Cassie POVI slowly exhaled as the plane taxied into its storage hanger. It was the first time I'd been on Greek soil in almost three years, and it hit me hard. “Are you alright?” Vasilios asked as he looked over me from his luxurious white leather seat. Flying in a private plane certainly had its perks. “Yeah, I'm just a bit nervous to see my dad.”And that was putting it mildly. The last few months before I'd tucked my tail between my legs and ran away to America, things had been rocky between my dad and myself. “I can't say he's been happy with the way you ran away without even telling him where you were going,” Vasilios raised a condescending eyebrow. I crossed my arms and looked out the window at the activities in the hanger. “It's not as if he'd be magically happy with me if I did tell him where I was going. You forget that he was still pissed at me for the Laryssa debacle.”“So, you made it clear that you didn't like his girlfriend and she decided to break up with him. They
Cassie POVJurgen stayed close to me for the rest of the ferry ride, and every time Stacey came within sight, he would step between myself and her. I'm not sure when it clicked in my mind that he was acting as my bodyguard, but it somewhat irritated me. I didn't need a bodyguard! I was tough enough to look after myself. “Come, let's get off this vessel before we get stuck behind the rest of the tourists,” I heard Vasilios's voice break through my brooding. I followed him meekly, trying to hold my tongue until we were alone. As we got to a shiny black Range Rover, Jurgen passed Vasilios a set of keys before he turned and disappeared into the crowd without another word. I found myself staring after him, a bit dumbfounded at his actions. Vasilios opened the passenger side door for me and I climbed in, still darting glances at where the other man had disappeared like a spectre of my imagination. “Vasilios, what is Jurgen?” I heard myself ask as Vasilios drove through the streets of P
Cassie POV“Cassandra.”I heard my father's whispered words as if they had been shouted. He stood as still as a statue for a moment before he shook his head and walked away, not bothering to look back. I'm not sure what I expected him to do, but it certainly wasn't that. I stared after him, completely dumbstruck. “Vasilios, you have returned with your runaway mate. Am I to assume that you are going to compete against Viktor for the title?” Alpha Dimitri's rough voice echoed in the entrance hall. “I have come to claim my title, Father. Viktor's blood link to the position is so distant that he shouldn't even be a consideration for this position,” Vasilios tensed beside me as he spat out his cousin's name. A muscle in the alpha's cheek twitched, but other than that he showed no emotion. “Your cousin has a letter from the council which has said that, as he is still a descendant of the original Alpha of Poros, he cannot- and will not - be excluded from the proceedings as our Poros cust
Vasilios POVI clenched my hands into tight fists before relaxing them again for what seemed like the hundredth time since I made the slow procession down to Beta Georgio's office. He was the only person who could possibly give me an advantage over my so-called cousin. But standing outside his office, I was questioning if this was a good idea after all. “He might not support me because I let his daughter get away,” I told Titan, the grumpy wolf irritated with my indecision. “Or he could be grateful that you brought his rebellious daughter home. Stop being such a kitten, Vasilios. We are alpha, for fuck sakes.”I knew he was right. Clenching my fists one last time, I knocked firmly on the beta's door. “Enter!” he called out seconds before I pushed his door open. The man looked even older than he had before I had left; his salt and pepper hair now mostly grey and the wrinkles around his eyes were more defined. “Ah, Vasilios. Welcome home!” he smiled warmly at me as he stood up fro
Cassie POVI stood in front of the mirror and tugged at my cocktail dress, wishing it were just a little bit longer. Formal dinners had never been my thing - having to make smalltalk and pretend to like people who would willingly stab you in the back at the first opportunity. But there I was, preparing in the same way I imagined warriors preparing for war. “You ready?” I heard Vasilios ask from behind me, and I spun around in fright. “Yeah, I guess so,” I scrunched up my nose as I looked Vasilios up and down. “Although I look like an escort girl next to you.”Dressed in a navy suit, the top two buttons of his crisp white shirt left undone, and his shoes shiny enough to see your reflection in, he looked delectable. In contrast, my little black number seemed a bit too revealing and lacked the suave sense of class that he portrayed. “You look fine, babe. Just keep your head held high and tell the critics that your bag with your formal attire was accidentally left at the airport,” Vas
Cassie POV Reintroduction into the pack. I could think of nothing worse than being forced to be social with the people who thought that I was so far below them, just because I was a hybrid. But I knew that - for Vasilios’s sake - I was going to have to slap a smile on my face and be nice to the condescending werewolves. “He had better appreciate this,” I muttered under my breath. “What did you say, dearling?” Laryssa asked, tucking a stray blonde hair into place. “Oh, I just was commenting that I feel underdressed for this event,” I quickly made up, tugging at the bottom of my dress for what seemed like the hundredth time. Laryssa clicked her tongue and shook her head slightly. “Your mate certainly thinks like a typical man. He didn’t even warn you about the events that will be taking place, did he?” I shook my head and whispered to her, “he said to tell everyone that my luggage was accidentally left behind at the airport so I don’t have any formal attire at the moment.” I
Cassie POV The voice and accent were unmistakable, and so I was not surprised when Jurgen pulled out the seat beside me and sat down. He didn’t pay attention to the keen interest of the rest of the pack members present, his focus purely on Vasilios and myself. “I thought you had decided to avoid the inevitable drama that this tournament will bring,” Vasilios chuckled as one of the omegas brought Jurgen a plate of food. Jurgen smiled slightly before he thanked the omega, something none of the other guests in attendance had even thought of doing. “No, my friend. Duty called but I have returned to show you my support,” Jurgen explained. I’m not sure what duty Jurgen referred to, but instantly Vasilios sat up straighter. “Any news?” Jurgen shook his head, and even though his face didn’t betray what he was feeling, I could see sadness in his eyes. The dinner went by uneventfully, Viktor keeping his fans enraptured as Vasilios kept our corner of the table entertained with a stor
Cassie POVHave you ever experienced the awkward feeling of someone staring at you while you sleep? Well, that was the feeling I got, only to open my eyes and see wide violet eyes staring at me.“Mama! She’s awake!” the dark haired cherub announced loudly as she poked my face. “Well if I wasn’t before, I definitely would be now,” I muttered, my fuzzy brain wondering who the little gremlin was who had stared me awake. And then all the pieces clicked into place as her mother came into view. “Elle!” I squealed, launching myself out of bed and at my laughing best friend. “Surprise,” she laughed, hugging me tightly. “Vasilios let us know that you were heading home, so we thought we would surprise you. Only, we hear that there is a world of drama happening at the moment.” Eliana threw her hands up in exasperation. “ A tournament? Because Greeks can’t just handle things normally and let the oldest son inherit.”I laughed and shook my head, “where would the fun be in that? Although I have