November 17, 2015. Grimstone Tunnels, Northern Pack Lands.

Cassius Vane

They were here—I could smell them even in the tunnels. They were marching toward the gates of the asylum and they were not going to stop until they had forced their way in and killed everyone that had sided with me.

But it was too late for them.

My men were on their way to the manor, a place which was mine by blood, a place where my ancestors dwelled, a place that belonged to me rightfully so. It was time to reclaim it.

The fire burned out most of what was there—about me, everything and anything. All the files, the documentations, the writings and experiments Victor did, it was all gone. There was no record of me here, or any evidence of what happened. Nothing at all.

The only evidence that remained was Victor, who was under my control for as long as I wanted him to be.

"Shouldn't we leave?" Fallon asked, taking me out of my thoughts.

"We should," I glanced at the watch around my wrist. They were going to barge in through the gates anytime now, but it was going take a while for them to find me. "But there's no hurry, is there?" I said, slipping my hand under her chin.

Her onyx eyes flickered with want, a want she had been trying to suppress until now. "There's none."

I pressed my lips against hers, unable to contain myself any further. Her lips were as soft and plump as ever. I slid my tongue into her mouth, tangling it with hers as I tilted her head back, giving me more access to ravish her sweetness.

A low moan escaped from her mouth as I gently pulled away. "I want you to listen carefully," I gazed into her eyes, tracing her features with my finger. "When we're out of here, I want you near me. Always. You will not go anywhere that I don't know of. At least for a while. Until Gideon is dead."

"You're going to kill him?" She looked at me with those dark eyes and I resisted reaching into her mind to see what she was thinking about.

"I shouldn't?"

She heaved in, "No, I—I don't think it's my place to decide that."

My hand went down her shoulder, reaching her wrist, "Let's go."

I drew her along as I walked out, picking up the bag she had packed and taking it away as she followed.

When the lights in the tunnels ended, it became pitch black. But I adjusted to the darkness, seeing through it like I had done for the past ten years. She stayed quiet, right next to me as she held my hand, holding onto it tight, unable to see anything in here.

I could just picture Gideon's men covering the grounds of the asylum, causing terror, forcing everyone to awake while they looked for me, any possible trails of me that I had left behind. But they wouldn't find any, I made sure of that, and they were simply wasting their time.

By the time they'd know where I was heading, it was going to be too late.

Fallon didn't complain or say anything as we walked through the entire span of the tunnels. It was almost more than hour, but if one was in their wolf form, they could reach the other end of the tunnel faster. But I didn't need her to shift, not now.

Her wolf would drive me mad.

"How much longer is it?" She asked, breaking her silence.

"It's almost here."

Ten minutes later, we reached the other side of the tunnel, a room that was designed to be opened from both sides. The lights near the door were switched on, indicating that Dom had reached into the manor safely, just as I expected him to.

From the exit of the tunnels, a staircase appeared that led toward the room inside the manor. A hidden safe room within the house. My father was aware of it, but I doubted he'd ever think that I'd take that route to escape from the asylum.

The tunnels, of course, had a purpose and that was to shelter patients in cases of emergency, or when there was an attack on the pack. They were built way before the asylum's foundation plan.

When I reached the door, I found it unlocked and without a second thought, I opened it and stepped inside. The stench of blood, crisp air and sweat hit my nostrils all at once and I welcomed it as if it was my freedom from the dirty asylum.

Two corpses lay upon the cold floor, their bodies soaking their own pools of blood. Their throats were ripped out, and from the injury I could easily tell it was Dom who had done it. Surely at his arrival, the guards from the manor wouldn't have let him or my men enter without a fight.

"Oh, god," Fallon mumbled under her breath, but I heard her.

I glanced at her and then stared back at the pool of blood, "You could get used to it."

"For the love of god," her voice deepened, "Get used to what?"

"Killing."

She breathed in and I could sense the hesitation, the confusion and most of all—the disbelief.

I reached for her hand and bought her away from the door that was leading back to the tunnels. I stepped out of the room along with her and entered the manor. Bright lights, warm air and the burning fireplace greeted me in. If the walls could speak, they'd tell my story. They'd tell about every memory in this house that I had before I was forced into a small cell and left their to rot.

This was my home.

"Shouldn't that door be locked?" Her words broke the train of thought my mind was trailing on.

"I will. Don't worry about it."

"Welcome back," Dom said in a sharp breath as he entered the manor from one of the doors with three other men following him. "Your father is waiting for you in the office. He was a little surprised and even put up a fight upon our arrival here, but we got him and he's tied up. The guards outside were replaced with yours, the gates have been shut and everyone else left is here to only serve you."

I slowed down on my steps and turned around to Fallon. "Why don't you go get some rest?" I said, bringing her hand up and placing a light kiss on it. "I need to see what my father has to say. There are plenty of rooms upstairs, you can take any you like."

She didn't say anything. She just gave me a nod and left toward the staircase.

"Victor?" I asked, waiting for his response as I stared into the space, hoping it'd be quick.

"He's being taken care of," his voice played in my head, loud and clear. "Rest assured he's tied down and is being watched."

I blinked out and started walking towards the office, down the hall.

"Close the entrance to the tunnel, seal it before morning. Gideon will try to send his men through this way, but they won't have the option."

"Done."

As soon as I reached, I peered at the man who opened the door for me. His face wasn't hard to recognize. He worked at the manor, for me, during my reign as Alpha. So it was no surprise to see him still present in this house. The wrinkles around his eyes had become more prominent. He didn't meet my eyes. Instead, he kept his head low, giving me an indication of his allegiance.

Which I took gladly.

It wasn't like I wanted to kill everyone or anything that took part in the conspiracy. There were good people out there, good wolves who only did as they were told to, following their own status quo. And if I started killing everyone, there wouldn't be a pack for me to rule.

So I killed those who only deserved it.

Because I could.

Because I wanted to.

Because I had to be ruthless.

Otherwise, I would be back in that cell—cage.

"How does it feel to be in my house again, Cassius?" My father's voice echoed from the far end of the office. He didn't hide it but rather greeted me with a sneer. I took my time to walk, eyeing everything, seeing it all in a different perspective.

"Was always mine, I only lost it for a while," I said, seeing his ugly mug in the reflection of the glass. He was tied, of course, tightly so. "Does it feel good to be on the other side of the rope? Does it feel good to be powerless? Defenseless?"

"You're not going to win."

My arms splayed, "Haven't I already?"

The bitter look on his face intensified. It was as if his anger had reached its pinnacle. "You think you can run a pack? Killing doesn't runs a pack, Cassius. A responsible hand does. It takes dedication, not your death games. People will rebel and it's a matter of time before they come after you, considering what you are."

I leaned down to level with his eyes, "And what am I?"

"An insane man."

"I am, aren't I?" I smiled, just enough to piss him off and when I did, I felt pleasure crawl underneath my skin.

He struggled against the ropes, but his feeble attempts were futile against it. "Where is Kira?" He snarled through his breaths.

"Oh, she," My almost step mother. "She's dead. Do you think I would not know of your plans? Are you really that terrible to plan something atrocious and not think I could find out about it? I am your son, after all. Your only son. And rest assured, I will rule. And you, you'll never have a chance to see the day that happens."

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