Chapter 43: The Price of Loyalty

Leopold stepped out into the corridor and quietly shut the chamber doors behind him.

Cassian was leaning against one of the stone pillars overlooking the courtyard below, both hands resting lazily on the railing. The night wind played with the ends of his silver hair as he stared into the darkness.

He didn’t immediately turn, til Leo was standing close to him.

"Leo." He said softly.

"Alpha," Leopold bowed, "You asked to see me,"

Cassian didn’t say anything for a while, and kept staring outside like he was admiring the view, "You know, I miss when this fortress had smaller problems."

Leopold let out a tired laugh despite himself, "You and me both."

"Remember when Malachi nearly burned down the western barracks because someone stole Gideon’s favourite deer carcass?"

Cassian’s eyes narrowed at the thought of Malachi’s wolf. It’s been a while since he’s even felt that wolf’s aura ever since Malachi’s cold anger took over.

"I remember the beta taking the blame." Leopold chuckled, "He didn’t even know what he was apologising for."

Both men laughed softly, and Leopold didn’t even know when he relaxed a little. Cassian had noticed, even without looking from the moment Leopold walked out that door, he had been subtly hiding one hand away from his sight, hence Cassian watched him, quietly, from the corner of his eye.

"You look exhausted," Cassian said.

"So do you."

"I’ve been arguing with your brother all evening."

"I heard." Leopold sighed.

"He’s impossible."

"He always has been."

"And stubborn."

"That too." Leopold smiled, and again glanced at Cassian.

He wasn’t surprised that Cassian had come to see him, since he always dropped by whenever he came to Eclipse Crown for anything. But tonight, it was a little different.

Especially since Cassian had claimed he’d watched Della move around the night of the Moon Ceremony, which also means he knows his wife has a hand.

"I’ve missed talking to someone who doesn’t immediately try to throw me out." Cassian continued, closing his eyes for a moment.

As Leopold stared at him, he didn’t see an Alpha who had come to question him. He just saw the person whom he saw as a big brother, but still, Leopold remained watchful of anything slightly out of place.

Especially if his wife could get implicated again if he fumbled.

"You picked the wrong castle." Leopold laughed again.

"I probably did."

Comfortable silence settled between them, the kind only old acquaintances could share.

Or at least, that was what both of them were trying to make the other think. Since they both knew...the truth of the matter.

Leopold rested both hands on the stone railing, "...It’s been a long day."

"It has."

"I never thought Della would confess," Leopold said all of a sudden, keeping one eye fixed on Cassian’s face to catch any subtle change in facial expression, or a skip of a heart, or even the smallest reaction that would confirm his suspicions.

"No." Cassian replied with another exhausted sigh, making Leo think for a moment, that he might have also believed after the confession, that Della was guilty, "Did you?"

"No," Leopold replied.

"I never thought she would do such," Cassian casually chipped in, finally looking away from the Moon and to Leo.

Leopold frowned slightly, "You still think she’s innocent."

"I think..." Cassian spoke slowly, "...someone is lying."

Leopold’s shoulders barely stiffened.

"She already admitted she lied."

"True." Cassian smiled, then stared back at the Moon again letting out another tired sigh.

A servant passed at the end of the corridor before quickly disappearing.

A few minutes passed in silence, before Leopold absentmindedly adjusted the sleeve of his shirt. It pulled back just slightly at the edge of his wrist, and in that very brief moment, Cassian saw everything.

His right palm.

A cut.

A...fake one.

His expression never changed, but another image quietly surfaced in his mind.

Della.

Earlier that night when he had felt her presence in front of his chambers and heard her whisper that she was sorry. As he had followed her down to the interrogation room, he had noticed a wound on her palm.

It had been fresh.

There had still been some blood leaking out.

And...it had been in the exact place, the same hand, and the same kind of cut.

Cassian’s heartbeat slowed, but he said nothing.

Not yet.

"You know..." Cassian said after another minute, "I’ve always admired one thing about you."

Leopold looked over, "Oh?"

"Your loyalty to the ones that you love. It’s always been one of your...many strengths,"

"My brother once said it’s my biggest flaw." Leopold smiled faintly.

"Sometimes loyalty is."

"I suppose." Leopold nodded.

Cassian folded his arms, "You’d do anything for someone you love."

"I would."

"Even lie?"

Leopold didn’t answer immediately, then, "If I had to."

"Would you let someone innocent die?"

"Depends." Leopold looked at him.

"On?"

"Whether saving them destroys someone else.

"Interesting answer,"

"It isn’t wrong."

"No." Cassian smiled, "...Just enlightening."

"What is this really about?" Leopold asked, "I know you didn’t know come tonight to say HI to me,"

Cassian finally turned fully toward him, casually dropping the bomb, "I saw your hand."

Leopold instinctively hid it behind his back, but it was far too late. Silence followed after that, and then Cassian dropped the second bomb, "I also saw hers."

Leopold’s breathing stopped for half a second.

"The same palm."

Nothing.

"The same place."

Still nothing.

Cassian took one slow step forward, the calm facade completely gone. He now had the look of an Alpha that was gonna to tolerate not a single shred of nonsense from any goddamn wolf, "Tell me something, Leo."

"What?" Leo also stood taller, trying not to look that small. After all, he also has Alpha blood flowing in his veins. Only that Cassian’s was much more powerful than his.

"Were you the one who strangled her?"

"...What?"

"The bruises around her neck. I also saw them."

Leopold shook his head immediately, "No."

"Were you the one who forced whatever happened between those two cuts?"

"No."

"Were you the one who made a blood pact with her?"

"Blood pact? Why would I do such a thing?!"

"Because it’s just like you said, you’d do anything for the ones you love, and in this case, your wife is that loved one,"

Leopold almost took a step back, terrified at how much Cassian’s anger was multiplying by the second. Cassian had always been someone who stood up for others, even though he claimed it didn’t matter to him... but it did.

It always did.

Especially this one. Della. The Rotblood. He was this worried about her.

"You cannot accuse me out of the blue, Cassian," Leopold held his ground despite still.

"I can," Cassian growled, "Because I’m much more powerful than you. You should know this, Leo. If you’re going to trample on someone, first make sure there’s no one above you to trample back on you or else it’s gonna hurt,"

"There’s no wound or cut in my palm!" Leo spat, opening his palm in front of their faces, "As you can see, it’s just folded skin. I never had an injury, so how would I have made a blood pact,"

"Because you didn’t," Cassian suddenly stepped forward, his eyes alternating between the normal silver and a deeper shade that made Leo’s heart speed up, "Or do you think I’m stupid?" He grabbed the palm and began digging his claw into it, "This right here, is fake! It looks like you faked everything. It looks like a trick, because that was what you pulled! Desperate to save your wife!"

Leo tried to pull back, but he couldn’t.

"Or did you think I didn’t notice the way you’ve been scaring everyone that crossed your path since morning? Or...," Cassian drawled with a wicked grin, "How you were stalking Della when she was on her way to the Healing wing?"

Cassian remembered perfectly, and Della didn’t even know.

He had only prepared the clothes for her. The bath had been for him, but when he had noticed Leo following her around, he had snatched her from that corridor and used the bath as the perfect excuse.

"You’ve been trying to clean Beatrice’s mess," Cassian added.

"I’M TRYING TO SAVE MY MATE!" Leopold finally exploded, his voice thundering through the corridor, "It’s not my fault that Malachi has been blinded by Katherine’s faults and cannot save his own mate!"

Both Alphas froze, and the silence afterwards was deafening.

Cassian closed his eyes for a brief moment, then softly uttered, "...Thank you."

Leopold’s face drained of colour. He’d said too much.

Cassian opened his eyes again, "So, I was right. You’d let another person walk into death, when you know the actual perpetrator,"

"You think you’re any different?" Leopold suddenly roared.

Cassian stopped.

"You stood there that night!" Leopold pointed a shaking finger at him, "And you watched Selene strike Della many times. You watched them gang against her, and say that they were gonna blame the disaster on her! You watched everything!"

"I remember every second," Cassian answered quietly.

"Then why didn’t you tell Malachi?"

Silence.

"Why?" Leopold demanded again, "You could have stopped all of this before it even started!"

"Let me guess," Leopold continued, "Because Selene is your sister, right? Because if she revealed that she was responsible, the incident would affect your pack too,"

"But there’s one difference between us." Cassian didn’t take his eyes off the younger Alpha.

"Huh?"

"I never asked anyone to die for Selene."

Leopold’s expression froze.

Cassian stepped closer until only inches separated them, "But you...you convinced and gave her a reason because she was helpless. You watched her tie the rope around her own neck, knowing it was the biggest trick. Now she’s dying, and there is not a single shred of guilt in your rotten heart,"

Cassian turned to leave immediately because he wasn’t sure he could spend another second talking to Leo without snapping the boy’s neck. Halfway down the corridor, he stopped without looking back, "Oh..."

Leopold looked up.

"You should be less worried about me, Leo." Cassian’s voice was calm, "Because the day Malachi realises you tricked and sacrificed his mate to protect your guilty wife... you’ll wish I’d been the one to judge you."