Chapter 32: Blood and Bone
~ Caspian’s POV ~
I don’t know why Cayden thought bringing Dahlia into this was a good idea, but for once... he was right. No ordinary coven would come after a woman like Hazel unless something is wrong. And if even Dahlia had to show up in our territory, laughing in chains, that meant the situation was spiraling faster than any of us could control.
Dahlia was seated now, draped in rusted iron that barely seemed to weigh on her. Her magic pulsed beneath the metal, heavy and electric. She didn’t even flinch as Cayden stepped forward, demanding answers.
"You know why they’re after my child," Cayden growled, his voice laced with Alpha authority. "You tell me this instant."
But Dahlia only smirked. "Or what, Alpha Cayden?" she teased. "Kill me? Or what lock me up again?" She lifted her hands and rattled the chains, her laugh echoing through the hall like a curse. "Release me and my coven, and I’ll tell you what they want..."
Her eyes, sharp as obsidian, dragged toward Hazel, and her lips curled. "And trust me, it’s quite... interesting."
A surge of fury built inside me. "We are not playing with you," I snapped, stepping forward until I was nose to nose with her. "You tell us what they want or I will tear your head from your neck."
Hazel’s hand found my shoulder. A soft, grounding touch. I exhaled through my nose, resisting the urge to snap the chains off her just to feel her skull crack in my hands.
But Dahlia stayed calm. "I’ve told you. Let me and my coven go, and I’ll tell you everything." Her smile was maddening.
Cayden’s next words stunned the room.
"Release her coven."
Every head whipped to him.
