Chapter 225

Chapter 225
CASSIAN

The moment I stepped through the door, I knew something was wrong. The air was thick, heavy with fear and blood.

“Cassian!” Sybil’s voice cracked from down the hall. I ran before she even finished saying my name.

She was kneeling beside the couch, tears streaming down her face. Wren lay limp in her arms, pale and motionless.

My heart stopped. “Wren..." I dropped to my knees beside her, cupping her face. Her skin was clammy, her breathing shallow. “What happened? What did she do to her?”

Sybil’s eyes were red and wild. “It was Alexander,” she whispered. “She came. She took Derek… and she said something to Wren before she left. I don’t know what, but Wren just, collapsed.”

Rage burned through me so hot I could barely breathe. “Where is she?” I growled. “Where the hell is Alexander?”

“Cassian...”

"No,” I snapped, standing so fast the chair beside me toppled over. “I’ll kill her..."

Before I could storm out, Wren stirred, her voice weak. “Cassian…?”

I froze and turned back to her.

She blinked slowly, trying to focus on me. “You’re back…”

I sank down beside her again, grabbing her hand. “I’m here. I’m right here, little fox. You scared me half to death.”

She tried to sit up, and I helped her, steadying her against me. Her lips trembled. “Cassian… she lied.”

My blood went cold. “What do you mean?”

“Alexander,” she whispered. “She never planned to break the curse. She said it was all a lie. She used us. Everything, the deal, Derek, all of it, it was just a trick.”

For a moment, I couldn’t move. The world around me went silent, like it had just stopped turning.

“What?” I finally forced out. “She said that?”

Wren nodded weakly, tears spilling down her cheeks. “She never planned on breaking the curse. She has been the one chasing me for months, all because she wants to stop me from breaking the curse."

A deep, furious growl escaped me. I stood again, running a hand through my hair, pacing the room because if I didn’t move, I was going to explode.

“She played us,” I said through clenched teeth. “She used my mate, my unborn child, to get back at a war she wasn’t even alive for. I’ll make her pay. I’ll drag her back here and make her end this damn curse if it’s the last thing I do.”

“Cassian, no!” Wren’s voice trembled, but it was firm. “You can’t go after her.”

I turned to her, my vision blurring with anger and heartbreak. “She lied to you, Wren. She lied to all of us. I can’t just sit here and...”

Reed stepped into the room, blocking my path. “You can’t go after her, Cass,” he said quietly. “The curse can only be broken by her own free will. If you force her, it'll be useless.”

“I don’t care!” I shouted, my voice shaking. “I can’t just do nothing while she condemns my family for eternity.”

Reed grabbed my shoulder, holding me still. “And if you die trying? What happens to Wren? What happens to your daughter?”

The words hit harder than a punch. I looked at Wren, clutching her stomach protectively, tears in her eyes.

“Please,” she whispered. “Don’t leave me again. I don’t care about the curse right now. I just need you here. With me.”

My chest tightened until I could barely breathe.

I knelt beside her again and pressed my forehead against hers. “I promised I’d protect you,” I said softly. “All I’ve ever wanted was to keep you safe. But I can’t stand by while she holds our daughter’s life in her hands.”

She shook her head. “We’ll find another way. Please, Cassian. Stay.”

Her voice broke, and I pulled her into my arms, holding her close. “Alright,” I murmured against her hair. “Alright. I’ll stay. But I swear, Wren… I’ll never stop trying. We’ll find a way. I don’t care how long it takes. I’ll break this curse, one way or another.”

She nodded weakly, resting her head against my chest. “I know you will. You always do.”

.................

Hours passed before I finally calmed down enough to think clearly. The sun had started to set, casting a golden glow through the windows. Wren had fallen asleep, her breathing steady again.

I sat at her bedside, watching her hand resting protectively over her swollen stomach. My heart ached just looking at her. She had suffered so much because of me.

A soft knock came at the door. Reed opened it quietly, ushering someone in.

The priestess stepped inside, her long white robes whispering against the floor. Her eyes, ancient and kind, met mine immediately.

“Alpha Cassian,” she greeted softly. “I came as soon as I heard.”

I stood, running a hand over my face. “You heard about what happened then?”

She nodded solemnly. “I have been praying day and night that it would not claim your child.”

My voice broke slightly. “Then your prayers were in vain. Our only chance is gone.”

She moved closer, her hand resting gently on my arm. “No effort made in love is ever in vain, my son.”

I shook my head. “You don’t understand. Alexander never intended to free us. She said the curse will live as long as she does. And no one, not even I can make her undo it.”

Her eyes softened with pity. “Cassian… our bloodline has carried this burden for centuries. Yet no Alpha before you ever came this close to ending it. You did more than anyone thought possible.”

“That’s not enough,” I whispered. “My daughter, our daughter, will be born under that same curse. I already lost a son. Now her?! She’ll suffer for something that happened before I was even born. How is that fair?”

“Life rarely is,” she said quietly. “But hope… hope is still ours to keep.”

I clenched my fists. “Hope won’t save her.”

“Perhaps not,” she said, looking toward Wren. “But faith might.”

I frowned. “Faith?”

She nodded slowly. “When the time comes, I will be here. I will do everything in my power to keep her alive. Even if it means giving my own life to do so.”

My heart stuttered. “You can’t...”

She smiled faintly. “I can, and I will. You forget, Alpha, I made an oath to your father and his father before him, to protect the next generation, no matter the cost. If your child’s life is the price, then I will gladly pay it.”

Her words lodged deep in my chest, too heavy to breathe around. “Priestess, I can’t ask you to...”

“You don’t have to ask,” she said simply. “It is my duty. My faith.”

I lowered my head, my voice hoarse. “If it comes to that… thank you.”

She placed a wrinkled hand against my cheek, her gaze full of warmth. “Save your thanks, Alpha. Save it for the day you hold your daughter and see that she has her mother’s eyes.”