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EMILY
After Cassian was delivered the devastating news, he took off in his wolf form, his pack following after him. It was several hours before he returned, but I didn’t pressure him to talk about it. I gave him the space he needed.
When he returned, it was another hour before he’d called me into the den to talk about everything that had happened while he was unconscious. Apparently, the other wolves gave me a good review, and Cassian was impressed with my assertion to step in as luna.
Though I hadn’t gotten to do much recon work yet, I’d discussed with Sam which wolves could be sent out to gather information. I’d thought about reaching out to the other alphas to ask them what they knew but didn’t want to overstep my boundaries so soon. But given the way the wolves had praised my actions, I wished I had reached out.
I sat across from him, and he stood from his chair, taking the few steps to reach me. He crouched low, the movement slow as he was still getting used to moving around after being still for so long, and his eyes met mine.
For a moment, I stared at him. God, how I missed those gorgeous blue eyes. Maybe it was the bond or my old attraction resurfacing like a new crush—hell, perhaps it was both—but I wanted nothing more than to be wrapped in his arms, inhaling his deliciously musky scent.
He cupped my jaw, gripping it just hard enough to show affection, but not enough to hurt because Cassian would never hurt me.
I tipped my head to make it easier, secretly relishing the attention. His thumb caressed my cheek, and I leaned into his hand.
“How did I get so lucky?” His voice was soft, and his gaze grew heavy. With his lips parted slightly, he leaned in closer, and my eyes fluttered shut in excited anticipation.
After nearly losing my best friend, I didn’t want to hold back any longer; I wanted to give in to my emotions. When he was unconscious, there was a moment I wondered if we’d ever share our first kiss. And the thought that he might not wake up, and our lips would never come crashing together, in a fit of elation and lust, absolutely devastated me.
His lips pressed against mine, as soft and gentle as Cassian himself. With his fingers twirling through my hair in a calming motion, I leaned into the touch, smiling against his lips.
Being with Cassian made me feel safe and loved. And though I wanted to feel the tender touch of his lips for hours, I pulled away slowly, resting my forehead against his.
The timing wasn’t right. He was still grieving his losses, and there were more pressing things to do than smooch, despite how wildly desirable his soft lips looked, and how badly they teased me.
I folded my hand over his, holding it in place so I could nuzzle against him, though I was really trying to hide the blush that reddened my cheeks. He kissed my forehead and stood, leaning against the desk.
“Sam said you’ve really stepped up to the plate,” he said, crossing his arms with a grin covering his face, showing off his pearly whites. “Though he insisted I don’t say that. He claims your ego is too big to fit through the door and telling you what he said would only make it grow.”
My eyes rolled into the back of my head as I chuckled. Sam had warmed up to me, though he refused to admit it. He still behaved like a jerk around me, but at least he took me seriously in the days after our meeting.
“Interesting, considering we didn’t start off on such good terms,” I said, grateful that we were past that nonsense.
Cassian cocked his head to the side, sporting a confused expression. “How do you mean?”
“Sam didn’t tell you?” I asked, surprised that it wasn’t mentioned. Then again, I wouldn’t want to be the one to tell my alpha about the crude name I called his mate. “We had a little spat in the beginning. He wanted to have a funeral, but I wanted to wait, and we got into it. He called me a name… Dolores Maggie or something? Griffin got mad and broke his nose, so he kicked Griffin out. It was a big mess… I’m surprised he didn’t tell you.”
Cassian’s jaw clenched, and in a slow, serious tone, he asked, “Griffin broke his nose?”
I sighed, obviously having opened a can of worms that should’ve had the lid snapped on tight. But, too late now. Worms were everywhere, squirming their way out of the can. “Yeah, but he said that whatever Sam called me was super offensive, like a racial slur.”
“Dolores Maggie?” Cassian tapped his finger against his dark stubble that’d grown while he was unconscious. He snapped his fingers. “Do you mean Dolosus Maga?”
“Yeah, that’s it!”
“Yeah, that is a pretty heinous name,” he admitted, rubbing his hand to the back of his neck. “But Griffin shouldn’t have struck him.”
I narrowed my eyes, irritation setting in. “It was stupid that he punched Sam, but he was defending me. And if I’m being honest, Sam was acting like a total asshole.”
Cassian had to see that Sam was in the wrong. Sure, Griffin shouldn’t have punched him, but Sam was behaving like an imbecile. But Cassian and I were obviously on two different wavelengths.
“Still, he shouldn’t be attacking my pack members. Sam was right to kick him out.”
I scoffed; my mouth gaped open. Now my arms were crossed, as I stood from my chair in one heated motion; the force from my movement shoving it back a few feet. Not only was Cassian insulting me, but he was insulting my other mate, as well. “Are you serious? Sam was the one that started it all with his stupid power trip.”
“Sam is my beta,” Cassian snapped defensively. As if that were an excuse.
“Yeah, and I’m your mate,” I yelled, taking a deep breath to calm myself because I felt like I wanted to rip off Cassian’s balls and toss them into the fire pit. We’ll see him get mouthy with me when I’m roasting his chestnuts on an open fire. Asshole. “Doesn’t that count for anything.”
