Chapter 3: Surprise

To call dinner awkward would’ve been putting it lightly. The tension around the table was thick enough to slice with a knife. Every time I glanced up from my untouched plate of pasta, I found Kai’s eyes locked on me, steady, unreadable, and far too intense. It made my skin crawl, not because it was unpleasant, but because it stirred something deeper, something dangerous. I couldn’t remember every word I spat at him at the bar last night, but judging by the glint in his eye, he did, and he was enjoying the memory.

Florence, his mother, was surprisingly warm and chatty. Her kindness was almost suffocating. I was used to being overlooked, forgotten at tables like this, but she wouldn't allow it. She pulled me into every conversation she could, constantly directing questions my way, making me the center of attention. I could feel the storm brewing in my father’s jaw every time she spoke my name. That familiar tick of his cheek, the way he gritted his teeth, it told me everything. He hated it, hated seeing someone care about me.

The only thing more surprising than Florence’s attention was his silence. If this had been any other dinner, he would’ve snapped by now, flung his wine glass or stormed out. But here he was, contained, calm. That told me everything I needed to know. The Hudsons held power. Power my father respected. And feared.

“So Kai. I heard you own a bar?” My stepmother’s sugary tone shattered the tense silence like cheap glass.

Kai’s gaze reluctantly shifted from me to her. He looked like he had to pull himself out of a daydream.

“Yes,” he said flatly.

That single word hung in the air like a dare. It was uncharacteristically brief, considering how full of words he’d been last night. My stepmother smiled through a frown, her eyes narrowing just enough to betray her irritation before she turned her attention back to her plate.

Then his eyes slid back to me. And he winked.

He winked.

What the actual hell?

I scoffed softly, pushing the bland pasta around my plate. The taste was dry, chalky, definitely my stepmother’s doing. She had a thing for fake perfection: fake smiles, fake warmth, and now fake dinners. If only she had let the chef handle it, I was starving.

“Cassandra, why don’t you take Kai somewhere private? You two should get to know each other,” my father said, the command barely hidden beneath the pretense of suggestion.

I froze, the fork halfway to my mouth. Slowly, I looked up to find every pair of eyes on me. Including Kai’s. His smirk deepened, and I felt the urge to throw my wine in his face. My father’s glare sent a cold ripple down my spine.

“Yes, Da—Father,” I muttered, correcting myself.

I stood, pushing my chair back with a sharp scrape, and made my way up the stairs. I didn’t check to see if Kai was behind me. I didn’t need to. His presence was like gravity, pulling at my skin, warm and thick. His scent, cedar wood, smoke, mint, wrapped around me until I could barely breathe. My wolf stirred restlessly, her ears perked, her breath quickening. She liked him. Too much.

“Slow down, darling,” Kai’s voice drawled behind me.

I spun around, nearly crashing into him. His body was close, too close, and I had to step back to reclaim space.

“My name is Cassy. Not darling,” I snapped.

He grinned like I’d just handed him a gift. His smile was devastating, too bright, too easy.

“Duly noted, Cassandra.”

“It’s Cass—”

I didn’t get to finish my sentence. He slipped past me, brushing against my shoulder, deliberate, smooth, like a whisper on skin. His cologne followed in waves, bold and dizzying. I exhaled shakily, trying to shake off the heat rising to my cheeks.

He stopped in front of my old bedroom door and turned with that damn smirk. “After you, darling.”

“My name’s not—”

“I know,” he said, cocking his head. “Cassy sounds too... formal. We’re getting married, aren’t we?”

I froze in place.

He said it like we were discussing weekend plans, like it was no more serious than picking out what movie to watch. A casual sentence about a life-changing arrangement.

I walked into the room without replying. He followed, closing the door behind him with a soft click. The air changed instantly. Thick and heavy. The kind of silence that held weight. I began pacing, while he simply stood there, watching me.

Kai leaned against the door, arms folded over his chest, looking relaxed. “You’re angry.”

“No,” I muttered, still pacing toward the window. “I’m furious.”

“Because you don’t want to marry me?”

I turned to him slowly. “Because I don’t want to be told who to marry.”

He pushed off the door and took a few slow steps in my direction. “Fair. But let me ask you something, Cassy... why were you at my bar last night?”

I blinked. Not the question I was expecting.

“To drink,” I said quickly.

“Alone?” he asked, voice challenging.

I faltered.

He moved closer, eyes locked on mine. “You really didn’t know I owned the place?”

I scoffed bitterly. “Oh, please. Don’t flatter yourself. I barely even knew I was being sold off until that evening.”

He nodded slowly, still looking far too amused. Nothing seemed to surprise him.

“I believe you,” he said. “And now... I want to know more about you. Will you let me?”

“What?” I asked, genuinely confused.

His words hit something deep inside me. My wolf stirred again, pacing in the back of my mind, tail wagging, her excitement barely contained.

“I want to know everything there is to know about Cassandra Heathingway,” he said, voice low, steady. “Not the cold, obedient daughter. Not the girl who bites to keep people at a distance. Just... you. Casey. My soon-to-be wife.”

My heart thudded painfully in my chest. My mouth went dry. No one had ever wanted to know me before. People assumed they already did. Assumed I was just a perfect product of my father’s bloodline. Controlled. Emotionless. Stiff. Like all the stories in the tabloids were enough to make up who I was. No one ever asked what I thought, what I felt. No one wanted to know my side.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, trying to sound firm. I failed.

He smiled, darker this time. There was something in it that made my stomach tighten. “I do know. I’m curious. And I want to help you.”

I stared at him. My throat tightened.

“Help me how?” I asked.

“I could help you... unwind,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Just one night. Just us. No titles. No pressure. No wedding talk. Just conversation. Or silence. Whatever you need. A night to breathe. To feel something.”

My body tensed. I wanted to slap him. I wanted to throw him out. I also wanted to drag him to the bed.

My wolf rolled onto her back, paws in the air, practically purring.

I forced a cold laugh. “You’re disgusting.”

He didn’t blink. “I’m honest.”

I stepped back, needing distance. “I’m not that kind of girl.”

He shrugged. “Then tell me what kind you are.”

“You’re only asking this because you want to get into my pants,” I hissed. My stomach twisted with confusion. I hated the way my body was reacting. I was angry. I knew I was. But there was something about the way he spoke, so confident, so calm, that made it hard to think straight.

And worse? I knew his tactic was working.

Kai lifted his hands in surrender, playful but sincere. “You might not believe me, darling, but I didn’t know who you were when I walked up to you at the bar.”

“Liar.”

“You can believe whatever you want. But I stand by what I said. Even if you weren’t going to be my wife, I’d still offer this. Why? Because I like you.”

He said it so simply. So boldly. How was he so sure of himself?

“Don’t let this arrangement be boring, darling,” he added, stepping closer. “It might not be what we wanted, but we can make the most of it. Don’t you think?”

I shook my head in disbelief. The words coming out of his mouth were wild. I was used to playing games, but this, this was something else entirely.

Just say yes, my wolf snarled inside me.

It’ll be a night of fun. Stop being so uptight.

Shut up, I snapped. You won’t be the one who has to live with the shame afterward.

Who cares about shame? she growled. This man is offering hot, intense, unforgettable sex and you're thinking about embarrassment?”

A laugh broke out of me. One I didn’t expect. I doubled over slightly, clutching my stomach as it shook. A deep, honest, disbelieving laugh.

Kai didn’t seem offended. In fact, he looked like he wanted to laugh with me.

I wiped tears from the corner of my eyes, still smiling. “You’re sick in the head, Kai.”

“Maybe,” he said, unbothered.

Then I looked at him, serious again. “Aren’t you even a little upset? Your parents are basically stripping you of your free will.”

He didn’t hesitate. “I have all the free will I want, darling. Everything I’m doing now, I chose it.”

“So, you’re telling me it’s your choice to marry a girl you barely even like?”

“It could’ve been worse,” he said, shrugging with that maddening grin. “They could’ve asked me to marry someone twice my age or thrown me into some blood-soaked fight for honor. Instead, I get to marry you. I call that a win, don’t you?”

I stared at him like he’d grown a second head. I sat down slowly on the bed, completely thrown.

Who was this guy?

Kai walked over and sat beside me. Not too close. Just enough. He liked getting a reaction out of me. And he was clearly enjoying my confusion.

“You don’t have to think so much,” he said gently. “You’re allowed to just feel.”

“I was trained not to feel anything,” I hissed, voice tight. “You think it’s easy for me?”

Something shifted in him. His jaw locked, his eyes darkened, almost like something primal flashed behind them. I blinked, and it was gone. His grin returned, but his words were weighty this time.

“All the more reason to be part of this union,” he said. “As my wife, my Luna, you’ll get to feel everything. Be whoever you want. No one will hold you back. I’ll make sure of it.”

He looked at me like he meant it. Like somehow, behind the jokes and smirks, he actually cared.

The heat in his gaze made me squirm.

“I don’t—” I started.

“You don’t need to decide now, darling,” he said, standing tall again. From this angle, he looked even bigger. Like a wall of muscle and quiet promise. He was at least 6’8, but with me seated, he might as well have been a damn mountain.

“When you’re ready to let yourself live, even if it’s just for a night, you know where to find me.”

He gave a playful bow, turned, and walked toward the door.

My eyes followed him. Couldn’t not follow him. The stretch of his shirt over his back, the way his pants fit him so perfectly, I hated how easily my body betrayed me.

The soft click of the door closing pulled me back to myself.

I let out a long, shaky breath. My eyes spreading across my childhood bedroom.

This room used to be my refuge. My safe space. But now it felt too small. Like a cage. Like I had outgrown it without realizing.

I was going to be married. Married to a man I barely knew. A man who was beautiful and infuriating. Powerful and distracting. He was everything I thought I wanted, and yet… I had no say in any of it.

Kai might have just offered me the first choice I’ve ever had, but how could I call it a real choice when every part of me already wanted to say yes?

The thoughts tangled around my mind, pulling tighter, until I couldn’t breathe.

I walked downstairs again, trying to compose myself. The dining room was still full of soft chatter and fake smiles. But Kai was gone.

“Where’s Kai?” I asked before I could stop myself.

Florence looked up with her usual warmth. “Oh, honey. He had some clients to attend to, so he left. Come here. You look flushed.”

I walked toward her and took the glass of wine she offered without thinking. My father and stepmother watched me, their stares digging into my skin, but I ignored them. They wouldn’t dare say anything in front of Kai’s parents.

Dinner went on. Conversations circled. Forks clinked. But I wasn’t there.

I was still upstairs. Still hearing his voice.

One night.

Still seeing the way he looked at me, like I was something he actually wanted.

From silent daughter of Kingsley Heathingway to the woman offered pleasure by the very man she’s been forced to marry.

Everything had changed in a matter of hours.

But I didn’t have to make a decision tonight.

No.

I’d make it later.

When I was alone.

With a bottle of Heathingway wine.

And a memory I couldn’t shake.

Or maybe...

Something more than a memory was already in motion.