April’s POV
I didn’t want to move.
Not from his arms. Not from this moment.
After three days apart, three days of silence, of feeling his absence like a phantom limb-I finally had him back.
And I was keeping him.
Cassius’ warmth seeped into my skin, his strong arms wrapped around me like a silent promise. He had missed me. Just as much as I had missed him. Maybe more.
“Tell him not to leave again,” Snow murmured.
I almost did.
But he was an Alpha, and I wasn’t naive. He had responsibilities.
“Don’t make him choose,” I reminded myself.
So, instead, I lifted my head from his chest, tilting my chin up to meet his gaze. “Three days was too long.”
His jaw tensed, guilt flickering across his expression. “I know.”
I reached up, brushing my fingers against his cheek. “I survived, though.”
He exhaled a slight chuckle. “Barely.”
“You should kiss him,” Snow suggested, smug.
I hesitated.
Cassius caught the look in my eyes and arched a brow. “What?”
I swallowed. “Nothing.”
His grip on my waist tightened. “April.”
My heartbeat stuttered. “I was just thinking about kissing you.”
A low growl rumbled in his chest. “You were?”
I nodded, feeling a little lightheaded. “Yeah.”
Before I could second-guess myself, I pushed up on my toes and pressed my lips to his.
Cassius inhaled sharply through his nose, his hands flexing against my waist before pulling me in closer. The kiss was slow, deep-full of everything we hadn’t been able to say over the past three days.
I let myself get lost in it, in him.
In the way, he kissed me like he had all the time in the world.
Cassius’ POV
I didn’t want to stop.
April tasted like everything I’d been craving-whiskey, warmth, and something undeniably hers.
“She’s ours,” Shadow growled, satisfied.
I tilted my head, deepening the kiss, letting her feel exactly how much I had missed her.
Her breaths were uneven when she finally pulled away, her pupils blown wide.
“You’re blushing,” I teased, running my thumb along her bottom lip.
She scowled. “No, I’m not.”
I chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to the tip of her nose. “You are.”
She huffed but didn’t argue.
I grinned, but as much as I wanted to keep her here, wrapped up in me, I needed to ask her something.
“April.”
She blinked up at me, still a little dazed. “Yeah?”
I hesitated, then exhaled. “I need to know what happened while I was gone. Did anyone else come looking for you?”
Her expression shifted, the light in her eyes dimming slightly.
Damn it.
I lifted her chin. “I need to know if you’re safe.”
She sighed, glancing away. “No one came looking for me. But I…” She bit her lip. “I just kept thinking about the rogues. About what they wanted. Why they were even here.”
I nodded, understanding. I’d been thinking the same thing.
“I have my warriors looking into it,” I told her. “If more of them are lurking, we’ll find them.”
She held my gaze, searching. “And if they come back?”
I let my fingers slide into her hair, cupping the back of her head as I leaned in. “Then they’ll regret it.”
Her breath caught, and for a moment, neither of us moved.
Then she whispered, “Okay.”
I kissed her forehead. “Now, let’s get you fed. You’re no good to me if you pass out.”
She rolled her eyes, but the ghost of a smile was on her lips. “Fine.”
I smirked.
One crisis at a time.