"A member of my Pack said he bumped into the heir in Haines, he also mentioned that he was in the possession of a Mafia King so I did what I had to do." Warren gestured with his hands.
"And it’s clear that he had made a mistake, I would extend my apologies to your mistress if she were here." He went on, looking around like he expected her to walk in.
"How old is this heir? If I’m feeling gracious, I may help you search for him." Asher offered flippantly.
Warren sat up straighter, his charming personality cooling. "The heir in question is mated to my only son."
Asher’s poker face remained frozen, "That wasn’t what I asked."
Asher leaned forward, "Isn’t it odd that the twenty-one-year-old heir is still just an heir?"
"Our traditions and arrangements have nothing to do with you." Warren said frostily.
"Right, right," Asher drawled, "It doesn’t. You’re here to apologize, right? It’s accepted." He said magnanimously.
"And to invite you and your mistress to the grand opening of Moonstone’s first resort," Warren said shamelessly, ignoring the heated conversation they just had.
Asher didn’t even consider it, "Yeah, no." He bluntly turned him down.
"I understand that you’re a busy man." Warren rose to his feet, "The offer is still on the table if you change your mind. I’ll be in touch."
Asher and Jael silently watched the Alpha walk out with his shoulders ramrod straight, Jael only speaking when he was sure the acting leader of Moonstone was long gone.
"I have my suspicions that Warren Reeves orchestrated the death of Caspian’s parents-"
A door slammed open at his words, a shell-shocked Caspian standing right behind it. "W-What?"
Caspian had found his way to the receiving room, too antsy to stay still.
He hadn’t planned to eavesdrop but he needed to know if Alpha Warren would reveal his mating and Asher’s reaction to it.
He had heard exactly what he came looking for, and more.
Jael hadn’t intended to tell Caspian yet, but he deserved to know. "I didn’t want to mention it until I had more proof but..."
"My parents were killed?" Caspian cut in, his voice trembling.
The puzzle pieces were sliding into place, it wasn’t his responsibility as a teenager but he knew that most of the Pack didn’t like his father.
But he never thought... he never imagined...
"Caspian, breathe." Asher said, standing right next to him.
Caspian hadn’t even noticed the Alpha walking up to him, he stared blankly at Asher.
Asher’s voice did break him out of his spiral but he needed a moment... or eternity.
He needed however long it would take him to process the information that his parents’ death hadn’t been a fluke, hadn’t been a cruel twist of fate.
"How do we find proof?" He asked after taking in deep breaths and expelling them out, his voice cold.
Jael made the first move, sitting on the couch that Alpha Warren had just vacated. "Well I could find next to nothing online..." He began, looking right at Caspian. "About you."
"About me?" He frowned, letting himself be moved around by Asher.
He didn’t even bat an eyelid at the fact that he was seated in between Asher’s legs, too focused on the discussion.
"There are no records of you anywhere, the only place you were mentioned was in the article that carried your parents’ death." Jael explained in detail.
"W-What... What does that mean?" Caspian mumbled, confused.
"That you don’t exist." Jael deadpanned.
"T-That’s not possible," He whispered, "I’m right here."
Caspian felt like his world was crumbling around him, he focused on the warmth of Asher’s body, and his tight hold on him to not break down.
"How did the High Council not notice this?" Asher quietly asked in the pause that followed, his face tucked in Caspian’s neck.
"My guess is that they have an alliance of sorts because Warren Reeves didn’t even do a good job of hiding his ploys." Jael mused.
"The only way to find proof would be to infiltrate Moonstone and do our findings from inside," He added, already making mental plans to send a couple of men under cover. "But that would take years..."
"Alpha Warren invited us to the Moonstone resort opening," Caspian blurted out, his expression determined.
"I’d hate every moment of it but I could go," Asher accepted.
"I’ll come with you," Caspian turned to the side to look at Asher.
"I don’t think that’s a good idea..." Jael started to say.
"There’s no way I’m letting you do that." Asher joined in.
Caspian said nothing but the stubborn light in his eyes was clear to see.
Jael sighed, "We can’t just take you back without an ace up our sleeves, we still don’t know how much influence Warren Reeves has over the High Council."
"Who says I’m going as me?" Caspian asked confidently.
Maybe he should listen to them but he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing now that he had been given this horrifying knowledge.
"I don’t like the sound of that," Asher expressed disapproval, "I don’t want you doing things you don’t like."
"It would be my decision this time," Caspian countered in a strong voice.
And it would be the truth, because every time he had to pretend he was someone else, he hadn’t done it willingly.
But right now he didn’t care who he had to be or what he had to do, he fully intended to find out the truth about his parents’ death.
Jael frowned, already making calculations. He had written off the matter as none of his business the first time he found out but now he wasn’t helping out for Asher...
He was doing so because Caspian deserved better.
His father had also been killed and even though he knew that violent deaths were a routine part of being in the Mafia, and Asher’s father had hunted down the killer, he doubted he would ever completely get over it.