“Cassidy…” Zarion's voice softened. Seeing the distress in my eyes, he held me gently, his concern evident. “Bridgette will be okay. She’s stronger than you think.”
I didn’t budge. Zarion placed a soft kiss on my forehead. “Who did this to you? To Bridgette?”
I took a nice deep breath. Told myself to be steady enough to share the horrifying encounter. Truth. “Zarion, my Grandmama…” I managed to say, my voice trembling with grief. His face contorted with shock and anger as he urged me to continue. Sensing the gravity of the situation, he kissed my hand. A sign for me to take everything slowly. “What about your grandmother?”
Struggling to hold back my tears that just let its presence known in front of Zarion, I whispered, “My grandmother's dead. They killed her. Valerie and Aneliesse Cavitt confirmed it. Hestia confirmed it.”
As the words escaped my lips, a single tear rolled down my cheek. Zarion's anger seemed to escalate, reflecting my own feelings. He cursed under his breath, the raw fury in his eyes matching my own desire for vengeance.
Without hesitation, he pulled me into another comforting embrace, stroking my hair like a baby. “Come here,” he beckoned, offering the strength I so desperately needed in his arms. But the pain and rage inside me couldn't be contained within a simple hug it seems.
“Zarion!” I cried, my voice muffled against his chest. “They killed my Mamita! They ate her! Fucking bitches, I swear I'm going to kill them!”
His hold on me tightened as he whispered soothing words. Trying to calm the storm of emotions that raged within me is no simple task. I couldn’t control them on my own. “Yes, we will. Hush now, love…”
But I couldn't be silenced. The pain of losing the last member of my family, the one who had raised and protected me, was overwhelming. I know, it might be my entire fault because I chose Zarion over her. Left her to follow Zarion. “I can't accept it,” I sobbed, my heart is probably breaking into smithereens by now. “I treasured my grandmother so much. She's the only family left to me now…"
Zarion listened, his embrace unwavering, allowing me to release the pent-up grief and anger. He understood the significance of family and the void that losing someone so dear had left in my life.
“I’m still here. I am with you.”
“I know.”
As I continued to cry, Zarion's touch remained gentle, his words offering comfort in my darkest moment. In that embrace, I found solace knowing that I wasn't alone in my pain.
I ended up crying on Zarion's chest and in his scent, I found home.
***
Once I opened my eyes, I found myself in our room, the faint murmurings of the Healers beside me. It seems like Zarion had my physical wounds treated as well.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, appearing by the threshold of the room while peeling apples for me. He single-handedly held that knife and the apple on the other as he slowly closed the distance between us. He leaned against the wall. And when he saw me opening my eyes again, concern etched across his handsome face.
He placed the peeled apples in a basket and sighed. “I was so worried about you.”
“Peeling apples for me like I did when you’re a dog in our castle’s cabin?” I joked.
He just shook his head as if reminiscing how we met then gave me a breathy laugh. I bit my lower lip, feeling his hand grab mine and squeeze it softly. “You're safe now. In here. With me.”
“What about Beta Bridgette?” I asked, my voice trembling. I still manage to think about her despite my condition.
Zarion nodded and gave me a reassuring smile. “Yeah, she's stable now.”
“Stable?”
“Fine,” he breathed. “She’s fine now.”
“Thank you,” I cooed. Like a baby who can barely maximize her voice.
“You are so welcome. How are you feeling right now?”
Zarion meant my feelings.
“I'm fine.” Uncertainty laced my tone. “I guess I am...”
“I'm sorry about...” he took a deep breath before meeting my eyes, “…your grandmother.”
I shook my head. It was my turn to squeeze his hands. “After this war, I'm going to find them. I will kill them with my own hands. My own claws and paws.”
He bit his lower lip and fell silent, not knowing what more to say. His silence is an answer enough that he will be there when I do that—when I searched for them and sent their heads rolling.
After biting a slice of apple, he continued. “Have you seen your grandmother's body? Are you sure she's really dead?”
I shook my head. “I didn't see her body. The castle was burned down. And Aneliesse claimed they ate her up until the remnants of her bones.”
“Have you seen them do it? Have you seen Hestia and Aneliesse eating her?”
Again, I shook my head. “No.”
“Then we can't be sure, Cass. Maybe they are bluffing and trying to control your emotions, hoping you will drown in your own feelings. Emotions are our own demons, remember?”
Zarion was right. Until my grandmother's death was confirmed, I couldn't fully mourn her. No body, no funeral. Or at least ashes or bones of hers. What he said gave me hope. For now, I would find those two Rogue sisters—and Hestia—and squeeze the truth out of them.
“Okay,” I beamed at him, smiling gratefully at Zarion’s wisdom. I never think about that. It’s true. I let their words be their own weapon against me. They lured me through manipulating my emotions. “Let's capture them first.”
“No need.” He lifted his chin, grinning at me.
“Why?”
“Jemenei has already found them.”
I raised an eyebrow at the mention of one of our pack's Gamma. “You sent the Gamma secretly?”
“She’s an excellent tracker, you know.” His eyes darted to my wounds. “I want you to be safe here, even with your revenge plans.”
“How...?”
“After Beta Bridgette tried to save you, Jemenei was just around the corner. When you managed to escape on your own, he got the chance to follow the Rogues.”
I gritted my teeth. The idea that a Gamma had found them both filled me with both relief and rage.
I'm going to fucking kill them all.
“Where are they, Zarion?”
“In the dungeons below. Where Enzo spent his final hours.”
I nodded at Zarion, determination flowing through my veins. “After we extract some information about my Grandmama, I want them to be executed. Publicly. Perhaps even in front of Chancellor Caesar.”
The cell basement was a place straight out of a nightmare. Dark, damp, and suffused with an eerie silence that made my skin crawl. The air was thick with a musty scent, and the feeble light of a single flickering torch did little to alleviate the pervasive gloom.
Each step I took seemed to echo through the cold stone walls. The sound sends shivers down my spine.
As I descended into the dimly lit cell basement, a chill ran down my spine. “Watch your steps,” Zarion's voice echoed behind me. I could feel the warmth of his hand on my back.
Hestia and Aneliesse were trapped down here somewhere. My blood was already boiling in rage. I could feel my hands shaking, ready to attack and hit them.
The air was thick with tension. The flickering torches casting a pair of eerie shadows on the cold stone walls. My heart pounded as I approached the two captive Rogues held within these confines: Hestia and Aneliesse.
The moment our eyes met, I could feel their hostility, their ferociousness, and their defiance. Their snarls were a clear warning, but I couldn't let fear consume me now.
“Look at you…” I whispered, my lips curling into a sinister grin as I peered at Hestia desperately trying to escape her cell.
Alpha Zarion stood just behind me, a stone-hard presence emanating strength and authority. I relished the feeling of his support behind me, knowing he had my back in this unsettling situation.
“Look at you, Hestia.” A haunting smile blossomed across my face despite the darkness. “So much for claiming to be Zarion’s mate.”