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CASSIAN
She was gone again. Dammit! Just when I thought we might have a shot at capturing her again, maybe finding out something else about Samara, she disappeared.
Defeated, we went back to the warehouse, sulking the entire ride back.
Rudolph and his wolves were waiting for our return, eager to hear the trip’s details, and concerned for Cove’s well-being. We caught them up on everything that had happened, including Morgan. I wasn’t sure how Griffin managed to get the entire crate for free, but after the day we’d had, I wasn’t complaining.
“Morgan is free, which means she may come back here to attack us. We need to be on guard. Sam, tell Gus to gather his strongest security to patrol the perimeter. Then, find Adina and tell her we need reinforcements for the warehouse. I refuse to let another attack happen to my pack. If the enemy wants to come on our territory, we’ll be prepared.”
Sam nodded and left the meeting room. Radolph added, “Thoran, go with him. Adina or Gus may need your help.”
I shot Radolph a look of gratitude, and he nodded once. The unspoken understanding from one alpha to another. Tonight, I didn’t have the energy to be charming or funny. Entertaining? Ha! Forget it! My main goal was to catch a few Zs before the change.
The constant hopping between realms, searching for objects and people, collecting elements… it was all too much. My body may be supernatural, but it could only handle so much.
I missed Grace. Words couldn’t describe how badly I craved one of our talks. Being an alpha seemed impossible without her. How was I supposed to lead a pack when I didn’t know what the hell I was doing? Every step of the way felt like another three steps back. Not only was my body exhausted, but my mind was too frazzled to think clearly.
But I was an alpha, and being an alpha meant I didn’t get a break, no matter how complicated things got—no matter how close I was to breaking.
“Um, Cassian?” Ember said, her eyebrows furrowed as she stared with concern. I nodded, my silent way of telling her to speak since I was too tired to say it out loud. “It’s been a long day. Hell, a long week. Maybe we should call it a night and reconvene tomorrow.”
Could she sense my exhaustion through my aura? Probably. Or maybe she was just as tired as I was. Whatever. I agreed. “Yeah, sure,” I said, blowing out a breath. “We’ll pick this up again tomorrow. Get some rest, guys, before the change.”
Everyone stood from their seats, stretching and yawning. The meeting hadn’t been that long—not compared to other meetings—but it was getting late, and everyone was tired. It’d be dark soon, and then in a few hours, we had to deal with the change. Pack morale was not at its peak.
The wolves dispersed, and when the room was mostly empty, Ember came up to me, a worried smile on her face. “Hey, are you okay? You seem a little off.”
Off. That’s one way to put it. Others would be hopeless, beaten, and absolutely drained. But I didn’t have it in me to be sarcastic or fake a smile. I simply shrugged and said, “Yeah.”
She placed a hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes, her golden irises like a small glimmer of light in the darkness that surrounded me. “If you need to talk, you know I’m a good listener. It’s what started our friendship, remember?”
My lips pulled up into a lazy smile. “Yeah, I do.” I rubbed my face until I could see spots with my eyes closed and blew out a breath. “Thanks, Ember. You’ve always had my back, even when I didn’t deserve it. Even when I stopped talking to you, like an asshole, you still came back when I needed your help. Really, you’re a good friend.”
Her arms wrapped around me tightly, pulling me into a hug. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to be comforted and weak. For a moment, I felt the pressure lift from my shoulders, the burden off my back. It was brief, but it was enough.
Emily ran over, wrapping her arms over both of us, joining in the hug. “Aww, I love it when we all hug. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy.” She giggled, and though I couldn’t bring myself to laugh as much as I’d like, I huffed out a small one.
“Griffin, come over here,” Emily called out, waving him with her hand. “Group hug!”
He shook his head but obliged, walking over and awkwardly standing there, waiting for Emily to pull him in, the stubborn bastard. But she did, and the four of us stood there, in one giant group hug.
It was ridiculous, for sure. I was glad none of the other wolves were there to witness it. But in a way, it felt right. The four of us, fighting this fight together, in one big embrace. It was comforting. Reassuring. Like a symbol that all of us had each other’s backs, no matter what.
Griffin was the first to pull away, followed by Ember, who had to slither from Emily’s grasp. Ember looked at me and said, “Get some rest, Alpha,” before she turned and walked away.
I put my arm around Emily’s shoulder, partly for support, and asked if she wanted to come back to my room for the night. If this were any other time, she would probably make a joke about us sharing a bed—and if she didn’t, Griffin would—but seeing how tired I was, she only nodded, and walked with me up the stairs and to my room.
When we got there, I plopped onto the bed, my limbs sprawled out. Emily climbed in beside me, resting on her side, her elbow propped up. My eyes were closed, but I could feel her hand playing with my hair.
The repetitive strokes of her fingers on my scalp sent a buzzing sensation through my head. “Mm…” I moaned, feeling so relaxed by the touch. “My Raina.”
“Hm?” Emily asked, her voice a hum.
With my eyes still closed, I bared my soul to her without any hesitation or humiliation. “Raina. It’s what we call a queen. For so long, I’ve wanted to call you that, like how Griffin calls you Princess. But I wasn’t sure you’d like the name. I mean, for years, we’ve wanted to be more than friends. And now that we are, I don’t want to put any pressure on you, even in something as simple as a name.”
Emily’s lips brushed against my forehead, and she whispered, “I love it. Please, call me Raina as often as you’d like.”
I peeked through one eye at her, asking, “Do you mean it?”
