Сhapter 169

Cassian POV

The rain had stopped hours ago, but the scent of damp ground still clung to the walls of the east wing. My boots echoed softly against the stone corridor as I walked past the stained-glass window depicting the first Morrien Alpha King. 

Everyone was watching these days, especially Carlton. I could feel the weight of his eyes like iron chains around my throat.

My father.

It still felt foreign in my mouth, that word. I hadn’t spoken it aloud in years, and even in my mind, it sparked an internal recoil like touching fire. A man like that didn’t earn the title of “dad.” He earned shadows, secrets, and scars.

And yet, his blood lived in me.

I paused at the hallway’s edge, fingers flexing against the cool hilt of my dagger sheathed at my hip