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“No, he’ll be suspicious, as long as you don’t confirm or deny anything, let him draw his own conclusions, if any Thana’s are left, we would rather not lead them here,” I remind him.
“That is definitely true, Thanas don't go after one or stop with one, they'll come after the entire pack!” Andrei states before he curses under his breath and paces back and forth. “No, Dominic is a smart man. I know he wouldn't have left so much as a pebble unturned, Vince has to be wrong.”
“Let's hope so because if there are any Reaper Wolves left, why are they hiding?” I ask him. Andrei ponders that for a second before sighing.
“Fine, she went out, but you what? Brought her home, and she stayed at your place?” he asks, looking at his daughter, though he looks like he wants to shake her awake and demand answers.
“Yes, I need to go get Vince, he took care of the car.”
“Well, I can't punish her if you're lying for her. Sage will ask questions,” he mutters.
“So, what do you want to do?” I ask Andrei.
“Well, if I can't punish her, and I am supposed to believe whatever you feed Sage, that leaves only one option: you'll punish her,” he says before stepping closer.
“But mark my words, Casen, you ever lose her again while she's on your watch. I'll punish you,” he growls before walking back toward the pack house.
“Tell Vince to meet me at the river at lunch,” he calls, and I suck in a deep breath before putting Rose to bed in my room and then taking Andrei's car to get Vince.
As the memory floats away, my eyes meet Andrei’s, and I know he is thinking the same about the same memory. His eyes dart to Sage briefly when we hear another car pulling up. Turning my attention to it, I see that it is Katya, Ezra, and lastly, Mateo. Eziah looks away, and I know he struggles with guilt for what he did to his father, but right now, he needs to suck it up because we need his mother. She is the only one with records of the past that could help answer this crap. Andrei and Dominic, thinking the same thing, move toward her car before she even has a chance to get out. She opens her door, rubbing her temples.
“Seriously, the entire drive here all I could see is you lot bickering waiting to pounce on me, you’ve already given me a headache,” she states. They back up, letting her get out, and Ezra glares at everyone, clearly not in the mood to deal with drama.
“Where are Heidi and Alisha?” Katya asks, reminding everyone why we are all gathered in one place.
“Down by the river,” Andrei answers.
She looks at him and groans. “Seriously, we can deal with whatever this is after the funeral, we have the dead to lay to rest, I would rather not be waking old ghosts right now,” Katya says.
“We think Satish is part of the Reaper Wolves,” Dominic states.
“Well, that explains so much,” Katya answers, seeming thoughtful.
“What do you mean?” I ask her, stepping forward.
“Explains why I’ve never seen him, why I struggled to see the Reaper Wolves in the past. They aren’t linked to the Moon Goddess Realm, not my circus, not my monkeys to keep in order,” she says, then glances at Temperance before her eyes go to Eziah. She goes to say something but is cut off by Dominic.
“What do you mean you can’t see them? You’ve seen them in the past when they attacked here,” Dominic asks.
“Yes, because it directly impacted my direct future, I could see them through my future, I can’t see them through another or see theirs. They aren’t connected to the Moon Goddess Realm, they are complete savages, do you think Seline would allow such filth back into her fountain of life? That I would?” Katya asks him.
“You should know better than anyone, Dominic, we can only see what we are allowed to see, nothing more and nothing less. But him being part of the Reaper Wolves makes sense as to why I could never find him who had Temperance when I searched if she was with him, I saw nothing, only the basement,” she says softly.
“But yet, you can see Temperance?” Eziah seems thoughtful.
“I can see her partially; I can see some things, but that is all.” We all think she’s done speaking when she turns to look at Kyan. “I think after the funeral it's time for a family reunion, if anyone knows the past, Bain does because Celeste punished him to be the gatekeeper to it,” Katya tells him. “Now, first thing’s first, comfort the living while saying goodbye to our dead,” Katya says, leaving no room for argument as she starts walking off toward the river.
ChapterFifty-Eight
Casen
As I carry the weight of the day, I am reminded of the gaping void Malik's death has left behind. Each step towards the pack’s river is heavy, as if the universe is making me feel the gravity and absence of the man who was more than a friend to us—he was a father. The sky is painted with somber gray hues, reflecting off the river water.
Malik. Mentally, I know he's dead. I've seen his body, but it's like my mind hasn't quite caught up yet. Everything feels surreal. Someone who has always been around is suddenly gone, and I can't picture a life without him in it. He took Vince and me in when we were just two lost 16-year-olds with no direction and no purpose. We were basically strangers to him, yet he opened his home and his heart to us with an unconditional generosity that still baffles me to this day. The void his absence has left is immeasurable, and the wound raw and gaping.
However, the tragedy isn’t just mine to bear. Rebecca, Malik’s mate, is a picture of despair. Her hazel eyes, once lively and brimming with warmth, are now dimmed, echoing sorrow words can’t adequately express. Clara and Lia mirror their mother’s grief.
A familiar sting of anger courses through me, a toxic mix of betrayal, horror, and unspeakable sadness. Vince did this, and knowing that stabs through me hard. The brother I grew up with, laughed and cried with, murdered a man who took us in. A man who loved us like his sons. It’s a truth that contaminates every memory, every shared moment, turning them vile, unrecognizable. The truth is, I haven't recognized my brother since before I believed I killed him. Haven't recognized him since Rose was a teenager. If I ever did know him at all, it's now becoming obvious that the brother I used to know was just an imposter for the vileness he truly is.
