CHAPTER 120: GOODBYE BROTHER.

*~Caspian POV~*

Standing in front of Cyrius with Hazel unconscious beside me.. My heart thudded hard in my chest, my eyes darting around in a frantic search for her babies—but they were nowhere in sight.

"Hello, brother," I said, my voice calm but edged with steel.

His eyes..dark, almost void-like..were locked entirely on Hazel. The wolfsbane-coated arrows in his hands glinted faintly under the dim light.

"Shift," he ordered, his tone dripping with venom.

I raised my hand before he could come closer, the air between us thick with tension. "Stay away from her. Where are the babies?"

He didn’t answer. His grip tightened on the arrows, his knuckles whitening.

Before he could lunge, Aurora’s voice rang out like a whip. "Versa!" In a flash, she pounced, knocking him back. Wolves erupted around us, snarls filling the night air.

"Go find the babies. I’ll handle these," Aurora barked, cracking her knuckles with a dark grin.

The moment she mentioned the babies, Cyrius’s eyes widened. He bolted without another word. My pulse spiked, and I took off after him, both of us moving at full speed through the chaos until we crashed into a dark, silent apartment.

Then—nothing.

He was gone.

"Cyrius! Come out, you bastard!" My voice echoed, but there was no reply. Still, I felt him here. Nizen, my wolf, surged to the forefront of my mind, heightening my senses while I stayed in human form.

Something whistled through the air—an arrow, fast and true. I caught it before it could reach me, the tip sizzling faintly from the wolfsbane.

"Damnit."

More arrows came, each one a blur, but my senses caught them all. My eyes flicked around the shadows, searching for the smallest hint of movement.

"Cyrius, stop this nonsense! What are you doing?" I barked into the dark.

"Nonsense?" his voice drifted, sharp and mocking.

Another arrow whistled, but before either of us could move again, a soft sound cut through the tension—gentle, muffled crying. Babies.

I dashed toward the sound, my legs carrying me up the stairs two at a time. A door creaked open, and I burst inside.

There he was—Cyrius—standing in front of two small, swaddled infants. His arrow was already raised, aimed directly at me.

"Stay away from them." His voice was low, dangerous.

"The babies... those aren’t—"

"I said stay away from my children!" His body trembled, though whether from rage or desperation, I couldn’t tell.

"You’re what? Are you out of your mind?"

"Stay. Away. You took everything from me, Caspian. You won’t take them either. They’re mine...my babies...and I’ll kill you before I let you touch them."

There was pain in his eyes, buried beneath layers of fury.

"Cyrius," I said carefully, "I don’t care what you’ve been through—we’re brothers. Triplets. We came into this godforsaken world together. I don’t know who’s been trying to rip us apart, but don’t let it be this. If you want to be part of the family, then come home. We need you. I miss you. I love you."

His laugh was hollow, cold. "Love? Since when does love mean daggering me and locking me in a coffin?"

"We had to—"

"You had to?!" he snapped, his voice breaking. "While you made him the Alpha? We’re triplets! We should have led together! But no—you chose him. You both decided to bury me. And you, Caspian, you’re smarter than him, better than him... but he got the title because he’s powerful. Guess what? I’m more powerful now."

His voice dropped to a near whisper. "But I don’t want to hurt you. So leave."

I exhaled slowly. "I’m sorry, Cyrius."

I rolled up my sleeves, my stance tightening. "But I’m not leaving without them."

His gaze hardened. "Brother... I’m no longer the wolf you once knew."

He dropped his arrow to the floor.

"I am something greater now."

Before my eyes, his veins darkened and bulged, his irises shifting into a color I had never seen before—unnatural, otherworldly. His fur, thicker and darker, began to emerge along his skin. His curly hair smoothed out, then curled tighter, glinting under the faint light. His skin paled, the transformation swallowing his humanity in pieces until something monstrous stood before me.

"I am dangerous, Caspian," he said, his voice now layered with something inhuman. "And Hazel I... we have a plan. To put you in the coffin this time. Only Cayden dies. Don’t interfere."

Never. I don’t care what he’s turned himself into—I will not go down without a fight. My voice was steady as I met his gaze. "So, brother... this is what you use the babies’ powers for? To turn yourself into a monster?"

"That name doesn’t apply to me," Cyrius replied coldly. "It applies to the one you call your Alpha."

I let out a dry chuckle, but before I could speak, his hand slammed down on the table beside him. With one bone-cracking smack, the entire table splintered into jagged shards. He didn’t even pause—snatching up two sharp sticks and flinging them at me in a deadly blur.

I caught them on instinct, but the moment my grip closed around the wood, he was already in front of me. His hand clamped around my throat, cutting off my air, and in one effortless motion, he hurled me off the building. My back hit the ground with a bone-jarring thud, but before I could get up, he landed right in front of me and unleashed a storm of blows.

I won’t lie—he’s gotten powerful. Damn powerful. I rolled to the side, dodging one hit, but then he summoned his wolf.

Only... it wasn’t just a wolf. His form was wrong. Twisted. He was still mostly human, but his ears had sharpened, claws curling from his fingers, veins pulsing black beneath pale skin. His wolf’s traits had fused into his body, but so had something else—something monstrous. He looked almost unrecognizable.

He lunged again, catching me mid-step and slamming me back into the wall. My ribs screamed. My wolf form roared inside me, but even then I couldn’t release the sound. His chuckle was cold.

With a snap, I shifted back into my human form. Blood streaked my skin, my breath coming in shallow gasps. I hadn’t even touched him. Not once.

He smirked as he stalked toward me, every step deliberate. "Oh, brother... I warned you. I didn’t want to kill you. But now..." his voice darkened, "...I have to."

A stick was in his hand again. I backed away, my voice a snarl. "You monster."

"Fine," I spat. "Kill me. You know he’s going to kill you too."

"Oh, I don’t care what power he has," he sneered. "Or what miracle the Moon Goddess grants him. I’ve given myself more power. I am now the first-ever vampire."

My face twisted. I’d suspected, but hearing it was something else. This was why the humans who’d turned into vampires had been spreading their virus through our pack.

He moved faster than my eyes could follow. Another stick—this one buried deep into my arm. My strength faltered. A second strike..straight through my chest.

Pain ripped through me, my body trembling as white streaks began crawling over my skin. The mark of a dying wolf.

Cyrius knelt before me, pushing the stake deeper, his voice almost tender. "Goodbye, brother. It was never my intention to kill you. You’ve always been my favorite... but you hit me. You’ve always hated me. Both of you. You never wanted me. You saw me as weak."

His voice cracked. "I’m sorry, Caspian."

I was about to drive the stake straight into my chest when a voice tore through the haze—"Versa!" It jolted me, and then Aurora came into view, her face pale but determined. She rushed forward, yanking the weapon from my heart before it could pierce deep. A warm gush of blood spilled from my mouth, the metallic taste coating my tongue. She didn’t even look at me as she spun around, her voice sharp. " The person who summoned me is here."

Before I could ask more, a sound floated from above us—a baby’s cry. My heart seized. Aurora’s gaze met mine. We both knew. Could it be... them?

Cyrius’s laugh slithered through the room. "So you’re the infamous Aurora? The witch who betrayed her coven for wolves?" His eyes glinted. "Don’t worry—when I create my pack, you’ll be the first to die."

Aurora’s posture stiffened, veins darkening under her skin. "I’d rather die than let you take over that pack."

"Aurora—don’t," I rasped. "Run with the babies, I’ll—"

"You can barely stand," she cut me off, not taking her eyes off him. "I’ve been playing with dark magic since I was a child. I’ll die before I let him win."

The air snapped between them as she shoved him back with raw power. Blood dripped from her nose as she fought to hold him. The baby’s cry grew louder. I forced myself upright, using a desk for support, and stumbled upstairs.

There they were..my babies—holding hands, the same smoke drifting from Aurora’s book earlier oozing from them. It was them.

I lifted them into my arms, as they both chuckled and I found strength roaring back into my body. Power surged. And every weakness in my body disappeared.

Nobody needs to tell me what to do.

I set them down gently. Then I turned, found Cyrius choking Aurora—and slammed into him, sending him crashing through the wall.

I stared at her, wide-eyed. "The babies... they are miracles."