Chapter three: The Challenge and the True Enemy

Chapter Three: The Challenge and the True Enemy.

 

   I stood alone in the garden, thinking about...everything.

 

   For weeks now, Cassian had maintained his cold distance. He was seriously avoiding me.

 

   But even with that, he refused to reject me, this much was certain.

 

   The bond between us still  hummed—it was still very much alive and we could both still feel it.

 

   I could always see the battle raging beneath his skin in the quick glances we shared, and the clenching of his jaw whenever our paths crossed.

 

   Cassian was saying nothing, and yet his silence spoke volumes. He was determined to keep me at arm's length, to draw a line  between us that was not to be crossed.

 

   Rumors buzzed around the pack so fast  and Elias was their source.

 

   He said so many untrue things about me, and even Cassian. Since then, I could see the change in some of the pack's eyes, thanks to Elias's malice.

 

   Cassian was losing them, and every day that passed was making them question his leadership even more.

 

   I was done being silent.

 

   A fire was burning in me, and it required action.

 

   If Cassian would not fight for us, if he would just stand there and watch everything crash, then I would find out why.

 

   It was midday when I found him, in his study.

 

   He sat behind his massive desk, his broad shoulders looked like a rigid wall, his gaze fixed on the papers spread before him.

 

   "Cassian," I called, my voice firmer than I felt. "We need to talk."

 

   He turned slowly.

 

   "Seraphina," he replied, his tone was clipped and formal.

 

   "Why won't you fight for me? For us?" I demanded, planting my feet firmly on the ground.

 

   Something rippled through him, an emotion I couldn't quite understand. "There is no us to fight for."

 

   "Don't lie to me!" Anger flared in me. "You and I both know what this is. You feel it just as much as I do. Why do you deny it?"

 

   "Because it's wrong," he replied, the words clipped, laced with an edge that cut through the air between us. "I can't—we can't."

 

   "Why? Because of Elias's lies? Because of everyone is saying? Because of my mother?" I stepped forward, daring to breach the invisible line between us. "Cassian, you are my stepfather, but you are also my—"

 

   "Enough!" He yelled. His chest rose and fell rapidly, his eyes blinked with a storm of conflicting desires and fears. "I can't, Seraphina. Don't you understand? All that I do is for the pack, for our survival. This—this would destroy us."

 

   The honesty was breaking me, but I pressed on. "No, Cassian. It's not us that's destroying the pack. It's the fear, It's Elias."

 

   His eyes flickered at the mention of Elias,. "Elias is a problem, yes, but not the root of this."

 

   “This… situation… weakens me. It weakens the pack.” He added.

 

   “How?” I demanded, stepping closer to the desk, my own frustration finally bubbling over. “How does my existence, my bond with you, weaken the pack? We are stronger bonded, aren’t we? That’s what pack law dictates.”

 

   He stood abruptly, the chair scraping back harshly, the sound echoing in the tense silence.

 

   He moved around the desk, closing the space between us, his size suddenly overwhelming in the close confines of the study.

 

   I had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. The air around us was thick with unspoken words, and raw energy.

 

   Raw attraction.

 

   “Not in this case, Seraphina,” he said, his voice low, dangerously soft. “Pack law was written for simpler times. This is… different.”

 

   He didn’t elaborate, but he didn’t need to. I knew what he meant, what everyone in the pack was whispering about.

 

   Forbidden.

 

   Disgrace.

 

   Unnatural.

 

   “Enough,” I said, my voice surprisingly steady despite the tremor of rage that ran through me. “Enough of the whispers, enough of the avoidance, enough of this… this charade!”

 

   Cassian stiffened even further, his gaze hardening again. “Charade?” he echoed, his voice dangerously low.

 

   “Yes, charade!” I stepped closer, pushing past the fear that still lingered, fueled by a burning need to be heard, to be seen, to be acknowledged.

 

   “You act like I’m some… some contagious disease! You treat me like I’m a stranger, when we’re bonded! Don’t you feel it? Don’t you feel anything?”

 

   My voice cracked on the last word, the vulnerability I had tried to suppress finally breaking through.

 

   He flinched, a muscle twitching in his jaw, but he didn’t answer. He just stared at me.

 

   “Why?” I demanded, my voice rising.

 

   “Why are you doing this? Why won’t you fight for me? Why won’t you fight for us? This bond… it’s not a weakness, Cassian. It’s strength. It’s power. But you’re letting fear, you’re letting Elias’s lies… you’re letting them destroy something that could be incredible!”

 

   My breath was coming in ragged gasps, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes.

 

   I hated feeling this vulnerable in front of him, hated needing him.

 

   I hated the way my heart ached for a connection he was actively denying.

 

   He finally moved, his hand reaching out, his fingers brushing against my cheek.

 

   The touch was hesitant, like he was testing the waters, afraid of what he might find.

 

   But even that little touch sent a jolt of electricity through me.

 

   His eyes, no longer cold, were now dark and swirling with emotions I couldn’t fully comprehend.

 

   Desire? Yes, I saw it flickering there, raw and undeniable.

 

   But there was also… pain.

 

   He cupped my face, his thumbs tracing the line of my jaw, sending shivers down my spine.

 

   The air crackled between us, thick with unspoken longing, with the pull of the bond, with the forbidden desire that had been simmering beneath the surface since the ceremony.

 

   “Seraphina,” he breathed, my name a rough whisper against my skin.

 

   His voice was thick with emotions.

 

   He leaned closer, his breath warm against my lips, and for a moment, just a fleeting, heart-stopping moment, I thought… I thought he was going to kiss me.

 

   To truly claim me.

 

   To surrender to the bond, to the  connection that pulsed between us.

 

   My heart hammered against my ribs, my body trembling with anticipation, with a desperate yearning I hadn’t dared to acknowledge until this moment.

 

   I closed my eyes, waiting for him to close the distance, to break down the walls he had erected between us.

 

   And then… he pulled back.

 

   The withdrawal was abrupt, almost violent, leaving me breathless and disoriented.

 

   His hands fell away from my face, leaving me cold and empty.

 

   He stepped back, putting distance between us once again, the wall slamming back into place, stronger and higher than before.

 

   His eyes were cold again.

 

   “This… cannot happen again, Seraphina,” he said, his voice hard, devoid of any emotion. “I will not… I cannot… succumb to this.”

 

   He turned away, facing the window, his back to me, his shoulders rigid.

 

   The silence in the room was deafening, broken only by the pounding of my own heart.

 

   I stood there, numb, hurt, and utterly, devastatingly confused.

 

   What had just happened?

 

   Had I imagined that flicker of desire? That raw, untamed emotion in his eyes?

 

   Or was he truly so determined to deny what was so clearly between us?

 

   The door to the study burst open, shattering the tense silence.

 

   Elias stood there, framed in the doorway, a triumphant smirk playing on his lips.

 

   His eyes flicked between Cassian’s rigid back and my own stunned face, his smirk widening.

 

   “Alpha,” Elias said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

 

   "Cassian. It's time.”

 

   Cassian turned slowly, his face a mask of cold fury. “What is it, Elias?”

 

   Elias took a step into the room, his gaze fixed on Cassian. “There have been some...developments. Something you have been avoiding for a long time.” He let the words hang in the air, heavy with implication.

 

   I knew it, even before he said the words. The alpha challenge. It was coming. But I hadn’t expected it to be so soon, so… blatant.

 

   “Developments?” Cassian’s voice was dangerously soft.

 

   Elias puffed out his chest, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “Yes, Cassian. The…disgrace of your bond. This…unnatural connection with your stepdaughter.” He gestured towards me with a dismissive wave of his hand, as if I were nothing more than a piece of contaminated baggage.

 

   “It has weakened the pack and many are questioning whether you are still fit to lead.”

 

   He paused, letting his words sink in, letting the weight of his accusation hang heavy in the air.

 

   Then, his voice ringing with false conviction, he delivered the final blow.

 

   “Therefore, Cassian,” Elias declared, his voice echoing in the sudden, chilling silence. “I formally challenge you for the position of Alpha. According to pack law, you must defend your title. And I believe… the pack will agree…that the time for a change has come.”

 

   Tension was in the air. Cassian stared at Elias, his eyes blazing with fury. But beneath the anger, I saw something else flicker in his gaze.

 

   Doubt? Fear? Or was it just… resignation?

 

   My heart skipped.

 

   Elias had done it. He had used me. He had used the bond, the very thing that was meant to strengthen us, as a weapon against Cassian.

 

   And now, everything was about to be on the line. The pack, Cassian’s leadership, everything we knew…everything we had might be lost.

 

   And it was all my fault.