HUNTED-Chapter 323: Across Worlds

Cassius’ attitude made Gabriel clench his teeth together, but besides that, his face remained impassive, eyes turning to him like this subject bored him. His brother liked being in the limelight. Sure, they were talking about him, but Cassius did not have a say now in what was next to happen to him.

"Must Cassius be punished?" Hades questioned thoughtfully, rubbing his finger against his lips whilst holding the wine glass. "They are mere mortals."

Gabriel’s lips slipped back, revealing his fangs, disapproving of his father’s comment. "You punish mortals on a daily basis," he hissed, slamming his hand down on the table, causing a slight crack in the marble. "Others believe he should be killed. It was only my benevolence that granted his return to the underworld."

Hades lowered his glass to the table. "I know this upsets you but do not take it out on my table. It is new." His eyes flicked to Cassius, then to his wife and back to Gabriel. "As you know, punishment to mortals is in the land of Tartarus. Are you sure you want to take your brother there?"

Hades looked at Gabriel meaningfully. It would be the god of the dead’s word against his, but his father was giving him the reins to his brother. Who would want to punish their son, after all? Especially when gods fought among themselves and did despicable things to one another. They were above mortals.

Hades and Seph might be disappointed in their son, but if they remained in the underworld and did such things, Cassius would not be punished. If he fought with another god, their wrath was punishment enough.

"Is it not punishment enough sending me back here?" Cassius murmured like a grumbling child.

"You find your home a punishment?" Seph asked, her brows furrowing as hurt seeped into her warm hazel eyes.

"Mother, that isn’t-"

"If you had half a brain and didn’t act out of your selfish interests throughout the years, you would have been granted a mate!" Their mother interrupted, her voice louder than it usually was. She never told them off growing up, saying ’boys will be boys’, granted they were only fooling around with their lovers or other minor instances.

But if she ever raised her voice, they knew they had done something awful.

Gabriel tapped his finger against the arm of his chair as he glanced between Cassius, Seph and Hades. "If he is not punished, then when will it end? If not trying to rule over mortals like they are worthless-" Gabriel, Cassius and Hades shared a look like they agreed they weren’t amazing. "But enslaving them is not right. Rebellions would bring us down. Cass needs to be punished to learn."

"You locked him away-"

"Yes, and he did not learn," Gabriel interrupted his father. "He became vengeful sure, and possibly lost it. But Tartarus is not exactly a vacation."

Cassius lowered his head into the palm of his hands, whispering his next words like he’d already lost. He had. "How long?"

"Until I deem it so," Gabriel replied stiffly, grabbing his glass of wine and gulping it down, pained at the thought his brother would be tortured. He stood abruptly, dropping his napkin across his plate of barely touched red meat and vegetables. "You may have visitation. For now, I will leave you to converse with mother and father."

With that, he walked away from the dining table, his steps heavy, echoing in the great hall as he returned to a bedroom full of once-lost memories. Gabriel looked outside the window to the cracked, dying land, the trees barren of anything, wondering what his precious Esme was up to.

On earth, five days since the ’battle of the species’, as the news put it, Esme pulled up outside the Silver Cresent packhouse in one of Gabriel’s favourite vehicles. His midnight blue Lambo. It had been a sweet ride, speeding away through the countryside. The rogue giggled away as her ’protectors’ (eye roll) could not keep up. They arrived at the gates leading to the mansion now.

Luther with his golden locks and Niko with his dashing good looks and scruffy brown hair.

Niko should be at the club, but Gabriel was being a little overprotective of her. Even the brown-haired vampire agreed with her, but because he had a lot of work when he returned to ONYX. Unlike Luther, who planned on letting his work pile up until Gabriel returned, they didn’t know how long it might be until the Vampire King returned.

The door slowly slid up as that chic, Gamma Chiara stopped at the steps leading to the mansion, her arms crossed, expression sour. If she smiled a little more, it would reveal how stunning she was. Though Chiara’s fierceness was a turn-on in itself, one, even Esme could appreciate. She liked badass bitches, and would actually like to befriend this one.

Sadly, the Gamma didn’t seem to like her very much.

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Esme stepped out of the car, her brown locks pulled back in a half-up hairstyle, pulled back in a small bun, the rest falling past her shoulders. Her attire of the usual black jeans, turtle neck and the dagger sheathed behind her back. She had claws, but it was habitual to carry the weapon.

"Hey, are Aila and Damon still busy?" Esme asked as she approached the pack house. Chiara didn’t respond. She glared at her like speaking to the Gamma was a sin, or merely even breathing.

Finn ambled down the steps, glancing between the Gamma and rogue, stopping a few steps away. Chiara glanced behind her, aware of his presence or maybe the Delta mind-linked her. "Luna Aila and Alpha Damon are busy.. catching up. What do you want, rogue?" Chiara spat the last line, a growl erupting from her chest, eyes glowing in amber. Her wolf’s eyes.

Esme’s body tensed, but her face remained calm and collected. She was highly trained in combat, some Gamma, from the Alpha King and Queen’s pack or not, would be a fun workout, nothing more. She didn’t doubt the Gamma’s skills or strength or that she couldn’t protect the pack. Chiara earned the position, and Esme was in awe of her overcoming misogynistic beliefs.

But Esme was simply better.