Chapter 166: Back to Nightveil

The Gates of Nightveil Castle finally came into view beneath the fading evening sky.

Cassian slowed his horse as he stared at it. He hadn’t seen those gates in months!

Beyond them stood the castle he had once called home, built from enormous slabs of dark stone and overlooking the vast plains that stretched endlessly toward the horizon. A massive lake shimmered several miles behind the castle, its dark waters reflecting the dying light of the sun.

The open land surrounding the fortress was unlike the territories of most packs. There were no towering mountains or thick forests to conceal the castle. Nothing could hide here.

Nightveil stood openly beneath the sky, and so did its Alpha.

The moment Cassian crossed the outer boundary, the horns began to sound.

"The Alpha has returned!"

The words spread across the territory almost instantly.

Cassian kept riding forward.

He could already see people gathering along the castle courtyard, guards abandoning their posts to welcome him, servants rushing toward the entrance and members of the council emerging from the great doors.

Everyone had been waiting for him to return ever since he left the castle for the Sovereign Moon Ceremony at Eclipse Crown Pack.

As he stepped through the gates of the castle, his eyes shifted to the Eastern end of the castle that was at the very back.

At that same time, Della was slipping through the secret door back there and into the castle. He’d already given her a small map earlier, showing how to get to her chambers.

Those chambers were the only ones at the Eastern end of the castle, and no one ever visited.

At least, not anymore.

Cassian came down from the horse, and one of the guards pulled it back to the stables. Kneeling with his head down in front of the Alpha was Evren, Cassian’s beta.

"Welcome back, Alpha,"

"You may all rise," Cassian instructed, and everyone stood up, "Return to your posts and duties,"

They all bowed again once and then everyone scattered back and resumed what they were doing before. He could hear the servants whispering to themselves like they always did.

Cassian ignored them.

"How have things been while I was gone?" Cassian asked as he walked into the red-stoned castle.

Evren walked a step behind him.

"Except for two neighbouring Packs who had recently been attacked by rogues and burnt to the ground with Moonfire, nothing else happened,"

Cassian stopped walking, "When did this happen?"

"Just last night, Alpha,"

"Which Packs were annihilated?"

"Bloodmoon and Greystone Pack, Alpha. By the time our wolves got there, we could do nothing. The villages were burning, and the rogues had already retreated. We couldn’t go close to the Moonfire. We couldn’t save anyone,"

Cassian had heard the same thing had happened to Frostriver Pack. Rogues had attacked them. But Moonfire wasn’t involved.

Where the hell did these rogues, or whoever was responsible for this, get the Moonfire from?!

Cassian’s eyes widened the next second. He was recalling what Malachi had told him about his wolf that had been merged with Moonfire and has been dripping of it ever since.

Della also knows.

He would have to ask her about it very soon.

"I do not want a single second to pass without at least ten guards on patrol night and day. Tighten the guard wolves around the villages. Inform the civilians to be on the lookout. Blow the horn the moment they sense danger,"

"Yes, Alpha!" Evren then cleared his throat, "Alpha, the council is here. They’ve been waiting for you..."

Cassian knew that already. He saw them while arriving. And he knew exactly what they wanted to discuss with him.

Why he defended a rotblood.

Why he was away for so long.

And why he let Alpha Malachi cut ties with Selene, who was supposed to have become Luna of Eclipse Crown by now.

The thought alone was annoying.

Cassian wanted to ditch them all. He wanted to head to the gardens and stare at the darkening sky and watch the stars come out.

Not this.

Not today.

"Let them know the meeting has been adjourned. They should return in two days," Cassian instructed.

"Yes, Alpha," Evren bowed and then he was gone.

Cassian headed straight to the garden. He sat down on the stone chair by the corner, the smell of pollen carrying everywhere. The sweet smell made his nerves calm a bit, then he leaned back and closed his eyes.

He wanted to escape this world for some time. He didn’t want to think of anything. He didn’t want his heart to ache. He didn’t want to think of what was ahead of him.

A butterfly flew from a flower close by and landed right on his nose. Cassian remained as still as a log of wood. It didn’t even look like he was breathing.

The beautiful insect flapped it’s wings again and took off his nose, moving between one flower and another. The night was silent and warm — just what he needed to remain immersed in his own world.

But as the saying goes — Peace never last, especially for a high-ranking Alpha like him.

The butterfly fluttered peacefully through the air, its delicate wings catching the sunlight as it kept drifting around the garden. Then, without warning, a fist shot out and clamped around it completely.

The fragile fluttering stopped, and a faint crunch sounded between the fingers before the hand slowly opened, letting the crushed butterfly fall lifelessly to the ground.

Cassian opened his eyes and they first found the dead butterfly. A beautiful, innocent insect going about it’s day suddenly...killed, because someone didn’t like it.

Slowly, he looked up at the person who had done it.

There was no surprise in his eyes.

If anything, he had been expecting her to show her face for a while now.

She stood there, arms crossed over her chest with a spiteful, angry look on her face.

Months ago, they always ignored each other.

Months ago, they lived like the other didn’t exist.

Now, they couldn’t ignore the other person’s existence anymore. And it looks like she has a lot to say.

Good.

Because he had a lot more to say to her.