Fake Mate of the Enemy Shifter (Red Oak Shifters #2)

8. Cassia

Chapter eight

Cassia

M y stomach churns as I watch more Everblade wolves and witches get ushered into the dungeon below, the smell of blood lingering in the hallways of the castle.

“This is the last batch.”

“We’ll send a patrol out to make sure we find any stragglers.”

“How often are we supposed to feed the prisoners? Once a day or once every other day?”

I turn away from the staircase leading downward and hurry down the hallway toward the foyer, my chest feeling tight. When taking over other covens, there are multiple parts that I hate the most.

The battle. The capturing. The torturing.

Morgana and Lucian don’t refer to it as torturing. They refer to it as a period of reflection and choose not to bother our captives with distractions such as bringing them food, water, new clothes, or anything else that would make them more comfortable. It’s disgusting, and it’s happening all over again to Everblade.

They’ll be stuck in that dungeon until they make a decision. Typically, a portion agrees to be ruled by Moonveil and will be closely monitored for months until their loyalty is tested and accepted. The other portion demands to be released and exiled. I’ve never been on an exile patrol, so who knows if they’re actually allowed to leave the region.

They may just be killed on the spot and their bodies dumped.

I wouldn’t put it past Morgana and Lucian stabbing our captives in the back one last time.

When I reach the foyer, I see Gliselle tending to some minorly injured Moonveil witches. As much as I wanted to stay by her side, Morgana is quick to bark orders at me the moment she sees me, sending me all throughout the castle to make sure no other Everblade wolves and witches are hiding.

That took forever. Now, I’m just ready to get out of this castle.

“Are you okay?” Gliselle asks me once I walk near her. She gives me a concerned look. “I saw my sister talking to you.”

I shake my head dismissively, not wanting to get into that and how I had to drag a scared, young witch out of her room to be thrown into the dungeon. My stomach still churns at the thought. “I need some air.”

“I’ll come with you.” Gliselle joins my side, looping her arm with mine.

We walk out of the castle and toward the Red Oak Forest where no one else is, finally finding a moment of peace among all the chaos. We turned a clan’s home into their prison. They will never forget this, and stories of Moonveil’s evilness and deception will be told for generations.

Do I really want to be part of something like that?

“Slow down,” Gliselle says in a gentle voice, coaxing me to stop in front of the few remaining magical trees. “Breathe, honey.”

I suck in a deep but unsteady breath, my lungs aching. “I can’t believe this is all that’s left. Didn’t there used to be hundreds of them?”

Gliselle frowns as she nods. “I heard stories as a little girl about this forest. The Everwood Kingdom nurtured it for generations, only taking the power they needed and protecting it from those with evil intentions in return.”

“Why is it dying?” I ask her as I watch a brittle leaf break off from a small branch and flutter down to the ground where so many old, cracked leaves lay.

“No one truly knows. Everything that lives dies in the end,” Gliselle points out with sad eyes. “Perhaps, it’s time for the forest to die so that something new and beautiful can be born from its remains.”

That’s a nicer way of thinking about it, but negativity clouds my brain like a dark fog. It doesn’t help that I feel an odd energy ringing from the trees. Almost like a faint force pushing me back.

I must be losing my mind.

“I don’t like this,” I whisper. “I don’t want to keep taking over other clans and turning their own homes into prisons. It’s not right.”

Gliselle gently shushes me as she checks over her shoulder. She moves closer to me, keeping her head down. “It’s dangerous to talk about this.”

“I know, but we’re not the only ones who feel this way. Half of this coven is made up of witches from captured clans,” I say under my breath. “Not everyone agrees with Morgana and Lucian and their plans to take over the region.”

Gliselle swallows hard, curling into herself more. “I don’t either. It’s just… hard. You know this is hard for me.”

Because they’re her older siblings. Her last remaining family. After her parents died and Silas died, she now only has me and her older siblings left. As much as she doesn’t get along with them or agree with them, they’re still family.

“I’m sorry,” I tell her. “I’m not saying they should be hurt. I just… they shouldn’t be in charge.”

Gliselle nods. “You’re right, but they’re dangerous. It would take an enormous effort to overthrow them. We don’t have that much support.”

I lower my head in disappointment, knowing that she’s right. I’ve heard whispers in the night back at home, expressing disgust for Morgana and Lucian’s actions and disappointment in the future of the coven. The only problem is that I’m not exactly sure who those whispers belong to or how many people would support overthrowing the twins.

It’s too risky. It can’t happen.

“I just want to live in peace. True peace,” I sigh. “I don’t want to travel all the time to take over covens. I don’t want to scare people or be hated. I want to settle in a place where I feel at home and build a life I’m proud of.”

Gliselle gives my arm a squeeze and nods in understanding. “I know. Me too.”

My gaze moves to hers, my heart lurching as I see the sadness in her eyes. She wants so much more for us, for everyone, and she knows that her siblings are to blame. I can’t imagine how that feels.

I part my lips to speak, but I hear noise from behind us, making me spin around.

Morgana and a few of her most trusted advisors trail her as she approaches us. Her sharp eyes dart between Gliselle and me, her lips curling in a scowl. “What are you two doing so close to the forest?”

Gliselle and I glance at each other for a second, our hearts pounding. For any reason at all, no one likes being confronted by Morgana. Lucian can be unfair and harsh, but Morgana is just plain cruel.

“I was feeling sick. I just needed some air,” I say, drawing Morgana’s attention to me.

Morgana scoffs and shakes her head. “Sick? Really, Cassia? Can’t handle a little blood and violence?”

My jaw tenses as I meet her gaze, frustration burning within me. I’m used to her chastising tone, but that doesn’t keep me from being angry about it. “We were just about to go inside.”

Morgana stalks closer to me, her lips continuing to curl up into an amused smile. I’m not family to her in any sense of the word, even if her little sister is my adoptive mother. She just sees me as a toy to torment. “I heard you were found with the prince in the hills. Why were you there?”

I widen my eyes as my blood runs cold. I completely forgot to come up with an excuse for that, but it’s a good thing that I’m used to having to come up with excuses on the spot. “Doing the job you gave me. Distract the prince. I got him away from the castle for the attack, and I subdued him on my own.”

Morgana eyes me like she doesn’t believe me before turning to Kila. “Is that true?”

Kila nods. “I believe so. When we approached, they were alone, and he was unconscious.”

Morgana crosses her arms over her chest, tilting her head at me. “Well, look at you. You proved to be useful. For your sake, you should keep that up.”

“Morgana, please,” Gliselle murmurs, her eyes remaining on the ground.

Morgana narrows her eyes and steps closer to her younger sister, her shadow falling upon Gliselle. “Do you have something to say to me, little sister?”

Gliselle slowly lifts her eyes. “Leave Cassia alone. She did as you asked.”

I hold my breath, not knowing what Morgana will do next. She may be known to be cruel, but she’s also unpredictable.

Morgana suddenly laughs, making Gliselle and me flinch. She waves her hand dismissively and rejoins her group of four advisors. “I wouldn’t waste my time. I just wanted to remind you two that no one is to touch the trees or cast from them. That will only be done by me or Lucian. Understand?”

I nod at the same time as Gliselle, not wanting any more trouble. We’re lucky she decided to humiliate me instead of hurting us.

Morgana whips around and stalks away from us, her advisors following close behind her.

I release the breath I was holding and shake my head once Morgana disappears from sight. “This is what I’m talking about. We live in fear. It’s not right!”

Gliselle presses her finger against her lips. “We have to be careful, Cassia. Please, promise me you won’t do anything reckless.”

I part my lips to argue my case, but the look of defeat on her face makes me shut my mouth. She’s already distressed enough. Do I really want to put more weight on her shoulders and stress her out even more than she already is? She already worries about me enough.

“I won’t do anything reckless.”

Gliselle gives me a grateful smile and draws me into a tight embrace. “Thank you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” I murmur as I rest my chin on her shoulder. I hate that she blames herself for her siblings’ behavior.

Gliselle doesn’t say anything, but I’m sure her mind is saying a million things right now.

When we break away, she pats my cheek and motions for me to follow her back into the castle. There is still plenty to do because, as of now, the Land of Aragay is ours. The royal family, including the prince I spent an hour of vulnerability and ecstasy with, are no longer in power.

The guilt eats me alive, especially when I envision how shocked Grey looked when he realized the truth, but I don’t have the luxury of getting lost in my feelings. I have to focus on not angering Morgana and Lucian, and in intense times such as these, those are consequences that I don’t want to bear.

Not on top of the damage already done today.