49 Severed Bonds
–
Cassian
The table was taut with nerves. One could have cut the tension in the air with a blunt knife. All eyes were on me. The Zeta elders had all taken their usual seats and my family as well. Even Zahila was seated, not sure who called her to be in attendance.
“Well?” Gerald, one of the elders, finally spoke. “Won’t you speak and defend yourself?”
I quirked a brow in question. “Me?” I asked. “Would you be so kind as to tell me what I was accused of?”
He gasped dramatically, his anger rising. “You…”
“I what?” I asked, a note of threat in my voice.
He gulped down the words that he very much would have regretted saying and looked anxiously at his colleagues. They had grown far too afraid to speak since the time I had relieved them of one elder.
“Why have you not bedded her?” another asked. “Is that not your entire purpose for marrying a mag–*
“Watch it, Elder,” I warned before he said the word. “Will I have to relieve you of another brother before you listen?”
The elder hesitated, his eyes flickering with fear before he continued, choosing his words carefully. “Is that not your entire purpose for marrying someone of her kind?” he asked.
I leaned back in my chair, the leather creaking under my weight. “My reasons for marriage are my own,” I said, my tone cold. “But let me make one thing clear, no one dictates what I do or do not do in my private chambers. Not even the Zeta elders.”
A murmur ran through the room, the tension rising. My mother shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her eyes darting between me and the elders.
I had tried to remain the person that I was before the Alpha’s curse changed me. To be the child she carried and bled for, despite her obvious preference for my brother. I had truly tried all my life, all my reign to please her. Because, despite all the times she turned away from me and pushed me to the wolves, I wanted to believe some part of her still saw me as her son. So I ignored all the words and all her biased actions until Iris. My mother had not yet known that she had lost her son.
“We are concerned for the safety and future of our pack,” another elder interjected, trying to mediate. “Your union was supposed to bring stability, to strengthen our position. Yet, there are rumors of discord, of mistrust. We need assurances, Cassian.”
I studied their faces, seeing the mixture of fear, frustration, and desperation. They were grasping at straws, trying to maintain control in a situation that was slipping through their fingers.
“Assurances?” I echoed, a cold smile playing on my lips. “You want assurances? Then let me assure you this: as long as I am Alpha, our pack’s safety and future are secure. But question my authority, undermine my decisions, and you’ll find out just how precarious your positions truly are.” If they wanted a tyrant, I was happy to give them one.
The room fell silent, the weight of my words settling over them like a dark cloud. Gerald shifted uneasily the most, clearly regretting his earlier outburst. His skin was white as snow.
“I will handle my marriage, my way,” I continued, my gaze sweeping across the room, challenging anyone to oppose me. “And you will do well to remember your place.”
My mother’s eyes met mine, a flicker of something between disappointment and fear in them. I gave her a brief nod, acknowledging that I saw her and that I simply did not care. A month ago, I would have tried, in my own way, in the way I knew how, to soothe her. But we were beyond that
now.
“Now, if there’s nothing else,” I said, standing up, “this meeting is over.”
The elders remained seated, their silence speaking volumes. As I left the room, I could feel their eyes boring into my back, their fear and uncertainty palpable. But that was good. It meant they understood the consequences of crossing me.
My mother was at my tail but I refused to acknowledge her.
*Cassian, you are making a horrible mistake,” she claimed. “You are undermining the wisdom of the Zeta elders for a woman. A werewolf at that?” She continued to sing a horrible tune that grated on my ears.
I made sure to check on Iris who was still sleeping, making sure to shush my mother.
Afterward, I made my way to my office with her still running after me but keeping her distance. She could not afford to be touched by me.
“Listen when your mother speaks to you,” she haggled.
I wanted my office and closed the door behind me but did not lock it. She burst in, huffing and puffing as though she had been running a marathon.
“Ignoring your own mother?” she gasped. “What has gotten into you?”
I looked up from the paperwork that I had begun to access. “What is your purpose here? As you can see, I am busy.”
Her face twisted with frustration. “My purpose? My purpose is to save you from the folly you’re entangling yourself in!” she snapped. “This… werewolf, this Iris, she is distracting you from your duties. You cannot let personal feelings cloud your judgment. She will ruin you the moment she
has the chance.”
I leaned back in my chair, my eyes narrowing as I regarded her. “Iris is not a distraction. She is my mate and my wife. And my duty is to protect and lead this pack, which I have done and will continue to do. You are the one who cannot see beyond your prejudices.”
Setting
21.04
49 Severed Bonds
She recoiled as if struck, her eyes widening with a mix of shock and hurt, “Prejudices? How dare you speak to me that way? After all I’ve done for you, for this family-
I stood abruptly, cutting her off. “All you’ve done? You’ve spent your life pitting my brother and me against each other, never once treating us as equals. You pushed me into that accursed throne. You pushed me to be something I’m not, and when I finally found someone who sees me for who 1 am, you can’t stand it. So don’t speak to me about what you’ve done for this family, You’ve only ever done what’s best for yourself
Her face flushed with anger, her lips trembling. “You ungrateful-
“Enough,” I said. “I am Alpha now. You will respect my decisions, or I will prove to be your worst nightmare. Do I make myself clear!
She stared at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. For a moment, I saw the flicker of the mother I had once hoped to please. I expected to see the cold calculating mother take her place again but for the first time since the night my father died, her tears fell,
“Why, son?” she croaked. “Why are you doing this to me? I am your mother,” she said.
I was stunned at first but I quickly recovered. “You never acted like that to me, or lone,” I said plainly.
“You know that is not true,” she tried to refute. “You are taking it the wrong way. Rolan was sick as a child. The Deltas didn’t think he would live… “Till the age of five,” I completed the story for her. “I have heard it all ten thousand times, mother,”
“Then you should understand…”
“I understand perfectly,” I cut in. “I understand that you favored Rolan because you thought he was weak, that he needed your protection more than I did. But what you failed to see is that I needed your love just as much. Instead, you pushed me into a role I never wanted, and now you’re trying to control my life again. But this time, I won’t let you.”
She blinked rapidly, trying to compose herself. “I’m only trying to help you, Cassian. I want what’s best for you and the pack.”
“No, mother,” I said, my tone softening just a fraction. “You want what’s best for you and your darling son. You want control. But you lost that the day I became Alpha. Accept it and move on.”
“No!” Her face hardened. “It was not like this before. It was that girl that changed you. A werewolf? Why her?”
“Why her?” I echoed. “Why Iris? Why would I care for a werewolf more than I care for my own mother?”
“You don’t mean that,” she said. “You are just frustrated, angry and hurt.” She tried to refute.
“I have been frustrated, angry and hurt for ten years, mother,” I deadpanned. “You just refused to see the signs but a woman that I had captured and trapped into a marriage arrangement had so desperately tried to reach me. To save me from myself with no thought of her own safety. A werewolf had held me when I needed comfort, had tended to my wounds. That girl had shown me more love in a few months than you have shown me my
whole life.”
My mother stared at me aghast. She took a step back, as if my words had physically struck her. “Cassian,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “How can you say that? I am your mother. I carried you, I raised you.”
“You raised me to be a weapon,” I said coldly. “To be your tool, your pawn. But I am no longer that boy, and I will not be manipulated any longer. I will protect Iris, I will protect this pack, and I will lead as I see fit.”
Her eyes filled with tears, a mix of anger and grief. “You are making a terrible mistake,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “This path you are
on will lead to ruin.”
“Perhaps,” I conceded, “but it will be my path. My choice. And I will stand by it. I stand by my wife.”
Her shoulders slumped, the fight draining out of her but fire still lit her eyes. “Very well,” she said softly. “If you choose to throw away everything for her, so be it. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
50–A Promise Made
