Ryder closed the door of the guest room behind him and made his way to the living room. Sarah looked even greyer than she had the night before. The unnatural stillness in her body, the way her chest barely rose, it pricked at him.
It had already been two days since Blake and Jace left. Ryder couldn't shake the fear that they wouldn't return in time and that Elder Alaric would declare war. Because Cassie would refuse to come once she discovered why they needed her, that she'd feel used.
He sank into the armchair, buried his face in his hands. He kept glancing back toward the hallway, toward the door he'd just closed. Sarah was fading. And Ryder knew what it felt like to watch someone you love slip through your fingers. Knew what it did to a man. How helpless it felt. The kind of emptiness it left behind wasn't something you ever recovered from, it hollowed you out, left a throbbing ache that lived in your bones.
He didn't want that for Blake. Not his younger brother. Ryder had carried that ache for twenty-one years. He'd learned to live with it, but barely.
The thought of Blake feeling that same cold void made Ryder's throat tighten.
He was still sitting there, hands pressed to his face, when Logan stepped into the room and took the seat across from him.
"I just came back from Lady Elara's," Logan said.
Ryder's head snapped toward him. Lady Elara was Jace and Mira's mother, and her mate, Alpha Marek of House Draven, was the younger brother of First Claw Magnus. While First Claw Magnus ruled the entire realm, Alpha Marek managed the day-to-day affairs of House Draven's territory, enforcing the laws, commanding the pack on the ground, and ensuring loyalty to the First Claw.
Ryder knew how much of a risk Logan had taken visiting her, but they were both worried about Mira. While Lady Elara still held ties to Ryder through her children, their uncle, Alpha Marek had severed his.
"How's Mira?" Ryder asked.
Logan's jaw tightened. "Same as Sarah. Her skin's gone grey, she's cold to the touch. She doesn't move and barely breathes."
Ryder watched him closely. Something was up. Logan's body was tense and his voice edged with something more than concern.
"Did you tell her about Jace and where he went?"
Logan shook his head. "I only told her he and Blake are looking for a cure."
"Logan…what is it? Something is bothering you, I can tell."
Logan hesitated, then glanced toward the entrance, as if checking for unseen ears. "On my way back, I passed through the eastern perimeter and caught wind of something…warriors from House Draven, talking just out of range of the patrol line…"
He exhaled slowly. "House Draven is starting to fracture. Your father may have mutiny brewing under his nose. The warriors are saying your family isn't fit to rule. First, you were exiled. Now they're blaming Blake for the war looming over their heads."
His gaze sharpened. "And if those are the whispers coming from within the royal bloodline, what do you think the other houses are planning? Will they use this war as an excuse to rise up, overthrow House Draven, and crown a new house in its place?"
Ryder turned Logan's words over in his mind. A house divided against itself would never stand.
"I can only hope there are more warriors for the throne than against it. Whatever attacked Sarah and Mira is still out there, and it will strike again. Fighting each other now will only weaken us further. And with the prophecy in motion, a new First Claw without proper training, in the midst of chaos…that would be the death of every werewolf in the realm."
"Maybe you should seek counsel with First Claw Magnus," Logan offered. "Tell him what you've heard."
Ryder shook his head. "My father's too stubborn to listen, especially now, when he's preparing for war. I just hope Blake and Jace return with Cassie soon. At least then, we'll have one war off our backs."
Logan was quiet for a moment, then asked, "All those years…why didn't you visit Cassie? You could've asked Nyara for the same enchantment she gave her. It's not like you had royal duties to keep you busy, exile gave you nothing but time."
Ryder went still. That was definitely not where he expected the conversation to go.
"And don't sugarcoat it, Ryder," Logan said gently. "I can already see those wheels turning. Cassie's on her way, and we both know she's going to ask the same thing. So lay it out…no deflecting, no excuses."
"You really want to know?" Ryder asked leaning back in his chair.
"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know. And if I didn't think talking about it would help."
"I failed," Ryder said, voice rough and unsteady. "I failed as a father…and as her mate."
Logan didn't speak, he just gave a small nod, letting him unravel it in his own time.
"It was my job to protect Liora. And I couldn't."
Memories surged, sharp and sudden. Ryder felt the weight of that night settle like stone in his chest. He'd never spoken it aloud, not once in twenty-one years.
"Liora and I had finally decided it was time to stop hiding. We were on our way to speak with Elder Alaric, to tell him everything. We'd do whatever the Ancients wanted of us just to be together. Then...there was this explosion. A flash of light so bright it blinded me."
His voice dropped, distant. "I had Cassie in my arms. I grabbed Liora's hand and we ran. But whoever it was…they used magic. I couldn't shift. Couldn't fight. Then another blast and something sharp tore into my back. Silver. I fell. We all did. And everything went dark."
He paused, jaw clenched.
"When I came to, we were in a lab. Liora was strapped to a table with silver bands. I was chained, hands overhead, suspended. The one who took us never showed their face, but they were powerful in magic. I watched him torture Liora for days, extracting her blood…her essence. I tried to break free but I couldn't. He kept me weak by injecting me with silver."
His voice cracked at the edges now, anger and grief breaking through.
"When she was on her last breath…he decapitated her."
A tear slid down Ryder's cheek as Liora's lifeless silver eyes flashed in his mind.
"When she died…so did a piece of me."
Since Liora's death Ryder hadn't lived life. He was just existing in space. How could he, when every breath reminded him he'd betrayed the only woman he ever loved by not protecting her?
"I couldn't let the same fate fall on Cassie. She was my reason to keep breathing. I owed Liora that much to keep our daughter alive."
Squeezing his fists tightly, he looked at the ground, haunted.
"After Liora died and her body removed from the lab I was left alone for two days. Without the injections I had gained enough strength to rip the chains down. I tore through the place until I found Cassie. She was in another room." Ryder squeezed his eyes shut. "There were…so many needles and vials…her arms…"
His voice broke completely. He swallowed hard.
"She was so pale and still. I thought she was dead but when I listened I heard a heartbeat."
It was a sign of hope. The sign he needed to push through.
"I just…grabbed her and ran. Nyara found us in the forest before I collapsed. She took us in. She patched us up. Said they dumped Liora's body outside her father's house like garbage. Elder Alaric wanted my head. Said I'd murdered her."
He exhaled sharply. "Then Nyara showed me the prophecy. Told me Cassie had to be hidden in the human realm. When we heard Jarek Therion was heading there, we asked him to watch over her. He agreed."
Ryder's shoulders sank.
"I never went to see her because it wasn't safe. That wizard knew what she was. If he was still tracking me, even a glimpse of my face in the human realm could've led them straight to her. I already lost Liora. I couldn't lose Cassie too."
He looked at Logan.
"I went to my father, hoping for support. I didn't even have a chance to explain before he exiled me. He was too afraid of war with the vampires. Too afraid of Elder Alaric."
"You could've fought back," Logan said softly. "Told him the truth. We never believed you were responsible for Liora's death."
Ryder shook his head, eyes glassy.
"If I let the woman I love die…if I sent away my own daughter to keep her safe…what kind of leader would I have been? I wasn't fit to rule anything."
He stood abruptly and walked to the mouth of the cave, the heaviness of his admittance clinging to his every step.
He looked up at the sky, and whispered to the Ancients for strength.
Because if he failed Cassie now, if anything happened to her?
He wouldn't survive it.