Chapter 123
Casper's POV
I stood in the hallway. My legs felt like lead. Every step toward this place made my chest tighter.
The blood. I could smell it from here. Metallic. Sharp. Wrong.
Dad's blood.
My hands shook. I pressed them against my thighs to stop the trembling. It didn't work.
The door to the ballroom was ahead. Where everything happened. Where Leo went crazy. Where Dad—
No. Don't think about it.
But I had to. I had to face this.
I pushed the door open. The hinges creaked. The sound echoed in the empty space.
The ballroom looked like a war zone. Broken glass. Overturned tables. And in the center, a dark stain on the marble floor.
Blood.
Dad's blood.
My stomach twisted. I pressed a hand to my mouth.
"Casper."
I spun around. A guy stood near the entrance. Dark hoodie. Average height. Gray eyes. I didn't recognize him.
"Who the hell are you?" My voice came out rough.
"A friend of your father's." He stepped closer. His hands were in his pockets. Casual. Too casual for a place like this.
"You're lying." I moved between him and the bloodstain. Protective. Even now.
"Am I?" He tilted his head. "Austin and I go way back. We were supposed to have drinks tonight. Catch up. Instead..." He gestured at the ballroom. "Instead I'm attending a funeral."
My throat closed up. "Get out."
"Are you sure you want me to leave?" His gray eyes fixed on me. "With your mental state right now?"
"My mental state is fine."
"Is it?" He took another step. "You called your brother and your mate here. Why? What are you going to tell them?"
I didn't answer. My eyes went back to the blood. So much blood.
"He was a good man, your father." The stranger's voice was quiet. Almost gentle.
"He was!" The words burst out. Tears burned my eyes. "Dad was—he was the best—"
"He was." The stranger corrected. "But he's dead now, Casper."
The words hit like a punch. My knees buckled. I caught myself on a nearby chair.
"Why..." My voice broke. "Why did this happen?"
"You tell me." The stranger walked closer. His footsteps were silent. Like he wasn't really there. "Do you know why he died?"
I looked up at him. His face was blank. No emotion.
"I..." My hands clenched into fists. "I don't—"
"You do know." He crouched down beside me. "You just don't want to admit it."
My chest felt tight. Like I couldn't breathe. Like the walls were closing in.
"Say it, Casper." His voice was low. Insistent. "Say why your father is dead."
The bloodstain. Right there. Dark red. Almost black.
My body started shaking. I couldn't stop it.
"Because of me." The words came out in a whisper. "It's because of me."
"Louder."
"Because of me!" I shouted. My voice echoed off the walls. "Dad's dead because of me!"
I fell to my knees. Right there on the marble. My hands pressed against the bloodstain. Still damp. Still warm.
"It's my fault. It's all my fault."
The stranger stood over me. "Good. You're starting to understand."
I looked up at him. Tears streaming down my face. "What do I do? How do I fix this?"
I knelt on the floor. Hands covered in blood. Dad's blood.
The stranger stood above me. "You need to take responsibility, Casper. Otherwise no one will heal. No one will get the closure they need."
"I don't remember." I grabbed my head. Pressed my palms against my temples. "I don't remember doing it."
"You don't remember what?"
"Killing him." My voice cracked. "I don't even know if it was me or—"
"It was you." The stranger's voice was firm. Certain. "Your father was an Alpha. It takes great strength to kill an Alpha. Only you had that kind of strength."
"But Leo—"
"Leo is you, Casper. You and Leo are the same. When he kills, you kill."
I shook my head. Over and over. "No. No, there has to be another explanation."
"Like what?" The stranger crossed his arms. "Who else could have done it?"
My mind raced. Back to the moments before Leo took over. The rage. The smell of Drake's fear. The sound of bones breaking.
Ethan. Ethan was hurt too.
"Maybe..." I looked up. "Maybe it was someone else. Someone who attacked both—"
"You tried to kill Ethan." The stranger cut me off. "Even Leo told you that."
I frowned. How did he know what Leo said?
"I only told Cassian and Elowen about that." I stood up slowly. My legs were shaky. "How do you know?"
The stranger smiled. It didn't reach his eyes. "Your father told me. Before he died."
"That's impossible. Leo took over after Dad—"
"After you killed him." The stranger finished. His gray eyes were cold. Dead. "Stop lying to yourself, Casper. You know what you did."
My hands were shaking again. I looked down at them. Covered in blood.
Dad's blood.
"Come with me." The stranger walked toward the center of the ballroom. "I'll help you remember."
I followed. Like I was in a trance. My feet moved on their own.
He stopped at a spot near the stage. "This is where Ethan was found. Correct?"
I nodded. I remembered Cassian carrying him. The blood. The broken bones.
"Stand here." The stranger pointed at the ground.
I did. The marble was cold under my feet.
"Close your eyes."
"Why?"
"Because I'm going to help you remember the truth." He moved behind me. His hand touched my temple. His fingers were ice cold. "I have a gift. I can see memories. Pull them out. Make them clear."
I wanted to pull away. But I needed to know. I needed to see what happened.
"Show me." My voice was barely a whisper. "Show me what I did."
His fingers pressed harder against my skin. "As you wish."
The world exploded into red.