And Then There Were Four
Chapter 210

Evil comes in all shapes and sizes.

The thought crossed my mind more than once as I stared at the figures within the room. There was no telling who Ashley had her claws into, and the more I stood there evaluating what was going on, the more I had a feeling my brother and Alpha Carlos weren't the only ones. Which of course, was problematic. I had to be more careful with what I did. Otherwise, there was a chance things could backfire on me.

Looking across the room, I caught Hale's gaze, waiting for the moment that he would give me the okay to handle what needed to be handled. Yet, his acknowledgment never came. Instead, he raised his brow and shook his head no. "Are you okay?" Finn asked me as he approached. "You look like something is wrong."

Keeping my voice low, I sighed. "I'm not sure. Hale is telling me no, but I don't understand why. Something has happened..."

My father must have sensed my confusion because before I knew it, he was crossing the floor towards us with a smile on his face as the rest of the people in the room talked amongst themselves. No one here in this room reeked of magic but Ashley. It was clear she had been using for a while, and if no one else could sense that, I didn't know how to explain to them that she was the cause of all their problems.

"Walk with me," Hale muttered softly, keeping a smile on his face as he passed through the doorway behind me, back out into the hall. Knitting my brows together, I looked to Silas and Finn, who matched my confusion, but both nodded for me to go with him. The moment I stepped out of the room with Hale and the doors closed behind us, I had a feeling he was going to tell me something was terribly wrong. The look upon his face gave way to the concerns he must have felt about this entire situation. I hadn't spoken with him since we had talked the day before, so I didn't have a single clue as to what he had found out when it came to the coven of the Wiccan.

"What's wrong?" I asked with hesitation, making sure to keep my voice low so that it didn't draw attention to where we were standing. The last thing I wanted was for anybody in that room to overhear the conversation my father and I were about to have, especially if it was going to be about Ashley.

"I spoke with the Council and they are supposed to come out here, but the problem is they said that Ashley doesn't belong to their coven."

His words stunned me, but only for a moment. But it actually was a good thing she didn't belong to them because if I retaliated against her, then it would mean that things wouldn't go up in smoke when it came to the main coven of the Wiccan and our pack. "Well, that's good. That means I can handle her..."

My father shook his head at my comment, causing me to stop in mid-excitement. I didn't understand why he was saying I couldn't handle her if the coven had nothing to do with her.

Nothing made sense, and I was tired of waiting on others to take care of business.

"It isn't that easy. Ashley is a part of something else, something that they too want to replace out. They had been getting calls all over the coast saying that there was magic in the air. That occurrences were happening and they couldn't figure out what was linked to. But I told him the situation with Pollux, and they think she may be behind those other attacks. So they want to come here and take her away."

My world felt like it was falling apart. I wanted to destroy her. Perhaps that was the vengeful side of me, but I just couldn't stand the fact of her getting away with what she was doing. There was no telling if she was actually going to be punished, and there was no telling if Alpha Carlos was going to allow them to take her. She was, after all, part of his pack now.

"Dad, we have to break the connection she has with Alpha Carlos and Pollux. It's the only way to ensure that they are free. Alpha Carlos doesn't look like the kind of man who's going to just let his supposed mate go." There was a moment of clarity that registered in my father's eyes as he realized what I was saying.

If the coven came in here and took Ashley from Carlos, it could cause big problems for us. Carlos would think we had set all of this up, and that could start an unnecessary war between our packs that we didn't need. Even if we, technically, did set it up, if he wasn't in the right frame of mind, he wouldn't know the truth.

"I don't know, kiddo. I'm really at a loss right now at what we should do." My father looked absolutely defeated about the entire situation, and I could understand that, but for some reason, I didn't feel the same defeat that he did. Instead, I felt a clarity; a calm, warming, buzzing feeling that floated over my skin, telling me exactly what I needed to do.

Lifting my hand, I placed it gently on my father's arm and gave him a warm, reassuring smile. "Everything is going to be okay." I may not have belonged to this pack anymore in the sense that I wasn't a wolf. But no matter what had happened in the past, they were still my family. Every single pack member was still part of my heart, regardless if the connection was there or not.

I wasn't going to allow this woman and her magical abilities to come in and destroy everything that my family had worked so hard for. I also wasn't going to allow her to replace a seat on a throne that she didn't deserve. Alpha Carlos's mate was out there somewhere, if Ashley hadn't killed her, and he deserved to be happy.

We all deserved to be happy.

"Sometimes, Dad, you have to learn to stand aside and let somebody else take care of things for you." I didn't know where the confidence came from, but it felt right in the moment.

"You have grown up so much, Cassie," he replied, cupping my check with a warm smile. "No matter what, your insecurities are when it comes to the position that you have been given. You are far more ready for this than you realize. I'm so proud of you, sweetheart." Tears brimmed my eyes as I batted them back. The last thing I needed was to get emotional and as both of us softly chuckled, I quickly wiped a stray tear from the corner of my eyes and adjusted myself.

"Look at me getting all emotional," I laughed. "There isn't time for me to be like this, I've got bonds to break. Now, why don't we go where you join the party?"

Nodding his head, he offered me his arm and turning, the two of us made our way back into the room. The doors opened slowly as the eyes of those in the room moved our way. Hale and I had come to a small understanding, and the main thing was to sever Ashley from the two men so that when the Coven came, they could handle her.

The only problem was I was working on a clock that wasn't entirely in my favor.

I couldn't completely destroy her the way I wanted to. But I could sever the bonds she had with my brother and Carlos to ensure that when the coven came to take her, her hold would no longer be upon them.

Quietly, I took my place once again by Silas and Finn. The comfort of being around them put me at ease, and as Finn leaned in kissing the side of my head, I didn't miss the way Ashley stared at me. Ashley, from what I had noticed, had not stopped looking at Silas and Finn the entire night. I had no doubt in my mind she knew for a fact that they were far different from the other men in the room.

She had always been one to seek power placement and above all else. She was the embodiment of a gold digger; a woman scorned and rejected, only ever taking materialistic things and positions to make herself feel better about who she was. Never someone's first choice, but always tried to make sure she is their only choice in the end.

"Everything okay?" Finn whispered into my ear, causing me to smile.

"Mhmm..." It was the only reply I could give him right now as I stood watching Ashley from the other side of the room. My mind swirled with the possibilities of how to handle our current situation. "Just waiting for the right moment."

Silas wrapped his protective arm around my waist as he pulled me close to him. "One wrong move from anyone in a negative way, and I can't promise I won't hurt someone."

The low comment was made just for me, but Finn chuckled upon also hearing Silas. "For once, I agree with you, Silas." "Everything is going to be fine... patience, you two."

There was something about the way Finn and Silas acted that made my body warm and fuzzy. I had never anticipated both of them could make me feel as safe as I was right now, and I was thankful they were here by my side when things were about to get heated. Letting my eyes settle once again upon Ashley, who had her own look of disgust settled on her face, I knew she didn't like the attention I was getting. They were two men she would never be able to touch, and even the thought of her trying made something shift within me.

Something that let me know that these two men at my side were my mates, no matter how much I wanted to refuse in believing that could be true. They were mine.

As for Ashley? Well, she had a mate, one that she had selected when she was rejected by my brother, and though she had her hooks in two of those men, if she came anywhere near Finn or Silas, I'd rip her throat out and deliver it to the Coven on a silver f*****g platter.