Chapter Seventy-Three – The One She Chose
Cass stirred in Caius’s arms, but she didn’t wake. Her breath hitched once, then evened into a slow, shallow rhythm. Her face was pale, streaked with tears, lips parted like she might speak—but the words never came. She drifted back into unconsciousness, the weight of pain too heavy to lift just yet.
Caius held her closer, pressing his forehead to hers. "You should’ve never had to feel that," he whispered, voice fraying with restraint. "You gave him everything. And he threw it away."
He swallowed, jaw clenched. "But I will never betray you. Not once. Not ever."
His fingers brushed her cheek. "You chose me... and I swear to you, Cass, I will be worthy of that. Even if you never say it again. Even if you wake up and regret it. You are mine now. And I’m yours. By blood, by bond, by the fucking fire in my chest that hasn’t stopped burning for you since the day I met you."
She didn’t respond. But her body leaned into his.
And that was enough—for now.
Caius held her for one more heartbeat, then gently laid her onto the bed, careful with every movement as though she were made of glass. He brushed a kiss to her forehead and stood, his voice ringing with quiet authority as he called out into the corridor, "Bring a healer. Now. I want her checked immediately—her, and the pup."
Then he returned to her side, never taking his eyes off her. "Hold on, Cass," he murmured. "You’re not doing this alone."
Alder stepped into the room, breathless and unsure, just in time to see Caius cradling her tighter—one hand cupping the back of her head, the other fisted in the folds of her gown like he couldn’t let her go.
For a moment, Alder couldn’t breathe. The scent of her agony still lingered in the air, sharp and visceral, and now Caius was wrapped around her like a shield. Like a claim.
“She needs a healer,” Caius said without looking up. His voice was quiet, but it cut like a blade. “And she doesn’t need to see you.”
Alder’s jaw worked, guilt and rage battling in his eyes. “She’s my mate.”
“No,” Caius finally looked at him, eyes glowing with something ancient and irrevocable. “She was your mate—the one fate handed you. But you broke that bond the moment you betrayed her. You chose lust. She chose loyalty. And now... she is mine. Not by destiny. Not by ritual. But because she reached for me through her pain—and I reached back.”
As if to prove the point, Cass shifted in her sleep—and whimpered.
Alder flinched.
Caius turned back to her, brushing his thumb over her cheek. “You chose power. She chose love. And now she’s mine.”
Alder stepped forward, fists clenched. “She’s not yours!” he snapped, voice cracking under the weight of everything he’d lost. “You don’t get to swoop in and take her just because I—”
“You what?” Caius rose slowly, his body sliding in front of Cass like a wall. “Fucked someone else? Took a potion to numb the bond and buried yourself in another she-wolf’s cunt while the woman you were supposed to protect screamed in agony?”
Alder’s face twisted. “You don’t know what it’s like. The pressure. The expectations—”
“No,” Caius growled. “Don’t you dare assume I don’t know pressure. I was raised beneath the weight of expectations—of bloodlines, legacies, duty. Every fucking day of my life, I’ve had to be something for someone else. But I would burn all of it down for her. I would walk away from every title, every obligation, every ounce of power—because when I love someone, I choose them. Not myself. Not comfort. Them. Always.”
The room crackled with the tension of two alphas standing on the edge of violence. But Caius didn’t step forward. He didn’t need to.
He already had everything Alder had thrown away.
The door creaked open again. A healer stepped inside, her robes still dusted with sleep, her eyes sharp despite the hour. She took one look at Cass and rushed to her side, laying gentle fingers along her wrist, her temple, then over her abdomen.
Her face changed.
Caius saw it instantly. "What is it?"
The healer hesitated, then spoke slowly, carefully. "She’s stable. The pup is unharmed... but something is happening with her bonds."
Both males tensed.
"She’s carrying two," the healer said. "One is new—raw, strong, freshly forged. It pulses with life. But the other… it’s still there, just barely. A frayed tether. Weak. Flickering. Like a thread stretched too thin."
She looked between them. "Whatever happened... her soul tried to hold on to both. But it’s only holding one now. And the other? It’s unraveling."
Alder took a step back, his breathing ragged.
Caius didn’t move.
He didn’t have to.
The healer drew the blanket higher over Cass’s chest and looked between them with quiet command. “She needs complete rest now. No stress. No fighting in this room. Her body and mind are in a fragile state.”
“I’ll stay with her,” Alder said quickly, stepping forward.
“No,” Caius cut in, his tone absolute. “You’ve done enough.”
“I have a right—”
“You have nothing,” Caius snapped. “I am heir to the throne, and by decree of the crown, I’m placing a protective order around her. You are not permitted near her without my consent.”
Alder’s face flushed, fury rising—but he saw the truth in Caius’s eyes. This wasn’t a request. It was a command.
Caius turned to the healer. “He’s leaving. See to it.”
Alder lingered for a breath, fists clenched, chest heaving. His eyes locked onto Cass, something fractured and desperate behind them.
“This isn’t over,” he said through gritted teeth. “Not by a long fucking shot.”
Then he turned and stormed out, the door slamming shut behind him.