005: Mine to keep

~ CASSIAN ~

One thing I've learned over the years is that the easiest way to take down your greatest rival is to become their friend.

Rhett has always been a pain in the ass, a gullible fucking idiot. The only thing that ever gave him an edge was the brilliant woman standing beside him. His Luna.

Cassandra. She challenged every proposal I presented, dismantled every strategy I laid on the table, and somehow managed to make me look like the one playing catch-up.

Rhett might be the Alpha, but Cassandra is the brain behind his throne.

The drive to Crescent Pack is quiet as I speed down the forest road alone. I can't wait to get this over with so I can move on to the next phase of my plan.

My only problem is Rhett's damn Luna.

That woman has an intellect that outmatches most Alphas I've met. If she catches even the slightest hint of what I'm planning, she'll tear it apart before I can make my first move.

Except, Rhett sent an invitation earlier today announcing a new Luna, which means they're already divorced... He'll be a fucking loser if he lets her go.

I tighten my grip on the steering wheel, pushing the SUV to 80 kilometers per hour as the empty road stretches endlessly ahead. It's fast for a narrow forest road, but I've driven this way so many times that I know every turn by heart.

That's my first mistake.

Something suddenly moves in front of my headlights. White fur flashes across the road. It's a wolf, sprinting straight across the road like it has no concept of what a car is.

I don't even have time to process it before my body reacts, slamming the brakes, wrenching the wheel, too late..

The wolf slams into the front of my SUV with a loud, sickening thud. The force shakes the entire vehicle, making my chest tighten.

"Fucking hell."

I jump out before the SUV has fully come to a stop, my breathing uneven as my heart pounds with anger and panic.

Who the fuck runs across a road without looking?

One minute, I'm walking toward the injured wolf. The next, Ariel is practically losing his mind inside my head, pacing excitedly as he repeats the same word over and over.

"Mate."

The word makes me falter, and I nearly stop walking altogether. My eyes lock on the injured wolf as a glowing red thread suddenly appears, stretching from my chest to hers. There is no mistaking what it means.

My heart skips a beat as the realization crashes into me. The woman I just hit with my car... is my mate.

What the hell are the chances? After years of searching every pack, attending gathering after gathering, and convincing myself the Moon Goddess had forgotten me, I've finally found her.

I walk toward her and crouch beside her. The moment I get close enough, that familiar unmistakable scent hits me.

Cassandra? Rhett's ex-wife?

Holy fucking Moon Goddess.

I'd recognize that scent anywhere. I've spent the last few years forcing myself to remember that she belonged to someone else. She was another Alpha's Luna, completely off-limits. No matter how tempting she was, she was never a woman I could allow myself to want.

If this isn't the Moon Goddess answering my prayers, then I don't know what is. Maybe I should thank that bastard for divorcing her, because Cassandra is my mate now... and I'm not letting her go.

She snarls at me the moment I tell her she could have gotten herself killed. Her lips curl back, exposing sharp fangs as she glares at me with pure defiance.

My gaze drops to her injured leg. Blood stains her fur, and she struggles to keep her weight off it.

"You're a fucking idiot," Ariel growls in my head. "You just ran over our mate."

"I know," I snap back.

The second our eyes meet, I know what she's about to do. She's going to run.

"Shift," I order, my Alpha voice ringing with authority.

I have no idea why she's trying so hard to get away from me, but I'm not taking any chances. I searched years for my mate, and now that I've found her, I'm not letting her disappear into these woods.

Her bones snap back into place as she shifts into her human form. Without a word, I shrug off my coat and drape it over her shoulders before she can protest.

For some reason, I find myself enjoying our back-and-forth. I can't explain it, but there's something about the fire in her eyes that makes me want to keep provoking her.

More than that, I want to keep her mind off the pain. If she's too busy glaring at me and throwing insults, she isn't thinking about her injuries.

Judging by the murderous look she's giving me, the plan is working perfectly.

The last thing I expect is for her to reject me.

The look in her eyes says it all. She's done belonging to any man. Done trusting. Done giving pieces of herself away only to have them broken.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out Rhett hurt her. Whatever happened between them left scars that run far deeper than anything I can see.

A wave of rage crashes through me. The urge to storm into that bastard's pack house, slam him against the nearest wall, and beat him until he can't remember his own name is almost impossible to ignore.

But I force myself to calm down and push the anger aside. Then I do the only thing that makes sense.

"I reject your rejection."

Like I said, there's no way I'm letting her go.

Before she can argue again, I scoop her into my arms and carry her toward the SUV. At the same time, I mind-link the pack doctor, ordering him to meet us at my estate immediately.

She squirms and kicks against my chest the entire way, muttering every insult she can think of, but I barely pay her any attention.

I gently lower her onto the passenger seat, then shut the door and lock it before she can try anything reckless. Knowing her, she'd probably hop out on one injured leg just to prove a point.

I walk around the SUV and slide into the driver's seat.

"Let me out!" she shrieks, yanking on the door handle.

"I've got legs," she snaps. "I can walk."

I chuckle as I start the engine.

"Which leg?" I ask, glancing at her. "The sprained one?"

She glares at me, looking ready to strangle me.

"Not happening, Cassie," I say, pulling the SUV onto the road. "You're staying right there while I drive you home. My pack doctor is already on his way to examine you."