Cassius pov
The moon hung high in the inky sky as I stepped out of the mansion and into the open air. The forest surrounded me, its silence almost deafening. I didn’t take the patrol tonight, though I should have. My pack would assume it was because I had other responsibilities-matters only the Alpha could handle-but the truth was far more straightforward and far more damning.
I needed to clear my head.
My feet carried me to the edge of the woods, where the thick canopy of trees offered some semblance of solace. The towering pines and the soft rustle of leaves felt familiar and grounding, but my thoughts were anything but. They were tangled and wild, like the very woods I stood in.
April.
Her name alone was enough to set me on edge. I did not know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.
I thought of her smile-not the guarded smirk she wore like armor, but the genuine one I’d glimpsed when she thought no one was looking. I thought of the fire in her eyes, how she challenged me without hesitation, and how she didn’t cower or yield like so many others did.
And I thought of that kiss.
It had been a mistake. A lapse in judgment. I’d told myself it was nothing more than a fleeting moment, a slip. But it was more than that. I felt it in every fibre of my being, in the way my heart raced at the memory of her lips against mine.
I’d wanted her-still wanted her-in a way that made no sense. She was human. She wasn’t meant to be part of my world, my life, my pack.
But she was already there, lodged in my thoughts, in my chest, in the way my instincts screamed at me to protect her and to claim her.
Claim her.
The thought was dangerous, treacherous even. Because April wasn’t mine to claim. She couldn’t be.
“You don’t know me,” I had told her. “Or what lies beneath.”
It wasn’t a lie. She didn’t know the monster that lurked beneath my skin, the beast that made me who I was. If she did, she would run.
Wouldn’t she?
—
By the time I returned to the mansion, the sky had begun to lighten, the first hints of dawn painting the horizon in soft hues of pink and gold. The pack grounds were quiet, most of the wolves still sleeping, but I knew Gabriel would be waiting for me.
He was always waiting.
Sure enough, I found him in the war room, his eyes scanning a map spread out on the massive oak table. He didn’t look up as I entered, but I knew he’d sensed me the moment I walked in.
“You’ve been out all night,” he said, his tone even.
“I needed space,” I replied, moving to stand across from him.
“Space,” he repeated, finally looking up. His eyes were sharp, calculating. “From the pack or from her?”
I didn’t answer, which was answer enough.
Gabriel sighed, leaning back against the table. “You know this isn’t going to end well.”
“I know,” I said quietly, but I didn’t know if I cared.
“Then why let it get this far?” he asked, his voice softening.
Because I couldn’t stop myself.
I didn’t say it aloud, but the truth hung heavy in the air between us. Gabriel knew me too well to press further.
“There’s been another rogue sighting,” he said instead, changing the subject. “This time, closer to the western border. It’s not just a coincidence anymore.”
My jaw tightened. “How many?”
“Two, maybe three. The patrol didn’t engage, but they said the scent was strong. They’re lingering, Cassius.”
“Send more patrols,” I ordered. “I want eyes on every border. If they’re testing us, we need to be ready.”
Gabriel nodded, already moving to relay the orders.
I leaned over the table as he left the room, my hands braced against the wood. The map before me was a stark reminder of my responsibilities, the life I was born into, and the life I was bound to.
There was no room for distractions.
And yet, April lingered in my mind, her presence as stubborn and unyielding as the woman herself.
—
Later that day, I found myself back in my study, the stack of reports on my desk ignored as I stared out the window. The forest stretched out before me, a sea of green that seemed endless, but my thoughts were elsewhere.
I thought of her again, the way she carried herself with a quiet strength, rivalling any wolf I’d ever known. She didn’t beg for affection, didn’t seek approval. She was her own person and didn’t care what anyone thought.
It was admirable.
And infuriating.
Because no matter how much I told myself to stay away, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being drawn to her, pulled by some invisible force that I couldn’t explain.
She was human, I reminded myself. She wasn’t my mate.
But the thought didn’t bring the comfort it should have.
If anything, it made the ache in my chest worse.
—
By nightfall, the mansion was alive with activity. The pack had gathered for a meeting, the air buzzing with tension as I addressed them.
“The rogues are testing us,” I said, my voice steady and commanding. “We can’t afford to let our guard down. Patrols will double, and anyone caught slacking will answer to me.”
The pack murmured their agreement, their respect for me clear in their eyes.
But even as I stood there, the weight of my position pressing down on me, I couldn’t shake the thought of April.
What was she doing now? Was she thinking of me the way I was thinking of her?
It was a dangerous line of thought, one I couldn’t afford to indulge in.
Because no matter how much I wanted her or was drawn to her, I knew one thing for sure.
April was a complication I couldn’t afford.
And yet, I wasn’t sure I had the strength to stay away.