Chapter 292

Chapter 292

CASSANDRA

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The next morning, when I walked into the bathroom, I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror and my heart sk ipped a beat.

It was real.

I mated with Asher last night.

He had claimed me as his under the light of the moon. We had opened the windows and let the cool night air

filter into our room as we mated and made love. It had been a special night, one I would never forget. The love within my heart was stronger than it had ever been and I felt like I was finally thawing. I was becoming myself

again, the version of myself that had been lost in the inferno. I was healing from my trauma and learning to be alive again.

I smiled at my reflection and admired the rosy color of my cheeks. They didn’t look as hollow as they once had and there was a sparkle in my emerald eyes again.

As I brushed my long copper hair and braided it, I remembered the other discussion we’d shared last night. We’d reached an agreement that it was time to tell Finnick the truth.

He deserved to know that Asher was his father.

Asher thought it might not be the right time to do so. He was worried Finnick might be too emotionally vulnerable after all he’d seen in Vlokwell.

But I assured him that it would be fine and there would never be an ideal time to tell him. Finnick was a strong boy. He could handle much more than other children his age, even something as intense as this. Besides, we needed to decide if we were going to take him back to Anemond with us or if we were going to let him stay with Erika and Helene while we got things sorted out. We could only make the decision after Finnick was informed of the fact that his father was alive and with him.

After some convincing, Asher agreed with me.

“I believe in you,” he said. “I want to be with you when you talk to him. I’m worried Finnick might find it hard to believe, and if he’s angry, I want to be there to take it. I’ll be sure to let him know that none of this is your fault,

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Chapter 292

it’s mine.”

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I shook my head and told him I needed to handle it alone. Finnick was a sensitive boy. Asher’s presence might

cause extra unnecessary pressure and I didn’t want to scare him off. My mate agreed to these terms but decided he would be nearby just in case.

So, after I finished dressing, we left our room and then headed downstairs. After we exchanged a glance, we went our separate ways and I called out for Finnick. He appeared moments later with a surprised look on his face.

“Yes, Mommy?” he asked.

“I need to talk to you, honey,” I said gently as I approached him. “Will you come with me outside?”

Finnick nodded and then reached out and took my hand. I led him outside and over to a chair on the porch. The sun was high in the sky already and it was a clear, warm day. We sat there in silence for a moment, staring out at the flower fields beyond us until finally, I spoke.

“How has your day been?” I wondered. “Did you have a good time playing with Helene and Lila?”

He nodded happily. “We have a lot of fun together. I like them both, Mommy. I missed having fun in Yurene.”

“I understand completely,” I assured him with a smile.

We chatted for a while and then finally, I knew it was time to talk. As I looked at Finnick’s innocent eyes, I began to feel guilty. Why hadn’t I told him the truth long ago? What if he didn’t believe me? He could break down into so bs, he could be angry… there was no telling how he would react.

But I couldn’t keep this secret any longer.

“Honey, I have something serious to say,” I said finally, “It’s difficult, but you need to know.”

“What is it?” Finnick prompted me.

I let out a soft sigh. “Your father is still alive, Finnick.”

He was stunned for a moment but didn’t look shocked or surprised. Instead, he seemed confused.

“Do you mean Emmett?” he asked after a second of silence.

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I shook my head. “No, baby, I mean your biological father.”

The confusion left his expression and his lips parted.

“I already know that,” he said, much to my surprise. “The Alpha King is my father.”

I stared at him in complete shock. My heart pounded wildly in my chest and my hands instantly felt clammy. How long ago had he learned the truth? Had he put it back together in Anemond? Or some other time? How long had we pretended the other didn’t know?

I began to panic but quickly reminded myself that it was unnecessary to do so. It didn’t matter when he found out. What mattered now was that we discussed this as a family.

?

“How… how did you know?” I asked.

“Lila told me,” he revealed matter-of-factly. “She read the king’s mind.”

I raised an eyebrow. That made sense. I wished he’d found out from me but I couldn’t fault Lila. They were children, after all.

“Mommy, do you want me to call him ‘Daddy’?” Finnick spoke again and when I didn’t answer, he sighed. “I still dislike the king. I don’t want to call him ‘Daddy’ because he abandoned us.”

“That’s not true,” I finally found my voice. “Asher didn’t abandon us. It’s more complicated than that,

Finnick”

He shook his head like a little adult. “But your suffering was real. You hurt, Mommy. The king brought bad things to you, so I dislike him. I prefer Emmett. He wasn’t close to me but he was nicer to you.”

When I told everything to Asher later that day, he smiled bitterly at me.

“I expected this,” he replied with a touch of sadness in his tone. “I knew Finnick wouldn’t easily accept me. You both went through so much without me. But I intend on spending the rest of my life making it up to you two.”

He kissed my forehead and drew me close. “Don’t worry about it, Cassandra. I understand that Finnick dislikes me. I suppose I’m grateful that he made it a point to say ‘dislike’ rather than ‘hate’. We’d be in much more trouble if he said he hates me.”

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I gave him a small smile and nodded.

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As he wrapped his arm around me, I wanted to ask how he felt today, but I knew he would give me the same answer as always. Regardless of the truth, he always told me he was fine.

But I noticed today that the black marks had faded a bit. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I swore I saw a difference. Had our mating helped his disease?

Either way, I appreciated this moment. Despite what I was going to face and all of the uncertainty before us, I felt peaceful and blessed in Asher’s arms.

It was the first time I’d felt like this in years.

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