Mag-log in~ CASSANDRA ~“I... I didn’t consent. I can swear I didn’t consent to this. I didn’t. I was told I was signing a fertility consent form. I... I...” My voice falters as the words stumble out of me.I know how stupid my explanation sounds because I was supposed to read the document before signing it. I was supposed to know what I was agreeing to, and now, standing in front of the council, my explanation only makes me look careless and foolish.“It’s okay,” Cassian murmurs as he gently takes the document from my hands and hands it back to Alpha King Peter.“I swear I didn’t consent,” I whisper back, hoping he’ll know I’m telling the truth. If we’re doing this as a team, then I need him to know everything.Those brown eyes stare softly into mine.“I know. I can sense it in him. I can feel his elevated heart rate, the spike of fear, and the tension running through his body. He need to do a better job of hiding it. Leave it to me, and don’t say another word. He might use anything else you h
~ CASSANDRA ~Rhett is a psychopath, and the last thing I'm going to do is sit here and watch him act like some sweet, heartbroken husband who misses his wife and desperately hopes she'll return to him.Hell fucking no. I'm not letting him rewrite what happened right in front of everyone."Alpha Cassian did not use his Alpha aura on me in any way."My voice comes out strangled, though I manage to keep it low amid the murmurs."Rhett, my ex-husband, has been cheating on me for years. When I finally discovered the truth, I confronted him with pictures and everything I had found. And do you know what he did? He asked me to agree to an open marriage so he could openly sleep with other women without having to hide it from me anymore."I swallow hard, forcing myself to keep my voice steady."He body-shamed me. He made me feel worthless. He made me question my own value while he continued doing whatever the hell he wanted."I look around the room, meeting the eyes of the council and the gath
~ CASSANDRA ~When we get back to the summit event, everyone is already deep in a heated conversation, while Rhett sits calmly in his chair, looking as composed as ever. If only looks could be that deceiving.My arm is hooked around Cassian’s as he leads me back to my chair and helps me settle in. I try to follow the conversation that has been going on in our absence, but it takes me a few minutes to piece together what’s happening.Apparently, it’s a dispute between two packs, with the council trying to broker peace over a stretch of land. One pack claims the land belongs to them, while the other insists they legally bought it. Neither side seems willing to back down, and the council is struggling to keep the argument from turning into an all-out pack conflict.After what feels like thirty minutes, the council finally manages to reach a solution that, surprisingly, seems fair. They agree that the disputed land will remain under the temporary control of both packs, with each pack allo
~ CASSANDRA ~A female voice booms from the end of the hallway, carrying so much fucking authority that even Rhett pauses as she strides toward us.“You got lucky someone was here,” Rhett mutters, his voice low and fucking condescending as he finally backs away from me. “It’s nothing. We were just discussing something.”He turns toward the woman with a smile that looks almost convincing.“Doesn’t seem like a discussion to me.” She stops a few feet away, folding her arms across her chest as she fixes Rhett with a stern, unflinching stare. “Leave the lady alone and back off before I make you.”“Okay, okay.” Rhett raises both hands in mock surrender as he takes a step back, but his eyes remain fixed on me.“This isn’t over, Cassie. Think about it.”Rhett backs away, and I watch him disappear down the hallway before finally pushing myself off the wall.The woman walks toward me, and I take a moment to look at her properly. She is dressed in an elegant black dress that hugs her figure, whi
~ CASSANDRA ~He chuckles in that devilish way of his, his hand coming up to cup my jaw as he forces me to look into those evil eyes."Oh, my Cassie. That's where you're mistaken." His fingers tighten around my jaw. "I do have complete control over you. Every fucking bit of it. You can't leave me, bitch. This will only be over when I say it's over. You wouldn't leave me for my enemy, Cassie. You're not that brave. You'd rather kill me first!"His grip tightens around my jaw, and his teeth clench so hard I can practically hear them grinding.I try to say something, but with his hand around my neck, I can barely force the words out."You think you can leave me for that bastard after everything you know?" His fingers tighten around my throat."You're my accomplice. The only way to shut you up would be to kill you and slice that fat neck of yours clean off your body, but that brain of yours is too valuable to end up as a dead, decaying component." His lips curl into a cruel smile. "Hence,
~ CASSANDRA ~I nod, my gaze darting away from Rhett, whose jaw is clenched so tightly that I can practically see the muscles jumping under his skin. He’s giving me those devilish looks that say he’s about to hit me.Cassian’s hand tightens around mine, and I almost jerk involuntarily, my heart leaping into my throat as I silently beg him not to hit me.As if he can sense that something is wrong, Cassian pulls out a chair for me and guides me into it, making sure I’m seated securely before taking the seat beside me.His hand settles on my thigh, and before I can process what he’s doing, he pulls me closer to him.He presses a light kiss to my forehead before brushing his lips softly against mine.It’s barely a kiss, but my heart still stumbles in my chest. And Rhett? I don’t need to look at him to know he’s watching.A few minutes later, the remaining guests settle into their seats, and the conversations gradually die down. Alpha Peter rises from his place on the raised platform, and







