CHAPTER 124: LIES UPON LIES

*~Caspian’s POV~*

My heart froze the moment I saw the ring in her hand.

Without thinking, I snatched it from her fingers and pulled her into a soft, grounding embrace. The metal felt heavier than it should, the weight of too many questions pressing against my palm.

"Where did she get that from?" My eyes darted to Aurora, silently demanding answers. She only gave me the same confused stare, her brows furrowed in genuine bewilderment.

"Where did you get this?" My voice came out tighter than intended.

Hazel’s gaze was far away, almost glassy. "I... saw it inside of me," she murmured, as though even she wasn’t sure what she meant.

Aurora had mentioned earlier that Hazel’s wolf might have awakened, but hearing it from her was different. "Aurora told me you’ve activated your wolf. Is it true?"

She nodded once, a hesitant motion. Relief should have followed, but instead, my instincts sharpened.

"Then... congratulations." I forced warmth into my voice, pulling her into another embrace. But I could feel it—her heartbeat was uneven, restless. Something in her was trembling, not from weakness, but from something deeper.

"So... are you alright?" I cupped her cheeks, searching her eyes for an answer she didn’t give.

"I’m fine. I’m fine," she insisted, but the way she said it made the words fragile.

My gaze shifted to the small bundles beside her. I lifted each baby in turn, kissing their soft foreheads. "This one looks like you," I said, pointing to the little girl. Hazel’s lips curved into a smile.

"Yes... she has a striking resemblance to you and Lilith," she said.

"And he looks like us," I added, gesturing to the boy. My voice caught faintly on the word us, but I covered it with a faint smile.

Behind me, Aurora shifted nervously, hands clasped behind her back. She knew as well as I did—we couldn’t let Hazel sense the cracks in the story yet. Not when she was so close to asking the questions we weren’t ready to answer.

I gave Aurora a subtle nod toward the door. She hesitated, then stepped forward to Hazel. "I have some business to take care of," she said lightly.

"I’ll be back very soon," I added, brushing Hazel’s hand. "We’ll talk all day when I return."

Hazel only gave me a small, distracted nod. Once Aurora slipped out, her eyes returned to me—sharp now, not clouded.

"Caspian... what’s wrong? Why does everything feel... wrong?" She searched my face like she could pull the truth from my skin. "The last thing I remember was Aurora telling me to push... my babies out. And now..."

"Yes," I said carefully. "After you gave birth, you passed out. You were weak. And—"

"And I activated my wolf?" she guessed.

I forced a smile, taking her hand and intertwining our fingers. "Exactly. We were celebrating your babies... and you becoming our Luna. You’re now the strongest Luna this pack has ever seen. The first Crescent Luna."

Her expression flickered—pride mixed with suspicion. "Who’s Lilith?"

The name slipped from me before I could stop it. "Your mother."

She stiffened. "My... mom? What do you mean, my mom? And—where is... Ariel?"

Her voice cracked on the name, tears welling up. "She told me my first child would be a girl. And I have a girl."

The sight of her breaking twisted something deep inside me. Because I knew—once Cyrius came into the picture—she had pieced together that her mother, her sister... even her father and others... were gone. But all those memories had been taken from her, sealed away. The price of containing Cyrius’s power.

"Caspian, what’s going on?" She pushed herself up from the bed, her voice rising. "What are you hiding from me? Who is Lilith? My mom is—"

"Calm down," I said quickly, stepping closer. "Yes, you have a mother. And while you were in labor, we... found that out. But you need to rest. Everything will be fine."

"Fine?" Her laugh was humorless. "You’re telling me I’ve been out for two days, and you expect me to just smile and nod?"

"You needed to heal," I said gently. "A lot happened in those two days."

Her gaze locked on mine, unblinking. "Caspian... you’ll tell me everything, right?" She stepped close, placing her hands on my cheeks. "Everything. I promise I can handle it. Please."

"So," I said slowly, "what do you want to know?"

Her eyes narrowed, determination replacing the haze she’d woken up with. "Everything. I can’t remember anything except..." She drew in a shaky breath. "Except me casting spells and fixing the dagger we placed inside Cyrius."

My stomach flipped.

She remembered Cyrius. But not the bond. Not that part.

"And then," she continued, "you mentioned my mom."

I froze, the air in the room turning heavy. "Mom?"

"I don’t even have a mother," she said firmly, though the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes betrayed her. "The only thing I know about her is from the picture Ariel gave me. She looked exactly like me. Did you find her?"

Her gaze locked on mine—full of worry, curiosity, and something more fragile. Hope.

I swallowed hard, stalling. "Yes... your mother came."

Her head snapped toward the door. "Where? Is she downstairs?"

"She may still be—" I started, but quickly reached out, gently pulling her back before that spark in her eyes grew into something I couldn’t control. "She’s not here now. She came, we saw her... and yes, she looks exactly like you. But you have to calm down."

"Calm down?" she echoed, disbelief creeping into her voice.

"You’re two days behind everything," I said softly. "Hazel, it’s just been two days. Nothing that much can happen in two days."

"You can’t tell me ’nothing happened’ when clearly something did," she snapped, her voice trembling. "You promised to tell me everything, right?"

I swallowed again, hating how many times I’d done that in the last five minutes. "Yes, I promised... and I will. But first, you need to rest. Soon, the pack will be demanding a naming ceremony for the babies. It’ll be a ball, Hazel—everyone will be there. You need to have your strength for that."

She shook her head stubbornly. "Caspian, I can’t rest if I don’t know the truth. Please—just tell me."

I forced my expression into something calm, steady. "Hazel... I have told you everything I can. You gave birth, you slumped for two days. While you were out, a woman came and claimed to be your mother. We believe her... because she has the same face as you."

Her eyes narrowed again. "And what about the Crescent? You called me the strongest. Why?"

I hesitated, feeling the weight of the truth pressing at the back of my throat. The Crescent Pack wasn’t just a name—it was a history written in blood and power. How could I even begin to tell her what that meant without unraveling everything?

"You said it yourself," I replied, carefully choosing each word. "You’ve activated your wolf. And you can cast spells. You even fixed the dagger." I held her gaze. "A Crescent is a perfect combination of a werewolf and a witch. And you are one."

Her breath caught. "What? How do you even know that?"

"When you passed out after giving birth," I said, "Aurora figured it out."

Suspicion flickered in her eyes. "Aurora knew before I did?"

"She... she noticed the signs," I lied, keeping my voice steady. "Which is why I think it’s better to let her explain everything about your past to you. She knows more of the details."

Hazel’s lips pressed into a thin line. "And until then?"

I brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, forcing a gentle smile. "Until then, you rest. Just for now. The naming ceremony is coming... and trust me, you’ll want to be ready for it."

I stepped outside and let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding. It came out heavy—too heavy.

Aurora was right beside the door, her arms crossed, her face unreadable.

"This is bad," she said quietly.

I glanced at her. "Very bad," I agreed. "And it’s going to get worse if we don’t keep this under control."

"Everything is still under control."

"Really?" I lowered my voice, leaning in. "What if she’s already named the babies? What if she and Cyrius already gave them names?"

Aurora hesitated, then said, "Well... Cyrius’s paths have been erased. Same as the babies’ birth time, same as their connection. I’ll have to give them new names."

"New names?" I repeated, the words tasting strange in my mouth.

She stuttered. "Yes... new names."

A cold weight settled in my chest. "This is bad. I’m feeling very bad about this."

"I know," she said softly. "I understand exactly what you’re feeling. And yes—what we’re doing is bad. Erasing someone’s memory without their permission? It’s wrong. But at the end of the day... we’re doing it for her safety. Cyrius is not a good person, and she’s bonded with him. She has to let that path go."

I closed my eyes briefly. "Alright."

She nodded once, sharp and decisive. "Alright."

I exhaled, pushing down the unease clawing at my chest. "I have to go meet Cayden."