All I Need ✔️

Chapter 97

This chapter contains violence and references to sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.

A/N: I do NOT recommend reading this chapter in public or before you're about to do anything important.

Third Person POV (Cassius)

"So you're the bastard who hurt Safania?" Zamari asked, her eyes glowing.

"Who the hell are you?" Alterius responded.

Zamari flung Alterius against the wall with a gust of air. He smacked against it and crumpled to the ground.

"Her mother," Zamari said. "You better get up. We're just getting started."

Alterius stumbled to his feet, now beginning to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Zamari demanded.

"Do whatever you want to me," he told her. "It won't change anything I did to your little whore of a daughter."

Zamari smacked him against the wall again. "You will not talk about my daughter like that," she told him in a dangerous tone of voice.

"If I told you even half of the things she did, I guarantee that you would be ashamed," Alterius continued, undeterred. "In fact, why don't I tell you?"

"Whatever you did to her wasn't her fault," Zamari replied firmly, cutting him off.

"You make it sound so one-sided. There were plenty of things she did to me," Alterius replied, smirking.

Cassius felt his blood start to boil, but Zamari was deathly calm.

"My daughter did what she needed to do to survive. She didn't enjoy it. She didn't do it of her own free will. So you can wipe that disgusting smirk off your face because I'm not going to play into your mind games."

Alterius surveyed her closely. "You're not from Eir, are you? You look far too pale."

Cassius watched from the ground as Zamari tensed.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Zamari asked evenly.

Alterius smiled cruelly. "You sound as though you're speaking from personal experience. They found out about you, wherever you're from, didn't they? You eventually fled to Eir. But not before they left their mark on you."

Everything finally clicked into place for Cassius. The reason why Zamari had initially hated him so much, why she had tried to keep Safania away from him, why she wouldn't come to the castle for their wedding...she didn't just know what royals did to marked women, she had lived it.

"It was a long time ago," Zamari replied emotionlessly.

"But I'm right, aren't I?" Alterius prodded.

Zamari didn't answer, which Alterius took as affirmation.

"So then you know," he continued to taunt her. "You know that there are some wounds that never truly heal."

Cassius looked to Zamari, who was staring daggers at Alterius. He was surprised that when she spoke, she was completely calm.

"You're right," Zamari replied simply. "You certainly left a mark on her. Maybe it's time someone leave one on you."

The smile disappeared from Alterius's face. "What are you talking about?"

Before Alterius could try to run, Zamari had him pinned down on the ground.

"What are you doing?" he asked, trying to break free.

Cassius tried to see what was happening, but all he could see was Alterius flailing and screaming while Zamari pinned him down. He crawled over to check on Celine, relieved to find that she was still breathing.