Brute 178

Chapter 178 

ATASHA’S POV 

I had already left the room where the Elder was staying, but his words kept replaying in my mind. I’m not a 

fae… and I’m not a werewolf. 

A short breath slipped out of me, almost a laugh. “What lies…” I muttered under my breath. I couldn’t use the stone. I didn’t have a wolf. And I could heal in ways no one could explain. 

Why was I even trying to make sense of any of it? Why was I trying to trace my origins when nothing about me fit anywhere? 

I was tired, tired of guessing. Tired of wondering what I was supposed to be. Every time someone hinted at something strange about me, I chased it like it would somehow fix everything. As if knowing the right label would suddenly make my life make sense. 

Why couldn’t I just let myself be? 

Why did I have to fit into something, fae, wolf, witch, cursed, blessed, whatever nonsense people threw at me? None of it ever matched. None of it ever stayed true. Every answer opened another question, and every question made me feel like I was losing more of myself. 

I rubbed my forehead, annoyed at the tight feeling forming there. “I’m done thinking about this,” I muttered. “If I don’t fit anywhere, then so be it.” 

I was exhausted from trying to chase an identity that didn’t exist. Maybe I didn’t need to belong to any side. Maybe I didn’t need to figure out what made me different. Maybe I was allowed to exist without an explanation. 

For once, I just wanted to live without someone telling me what I should be, or what I wasn’t. 

“Your Highness…” Grace’s voice faltered the moment she saw my expression. She could tell I wasn’t in the mood to argue. “Slow down…” 

“Please take me to the western borders,” I said. The words came out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care. I took a step toward the carriage- 

And Grace immediately moved, blocking my path before I could go any farther. 

She planted herself right in front of me, hands out as if she expected me to try pushing past her. Her jaw was tight, her stance firm, like she had already prepared for this conversation long before I opened my mouth. 

“My lady… you can’t,” she said quietly, but the strain in her voice made it clear she wasn’t budging. 

I frowned. “What do you mean?” 

“My lady… the Lord…” Grace swallowed hard, as if the rest of the sentence wouldn’t come out. 

“What is wrong?” I demanded. 

10:04 Wed, Nov 19. 

Chapter 178 

Grace looked away for a second before meeting my eyes again. “The Lord strictly prohibited you from leaving the mansion.” 

My breath hitched. “Why? The Demon Fangs are already attacking the border. Cassian is-” I stopped myself, jaw tight. The image flashed in my mind anyway. Demon Fangs tearing through men. Cassian fighting through the pain he carried from me. The pain I should have taken myself. 

Why would he try to keep me here? 

Grace stepped closer. “My lady… it will be dangerous in the next few hours.” 

“What do you mean ‘dangerous’?” I asked, my voice rising. 

Grace didn’t answer. Instead, she lifted her hand and gestured toward the hallway. 

Footsteps approached and Lieutenant Lucas appeared before me. He bowed immediately. 

“My lady.” 

“Lucas?” I frowned. “What is going on?” 

“Please follow me to the Lord’s office,” he said. His tone was calm, but something in his eyes told me this wasn’t a simple request. 

I didn’t argue. I walked with him down the corridor, Grace close behind me. My heart pounded harder the closer we got. Something was wrong. I could feel it settling into my bones like cold water. 

Not long after, Lucas opened the door and motioned for me to enter. 

Once we were inside, he shut the door behind us, walked straight to Cassian’s desk, and lifted a small wooden box. He carried it over to me with both hands. 

“My lady,” he said softly. “This… is the Lord’s last will.” 

My fingers curled back instinctively. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. My vision blurred for a second, and the box slipped from my grip, but Grace caught it before it hit the floor. 

“What do you mean?” I whispered. “Why would he- what do you mean?” 

He didn’t flinch. “Do not panic, my lady. This isn’t a farewell. The Lord wrote this long ago, years ago. He updated it recently but… it isn’t because he expects to die tonight.” 

“Then why give it to me now?” My voice cracked at the end. 

Lucas glanced at Grace, then back at me. “Because the Lord has always planned for something like this. He foresaw that the test today would draw out the ones who want him gone. He needed them to think he was weakened… distracted… vulnerable.” 

I stared at him. “So he hid this from me? He knew something would happen and didn’t say anything?” 

“My lady,” Lucas said. “He knew you would never allow it.” 

10:04 Wed, Nov 19 

Chapter 178 

felt the anger rising fast. “Allow what?” 

“The pain.” Larcas answered. “He knew he would be hurt. He knew there was no other way to expose rise traitors. He used the moment, the timing, and the pressure from the council to craft a situation where day would reveal themselves.” Lucas paused, then added, “Think of it as one of the old war strategies, the kiral where you appear weak to pull the enemy out of hiding. A trap within the chaos” 

My jaw clenched. A trap? Why was I not informed about this? My hands shook around the box. Lucas saw it but continued anyway. 

“The North has grown too comfortable,” he said. “Too many have forgotten what the Lord can do. Too many have doubted him, questioned him, planned around him. This was the only way to corner them. To let them make a move first so he can strike with proof.” 

1 shook my head. My voice came out far rougher than I intended. “And he thought hurting himself was the answer?” 

Lucas didn’t hesitate. “Yes. Because you would never let him use you as part of the trap. He needed you to look weakened so they would act. And he needed to take the blow himself so you wouldn’t be harmed 

My chest tightened painfully. The anger, the fear, the frustration, they all mixed until I couldn’t tell which one 

was stronger. 

“So this was necessary?” I asked, though the question wasn’t really for them. It was for me. Ever since we arrived in the North, Cassian had been shielding me from every danger, every problem, every threat in our path. A part of me understood why-because I was his mate, because protecting me came naturally to him. 

But the other part of me… felt frustrated. 

Was this all I was to him? Someone who needed to be kept out of the way? Someone too fragile to stand beside him? 

I hated how familiar that feeling was. It was the same thing people had always thought of me back in my previous pack. The feeling of being weak and helpless. A burden. And now here I was again, protected not because I deserved it, but because everyone assumed I couldn’t handle anything else. 

Lucas nodded. “It has been a long time since the North has seen what he is truly capable of. And some people have started to believe he has softened.” He met my eyes directly. “Tonight changes that. He planned it. He prepared for it. He needs you safe so he can move freely.” 

I closed my eyes for a moment, steadying my breath. The box felt heavier in my hands now. 

Grace stepped closer. “My lady… please. We need to stay here until the Lord returns.”