FRIEND OR FOE?

The Blackthorne estate was unusually busy that week. Samuel’s staff polished the halls until they gleamed, preparing for the Alpha Conference, a gathering that drew leaders from across the packs. Amanda had heard about it in passing, something about an annual meeting where alphas from the different packs met and talked about negotiations, territory lines, and alliances. She hadn’t thought much of it until a surprise guest arrived, throwing the entire house in a frenzy, Cassian Graveson. He wasn’t expected to arrive so soon, and certainly not alone. His father, Alpha Dominic Graveson of the Northern Reach, was supposed to represent his pack. Instead, Cassian rode into Moonridge ahead of the conference with only a single guard, his arrival causing whispers even before he stepped through the door.

Amanda had been heading down the main staircase when the heavy oak doors opened. She froze halfway down, her hand gripping the banister as she saw him. Cassian Graveson was nothing like she imagined when she had heard the staff whisper about him. He was tall and broad shouldered, but he didn't carry himself with the cold severity she’d come to expect from alpha heirs. Instead, he moved with easy confidence, a smirk tugging at his mouth as if the world amused him. His golden brown hair caught the light, his eyes sharp but warm in a way that unsettled Amanda for reasons she couldn’t name.

Samuel was at the foot of the stairs talking to his second-in-command, who Amanda had come to know as Marco; a presence that was always there, hovering in the shadows but someone she never really saw, when Cassian burst into the house like he owned the place.

"Samuel Blackthorne", he greeted warmly, moving with confidence and clasping Samuel’s hand as if they were old friends. "Thank you for hosting me, my father sends his regards. He wanted to come early with me, but he was… delayed. He'll be here in time for the Alpha conference though", he said.

Samuel’s expression tightened briefly, but he was gracious as ever and broke into a polite smile. "The Blackthorne house is always open to our allies. You’re very welcome here, Cassian", he said.

That was when Cassian’s gaze shifted and found Amanda. She stiffened as his eyes swept up to her, pausing midstep on the stairs. Most people looked through her or around her, like she was an unwelcome shadow. But Cassian didn’t. His attention landed squarely on her, sharp and assessing before softening into something playful.

"And who might this be?", he asked.

Amanda felt heat creep into her cheeks. She opened her mouth, but Samuel answered first.

"Ah, this is Amanda, my stepdaughter", his voice held warmth as he looked towards her on the stairs and extended his hands toward her. Amanda smiled softly at him as she took his hand and descended the last of the stairs.

Cassian’s brows rose slightly, but his smile widened.

"Ah, yes I did hear about your remarriage. Congratulations on that, by the way, Alpha Samuel. But I am very glad to finally meet the elusive Amanda. I’ve heard… very little about you, which I must admit has only made me all the more curious", he said with such charm that it left Amanda stunned for a minute.

She finally managed a polite nod. "Welcome to Moonridge", she said softly.

He inclined his head, his smirk deepening as if he’d caught the nerves behind her formality. "Thank you and I know what your staff must be saying right now, Alpha Samuel, but believe me, I’ll try not to be too much trouble", he said with a mischievous glint in his eye.

---

Cassian settled into the house as though he’d lived there all his life. He charmed the staff, joked easily with Samuel, and treated Celeste with old world courtesy that made her blush like anyone else half her age. But it was Amanda he sought out most often. Unlike Skylar, whose presence was a storm that pressed down until she couldn’t breathe, Cassian carried himself like sunlight, warm, teasing, and disarmingly easy. He found her in the library one evening, poring over a book she wasn’t really reading.

"You hide in here often?", he asked, sliding into the chair opposite her without invitation.

Amanda arched a brow at him.

"Do you always barge in on people?", she asked.

"Only when they look like they need rescuing from boredom", he said as he leaned back in his chair, studying her with infuriating ease. "And you, Amanda Blackthorne, look like you’ve been bored for weeks", he added.

She tried not to smile. "You don’t know me", she said evenly.

"Not yet, but I'd like to", his grin was quick and unashamed.

Amanda’s guard wavered. Since moving to Moonridge, she had been the subject of suspicion, whispers, and cold glares. Cassian’s attention, though teasing, wasn’t cruel. It was a glimpse of normalcy she hadn’t realized she was starving for. Still, she reminded herself who he was. An alpha’s son, another wolf, he was dangerous. So she kept her replies cautious, measured, but she didn’t walk away.

---

Skylar noticed. He didn’t say anything outright, but Amanda felt his eyes on her across the dining table, all through the meal. She noticed the way his jaw tightened whenever Cassian leaned too close during conversation. And she had a feeling that Cassian, who was perceptive in ways that unsettled her, seemed to enjoy provoking it. He seemed to laugh louder when he noticed Skylar's eyes were on them, he even made a show of pulling out Amanda’s chair at the end of the meal and leaned close when whispering jokes that made her roll her eyes. If he noticed the storm brewing in Skylar’s expression, he didn’t care. Or maybe he cared too much, using Amanda as a pawn in a game she didn’t understand because there was definitely some unresolved tension between the two of them.

---

That night, Amanda’s dreams returned but this time, they weren’t foggy fragments. They were vivid, consuming. She stood beneath a blood-red moon, the surrounding forest alive with shadows and whispers. Her body trembled, her skin burning from within. She doubled over, gasping, as silver light erupted from her chest and spread outward.

Her bones cracked. Her muscles tore and reshaped. Pain and power tangled until she thought she would shatter. Then, suddenly, she was free and then, she felt him. Another presence pressed against hers, familiar, electric. A dark wolf, golden eyes burning, circling her with predatory grace. Skylar. Her heart lurched. She felt his power brushing against hers, their connection undeniable, a force that rattled the earth beneath their paws. But then the dream turned, Skylar lunged, faster than she could move. His teeth sank into her neck, hot and sharp. Pain flared white, blinding, as her body buckled beneath him. His growl vibrated through her bones, claiming, consuming and Amanda screamed.

She woke up with a violent gasp, clutching her throat. Moonlight filtered through her curtains, pale and cold. Her skin prickled with sweat. She scrambled to the mirror, tugging her collar down and froze. A faint bruise marred her neck, right where his teeth had been in the dream. Her breath shuddered out of her lungs. It wasn’t just a dream. It was something far more dangerous.