Chapter 211

Chapter 211

WREN

I sat on the bed, my legs curled under me as I stared at Cassian. I had just finished telling him the truth about Derek, about how I had told Derek I was pregnant.

Cassian’s jaw tightened, his eyes dark and stormy. “You told him what?”

I lifted my chin, even though my heart was racing. “I had to. He wouldn’t listen to me otherwise. I had to make him pity me in some way. But once I told him, he stopped and listened.”

Cassian raked his fingers through his hair, pacing across the room. “Wren, you can’t go around telling men things like that. Especially Derek. He doesn’t need another reason to..." He stopped, gritting his teeth.

“To what?” I pressed gently.

His gaze snapped back to me. “To think he has some kind of claim over you.”

I stood and crossed the room, placing my hand on his chest. “Cassian, he doesn’t. He knows. I made sure he understood it’s not his place. But it worked. He listened because he realized I wasn’t playing games. If I hadn’t said it, he wouldn’t have cared about anything else.”

Cassian’s breath came out slow, heavy. His hand closed over mine. “You shouldn’t have had to. You could’ve let me deal with him.”

“Sometimes, you can’t fight every battle for me,” I whispered. “Let me handle some of them.”

His lips pressed into a thin line, but after a moment, his shoulders lowered, the tension leaving him. “You’re infuriating, you know that?”

A little smile curved on my lips. “You love it.”

“Unfortunately,” he muttered, pulling me against him, holding me tight. “Just… promise me you’ll be careful. You can’t afford to stress yourself. Not now.”

“I promise,” I whispered.

He kissed my hair before stepping back. “Good. Now, get some rest. I can see how tired you are.”

I nodded, heading back toward the bed. “Only if you stop worrying so much.”

“I’ll worry until my last breath,” he said, his voice low but firm.

I was just about to lie down when his phone rang. Cassian glanced at the screen, his expression darkening. He answered with a sharp, “Locke.”

I sat up again, watching him pace while he spoke.

“You were able to meet him?” Cassian asked. His tone shifted from tense to razor-sharp. “Lucky agreed to meet? Where?”

I strained to listen, my fingers twisting the blanket.

“A public place,” Cassian muttered, frowning. “That’s no good. You know it’ll be harder to corner him there.”

There was a pause before Cassian snapped, “Then find a way to isolate him. I don’t care how. Get him alone. I’m not letting him slip through my fingers again.”

Another pause, then Cassian growled low. “Fine. Do whatever it takes. But remember, Locke, if you fail me this time, there won’t be another chance.”

He ended the call and turned to me. His eyes were sharp but conflicted.

“Was that about Lucky?” I asked softly.

“Yes,” he muttered. “He agreed to meet. But it'll be hard to grab him there without drawing unwanted attention.”

I hesitated. “And if Locke pulls it off? If he actually delivers Lucky to you? Will you forgive him?"

Cassian’s jaw flexed. “That won’t erase what he’s done to me. Or to us.”

“But will you forgive him?” I pressed, searching his face.

He sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck. “Forgive? No. But I made a promise. If he gives me Lucky, I’ll keep it. Doesn’t mean things will ever be the same between us.”

I nodded slowly, lying back on the bed. “That’s fair.”

Cassian moved closer, brushing his knuckles against my cheek. “Enough of that. Sleep, Wren. You’ve pushed yourself too far already.”

I wanted to argue, but I saw the worry in his eyes. So instead, I whispered, “Alright. I’ll rest.”

He stayed until my eyes closed, and I drifted off with his scent wrapped around me.

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

Hours later, I woke to my phone buzzing on the nightstand. Groggy, I reached for it. The name flashing on the screen made me blink awake.

Alexander.

I answered quickly. “Hello?”

“Wren,” Alexander’s voice came smooth and steady. “I trust you’re safe?”

“Yes,” I whispered. “I’m safe. What is it?"

“I need to know about the other alphas,” she said. “How many have you secured?”

I hesitated, thinking. “Two. We’re working on two right now. Cassian believes we’ll get them soon.”

“Good,” Alexander said, approval in her tone. “If all goes well, you’ll break the curse sooner than we thought. Do you realize what that means?”

Hope sparked in my chest. “That my baby will be fine?”

“Yes,” she replied.

My lips trembled as a small smile spread across my face. “That’s… that’s the best news I’ve had in a long time.”

“Then keep at it,” Alexander urged. “Don’t falter now. You’re closer than you’ve ever been.”

“I won’t,” I promised.

When the call ended, I pressed the phone to my chest, whispering to myself, “Closer than ever.”

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

A few days passed, and for the first time in a while, there was calm. I stayed mostly in my room, under Cassian's watchful eye.

But the peace didn’t last.

My phone rang again, the name flashing across the screen making my heart stutter.

Derek.

I glanced at Cassian, who was sitting in the chair across the room. “It’s him,” I murmured.

Cassian frowned. “Answer it. Put it on speaker.”

I hesitated but pressed the button. “Hello?”

“Wren,” Derek’s deep voice came through. “I need you to come to town. Alone.”

My eyes widened. “Alone? Why? Where exactly?”

“I'm bringing the fairy. I’ll send the location once you leave,” he said firmly. “No Cassian. No Reed. Just you.”

Cassian shot up from his chair. “Tell him that’s not happening.”

I covered the phone with my hand. “Derek, you know Cassian won't let me come alone."

“Its the only way," Derek said quickly. “Either that or the deal is off."

“Where, Derek?” I asked again.

He paused. “You’ll know when you’re on your way.”

The call cut off, leaving the room heavy with silence.

Cassian cursed under his breath. “None of the spots we thought he’d pick. Damn it.”

Reed walked in just then, his eyes narrowing. “What’s going on?”

I swallowed. “Derek. He… he wants me to come to town. Alone. He didn’t say where, only that I’d know when I left.”

Reed shook his head, frustration written across his face. “This doesn’t make sense. He didn’t choose any of the obvious meeting points. He’s planning something."

Cassian growled low. “It could be a trap to take Wren. We can't let him do that."

I held up my hand, my heart pounding. “Wait. Maybe… maybe there’s a reason. Maybe he doesn’t trust you."

Cassian turned to me sharply. “And you trust him?”

I bit my lip, meeting his gaze. “I don’t know. But we can't lose this chance now, what if we never get another?"

The room fell silent as the weight of Derek’s request hung between us.