Chapter Twenty-Five

I look around and notice Isaac, Tristan, and Stevens here as well causing the happy feeling to disappear in an instance. How could have they known we are all ranking wolves. Unlike us, they cannot tell us apart by mere smell.

"You're alive...thank the Goddess..." His voice is on the verge of tears making my heartache.

"I was so worried. So worried. I thought I lost you." I try to maneuver closer to him. Each teeter is a little harder than the last. As soon as I finally make it over to him I put my head to his forehead calming him down instantly.

"Cassius. Cassius. Look at me." His eyes are filling with water causing mine to fill as well.

"I can't lose you, Pierce," he mumbles with tears spilling from his eyes.

"And you won't." My heart ached for stopping his pain, but there is nothing I can do. It makes me feel so useless.

"Your wound..."

"Never mind my wound. Goddess Cassius I worried about you since my eyes opened. Thank the Gods yours all right." I manage to press my lips to his forehead then his cheeks.

"I will find you. Or you will find m-"

He presses his lips to mine and all I can taste is the saltiness from the tears that trickled onto his face. As soon as I try to press deeper humans come out drawing me away from him.

"Another male? Not only are you beasts, you are blasphemous beasts as well!" Cassius struggles against Westerners grasp as they bring him back to the wall further away from the others.

"Well now, I will just have to separate the two of you now won't I?" He grabs my chin roughly in his hand before throwing it away from him.

Cecil continues to look from us and out into the horizon as if he does not see what's going on. "You are animals thoroughly in and out," the man goes on to admonish causing me to crunch down on my lip from saying anything.

"You were a supposed King! Why would you!- Ahhh... I see now." Cecil turns and looks at the human with some underlying scorn.

"You are what they call mates chosen by your pagan God, Avatea." He comes back and puts his fingers underneath my chin making me move my head away from him.

"If something were to... befall said person...I wonder what would happen?" He looks at Cassius' wide eyes causing me to shake my head.

"Sanuel." Cecil cuts in before his nails can sink deeper. "That would be something disastrous. Nothing but ill-will will follow you."

"I thought you relinquished your ties to that God, Cecil?"

"I have. However, the effects of that act has nothing to do with the Goddess. It's the bond..."

He flings my head away from him and grimaces. "You advised me well up until now, it is better if I do heed your word."

We watch him look around us with a gaze that could rival the sun. "Oh, no one wants to speak?" His eyes land on Isaac who just spits on the ground.

"You were once so talkative before. What could have happened hm? Cecil read me off their titles. I will send them to where I see fit."

I give Tristan a look and he slowly nods his head.

"Isaac Asellio, Alpha of the Eastern Territory. Tristan Giordano, Enforcer of the Eastern Territory, Cassius Castille, King of the North, Pierce Gr-...Pierce Fidenas, Beta of the Eastern Territory, and Stevens Arnheart Enforcer of the Northern Territories..."

"Well now, all the high ranking beasts in one spot. It's all thanks to you Cecil. This would have been nearly impossible without you." He gives him a slight nod before stepping away and allowing the human to take over once more.

"Look around you. You see all these familiar faces. The ones you love; the ones you loathe... well you will never see them again. The places where I will send you all will humble you back into the animalistic realms you so deserve to live in."

I look at all of their faces and linger on Isaac's who just shows me a small smile.

"Your way of life will crumble. Your packs will no longer be in existence. We will hunt your people down and slaughter them. It's the same as your past ancestors had done to us. It's only fair we return the favor."

The confines are tightly held onto my wrists, but my feet are free. If only I can get them to do as I do. I move my head pointing in the Northern direction catching all of their attention. One of us has to make it out of here. It will not be me and Cassius will not leave without me just as I would not leave without him.

I fumble with my footing as the human turns around to talk with the others. My back presses against the wall as I get my body to push upward. They mimic my actions. Soon as I hobble my way over to Tristan I begin tearing at the silver rope with my teeth until I feel it loosening.

Isaac goes on to do that with Stevens confines who is trying his best to make his way over to Cassius, but he is too far a part from the rest of us. Once I feel the rope snap I feel Cecil push me back down onto the ground causing my head to bang into the concrete with a hard thud.

"They're escaping!" I watch Tristan and Stevens quickly turn into their wolf forms and dash out of the compound. It causes the Westerners to turn into theirs and chase after them.

"Load the rest in the wagon! Secure their ties!" They quickly come and pick us up. Soon they begin tying more silver rope and rush us into a large wooden cart with a dark covering over the top of it. They throw us in like garbage and shut the wooden door with a fervor. The lock comes next and soon all we could do is stare at each other through the darkness while listening to the sounds at their useless efforts at recapture.

"Cassius...Isaac...our people will be fine...We may have fallen bu-" The wagon begins to move and the sound of trots from some animals begin to echo into our ears.

"We're a disgrace to our ancestors!" Isaac sneers. "Even if we do escape, we have nothing left."

"We are creatures of error. They will forgive us," I manage to mumble ignoring the stare they are both giving me.

"We have everything and more, Isaac. Work on your ropes before we become too far away. Hurry now."

Isaac quickly goes onto chew on Cassius' rope but he pushes him away causing me eyes to widen.

"You have to go Cassius."

"I won't."

Tears are brimming at his eyes as well as my own. "I do not want safety or security. I do not want anything if I cannot have you." I feel his forehead press against mine filling me with so much calmness.

His tears drizzle onto my face causing my heart to ache at the decision he has made. "I want nothing but your safety," I stress to him, but he only shakes his head.

"As I do you. Do not ask of me something you would not do yourself."

"He's not leaving Pierce," Isaac chimes in. "Just as stubborn and dumb as you," he says with some amusement causing me to smile lightly.

"Cassius..."

"I can't lose you too. Not you...truly I would die."

"You won't. I'll find you."

I can sense his heart hammering out of his chest and his eyes beginning to populate with fresh, new tears at my words. "Cassius." He goes on to look away from me, but I nudge him with my leg.

"...Kiss me." His eyes fall before they meet with mine again.

"P-"

"Just...kiss me." I watch him hesitate halfway to my lips, but I fill in the little space separating us. I raise my hands above me. As soon as my mouth covers his I lower them until I have him trapped within my arms.

The moment my lips touches his I notice how they are shaking. I know he is scared. I know he is afraid.

I press deeper ignoring his shakiness until I can feel the tension leaving his body as he begins to melt into me. His tears start to free fall from his eyes and onto my face, but it only makes me hold him tighter.

" The moment I first laid eyes on you... I knew you were trouble. Temperamental, yet unbelievably gorgeous. A terrible mix."

He lets out a laugh filled with tears.

"I would have never guessed I'd come to love you like this, this much. To the point to where it hurts, kills even. But Cassius...I don't and I will never regret a single moment of it."

"Why are you saying this to me?"

My eyes fall away from his as mine fills with water. I wait for the timely snap of his rope before letting him go.

"Pierce, please."

"You have to go. Tristan and Stevens can only buy you so much time...They're risking their lives for you."

"Don't make me do this," he sobs. Hot tears start raining down my cheeks causing me to turn away from him.

"Isaac."

He begins working at his own binding.

"I'm not going. I can't leave you." He tries to sound domineering but it's masked under the amount of tears and shakiness coming from him. "Don't ask of me something you would not do, Pierce."

"Cassius..." He closes his eyes angrily.

"I love you so...so...much. Look at me Cassius."

"You and I both know...this wound I have may be fatal. I can't have you stay here."

"Stop saying these things, please," I can hear the pleading in his voice. Goddess knows, I know he's hurting. But I will not let him suffer because of me.

I prop my forehead against his causing his breath to hitch. "You said you were going to marry me. You said you would always be with me. You promised... Why are those words so meaningless now?"

My throat starts to tighten as tears come spewing out of my own eyes.

"You have to go...if not for me, for your mother, your kingdom, your people, my sister..."

"I always come back," I murmur, but it doesn't stop his tears. They only grow in multitude.

"You can't make me do this," his nails sink deeper into my skin.

"You are a King."

"I am nothing without you..." he cries out weakly. The moment he uttered those words, he knew those were nothing but lies. A weak excuse. This man...

As soon as Isaac has his silver ropes off he tries to grab him by his arms which only causes him to hold on tighter to me. I purposely fall onto my side allowing for Isaac to get a good handle on him.

"You promised!" I bite down on my lip and close my eyes until I hear a timely break of the door and a thud outside the wagon.

"Pierce! You promised!"

"You promised!" My heart wrenches at his words as tears come flooding out of my eyes. I watch as he tries to get up and follow the wagon, but Isaac wraps his arms around his waist and pulls him back.

"Pierce...You promised me...!" It comes out as nothing but fading sobs as I grow farther and farther from them. My heart ached at the sound of him fully breaking, but it had to be done.

I close my eyes again and muffle my cries into the wooden boards of the wagon. Is this my supposed penance, Goddess? Was love truly a crime worth losing everything over? Do not punish him. I beg of you, do not have him suffer. If anyone, punish me.

"For I chose him," I mumble. "... I chose to fall from grace."

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[A/N] Ah...Pierce... Cassius... this was a heart-wrenching chapter to write :/ But alas, all good things must come to an end.

I will speak more on it on an Official Author's Note after the Epilogue when it's officially over.

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