*~Caspian’s POV~*
We descended the stairs slowly, each step heavier than the last.
The entire house was in shambles.
Walls cracked. Frames torn. Furniture shattered like it had been through a hurricane. But it wasn’t a storm that did this. It was Cayden. His rage.
It was swallowing the whole house.
I spotted Dad and Leon standing at a distance, trying to hold back—but neither dared approach him directly. His aura was molten, dangerous. The moment his eyes landed on us—no, on Hazel—they both flinched.
And just like that...
He vanished.
Hazel swallowed hard beside me, eyes wide, hands trembling. But before I could say anything, we heard a noise behind us.
Natasha.
Her voice made my jaw clench instantly.
"Oh, don’t tell me the damsel in distress is in another distress again," she sang as she walked past, eyes full of smugness. "Can you not just make a day that won’t be all about you, precious sister?"
Hazel flinched slightly, but Natasha just tossed her hair and continued.
She finally noticed the chaos around us—the broken staircase railing, the cracked wall.
"Oh my God," she gasped dramatically. "My love has gone mad again."
She pointed a perfectly manicured finger at Hazel. "It’s all your fault, isn’t it? All that you’ve been doing recently is just to make everything destroyed."
She whirled, rushing off like a squirrel on caffeine. "I need to go find him. I need to calm him down."
Nobody said a word. We let her go.
I guided Hazel gently to a seat, and then my father stepped forward, voice firm but confused. "What is happening?"
Mother followed close behind, eyes sharp as a dagger. "Who made Cayden angry?"
Then her gaze turned on Hazel. "You know he should not be angry, Caspian. Why? Who? Is it you?" she hissed, pointing a rigid hand directly at Hazel.
I grabbed her wrist and lowered it slowly. "It’s not Hazel. She saw something... and she would love to share it. With all of us."
Mother scoffed. "Please don’t tell me a human dreamt something, and now you’re calling it a vision."
"Mother," I said, exhaling slowly, "Hazel is not just human. She’s a fated myth. She’s carrying a werewolf. And now... we’re not even sure if the child is going to be a wolf at all."
Hazel’s hand tightened around mine.
"She’s the daughter of a werewolf and a human," I added. "And now we believe the baby might not inherit any wolf traits—only what comes from her bloodline. We need to understand this."
Mother laughed bitterly. "So let me get this straight. She was born human. Her child will be human. A wretched one, like her. And now you want me to believe some dream means anything?"
"Mother..." Hazel whispered. "Is there any day you remember when Cayden, Cyrius, and Caspian were young? A time Cayden tried to... kill them? Dark veins on his body. You pushed him away when he tried to run to you."
For a moment, everything stopped.
I saw it.
Something flickered in Mother’s eyes.
Her face twitched. Changed. Then returned to its usual steely calm. "What are you saying? Like I said—it was a bad dream."
"And don’t you know we don’t mention Cyrius’ name around here?" she snapped.
"If you ever mention that name again, I will—"
"Mother," I interrupted gently. "Just tell us. Was there ever a day like that?"
"No! Of course not," she snapped, but her voice shook.
Then she gasped. "Oh my God. Now you’ve made me remember Cyrius."
She collapsed dramatically into Father’s arms.
Father gently cradled her. "Calm down, darling... We’ve all moved on. It’s just his name... but the memory lives on. Our dear son. Died the day his brother became Alpha."
Now that was interesting.
That little phrase. A slip. "Died the day his brother became Alpha."
Hazel’s eyes darted to mine, and I could see it. We both heard it.
"Now this wretched human has made me remember him," Mother sobbed into Father’s chest.
"Mother," I said slowly, "did you ever see dark veins appear on Cayden? Just... answer that."
"No!" she snapped. "No such thing. And don’t go around believing in visions."
She turned to Father. "Please. I need to leave this room."
"Claus, let’s go," she said, clutching his arm and dramatically wiping her eyes.
Father turned to us with a somber expression. "Hazel, it’s probably nothing. It might just be a dream, like she said... or maybe it’s stress. Also, like I said—don’t mention Cyrius’ name here."
He touched my shoulder gently before following Mother up the stairs, her cries echoing as if we’d just exorcised a ghost.
Hazel turned to me with fire in her eyes. "I told you this was a bad idea."
She stomped away, furious, her heels echoing down the corridor.
But I couldn’t follow—not yet.
Because something wasn’t right.
Why is Mother always so terrified of Cayden getting angry? Why is she always quick to dismiss any discussion about his powers? Why is he stronger than me... than both of us?
We were born on the same damn day.
I didn’t wait another second.
I turned and ran straight toward Aurora’s chambers. Leon was at my heels, trailing behind in confusion.
"What’s wrong?" he asked. "What’s happening?"
I didn’t answer.
I pushed open her door—and froze.
She’d packed everything.
Just like Cayden said.
Bags, spellbooks, ingredients. All lined up, ready to go.
"Aurora," I said. "Where are you going? What’s happening?
She turned to me, her expression sharp. "Something is happening. Dahlia is still alive."
"What?" I whispered.
"O’brien warned us ahead of time," she continued. "And we need to get Iso out of the AI house immediately."
"Dahlia? O’brien?" I asked, blinking. "But I thought Cayden said—"
"Shh," she cut me off. "Yes, O’brien is fishy. But first... there’s a witch herb found in the AI house that I have never used. Which means a witch has been there. Recently."
My stomach dropped. "Was it for Hazel?"
"No," she said. "I didn’t see it around her. Which means someone else is targeting her. That’s why I’m secretly leaving with her. Tonight."
"What?! Where to?"
"To another Pack Territory. Far from New Orleans. Somewhere safe. She’ll know where."
She moved past me to grab more spellbooks and crystals, stuffing them quickly into her enchanted satchel.
"I don’t have enough time," she muttered. "Please, go get Hazel ready. I know she’ll resist, but we have no choice."
I stared at her. "What’s happening, Aurora? Do you believe her? About the vision?"
She stopped and looked me dead in the eye. "I heard everything that happened downstairs. And yes... I believe her."
My breath caught.
"She can see visions," Aurora continued. "I’ve tested her before. She once saw one of mine just by touching my palm."
I swallowed. "So... the dark veins on Cayden. You know what that means?"
Aurora’s lips tightened. "If Cayden has dark veins... then he’s not just a wolf. But he can’t be a witch, Caspian. He transforms on every full moon. He’s a full wolf."
"Then what is he?"
She looked up slowly. "That’s what we need to figure out. Later. But first... we protect Hazel."
She zipped her bag and handed it to me. "Please. Go get her ready."