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

13. Grey

Chapter thirteen

Grey

M y plan is officially rolling in motion.

As soon as the cell doors swing open and the cuffs are removed from my wrists, hope rises within me, illuminating the path ahead. Not everything is to my liking yet since my parents are still being kept in the cells to make sure I don’t try anything funny, but everything will work out in time.

The other ten Everblade members follow me out of the dungeon, glancing around warily as we venture down the hallway. Moonveil witches are posted everywhere to watch our every move, prepared to take us down at the slightest glimpse of magic or hint of transformation.

That’s fine; no fighting will happen any time soon. Every passing day will count as we gain Moonveil’s trust more and more, but we have to get through the wedding first.

“What do we do?” Callista whispers to me as she moves to my side.

“Behave,” I reply before looking over my shoulder at the others. “Do not, under any circumstances, cause any trouble. We want the others to be released too.”

Everyone nods as they trail behind me.

“Go to your rooms or get something to eat. Just don’t draw attention to yourselves,” I tell them, watching them slowly fan out to roam around the castle until I’m the only one left in the main hallway.

By now, everyone in Everblade should know the barebone details of my plan. I’m marrying their chosen princess to gain Moonveil’s trust so that we can properly prepare a plan to overthrow them. The plan has been shared in whispers through the cells, ensuring that no Moonveil witch can find out.

That would be disastrous.

I head to the staircase that leads to the second floor, barely getting halfway up the steps before hearing approaching footsteps from above. I lift my eyes and halt, my muscles locking up at the sight of Cassia as she hurries down the stairs while wiping her red eyes.

Cassia finally spots me and freezes, hastily rubbing her glistening eyes. “Oh, you’re out.”

“Disappointed?” I ask her as my eyes automatically narrow.

But there is an uneasy stir deep in my chest as I see the faint quiver of her bottom lip and the sad sheen over her eyes. Something is wrong, but I shouldn’t care. She’s my enemy through and through, and if she’s upset about something, it’s probably for the benefit of my kingdom.

Cassia lets out a weak scoff as she shakes her head at me. “Actually, no. I’m glad you guys are getting out, but I don’t like your plan.”

My blood runs cold as our eyes lock. Has she somehow cracked my actual plan or is she thinking about the cover plan? She’s so damn mysterious that it’s hard to tell what she does and doesn’t know.

“My plan?” I reply as I lean against the wooden railing, eyeing her closely.

Cassia fixes me with a hard look. “The whole arranged marriage plan. Why would you want to marry into our coven?”

As much as I want to spit out how I’m going to overthrow her coven and banish every single one of them from the region, I hold my tongue. She pierces under my skin unlike anyone else because of what we experienced together.

A night of passion and vulnerability. The perfect way to distract me and hit me harder than any punch or spell could. She has no room to talk down on my plans when she plays so dirty with her own.

“Because no other choice is better for my kingdom. This way, we can stay in our home and not be servants,” I tell her in a firm voice before moving to the same step as her so that I can loom over her.

Cassia lets out a sharp sigh. “Do you really think that’s going to pan out how you think it will? Do you know who you’re dealing with?”

“A coven of dark, twisted witches? Yes, I do. In fact, my family has plenty of experience with that,” I remind her.

“Then, why? Do you really think your kingdom will be safe here?” Cassia questions me.

Heat builds on my skin as she moves closer to me, a squeezing sensation gripping my heart. It makes me uneasy. I don’t like the way she still affects me, even after stabbing me in the back.

“Why do you care so much?” I ask her as I glare down at her.

Cassia grinds her teeth a little as she tears her eyes away. “You just have no idea what you’re getting into. I feel sorry for you.”

My forefinger presses against her jaw, drawing her gaze back to mine. “Don’t. If you gave a damn about me like you claim to, you would’ve warned me that a fight was coming. You would’ve figured out how to convince your leaders not to attack us.”

Cassia frowns and grabs my wrist. “It’s not that simple. I have no control, and you won’t ever have control either if you go through with this.”

I stare her down, trying to unravel her cryptic words into an explanation that makes sense. Does she really think her leaders are that strong? That smart?

Cassia swallows hard as her frown deepens. “And this marriage doesn’t just affect you. It affects me too.”

My brow creases in confusion. What the hell is she talking about?

“You’re marrying me, Grey,” Cassia tells me. “I’m Moonveil’s princess.”

Her words hit me like a wall of stone, my heart jolting to a stop. “No… that’s…”

Cassia pulls her hand away from me and moves to the step below mine, putting more distance between us. “It’s true. Trust me, given how much you hate me and how much you assume I hate you, I didn’t want this. I didn’t choose this.”

The hurt in her voice makes me blink in surprise. Not the hurt about being forced into this but, but the hurt about me hating her. We’re enemies. Why does she care so much?

“I never get a choice. You have to understand that,” Cassia tells me, her voice wavering for a moment. She inhales weakly and shakes her head. “If things went my way, everything would be different. The only choice I ever had was staying on that hill with you.”

A frown crosses my face as confusion rings through me. She’s so insistent that she didn’t have a say in any of the actions made since she arrived on our land. I want to believe she’s the woman I talked to on the hill, but so much has happened since then.

I don’t know what’s real or a veiled plan at this point, but I do know that I need to protect my kingdom. That means protecting myself from Cassia, whether she truly has good intentions or not.

“I’ll see you at our wedding then,” I state.

Cassia looks stung, but she merely nods before turning and hurrying away from me.

I watch her go as a heavy sigh breaks from me. I’m glad to be out of the cells, but I’m stuck in a trap of my own creation. I’ll be getting married to the enemy, and who knows how long it’ll take to be ready for a counterattack?

“Grey.”

I turn to see Garik standing at the top of the staircase, coaxing me to head up toward him. “Everything okay? I’m sure I can convince Lucian to give us our rooms back at least.”

I’d much rather deal with Lucian than Morgana.

Garik waves his hand dismissively. “What was that conversation about?”

I glance in the direction that Cassia headed toward, my body tensing. “She’s who I’m marrying.”

Garik’s eyes widen. “Really? Not Morgana?”

I scoff and motion for him to follow me back toward the bedrooms so that no one can overhear us. “It would’ve made sense, but she wants nothing to do with me. She already has her brother to level out her evilness. She won’t let a husband get in the way too.”

Garik shakes his head in disbelief. “So, why her?”

“Probably because she’s related. Their niece,” I tell him before stopping in front of my room at the very end of the hallway. I check down the hallway to make sure we’re alone before turning to him. “It’s going to be a long road ahead, but I’m going to do what I can to earn Morgana’s and Lucian’s trust as quickly as I can. Once we stop having all these watchful eyes on us, we can actually make some progress and work on taking back what’s ours.”

“We can be patient,” Garik assures me. “I’ll try to check in with your parents if they allow me. I doubt they’ll want to see you down in the dungeon. They may accuse you of conspiring.”

“Like we’re doing right now?”

Garik smirks a little. “Only counts if we’re caught.”

“Well, let’s not get caught,” I say before opening my bedroom door and peering inside. Relief washes over me as I see things are just as they were before. No Moonveil witch has taken over my private space.

Like they’ve taken over the entire territory and castle. At least I’ll have four walls to protect my peace within a land full of enemies.

“You know where to find me,” Garik tells me, patting my shoulder before walking off.

I head into my room and shut the door behind me, my back pressing against it. My eyes sweep over my neatly made bed, my armoire, and my curtain-covered window that looks out toward the Red Oak Forest.

It may be my room with all my things, but it still feels different. A place where I’ve lived my entire life barely feels like home anymore.

A heavy feeling settles on my chest as I make my way over to my window, pushing the dark green curtains aside so that I can peer out at the forest. So far, it doesn’t look like Moonveil has tampered with it, but I know that it’s only a matter of time before they start siphoning its power.

Cassia’s words go around and around in my mind. All of her cryptic warnings. Her frustration and desperation.

In a way, she did seem genuinely concerned, but I don’t know her enough to trust her. Perhaps, I never will.

I know that I’m playing with fire by trying to trick Morgana and Lucian, but, according to Cassia, it sounds like the stakes are higher than I can begin to imagine.

But it’s too late to turn back now. We’re getting married soon, and that makes everything even more complicated than I ever could’ve expected.