April’s POV
The scent of blood still lingered in the air, metallic and sharp, mingling with the adrenaline surging through my veins. My breathing was ragged, my hands trembling ever so slightly as I wiped a stray drop of blood off my cheek. The rogue lay unconscious on the floor, his face swollen and bruised from the blows Cassius and I had delivered.
Cassius stood a few feet away, his chest rising and falling heavily, his wolf barely contained beneath the surface. His eyes flickered gold, the beast within still riding the high of battle. And Goddess, he looked breathtaking-dangerous, primal, every inch of the warrior Alpha he was.
His gaze snapped to mine, heated and searching like he was seeing me in a whole new light. I swallowed hard, my body still buzzing from the fight. From him.
We had fought together-side by side, perfectly in sync. Like we were made for this.
He took a slow step toward me, and my heart pounded for a completely different reason. His fingers brushed over my jaw, tilting my chin up. I could still see the raw fury burning behind his gaze, but there was something else there now-something darker, something needy, a hunger for me that burned bright. It was like he was peeling off my clothes by just looking at me.
“You’re incredible,” he murmured, voice thick with pride and something more profound. “The way you fight, the way you move-it’s like watching pure fucking fire.”
A shiver ran down my spine.
Cassius wasn’t just looking at me. He was devouring me with his gaze, drinking in every inch of my battle-worn skin like he wanted to claim me all over again. And damn it, I wanted him to.
My lips parted to say something, but he didn’t give me the chance. His mouth crashed onto mine, rough and insistent, his fingers tangling into my hair. I gasped against him, the taste of blood and heat mingling between us.
The kiss was desperate, consuming, a wildfire neither of us wanted to put out. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against his solid frame. My hands found his shoulders, nails digging into the muscle there as I melted into the raw intensity of him.
The fight, the danger, the rush of nearly losing each other-it all fueled the hunger between us.
If I was being honest though, we were never going to lose each other. Did you see us out there? That rogue chose the wrong day and time to come for me.
But then the words the rogue had spat out before we took him down crept back into my mind.
“They’re looking for you, girl. Do you think this is over? They won’t stop looking for you. You were asking a lot of questions and some people don’t like that.”
I stiffened against Cassius, the fire in my veins momentarily cooling.
Cassius must have sensed the shift because he pulled back, his eyes searching mine. “April?”
I licked my lips, still tasting him, still feeling the heat of his body pressed against mine. “What if this wasn’t just some random attack?” I murmured. “What if they were really after me?”
His jaw clenched, his wolf flashing through his gaze. “Then I need to know why.”
The weight of those words settled over me like a stone.
Because deep down, I knew.
And if the rogues were here for me… that meant the past I had spent so long running away from was finally catching up with me, or perhaps in my search for the truth about my parents, I had awakened enemies long forgotten just like the Moon Goddess said would happen.
Oh shit!