"Casaio had come!?" Raidan asked his wife as they finished supper, setting his glass down with mild surprise.
"Yes," Mabel replied, rising from her seat. "He returned to San Ravendale. There’s still work left undone, especially now that Gabriel won’t be there for a while."
They stepped out into the evening air, strolling side by side through the palace garden. The night was calm, the fragrance of blossoms trailing behind them.
"Kate’s in San Ravendale as well," Raidan added, a faint smile curving his lips. "The council agreed that Gabriel’s actions against Alex were justified. They raised no objections. As for Alex’s parents... they’ve been stripped of their titles. They’ll live the rest of their days serving in the pack as commoners."
Mabel then pointed, "Yet, you couldn’t save Ethan. He was your friend."
Raidan’s eyes darkened slightly. "What Ethan’s son did crossed a line. It was unforgivable. I had to let the council pass judgment. I couldn’t allow personal ties to endanger Gabriel’s future, he already has more enemies than he deserves."
"You’ve been erasing those enemies one by one for years," Mabel said softly as they halted near an old tree.
"Every time I look at this tree, I’m taken back to our youth," she whispered, a warm smile appearing. "We’ve come a long way, Raidan. And no matter how I’ve changed or how difficult I’ve been... you always stood by me. I’m grateful for that."
Raidan turned to her and gently took her hand, giving it a tender squeeze. "And I always will."
"You took my warning lightly though," Mabel said.
"Are we on this again?" Raidan sighed, shaking his head. "Gabriel and Amelie are married now. Let their destinies unfold on their own. You tried countless times to keep them apart, but fate had other plans. They chose each other, Mabel, they found their mates in one another."
Mabel’s gaze drifted, her eyes losing focus as if caught in the past.
"Mabel," Raidan continued in his steady voice, "we don’t know everything about their pasts. But one thing I do know, your coldness has always created a wall between you and Gabriel. That boy has longed for your warmth, and your silence only made him feel like a stranger in his own family."
He looked at her with softness. "I believe Gabriel will lead this kingdom to new heights. He may not be the way you imagined, but his heart is in the right place."
Mabel didn’t respond. She stood quietly as if she had grown weary of hearing the same truth repeated. Her silence stretched for a moment.
Then she pulled her hand free from his and turned.
"Let’s go inside," she said, her voice calm, yet distant, as she walked ahead, leaving Raidan to follow behind with a heavy heart.
~~~~~
Karmen stared at Casaio in disbelief as he watched the guard unlock the cell. "What are you doing, Your Highness? Why are you letting Mortis go?" he asked in frustration. "We have yet to discover who wanted Amelie to be kidnapped a night before the wedding," he added.
"I’ve found out. There’s no need for further interrogation," Casaio stated.
Karmen stared at him simply, but didn’t object.
"Don’t tell Gabriel," he ordered.
"I’m his beta. I cannot hide anything from him," Karmen clarified to him.
"You will because it’s my order, Karmen," Casaio said, his eyes turning red, showing his authority.
Karmen lowered his gaze and bowed. "I understand," he replied. "But what should I answer if Gabriel asks me?"
"Tell him to talk to me," Casaio answered.
Karmen hummed, not complaining anymore. The man was dragged out by the guards, not in chains anymore.
"Follow me, Mortis," Casaio said and left the prison with him.
Reaching at an isolated spot, he stopped.
"Why is the prince letting me go?" Mortis asked.
"I don’t desire my brother to lose his temper on you," Casaio replied and looked at the car, which just had come to a halt.
His beta, Estelle, stepped out and greeted the prince.
"My beta will send you far from San Ravendale. I want you to live with a new identity. Also, remove that tattoo from your arm. That insignia is known to me. She has an elite unit of spies that still operate under her orders. You did it on my mother’s order. I have talked to her already. What I fear is that Gabriel won’t spare you, so you must live a different life from now on."
Mortis thanked the prince for his benevolence.
"I will inform you once the work is finished," Estelle said.
"Hmm."
Casaio watched them leave in the car and went back to the mansion.
~~~~~
Gabriel woke up in the middle of the night.
Gently, he leaned over and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead, careful not to wake her. Then, with a silent motion, he slipped out of bed, grabbing his phone from the bedside table.
Crossing the room, he settled into the armchair near the floor-to-ceiling window, where the moonlight filtered in through the sheer curtains. He checked his phone but didn’t find any messages from Karmen or Denzel.
A frown tugged on his forehead. ’How long are they taking with the interrogation?’ he wondered.
He considered calling Casaio for an update, but it was too late to disturb him.
"If there’s any update on the case, then let me know," Gabriel typed and sent the message. He was about to place it on the coffee when to his surprise, Casaio’s reply came.
"He chose to die instead of revealing the truth. So, I killed him."
Gabriel stared at the message in disbelief. His fingers tightened around the phone as he reread the words. He knew Casaio well, better than most. His older brother, despite the stoic exterior, had never been someone to take a life.
Just then, he heard Amelie’s voice.
"I want the pup... safe."
Though she spoke in a low voice, he heard her because of his high sense of hear.
Gabriel let the phone lay on the coffee table and moved to the bed. He noticed the furrow between her brows and he gently caressed her skin using his thumb.
"Even in the dreams she thinks of Noa. Is she still scared about Noa’s safety?" Gabriel murmured.