Home Was Never Home

Cassie’s POV

I followed the guy out of the cabin and walked by his side until we reached a car in no time. It was a small one that looked like it had been used for years. Looking at it, I wondered if it would be able to take me back to the Pack House without breaking down, but I decided to trust it. 

What choice did I even have? 

All I knew was that I needed to get back as soon as possible. I did not want any more problems; I had way too much on my plate already, all because I had decided to take Sage’s punishment. Just thinking about it right now annoyed me, but what more could I do? 

I had made a deal; there was no way that I could break it. 

I got in the car and sat next to the guy who was now behind the steering wheel. He gestured towards the seatbelt, telling me silently to put it on. My face heated up, and I did as he asked before he placed his on as well. 

I was flushed because I had not been in a car for three years, so I did not even think to put my seatbelt on. 

As we drove, I stared out the window at passing scenery. I don’t think that I had been to that part of town before. There were so many tall trees, and there was barley any houses. The guy cleared his throat, and I turned to him, expecting him to say something, but he did not. 

“Is everything okay?” I asked. 

He glanced at me and smiled weakly before looking back at the road. “Um…” He began. It looked like he was trying to find the right words to say. “Are you being treated fairly at the Pack House?” He asked, concern lacing his features. 

I swallowed; memories of the shard of glass in my foot, my room that was now a storage room, and how Leon was treating me as if I was a stranger hit me like a slap, and I sighed. “What do you care? It’s not like you’d be able to help me. You’re just a warrior. You have no chance against those people,” I said the last sentence sadly as I looked back at the passing scenery. 

“I mean, yeah. I am a warrior. But I can help. My friend back at the cabin and I can try to help. But we have to understand first. We have to know what’s going on.” 

I turned and looked back at him; his attention was glued to the road. “I–” I was hesitant about speaking out. What if this was a test? What if this was a trap set up by Leon or the blonde girl? 

But anyway, it was not like I was going to tell hi that I had taken Sage’s place in prison and all that. 

“You can trust me, I promise you. You can trust us.” 

I scoffed. “I just met you,” I reminded him. “I just met you and your friend. Do you honestly expect me to trust you guys?” 

He sniffled dryly, keeping his eyes ahead. “Valid.” Then he went quiet and just focused on getting us to our destination. 

I was tempted; I’m not going to lie. I was tempted to tell him everything. Even if it was not going to be exactly the act of me taking Sage’s place in prison. I just wanted to tell someone about everything that I had been through, and how everything had changed since I got out of prison. I felt like keeping it all to myself was eating me up. 

But I listened to the logical part of my brain and kept it all to myself. I did not trust these warriors. As much as I was grateful for their help, I also did not really owe them anything. 

We made a turn, and we were on the Royal Road that led to the Pack House. My heart started thumping in my chest, and my anxiety choked me. I adjusted myself in the car seat and tried to act normal while I felt like I was drowning. 

We arrived, and he came to a stop not too far from the gate. “You know that I can’t drive you inside, right?” He said, now looking at me. 

“Of course,” I said in a breathy way as I nodded, gulping at the same time. “Thank you guys so much for helping me. I will never forget it.” I flashed him a small smile. Then I looked away, took off the seatbelt, and opened the door before getting out of the car. 

Once out, I closed the door and started walking. I made my way towards the compound’s front gate and the head guard narrowed his eyes at me. “What are you doing out?” 

“I…” I struggled for an excuse. I was not very good at lying. “I went for a walk.” 

He frowned. “Are you sure?” 

“Why are you interrogating me? I'm not a prisoner here. I’m part of the Royal Family, too,” I fired back at him, annoyed. 

My words affected him, and he breathed out a sigh before stepping out of the way and letting me inside. But as I walked past him, I heard him say quietly, but just loud enough for me to hear him, “B*tch a** traitor.” 

It felt like I had been kicked in the chest, but I did not react or anything. I just kept walking. I had bigger things to worry about. When I reached the huge door that led inside the house, I pushed it open, and my breath hitched when I saw who was waiting for me. 

It was Rafael, and he looked like he wanted to skin me alive. “Where the f*ck have you been?” He asked in a hard tone as he closed the distance between us and grabbed my arm aggressively.