CHAPTER 219: _ FALL OF A FAMILY

Lucan turns to Heidi, and for the first time, there’s calm in his eyes. "I’d rather be a rogue than spend one more night in this house."

Mrs. Castell slams her hands on the table. "You won’t last a day out there! You’re not built for the wild! You’ll come crawling back the moment the vampires tear through your skin!"

Lucan stares her down, completely still. "Then let them try."

He turns and starts walking toward the door. Eli hesitates, then follows him.

"Lucan!" Heidi runs after him, grabbing his sleeve. "Please, just think. Don’t let them win by breaking you like this."

He stops. Looks at her and his eyes soften again. "If you ever need me, Heidi—if things get bad, and you want to leave too, tell me. I’ll come for you. That’s the only thing I can offer you right now. I’m sorry. I mean it, truly, more than anything else, please remember that."

He lets go of her hand. And just like that, he’s gone.

Heidi stands there, feeling her heart crumbling. The only person who treated her like family just walked away. She can’t believe it. Lucan is gone. Like really gone. She’s come... she’s come to—like him? Platonically, of course.

Even she isn’t aware how fond of him she’s become. He feels like a real brother, and watching him choose a cruel fate for love makes her wonder if perhaps, she’s been taking her own love life with far too much nonchalance.

Behind her, Mrs. Castell’s shrill voice cuts through the silence. "You’ve ruined everything, you cursed thing! Look at what you’ve done! Absolutely everything!"

Oh, great! Of course, blame Heidi for your failure as a mother! She wishes she can scream at the top of her lungs.

But before Heidi can even turn, another voice booms across the dining room.

"ENOUGH."

Mr. Castell’s voice is thunder. The kind that doesn’t echo but shakes. He stands up, his chair scraping violently against the marble floor. His face is hard, the quiet patience he wears finally gone.

Mrs. Castell blinks, taken aback. "What are you doing?"

He straightens. "I’ve had enough of this madness. The Moon knows I’ve tried to hold this family together, but there’s only so much one man can do."

Mrs. Castell laughs, sharp and bitter. "You should be talking sense into your son, not this nonsense."

He rounds on her. "Sense? You want to talk about sense? Have you lost yours completely?" His voice cracks into a growl, the kind that makes even the guards shift uncomfortably. "Do you forget who leads this home?"

Her scoff is lengthy. "You wouldn’t..."

He cuts her off. "Lucan is the only reason I even come home once every two weeks. Because that boy is my heir—my hope that this house still had decency left. And now, if he leaves, if he’s gone... then you can consider our union over."

What the...

Heidi’s jaw drops.

Mrs. Castell blinks, stunned. Then she lets out a small laugh. "You’re bluffing. You always threaten, but you never do. Go on then—walk out, and then bring our son back home like you’re supposed to."

Sierra nods eagerly beside her. "Yeah, Dad. Stop with the dramatics. You’re not going anywhere."

Mr. Castell exhales sharply. "You really think I’m bluffing?"

He places both hands on the table. "Then hear this, both of you."

He looks directly at his wife. "I have another family in this pack."

The words rip the air apart. For a second, no one even breathes.

HOLY FRICKING AIRBALL!

Mrs. Castell stares at him. "You’re lying."

He shakes his head slowly. "No. It’s time you heard it from me. Cara, you might think your bloodline makes you superior, but sometimes, the lower class in this pack are more noble than those born into silver. They show loyalty, honor, and courage that your precious nobles fail to demonstrate daily."

Sierra’s hand flies to her mouth. "Dad, what—what do you mean another family?"

Mrs. Castell steps forward, vigorously shaking her head. "You’re lying. You’re trying to hurt me because you’re angry."

The man doesn’t move. "You’ve been hurting everyone in this house for years. You just didn’t expect anyone to say it."

She lunges at him, slapping his chest. "You’re a liar!"

He catches her wrist and pushes her gently but firmly away. "We’re getting a divorce. And if you want to stay as my first wife, then fix the son you broke. Otherwise, I’m done."

And without another word, he turns and walks out. No bag. No coat. No hesitation except for that one moment he halted.

"Heidi... I’m sorry you were assigned to this broken family and had to witness and experience the cruelty of my wife and daughter."

Heidi gulps down hard. She wants to tell him that it’s fine. She doesn’t blame anyone for the cross she bears, and that it doesn’t matter right now. The man is literally leaving a family he’s built for years just because of a terrible wife.

He continues... "I’ll personally see to it that you’re withdrawn from this household and placed in a much better one. Take that as a token of my apology on their behalf."

With that, the front door slams behind him, the sound echoing like a full stop.

W-what?!

Another family? Heidi doesn’t even know if that is supposed to excite her or if the thought of living with a new set of strangers who might or might not receive her well should scare her.

The silence after Mr. Castell’s exit is heavy. Sierra’s crying into her palms, Mrs. Castell is frozen somewhere between fury and disbelief.

Heidi stands there, watching the wreckage of the family that made her life hell. And instead of feeling satisfaction, she feels... hollow. She glances toward the door where Lucan left, then at the broken woman on the floor.

Her wolf sighs softly in her head. "You pity them."

Heidi nods, barely whispering, "I do."

And that’s what breaks her the most.