Casaio was reading the newspaper when he sensed Gabriel’s presence. He lowered the paper to the table, saying, "Good morning, Gabriel."
"Good morning, Cas." Gabriel took the seat directly across from his elder brother. "Did you punish those who hurt Idris?"
"It was a kid of the sa age as him who was bullying Idris," Casaio replied calmly. "I decided to make him understand with words rather than punishing him with force."
"You can’t be kind to those who bully you," Gabriel replied, disagreeing fundantally with the lenient approach.
"I have different opinions on this, little brother. I made sure the boy would beco a friend of Idris," Casaio stated firmly, defending his diplomatic solution.
Gabriel looked at him in disbelief. "Your opinions should align with the mode of justice. Kindness isn’t an answer to violence all the ti." He glanced at the paper on the table and read the sensational headline. "The dia got a way to earn high using you and Zilia. What have you thought? Dad was asking again about taking the throne. Can’t you just take it despite this backlash? Control the dia after you sit on the throne," he muttered, suggesting a forceful, direct action.
"It’s not the right way to do that," Casaio asserted, rejecting the unethical suggestion. "Why don’t you consider becoming the Alpha King after everything settles down for you?"
"Cas, I may have found out things related to my past, the reasons why my mother always detached herself from or why my big brothers never truly tried to understand , but that doesn’t an I’ve forgotten the past. The wounds don’t heal in my case. I hate being in the palace. And I’ve only been here for Alie’s sake, for Noah’s sake."
"San Ravendale is the only place that gives peace. And if I beco the King, I may be declared as a tyrant soon. You know my ways of handling matters. I know, for everyone else, I may seem like the perfect image for the Alpha King. But in my eyes, I’m not. I know myself better than anyone."
Casaio nodded slowly, processing Gabriel’s fierce rejection of the throne. "Did you find out the full truth of the past? I’m sure Grandma did her work perfectly," he asserted.
"Yes, she did. Strangely, she is the only Elder who understood more than my own parents. I can’t believe I felt the pain of losing soone, especially an Elder," Gabriel said, lowering his eyes for a second, a profound sense of unexpected grief washing over him.
"May her soul rest in peace," Casaio prayed sincerely.
"I lost Alie in the last birth," Gabriel confessed, the ancient pain still sharp. "Ophelia created complete chaos in our lives. I was supposed to marry Alie within a week, but everything ended right after I killed Ophelia’s daughter." He paused, the mory making him shiver. "Even thinking about it makes shiver. I turned mad with grief after losing Alie."
Gabriel briefed him fully, gazing once again into Casaio’s eyes. "So, the witch is after you now because you killed her daughter, Anaya?"
"Yes. Anaya was her na. She was actively trying to kill Alie—she kidnapped her. A lot happened in that past life, Cas. And to end Ophelia, I must go to Aurevalis. That is the place where my previous self lived. My previous life is calling there."
"The place from where you received that strange, recurring ssage, right?" Casaio questioned, a spike of concern in his voice. "Soone is trying to lure you there. But that territory is practically in ruins. What if it’s a trap set by Ophelia?"
"It wasn’t Ophelia’s doing. Soone knows there, soone loyal. My final answers are there," Gabriel stated with conviction.
"Who could have known you? It’s been years. Ophelia is alive because of her dark magic. But others can’t do that," Casaio remarked.
"I don’t know. But the answers lay in that land," Gabriel replied.
"Should I co with you, just in case?"
"No. You have your own battles to fight and the throne to prepare for. I have my own. Carlos wanted to join , but I’m thinking to go by myself. He’s still in the deep mourning phase for his grandmother, and I cannot allow Ophelia to win this ti. That bloody witch has already taken too much from ," Gabriel muttered, his fury suddenly palpable.
"By the way, I heard Dominick isn’t in the palace. He left for District Gridlock? Why?" Gabriel suddenly switched the conversation, moving to current royal affairs.
"Illegal activities are happening there," Casaio replied, his expression growing serious. "Nick neglected a lot of matters in the last few days, you know, how things for him went with Juniper. Also, the Beta Hunters case is finally resolved. Dexton was behind it because we failed to find the murderer of his mate. He claid Betas killed his mate, so he decided to retaliate and annihilate them."
"A very poor approach he used," Gabriel stated, shaking his head. "I do understand him, though. Losing a mate makes you mad. You do things you’re not supposed to do."
"Did you do the sa in your past?" Casaio inquired carefully, sensing a profound connection to the emotion.
"I did worse," Gabriel replied bluntly. "I planted so much security around, but they failed in protecting Alie. I didn’t care about anything in that mont. What Dexton did, I can relate to it. But I also will say it wasn’t justified."
He then shared the devastating personal cost. "My father died seeing like that. I was broken completely. I wanted to die, but I couldn’t. That’s the kind of curse Ophelia put on ."
Casaio’s heart wrenched hearing that confession. He couldn’t fully process the depth of the pain Gabriel had gone through in his past life.
"So, where were we? What illegal activities happening in Gridlock?" Gabriel went back to their conversation.
"Ogas are being sold as slaves," Casaio answered.
"Nick took the right decision. He needed a break from here," Gabriel affird.
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