Chapter 193 The Night of Reckoning

Chapter 193 The Night of Reckoning
That afternoon, I told Nyx about everything that had secretly been going on, regarding the pack, as well as the perilous situation of the supernatural world as a whole. She had been shocked to realize that all of us were simply hanging by a thin thread, waiting for when the noose would be tightened around put necks. 

I told her about the virus. About how we—Cassian, Anastasia and I—had been trying to crack down on the mysterious figure sponsoring its continuous creation. 

Our search hadn't borne any fruit, not until that night when I encountered that elusive figure. At that time, I did not suspect my father in the least. How could I have? That person had exhibited signs of dark magic, yet my father was a werewolf. It simply did not tally.

However, when I began to look at the whole picture, to look at the subtle yet strange occurrences that surrounded me, my perspective changed.

Everytime I planned to tell my father about the whole virus situation, something was going to prevent me from doing so. I would either lose interest, or suddenly become distracted with something else. It did not seem strange, at first. Until I began to notice the pattern. It was as though something was messing with my thoughts or focus. 

Just like the young guard that couldn't remember what he had been doing on the day of Hannah's murder. 

The power to affect thoughts or memories. Magic. 

With the report from the doctors, I was also able to confirm that Hannah had died to magic. Meaning, someone was capable of using magic in this very manor. 

Who else would be capable of practicing dark magic if not my father? The man's history was already drenched in mystery. Who wasn't to say that he did not engage in some sort of sinister ritual to gain power, back when he was still known as the Warmonger? 

I had also remembered how when we were mobilizing men to prepare an ambush for the vampires that night, only my father had been aware. He did not seem to know the exact reason for me gathering those men, but he had seen us leave the manor in vans. 

And, for some utterly convenient reason, the mysterious sponsor had learned of our plan to ambush the vampires. 

Still, all this wasn't enough to deeply suspect my father, so it was still a hunch for now. That was why I needed Zara to come over and confirm if any of the members of our family had traces of magic in them. And if those same magic traces could also be found on the dead maid’s corpse.

Once I finished explaining everything to Nyx, I leaned back in my chair and exhaled heavily. 

“In any way, tonight, we are going to root out every single person who wish to cause us harm. This deception has been going on for too long. It all ends tonight.”

Nyx’s lips quivered a few times. She seemed to be searching for the words to say. Who could blame her? In just the span of twenty four hours, she had learnt of the treachery of someone she held dear, and also the possible treachery of her father.

“Aren't you scared?” She whimpered. “What if all this turns out to be true? What are we supposed to do then? I mean, not just Aurora, but father too? It's too much, Caligo… it's too much…”

Nyx broke into a silent sob. I sighed inwardly and rose from my chair, walking around to hold her from behind.

“I understand your pain, Nyx. Believe me, I do. I never would've guessed that Aurora would betray me in such a way. Can it even be called betrayal? Because it seems like she never cared about me from the start. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I'm in a lot of pain too, but we cannot allow that to stop us from making the right decisions. We need to move forward, no matter what.”

I paused for a moment. I suddenly remembered what someone had once said to me. Shaking the thought, I continued, “It is normal to be scared of betrayal. Especially if it comes from those we care about the most. But we can only move on, and establish a stronger bond with those of us who remain. You'll still have Nox. I'm certain that the two of you will settle your differences. You'll have Rose. You'll have Cassian. You'll have me. We're your family too.”

“So, fret not, sister. For we are going to see this through. Together.”

Nyx sniffled and responded with a heavy nod. 

I placed a brief kiss on her head and then stepped back. There were still other things I had to put in place before tonight. I could not allow the weight of Aurora’s betrayal to weigh me down. 

In fact, my heart wasn't as heavy as I thought it would be. That was probably because I had cried my eyes out already the night prior. Rose would never lie to me, so I more or less was prepared for this. I had simply been unwilling to accept reality yesterday. 

But now? The hesitation was gone. The anger was gone too, in fact. 

All I wanted now was simply to be done with it all. To know who was on my side, and who was seeking to destroy everything I've built.

In a few hours, I was going to find out.

The whole pack would learn of the truth.

…

And so, when night fell, I had gathered the entire family in the living room. With the exception of Ciro, who was still in the pack’s dungeon. But Catherine was here, seated next to Nox. Nyx sat next to Cassian, waiting in tense anticipation. 

Rose was behind me, her eyes devoid of the slightest hesitation or fear. 

Outside the manor, members of the pack were gathered according to my orders, as well as those sleazy Eders. 

And somewhere in the adjacent room, Zara was secretly scanning everyone in the living room.