shook my head. “No, nothing…”

He looked at me for a bit longer before leaning back against his seat. “You do not trust me?”

“No.” I took a deep breath and glanced out of the car’s window. It was still pitch black outside, sending my anxiety through the roof. “I simply don’t want to put you in danger, Castiel…”

“Danger? Hestia, do I look weak to you?”

“No, what I meant was—”

I bit my tongue the moment he crossed the distance between us, his lips barely hovering a few inches away. “You still see me as that pup, barely of age, barely had fangs to bite?”

“Castiel…”

The warmth of his palm underneath my shirt started a fire within me. His hand moved up, almost resting under the side of my breasts, as his lips crossed the distance between us inch by inch.

“Do you want me to show you how this wolf has grown fangs, Hestia Locke? Why don’t we test the powers of my spell, dearest?”