Chapter 8: The Price of a Soul
681 Words
"Elena," he started, his voice cracking.
"I told you, Alpha," she interrupted, her voice as smooth and sharp as a scalpel. "That name belongs to a dead woman. You buried her in the mud five years ago. I suggest you address me properly or leave."
Caspian flinched as if she’d struck him. He stopped at the edge of the plush rug, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "Fine. Princess. I came here to talk about the boy. He has my eyes, Elara. He has the Blackwood build. You can't hide him from me."
"I’m not hiding him," Elara said, finally turning to face him. She leaned against the mahogany desk, crossing her arms. "I simply didn't think you’d be interested in a 'stray's' child. Isn't that what your council told you? That I was a drain on your resources? Well, look at the resources now, Caspian. I own forty percent of your life. Does that make my son 'valuable' enough for you now?"
"It was never about the money!" Caspian roared, his wolf surging to the surface, making his eyes glow a frantic, molten gold. "I was told... I was told you couldn't have children. Lydia’s father brought me the medical records. He said—"
"And you believed a Thorne?" Elara’s laugh was short and bitter. "You were the Alpha, Caspian. You were supposed to be the protector of this pack, the one who saw through the lies. But you were so eager for a 'pure' alliance that you let them hand you a fake folder and you traded your mate for a status symbol."
She took a step toward him, her heels clicking like a death knell.
"You didn't just lose a wife. You lost a son. For five years, Leo has grown up in a palace where his name means everything. He has been trained by the best, loved by an entire empire, and protected by Silas. He doesn't need a father who only wants him because his bank account is empty."
Caspian looked at her, and for the first time, the "Alpha" mask crumbled. The regret was so heavy in the room it was almost suffocating. "I didn't come here because of the money. I came because when I saw him... something in my soul snapped back into place. I felt the bond, Elara. I felt you."
He reached out, his fingers brushing the silk of her sleeve. "Let me see him. Let me talk to him. I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll give you the rest of the Silverledge shares. I’ll step down. Just... don't shut me out of his life."
Elara looked down at his hand, then back up at his face. Her expression didn't soften. If anything, her eyes turned a deeper, colder violet.
"You want a deal?" she whispered, her voice a predatory purr. "Fine. You want to see your son? Then you start by gutting your own house. I want the men who lied to you—the Elders who forged those papers—cast out. I want Lydia Thorne stripped of her title and sent back to her father’s crumbling estate."
She leaned in, her breath warm against his ear, but her words were ice.
"When you’ve burned down the world you built on my grave, then—and only then—will I consider letting you say hello to my son. Until then, Alpha, you’re just another debtor waiting for my mercy."
Caspian stared at her, realized that she wasn't just indifferent—she was testing him. She wanted to see if he was still the Thorne’s puppet, or if he finally had the spine to be the man he’d promised to be when they were kids.
"Consider it done," Caspian said, his voice dropping into a dark, resolute growl.
As he turned to leave, Elara watched him, her hand trembling slightly hidden beneath her robe. The childhood dream was still there, buried deep, but the Queen had work to do.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD