Chapter 62: Unconscious
[TW: Pregnancy Loss]
[CASSIAN POV]
"She’s wolfless!" I reminded them. "Did you really think she could survive drinking this much of our liquor? Why do you think she had to add tap water to it?"
It was as though the great lightning bolt of realization struck Soren and Rowan. They looked at each other, varying levels of alarm written across their faces.
"If she didn’t add water to it, she would die drinking that much alcohol," I said, scoffing. "It wouldn’t just be that little bastard in her womb right now―"
"What did you just say?" Rowan said, abruptly cutting me off. "What little bastard?"
My words were immediately stopped right in my throat before I had the chance to speak them. For some reason, the aura that Rowan exuded right at this moment was so oppressive that I had to move back a little.
I felt sweat bead across my forehead, and I resisted the urge to raise my hand and wipe it off.
"I..." I stuttered, "I thought you knew..."
"You mean to say..." Soren said, trembling. His face was so pale that it looked as though he had seen a ghost. "Briar... is pregnant?" he asked.
I stayed silent. But my silence was loud enough of an answer. Immediately, Soren looked down at the girl in his arms. He didn’t hesitate a second more. He scooped her up and made a beeline for the door.
"Soren, where are you going?" I yelled after him, but did not receive a reply.
I cursed, running a hand through the back of my head.
Soren had always been the weakest out of the three of us. We were triplets, and yet, his personality was always so different. He was too softhearted, and as such, always pitied the weaker beings.
Unfortunately, that also included Briar.
He didn’t care about our history with her, nor did he care about the fact that Briar was the entire reason for our suffering. Beforehand, he was indifferent. But after we found out she was our fated mate, he became such a simp that it was disgusting to even watch.
"Can you believe him?" I asked, turning to look at Rowan. "What’s got him so flustered? It’s just some bitch― ack!"
Rowan’s hands were wrapped around my neck. He slammed me against the wall, and I gasped as pain shot through my back. Some furniture was pushed out of the way due to the impact.
His eyes were bloodshot, and I could see the vein on his forehead pulsing.
"Do you even realize what you’ve done?" Rowan growled, his voice low.
He let go abruptly, and I collapsed to the floor, coughing. I clutched my throat, trying to gulp down as many mouthfuls of air as I possibly could. Slowly, I turned to look at him.
Anger flared through me. If it were just Soren, I could sort of understand his behavior. After all, it was so like him.
But Rowan? As the eldest of the three of us, he had always been the one with the clearest mind. Yet, even he had fallen to Briar’s wicked charms.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" I asked, my voice hoarse. "All this? For her?"
Rowan clenched his jaw. With a roar of anger, he lifted me back up by the collar of my shirt. I refused to look away, meeting his gaze square.
"I expected this from Soren," I spat out the words as though they were poison on my tongue. "But you? You, I expected more. I thought you remembered what happened all those years ago! Now you’re acting like a sobbing little bitch for that woman?"
Rowan’s hands were practically trembling with rage. His eyes flashed slightly gold, his wolf threatening to take control. At the very last minute, he let go of my collar, and I staggered back slightly, leaning against the wall for support.
He gave me one last spiteful look before storming out of the room.
I panted heavily, my chest rising and falling as I tried to calm myself down.
"Cassian?" Violet’s weak voice came from the bed. I turned around just in time to see her struggling to sit up. "What’s wrong? Was that Rowan?"
"Violet," I breathed.
I rushed over to her bedside, holding her.
"What’s wrong?" she asked. Her eyes then widened. "What happened to your neck? It’s all red!"
"It’s nothing," I said, trying to comfort her with a smile.
She looked doubtful, but Violet cleverly didn’t press for more answers. She nodded once before snuggling deeper under the covers.
Out of her sight, I clenched my fists tightly together. Briar Argyris was more trouble than it was worth. She was able to twist my brothers’ feelings and rationality so effortlessly.
My heart skipped a beat. I could feel my chest tightening with pain. Just the thought of her brought a rush of conflicted emotions through me. I couldn’t think straight.
She was a problem I needed to be rid of.
***
[BRIAR POV]
My head was pounding. As a matter of fact, my entire body felt as though it was being weighed down by a giant boulder. When I tried to move, pain rushed through my lower belly.
Immediately, my eyes opened with a gasp. My hands flew to my stomach, clutching at the non-existent bump.
That was when I realized where I was. The walls were white, and there were a few beds placed right next to each other, separated only by thin curtains. At a corner was a desk, along with some cabinets that were lined with rows of medicine and bandages.
This was the infirmary. But why was I here? The last I remembered was drinking the bottle of watered-down alcohol before fainting.
I looked down at my stomach. For some strange reason, even though I didn’t have a visible bump before, I sort of knew that my child was gone.
I bit my lip. This was for the best. They wouldn’t be growing up in a safe environment anyway.
As horrible as it was to think this way, I couldn’t help but think that without this child, I would have one less thing tethering me to the triplets. I needed to leave. I was never meant to stay here in this pack, where I wasn’t wanted by either my family or my fated mates.
I needed to leave. There was someone out there waiting for me. Not to mention, Willow was still missing. If she were dead, I needed to find her body. If she were alive, maybe bringing her home could atone for my sins for ’poisoning’ her, causing the decline in her health.
Besides, once she was back, maybe the triplets would get rid of Violet once and for all, all in favor of Willow. Goddess knows she would be a better Luna than Violet would ever be. Even if I returned to Shadowclaw, it would be to watch Violet crumble in defeat.
I groaned, pushing myself up before taking a proper look around. The lights were off, and it seemed to be the middle of the night. I wasn’t sure how long I slept for, but judging by the rigidity of my body, it felt like it was most definitely more than a mere couple of hours.
Outside, the moon was shining brightly.
In fact, perhaps it was a little too bright.
I gasped, tossing myself off the bed right at the very last second. A flaming boulder slammed through the infirmary, bringing down its walls and roof as though it was a house made of cards.
"Ah!"
Rubble and debris rained on me as I took cover under a toppled bed. My legs were still numb, and the slide across the floor immediately caused scratches to litter across my skin. Whenever I brushed against something, a sting of pain would dart through me.
Now that a hole had been blasted through the side of the building, the noises from outside could be heard loud and clear. Screams of terror echoed into the night, along with snarls that came from various wolves.
A large brown wolf slammed into the infirmary, its back knocking hard against the wall. It collapsed onto the floor immediately, either knocked out cold or dead. Either way, it was no longer moving.
I slapped my hands over my lips, refusing to scream out loud.
What was going on?! How long had I been unconscious for?!
"Get to the pack house! Protect the Luna!" someone yelled from the battle.
Whatever was happening, I needed to get out of here. The infirmary was no longer a safe location to hide in. In fact, no location was.
I gritted my teeth, pushing myself out from under the beds and over the rubble. I needed to get out before the wolves fighting nearby noticed me.
This bloodbath may be the perfect excuse for me to leave Shadowclaw. Everyone would have their hands busy with the fight, and no one would take notice of me. By the time they did realize I was gone, it would be too late. Even if they did want to come after me, it might be impossible. I could be anywhere by then.
I didn’t need to know what was happening. What I needed was to get out.
Right as I jumped out onto the grass, a voice behind me stopped me in my tracks.
"And where do you think you’re going?"
