9. His Side
9
His Side
Caspian
Dimitri’s voice thunders down the hallway. Then, a powerful thud follows, echoing as I open the door to his quarters. He’s carrying on so loudly that he doesn’t hear me enter, observing his tantrum.
“What the fuck did you do?”
Hearing my voice, my brother falls silent as his rant ends, but his shoulders are still heaving with every labored breath he takes. Slowly, he turns to me, sweat dampening his face.
“Is this what it’s come to? You haven’t even heard my side of things, and you’re already taking her word as law?” he scoffs. “She didn’t waste any time running to her beloved alpha for sympathy, I see.”
“I haven’t spoken with Annalise.” I pause to let that sink in, that she didn’t come whining to me at the first sign of trouble, and something flickers in his eyes at the realization. “Luckily, a concerned member of my staff thought enough to inform me of your outburst. They figured I should know what happened, so I could get out ahead of any brewing issues.”
I’m surprised he doesn’t attempt to guess who may have spoken up, but I wouldn’t give Creed up even if he did.
“You want to be heard so badly, so speak. Tell me your side of things.”
He begins to pace, his shoulders heaving with rage, and a low growl rips from his throat.
“There’s no order here. That’s my side of things,” he says. “Rank used to matter. Blood used to matter. Now, there’s no respect. I may not be their alpha, but the same blood pumping through your veins pumps through mine. It used to mean something when I spoke.”
“You’re bitching to me about power?”
“Don’t fucking patronize me,” he growls. “Ever since you brought that scourge into the High Chamber, it’s like the clan’s been infected with a disease, eating away at all that our father, and our father’s father, worked so hard to build.”
Dimitri has been crafty since we were children. Especially with his words, but I’m always thinking one step ahead of him.
“The only wolf in this room with the qualifications to hold a State of the Clan Address is me, so save your sentimental speech and your bullshit. Tell me… what the fuck… happened.”
His glare hardens, and I feel him resisting submission, but my rank forces him to cower.
“I was in the South drawing room, doing my job,” he adds through gritted teeth, “when one of those incompetent maidens broke a bottle of wine right at my feet, soaking my clothes, my shoes…”
Listening to him rant, my brow tenses. “How did you react?”
“Like any man would when he’s been disrespected. I pulled her to me and demanded that she clean it up.”
My brow tenses, thinking there’s more, but he falls silent.
“Did she refuse to do so?”
“No,” he seethes.
“Did she smile? Did she laugh? Did she show some other sign of finding amusement in your misfortune?”
There isn’t any answer that would excuse his actions, but I’m digging to see what exactly set him off.
“No.” His tone is somehow harsher than before.
I step closer. “So, what I’m hearing is, someone made an honest mistake, and your response was to humiliate them. Does that sound about right to you?”
“It wasn’t about whether she made a mistake or not. I saw an opportunity and I seized it.”
“An opportunity to be a dick and scare the absolute shit out of the maiden?”
“No!” his voice booms. “An opportunity to set an example! An opportunity to show our people that we are a force to be reckoned with, Cas. What happened here just weeks ago would have never happened under father’s reign.”
My fist tightens at my side.
“No one would have dreamed of setting foot inside the High Chamber with ill intent because they knew better. But now… they see you, they see how you look at Annalise … and they see weakness. So, yes, I used that bitch’s mistake today as a chance to show our people that we aren’t soft, spineless pieces of shit. We are men of noble blood, and we demand to be treated as such.”
Another rough growl leaves him, but it isn’t directed at me. It’s a reaction of general frustration toward what he perceives has become of our clan.
The attack has affected us all in profound ways, and no two reactions have been the same. Some are afraid, some are in denial regarding what the faction’s growing presence truly means, but then there are those like my brother.
The ones the attack filled with rage.
“I don’t fault you for being passionate about Clan Centauri, Dimitri, but I will not tolerate Annalise being disrespected as a result.”
He scoffs, lowering his head when he stops pacing. “After everything I’ve just said, all you’ve heard is how this affects your darling Annalise.”
“I’m dealing with the faction. Rest assured of that. But whether you accept it or not, Annalise will be at my side.”
“No, she’ll be one of many at your side,” he snaps, locking eyes with me. “Am I supposed to take your union with her seriously when even you treat it as a joke?”
My heart thunders with rage, having taken about all the insubordination I can handle for one day.
He belts a hearty laugh that doesn’t fit his mood. “Hell, what am I even worried about? At this rate, she’ll be convicted of treason and forgotten within the year.”
My wolf takes over, and I slam Dimitri to the ground, staring down into his glowing eyes as he lies pinned beneath me.
“Another word, Brother! And I can promise you’ll suffer one of two fates. Either a future filled with regret as you live out the rest of your days in exile… or death. You choose.”
The room suddenly feels smaller, and with no one present to dispel the tension, we’re suffocating in it. Our eyes are locked on one another, and it takes several seconds for the glow in his to fade. His body relaxes beneath me, and without words, he surrenders.
Standing, I offer him my hand. He stares at it a moment, then clasps his palm against mine as I pull him to his feet. He’s calmer now, but I know he’s far from content.
“If you find yourself in a place where your loyalty to me is no longer intact, then remember your loyalty to this clan, our people,” I say, holding his gaze. “Yes, we were born into this family, but… we’ve earned our role within it. One sacrifice at a time.”
His jaw flexes as he nods, agreeing despite our lack of common ground at the moment. But the love we feel for Clan Centauri will always be something we have in common.
“I will not bend on demanding your respect toward Annalise. That’s non-negotiable,” I inform him, and he nods again.
“Understood.”
After a moment of observation, I sense his sincerity and allow my wolf to retreat. “Good.” I extend my hand toward him, and for a while, he stares at it blankly, but when he gives in and shakes it, I pull him into an embrace.
“I need you, Dimitri, and this clan needs you. We’re still fighting on the same side,” I remind him as we cling to one another, but it would be remiss of me not to say more. “I must warn you, though. Do not make a habit of crossing me. Beta or not… blood or not… I have my limits.”