Chapter 25

Third POV

Tension brewed for days. Rumors of Alpha Fabian’s plan spread quickly, even though no one dared to speak of it openly. Servants moved with their heads bowed, their eyes darting nervously, as if the walls themselves carried secrets.

Olympia carried the weight of this tension quietly, her steps slower, her gaze distant. She had learned to keep her silence, for silence was the only shield left to her.

But it was Cassius who carried the heavier storm inside him. For days, he had walked the palace with a still face, yet his mind burned with words he could not say aloud. He had heard his father speak of Olympia as if she were no more than a piece of silver to be spent.

He had heard him call her body a tool, her spirit nothing of value. It had broken something deep inside him, something he had long tried to keep untouched by the cruelties of this place.

Cassius had always been the most obedient son, the most reserved, the one who never raised his voice against his father. He prayed, he served, he followed. He was the son who bowed when asked, who spoke little, who carried the weight of duty quietly. None in the palace had ever seen him angry, none had ever seen him step beyond the quiet lines the alpha King drew.

Until that day.

It began in the throne room, during one of Alpha Fabian’s councils. The elders of the royal court had gathered, men with long beards and heavy robes, their eyes sharp with judgment. His sons were there as well—Elliott leaning against a pillar, his arms crossed, his jealousy thinly veiled; Asher seated with his usual cold stare, quiet but always calculating; Ryder lounging carelessly on a chair, his smile sharp, his charm hiding his unrest. And Cassius, standing a little apart, his hands folded in front of him, head lowered as if in prayer.

Alpha Fabian spoke with his usual power, his voice echoing through the hall. “The girl will serve us well,” he said. “She will be my gift to those who keep our coffers filled. Investors grow restless. They want proof of loyalty. What better way than to offer them something rare, something that belongs only to this palace? Olympia will be that gift. Her beauty will keep our allies satisfied. Her obedience will bind them tighter to us.”

The elders murmured in agreement, some nodding, some whispering. To them, Alpha Fabian’s words were nothing new. This was the way of power—trade whatever could be traded, sacrifice whoever must be sacrificed. To them, Olympia was nothing more than a piece on Alpha Fabian’s board.

But the words struck Cassius. He lifted his head slowly, his dark eyes burning though his face remained calm. His brothers did not notice at first; they were too used to his silence.

It was when Alpha Fabian turned to the elders, declaring, “By the next full moon, she will be prepared for her first offering,” that Cassius finally stepped forward.

“No,” he said.

The hall went silent.

Every eye turned to him. Elliott raised his brows in surprise, Asher’s fingers stilled where they tapped against his knee, and Ryder’s careless smile froze. The elders shifted in their seats, shocked that the quiet son had spoken out. Even the alpha king's face hardened, his sharp eyes narrowing.

“What did you say?” Fabian asked, his voice cold.

Cassius stood taller, his calm mask still on, though his words carried a weight none had heard from him before. “You cannot sell her,” he said. “Olympia is not a coin to be traded. She is not a tool to be used. She has worth that no amount of silver or power can measure. She is my brother's mate,so she can't be sold off.”

The hall erupted in gasps and whispers. Elders leaned forward, muttering to one another. Elliott straightened, his eyes narrowing at his brother, while Ryder gave a low laugh of disbelief. Asher only watched, his cold eyes unreadable.

Alpha Fabian rose from his throne, his cloak sweeping the floor. His voice thundered. “Cassius. Do you dare to defy me in my own hall? You, who have always obeyed? You, who call yourself a man of faith and silence?”

Cassius did not flinch. “Yes,” he said simply. “Because silence here would be sin. She is not yours to give away.”

Elliott scoffed, stepping forward. “What is this, brother? Since when do you care so deeply for a girl you barely look at? Do not tell me you’ve grown attached. Do not tell me you think she belongs to you instead.”

Cassius turned to him, his gaze steady. “She belongs to no one. That is what you all refuse to see. She is a person, not a prize. She is more than your jealous games, more than Father’s schemes. She has been treated as less than nothing, and yet she has endured. That alone makes her worth more than any of us standing here.”

Ryder whistled low under his breath, shaking his head. “Well, well. The saint has a tongue after all. Who would have thought?”

But there was no humor in his eyes. Beneath his grin, a flicker of unease showed. He had never seen Cassius speak this way, and it unsettled him more than he cared to admit.

Asher leaned forward, his cold gaze sharp. “Attachment clouds judgment,” he said. “Do not let a girl ruin your reason, Cassius. Father’s plan is cruel, but it is necessary. Power demands sacrifice.”

Cassius turned on him, his voice harder now. “If power demands that we sell the innocent, then it is not power worth having.”

The elders murmured louder, some shaking their heads, others whispering that alpha Fabian’s house had cracks in its walls. Fabian’s face darkened further, his anger heavy like a storm ready to break.

“You shame me,” Fabian hissed. “You shame this family, this throne. Do you forget who feeds you? Who clothed you? Who raised you in this palace?”

“I forget nothing,” Cassius said. “But I also remember something you do not. Power is not eternal. Wealth fades. Alliances break. And when they do, what remains? Nothing but the way we treated those who could not defend themselves. That will be our legacy. That is what I cannot accept.”

His words fell heavy in the hall, and for the first time, Fabian did not answer right away. His fists clenched, his jaw tight, but his silence was louder than any roar.

The brothers shifted uneasily. Elliott’s jealousy sharpened, burning hotter now that Cassius had stepped into light he had never dared touch. Ryder’s charm slipped, leaving only unease. Asher’s mask cracked for just a breath, enough to show that doubt had reached even him.

The elders leaned back, watching closely. They had come expecting another day of Fabian’s commands, not this open defiance from the son who had always been quiet. The air in the hall felt different now, as though something had broken free that could not be caged again.

Fabian finally spoke, his voice low and dangerous. “You will regret this, Cassius. You will regret standing against me.”

Cassius bowed his head slightly, though his eyes did not waver. “Perhaps. But I will regret more if I say nothing at all.”

Silence followed, heavy and thick.

When the council ended, whispers filled the halls. Servants spoke behind their hands, elders carried rumors back to their chambers, and even the guards traded glances. The palace had been shaken in a way none had expected.

Cassius walked away from the throne room with calm steps, his face unreadable. But his brothers watched him, each with their own thoughts. Elliott burned with jealousy, Ryder with unease, and Asher with quiet suspicion. None of them could ignore it now—Cassius had shown a side they had never seen, and it made them question their own hearts.

For the first time, they wondered if perhaps Olympia was more than what they had allowed themselves to believe.