Chapter 144: Mixed Feelings
[CASSIAN POV]
When we had selected Violet to become our Luna, it was partly to spite Briar. However, the main reason was still that Willow had left a note requesting that we care for her best friend if anything happened to her. I thought that Rowan and Soren were simply grieving and wished to fulfill their loved one’s final wish.
I didn’t even consider the fact that they might’ve been actually waiting for a ripe time to mark Briar instead.
What bastards. After all the bullshit they said about hating her, after all those nights where we swore to hate her forever, they betrayed me so easily! Hell, they didn’t just betray me, their own blood brother― they betrayed Willow too, by not fulfilling her supposed last request of making Violet the Luna.
Although now that Willow was back, I supposed the weight of her dying request lightened a lot. Maybe that was why my brothers found it acceptable to shift Violet aside for Briar. Willow’s best friend, in exchange for Willow’s sister.
But if anyone asked, I had a feeling Willow would rather support Violet, her closest friend, over her own sister, who weakened her with her very presence.
After all, Willow’s blood-stained note didn’t mention anything about Briar. Clearly she didn’t think much of her sister to begin with. Even if Briar had made some amends by saving her, she wouldn’t have needed saving if Briar hadn’t existed.
I gnashed my teeth.
This was what my brothers refused to acknowledge, stuck deep in the thrall of affection for Briar. They had not properly considered the sins that Briar had committed beyond Willow’s declining health. It wasn’t just Willow that Briar had brought harm to.
I could understand them forgiving Briar for whatever she had done to Willow, considering that she had ultimately returned somewhat safely.
But what about her?
She didn’t deserve to die. She hadn’t done anything wrong.
Just the memory of that night made my body heat up with anger. I clenched my hands to my side. Whatever little good feelings that had bred in me quickly died at the memory that freshly resurfaced in my head.
Speaking of Briar, I needed to make sure she wasn’t up to anything. She had been left alone with Samuel for far too long. She might sink her devilish claws into him once my back was turned.
"Alpha Cassian, where are you going?" Violet asked. "...Are you not staying just a bit longer?"
Her voice was plaintive, and she stared up at me with hopeful, beseeching eyes. I found myself wavering for the slightest moment. Violet may have been a nuisance at times, but she held true affection for my brothers and me.
"I’m busy," I said. "I’ll see you later."
She tried to get up, but I made sure to speed up just a bit so that I could slip out of the room, unintentionally slamming the door a little harder than I needed to. I didn’t want her to chase after me.
On autopilot, my footsteps led me straight back to my room, expecting Briar and Samuel to be waiting patiently for my return.
I planned to order Samuel to take another look at Violet, just to confirm my earlier suspicions. It was also an added bonus to get him something to do that wasn’t spending time with Briar as though she was the most fascinating thing in this pack.
However, when I finally got to the room, I found it completely empty. I was alone in my own room. Instead, there were only their scents, intermingling in the air.
***
[BRIAR POV]
There wasn’t even so much as a single flake of tea leaf left. Whoever had cleared it out had even gone through the extra step of cleaning the drawer and wiping it down. There wasn’t even so much as a whiff of lavender left, despite the flower usually having a strong perfume.
I was this close to tearing my hair out and screaming into my hands. Whoever did this must have been some kind of criminal mastermind, for them to be so cautious in removing all traces of its presence.
If I had not seen the pouch of tea leaves in person, I would have thought I hallucinated the entire thing in a fit of hunger.
"Calm down," Samuel said, frowning. "The more noise you create, the more attention you’ll attract."
"I’m not making any noise," I said, matching his frown. "I didn’t even speak."
"Yes," Samuel said. "But your footsteps are wearing down the wood with all that stomping. I think that still counts as noise when you’re trudging around like Bigfoot."
He looked pointedly at my feet, and I instinctively looked down as well. I scowled.
"I don’t trudge," I mumbled bitterly, plopping down onto the armchair in Willow’s room instead.
I looked at Samuel, my lips still twisted.
"What now?" I asked.
We were originally planning to use the new batch for testing. Now that it had been cleared out, we had nothing left. All of a sudden, I felt like a deer lost in the headlights.
"Don’t you have some tea leaves left?" Samuel asked. "You couldn’t have possibly only taken a single leaf... right?"
My eyes practically lit up with joy.
"You’re right!" I exclaimed. "Why didn’t I think of that?"
Samuel rolled his eyes.
"I do have a bit of tea leaves left," I said, "but I don’t know how much I’ll be able to spare. I’ll still need to keep some of it as evidence."
"Whatever you can spare is good enough," he said, folding his arms across his chest. "It’s not like we have another choice anyway."
"Then let’s get back to my room so I can pass them to you," I said, leaping back up with renewed energy.
The battle wasn’t lost yet. As long as I could still give Samuel what little I had, he could work with it.
I grabbed his wrist and quickly led him to my room, moving as fast as my legs could carry me.