CASSIUS POV
The bar was quiet, and the faint hum of the overhead lights was the only sound as we sat together in the back booth. The night had swallowed the outside world, but here, with April next to me, it felt like we existed in our own tiny bubble.
She leaned back, her arms crossed casually over her chest, though the faint flicker in her eyes told me she was still curious, still trying to piece me together.
“Do you ever stop thinking so hard?” she asked suddenly, tilting her head to study me.
Caught off guard, I blinked. “What do you mean?”
April arched a brow, the corner of her mouth lifting in a small, knowing smile. “Your mind’s always running, isn’t it? I can practically hear the gears turning.”
I chuckled softly, rubbing the back of my neck. “You’re not wrong.”
“Care to share?” she prompted, her voice softening.
I hesitated. There were things I couldn’t tell her-things I wouldn’t risk burdening her with-but her eyes, steady and unrelenting, made it hard to hold back entirely.
“I’m thinking about you,” I admitted.
The words hung in the air between us, and for a moment, I thought she might push me away. But instead, her expression softened, and she let out a quiet breath.
“Why me?” she asked, almost as if the question escaped before she could stop it.
“Why not you?” I countered, leaning forward. “You’re strong and smart, and… you make me feel something I haven’t felt in a long time.”
Her gaze flickered, uncertainty warring with something more profound. “And what’s that?”
“Peace,” I said simply.
The silence stretched between us, but it wasn’t heavy. If anything, it felt like the kind of quiet that only existed when two people understood each other without needing to fill the space with words.
April shifted slightly, her shoulder brushing mine, and that slight contact sent a spark of warmth rushing through me. Storm rumbled contentedly in the back of my mind, a stark contrast to the restless agitation that usually filled him.
She glanced at me, her lips twitching into a faint smile. “You’re so serious all the time. Do you ever relax?”
“Rarely,” I admitted. “But I’m trying.”
Her laugh was soft, almost teasing. “Trying, huh? Well, you’ve got a long way to go.”
“Maybe,” I said, my voice low. “But I think I’m off to a good start.”
Without thinking, I reached for her hand, my fingers brushing against hers; she tensed briefly but didn’t pull away. Instead, she looked down at our hands, her expression unreadable.
“Cassius…” Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it carried a weight that made my chest tighten.
“What?”
She met my gaze, her eyes searching mine as if she were trying to decipher some hidden truth. “I don’t know what this is,” she said finally, her words measured. “But it’s… different.”
I nodded, swallowing hard. “I feel it, too.”
For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then, almost as if drawn by an invisible force, she leaned closer, her lips brushing against mine in the softest, most tentative kiss. It was fleeting, over in an instant, but it left me reeling.
“Sorry,” she murmured, pulling back slightly. Her cheeks were tinged with the faintest hint of pink.
“Don’t be,” I said, my voice rough.
Before I could second-guess myself, I closed the distance between us, capturing her lips in another kiss. This one was deeper, more deliberate, and when she responded, her hands sliding up to rest on my chest, I felt a surge of something I couldn’t quite name.
Storm howled in approval, his presence blazing in the back of my mind. “She’s ours,” he growled, though the certainty in his tone only confused me further.
When we finally pulled apart, her forehead rested against mine, her breath warm against my skin. “This feels… dangerous,” she murmured, her voice barely audible.
“It is,” I admitted.
She laughed softly, the sound tinged with amusement and disbelief. “Then why does it feel so right?”
“I wish I knew,” I said, my voice raw with honesty.
The truth was, I didn’t understand any of it. She wasn’t my mate-I’d know if she were. And yet, everything about her called to me in a way that defied logic.
Was I overthinking it? Or was I just falling for her and desperately wanting to believe she could be my mate?
“Cassius,” she said quietly, drawing me from my thoughts.
“Yeah?”
Her fingers trailed lightly over my hand, sending tiny jolts of electricity through me with every touch. “What happens now?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But I do know that I’m not going anywhere.”
She studied me for a moment, her gaze softening. “Good. Because I think I’d miss you if you did.”
The weight of her words settled over me, and I couldn’t help but smile.
We stayed like that for what felt like hours, wrapped in each other’s presence as the rest of the world faded away. She curled up against me, her head resting on my shoulder as I draped an arm around her, pulling her closer.
The warmth of her body against mine was intoxicating, and every now and then, she’d shift slightly, her movements sending sparks of heat racing through me.
But it wasn’t just the physical connection. It was how she made me feel-like I wasn’t alone and didn’t have to carry the world’s weight on my shoulders.
And I felt like I could breathe for the first time in a long time.
Storm was unusually quiet, his presence steady but unobtrusive. His voice was softer than I’d ever heard when he finally spoke. “Thank the Moon Goddess for her.”
I swallowed hard, the weight of his words settling over me.
“Cassius?” April’s voice was soft, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Yeah?”
“Why do you care so much?”
Her question caught me off guard, but I didn’t hesitate in my answer. “Because you’re worth it.”
She didn’t respond right away, but the way she nestled closer, her fingers lightly tracing patterns on my arm, told me everything I needed to know.
For that one night, we let ourselves forget about the danger that loomed outside.
For that one night, it was just us.
And though I didn’t understand the depth of my connection to her, I couldn’t bring myself to question it. All I knew was that I’d do whatever it took to keep her safe.
Even if it meant risking everything.