Chapter 4

Estelle's POV

This sentence pierced me like a needle, striking the most fragile place inside my chest.

—Ding.

The elevator doors slid open.

Blinding light flooded my vision.

And then, in the very next instant, a familiar, savage pheromone hit me full force.

Overpowering. Searing. Thick with restrained fury.

I looked up.

Cassius stood outside the elevator.

The moment he saw me, his eyes darkened. Then his gaze shifted to the man standing across from me. It wasn't simple anger—it was an Alpha's instinctive alertness when faced with a rival.

The air snapped tight around us.

"What are you doing?"

Cassius's voice was glacial, stretched thin with barely restrained control.

His eyes dropped to the narrow space between me and the other man. His pheromones flared, rolling outward with unmistakable possession.

My wolf tensed instinctively—not out of fear, but because I felt myself being dragged back into a bond that had long ago exhausted me.

I could feel it.

Cassius was furious.

It was declaring and asserting---I still belonged to him.

But the man inside the elevator didn't step back.

Instead, he shifted slightly, placing himself half a step in front of me.

The movement was natural—almost casual—yet deliberate.

Not possession, but protection. And challenge.

He met Cassius's gaze, expression calm, his own pheromones rising in steady, silent defiance.

"If that was a question," he said mildly, "your tone could use some work."

In that instant, three auras collided in the confined space.

The old Bond tugged painfully at my chest.

The presence of this unfamiliar Alpha stirred my wolf in restless confusion.

And Cassius's rage burned like wildfire waiting for oxygen.

The next second, Cassius grabbed my wrist, intending to drag me out.

I tore my hand free immediately.

With a serene smile, I said softly, "Go back to your little darling. I don't need you playing hero."

Cassius's expression went pitch-dark.

Without another word, he bent, scooped me up, and threw me over his shoulder before striding toward the exit.

The elevator fell into stunned silence.

I struggled fiercely against his back.

As we stepped out, I glanced over his shoulder. The man inside the elevator met my gaze from beneath lowered lashes, his stare sharp and unreadable.

Heat rushed to my face.

I covered it quickly and looked away.

Outside Blackstone Bar, the night air was thick with alcohol and cheap perfume—loud, artificial, suffocating.

Before I could steady myself, a strong arm hooked around my waist.

The next second—

My body was dumped onto the backseat of a black SUV.

The door slammed shut.

Cassius's scent flooded the enclosed space instantly.

Cold. Oppressive. Irritated.

He climbed in beside me.

The air felt vacuum-sealed.

My vision swam briefly as blood rushed back to my head. Being carried upside down had thrown off my wolf's equilibrium. I braced against the leather seat and forced myself upright, nausea rolling through me.

My wolf growled low inside my chest—discomfort, rejection, and something dangerously close to revolt.

Cassius opened the glove compartment, pulled out a wet wipe, and methodically scrubbed the lingering alcohol and foreign scents from his face.

His movements were calm. Detached. As if he had merely dealt with a minor inconvenience.

My gaze drifted deeper into the compartment—

And then froze.

I saw an unopened condom lay in the back.

The faint rubber scent pricked my heightened senses.

Almost at the same moment, Cassius's voice dropped, heavy with Alpha authority.

"What are you doing there?"

He turned toward me. "Trying to catch us in the act?"

The temperature inside the car seemed to plummet.

I didn't answer.

Instead, I reached for the door handle.

The air inside was unbearable.

The lingering pheromones of an unfamiliar female clung to the upholstery—cloyingly sweet, instantly repulsive to my wolf.

I needed to get out.

But my wrist was seized mid-motion.

"...Estelle."

My name came out low. Warning.

He yanked me back toward him, grip tight.

"How long are you planning to drag this out?"

His dominance spread through the confined space, silent and suffocating.

My breathing quickened. Instinctively, I suppressed my own scent, digging my nails into my palms hard enough to hurt—using the pain to steady the turmoil inside.

"I…" My voice came out thin. "I want to go home."

He stared at me for two long seconds.

Cold. Assessing. As though evaluating malfunctioning equipment.

Then he rolled down the window and called toward the club entrance, where Arlo was waiting.

"Drive."

The ride passed in silence.

Only the low hum of the engine filled the space between us.

I pressed myself into the far corner of the seat, deliberately keeping distance.

I felt cold—not because of the argument, but because I could no longer smell the steady, grounding scent of our Bond.

It was fading, like moonlight draining from the tide.

Back at the villa, the car had barely stopped before I pushed the door open and stepped out.

The house was quiet.

The familiar scent of our territory eased something tight in my chest.

I walked straight to the kitchen, opened the fridge, poured a full glass of ice water, and drank it down in one breath.

The cold cut through me.

My wolf finally settled.

When I returned to the living room, Cassius was already seated.

The white overhead light cast him in sharp angles, rigid and unmoving—an Alpha surveying his domain.

I sat opposite him.

Silence fell.

Heavy. Suffocating.

Cassius spoke first.

"I went to discuss the project." His tone was cool, rational. Detached. "Was it entertaining? Storming into Blackstone Bar and putting on a show?You look terrible. Like a she-wolf who's lost control."

I held his gaze without speaking.

"Anything else?" I asked calmly.

Almost emptily.

He frowned.

"If you want this relationship to continue, stop with the baseless suspicions. I don't have time to manage your emotions."

I nodded once.

"Okay."

Then I repeated, "Anything else?"

The air grew colder still.

His patience was visibly thinning.

"Estelle." His voice lowered, edged with irritation. "You're becoming exhausting."