Chapter 259

Chapter 259
“She chose what was familiar,” Claire snapped. “That’s not the same thing.”
Cassian took a step closer. “You don’t get to override her autonomy because you don’t like her decision.”
Silence stretched between them, heavy and aching.
“I never meant to hurt you,” Claire said quietly. “Or Ellie. Or the boys. I would never
have let anything happen to them.”
“You already did,” Cassian replied.
The words landed like a physical blow.
Her face crumpled for just a second before she recovered. “was careful.”
“You gave Kieran insight,” Cassian said. “You told him where Ellie was. Who she trusted. How she felt. That alone could have gotten her killed.”
Claire’s breath hitched.
“You put my nephews at risk,” he continued, voice low and controlled. “And you did it while smiling at my sister’s table.”
Tears welled in her eyes now. “I thought I was saving her.”
Cassian looked at her then-really looked at her-and saw what he hadn’t wanted to see before.
Not malice.
Conviction.
That was what made it worse.
“You don’t get to decide what saving looks like,” he said quietly. “Not when it costs someone else their agency. Ellie is an adult; she has a right to choose what she does with her own life. I had my doubts, too, about Nolan. I saw firsthand how he treated her. But I’ve also watched how he’s changed over the past year. His grief, his struggle to take responsibility and find a way to make things right. If that’s enough for Ellie, then we have no right to interfere.”
She wiped at her cheeks angrily. “So what now? You drag me back in chains? Hand me over to Nolan so he can punish me for disloyalty?”
Cassian’s jaw clenched.
“No,” he said after a moment. “I’m not doing that.”
Her head snapped up. “You’re not?”
“No,” he repeated. “Because despite everything… I don’t think you set out to cause harm.”
Relief washed over her features, quick and unguarded.
“But don’t misunderstand me,” Cassian continued coldly. That doesn’t mean I forgive you.”
Her shoulders slumped. The words hurt as they left his mouth. Claire had been his closest friend for decades, and what he was doing now tore at him, but it was necessary.
“You’re leaving,” he said. “Now. You won’t return to Moonstone. You won’t approach Ellie, Rae, or the children again. If you do, I will personally see to it that you face the full weight of your betrayal.”
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Claire nodded shakily. “I understand.”
“And you’re done helping Kieran,” Cassian added. “If I find out you’ve contacted him again-”
“I won’t,” she said quickly. “I swear.”
Cassian studied her for a long moment, then stepped back, creating space between them.
“You were my responsibility,” he said quietly. “I trusted you when it mattered most.”
“I know,” she whispered. “And I’m sorry.”
He didn’t respond.
Claire adjusted the strap of her bag, hesitated, then turned and walked away down the northern road without looking back.
Cassian watched until she disappeared into the darkness.
Only then did he let his shoulders sag.
The loss hit him all at once-years of friendship, shared history, the certainty that he’d been wrong about someone he loved. His wolf whined softly, unsettled and confused.
What he was giving her was more than mercy; it was a gift. No one would know about this betrayal, no one outside of the family. Claire could make a clean break and start over somewhere else without this hanging over her head. He only hoped that mercy wouldn’t come back to bite him.
Cassian dragged a hand through his hair and turned back toward Moonstone.
There was no time to grieve.
He needed to warn Nolan.
By the time he reached the city, dawn was beginning to break over the horizon, casting the ground in pale gold. He sent the message immediately-brief, factual, urgent.
It’s confirmed. Claire was spying for Kieran. She believed she was helping Ellie. She’s gone. He isn’t giving up. Cassian leaned against the stone wall outside the packhouse afterward, exhaustion finally catching up to him.
Nolan’s response came a few seconds later. Simple, clipped Typical of Nolan, He won’t win. Thank you for handling it.
Cassian sighed and scrubbed his hand down his face. Loyalt, he realized, wasn’t simple after all.
Sometimes it demanded that you walk away from the people you loved.
And sometimes, the cost of believing in the best in someone was learning exactly how wrong you’d been.