Hello my darling readers A massive thanks to all who are reading this book and to all who have left comments and gems. I love hearing what you're thinking, so please do leave your comments and critiques. Special shout outs to Debbie, C and Anneri for the gems, as well as the queen of comments, Sherri. You all rock! Lots of love, Kristi xxx
Cassie POV “What’s up, Buttercup?” Damian murmured in my ear as I leaned on the balustrade at the end of the terrace, looking out over the gardens lit by strategically placed lights. I laughed and turned to face him, “what on earth are you doing here? Aren’t you meant to be working back in New York? You have a brand new club to run and no manager to help you out.”Damian smirked and stood beside me, leaning back against the balustrade casually. “Actually, Maretti was released from jail and he’s back at the club,” Damian said casually - as if the news of Boss being released wasn’t the biggest thing I’d heard since Amy had called telling me about the theft of videos of me dancing.“What?!” I almost shouted, shocked with the news. He shrugged, “yeah. They had the wrong man. There was no evidence to hold him and he revealed that he and Jessie had been in an open relationship for almost two years. He didn’t care about her activities with the other men, strangely.” “So they just let hi
Cassie POV I stared at myself in the mirror as I brushed my hair, my eyes sparkling in the muted light from the bedside lamps next to Vasilios’s gigantic four poster bed. “It’s just a bit of fun, Cassie,” I told myself, suppressing any common sense which may have remained in my head. “You’ve always thought he was the most gorgeous man to ever walk this earth, and now you can have him - no strings attached. He made the deal, six months with him and then you can go back to doing whatever you want, wherever you want. So why not take advantage of it?” My pep talk to myself seemed to convince me that I could do whatever I wanted with Vasilios and be able to walk away, consequence free at the end of it all. It sounded great - so no wonder I jumped at it. It had been over an hour since I'd left the party, and Vasilios was finally able to break free from the event, many of the guests slowly wandering to their beds. The alcohol had dulled in my veins and the foggy feeling had given away to
Cassie POV The sun filtering through the curtains fell across the bed, waking me up gently with its warm embrace. I smiled and stretched lazily like a cat, only to become painfully aware of four things. One, I was still naked. Two, Vasilios was no longer in bed next to me. In fact, his side of the bed was ice cold which meant that he had probably been up for hours. Three, My inner thighs were sticky. And last, but certainly not least, I was extremely tender. Apparently there was a price to pay for the multiple rounds of love making Vasilios and I had enjoyed throughout the night. I staggered to the bathroom, desperate to pee and almost screamed when it felt as if I were peeing fire. “Never again,” I grumbled miserably - but I knew that I was definitely lying to myself. I dressed casually in a maxi dress, tying my hair up and slapping on just enough makeup to cover up the evidence of the very little sleep I’d got. With a yawn, I trod down the stairs into the foye
Cassie POV“You look like shit,” Elle announced as I entered the gym where Luca was beating the living daylights out of another alpha. “Thanks,” I grumbled back, sinking onto the bench she was sitting on. She turned her entire body to face me, her eyes scanning over me as she assessed for damages like some weird robot. “OK, spill,” she demanded when she couldn't find any physical signs. I bit down on my bottom lip before I let the words flow out of me like a volcano, knowing it was pretty damned useless to keep anything from her. “Vasilios and I slept together… again. All that talk about how great he was in bed made me think that I should have a little bit of fun while I'm still with him.” “As long as you were being safe,” Elle said sternly, sounding more like a mother than ever. “Don't worry, I'm on the pill,” I drawled and Elle shook her head. “That's not what I meant. As much as I love that man like a brother, Vasilios has had more sex partners than I have fingers. You'd be
Vasilios POVI had known from the moment that I had seen my great uncle Otis that something shifty was going on behind the scenes - and surprise, surprise, I was right. The Council’s manipulation strategy was all bundled up with a nice little bow in the form of “helping the werewolf species” and “putting an end to the rogue threats”, but anyone with half a brain would be able to see the real aim behind their words. They wanted more power. “So tonight’s diplomatic mission is to get each alpha to agree to allow one of the Council’s agents to live within the pack territory. This will allow the Council to monitor rogue activity,” Otis had croaked, his beady eyes darting between Viktor and myself as we stood in my father’s office. “Sure,” Titan grumbled in my head. “He really means the agents will be able to report all the activities of the pack to the Council. They’re scared that the packs will rise up against them when they hear about the increase in taxes that the Council are asking
Cassie POV“Thanks for walking me back to the packhouse.” Damian smiled and tucked a stray hair behind my ear, “anytime. You know that I am always here for you.” I couldn’t help but smile back at him. He had come to my rescue when he had seen me furiously stomp toward the doors of the gym-come-ballroom, angry at myself for being disappointed when I saw Amber’s hand on Vasilios’s arm. What did I expect of him? This arrangement of ours was just temporary - because I had wanted it to be temporary. “Are you sure you’re going to be alright here? Everyone is at the party after all, and you’ll be alone,” Damian asked, concern in his voice. I squeezed his hand reassuringly, “I will be fine. I just didn’t feel like being at the party among all those fake people.” He chuckled and pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around me. “You’re one of a kind, Cassie. You really don’t fit in this world of politics. Why don’t you come back with me when I leave?” I sighed, “I wish I could. But it shoul
Cassie POVI ignored Vasilios at breakfast, refusing to meet his gaze as I sat chatting to Eliana in hushed tones instead. Viktor sat in his usual spot in the centre of the long table, his gaggle of adoring female admirers clinging to every word which oozed from his mouth. When Alpha Dimitri called Vasilios into his office, I breathed a sigh of relief. I’d been painfully aware of him - every move he made, every time he looked my way - it was like I was being burned with his presence. “I can make Vasilios disappear from your life forever, and you will never have to fear him again,” Otis whispered in my ear as he left the table, smiling secretly at me before he moved to the balcony and lit a cigarette. “I need a smoke,” I said under my breath to Eliana who raised an eyebrow in question but didn’t say anything, continuing her attack on the piece of toast in her hand. No one paid attention to me as I left the table and stepped out onto the balcony, for which I was rather grateful. Oti
Cassie POVI waited for Vasilios and my father in the alcove next to Alpha Dimitri's office. I didn't have to wait long before I heard a door close and Vasilios walked by, his face like a thundercloud as he spoke in muted angry tones to my father, who looked deceptively calm.“Papa,” I called out, forcing the men to stop in their tracks. “Cassandra, I thought you'd still be at breakfast,” my father responded, a questioning look on his face. I shrugged, “I was. But then I had a little run in with Otis, and decided to hide out in your office only to find it occupied… by Viktor.”My father turned to me and took one of my hands, concern evident in his eyes. “Cassandra, Otis didn't… do anything to you. Right?”I shook my head, “other than offering to help me escape Vasilios,” I eyed the man in question before returning to my father. “No, he didn't do anything. But Viktor, the snake, he's bugged your office.”“What?” Vasilios roared, obviously not in the mood for any more insults from his