Chapter 12 Bloom

The next morning, I walked into school carrying the weight of too many unanswered questions. So I built a wall. Around my thoughts. Around my heart. Around everyone.

The moment I spotted Ivy near the entrance, she smiled warmly and started walking toward me. I managed a small smile in return. Then I turned into another hallway before she could catch up. For the rest of the day, I practically disappeared.

I avoided Kai. I especially avoided Ivy. In a school this crowded, it wasn't that difficult to become a ghost. The hardest part wasn't hiding from them. It was seeing him.

Everywhere I looked, Fiona was glued to Cassian's side. She clung to his arm, laughed too loudly at everything he said, and acted like she already owned him. Cassian...

He wore that same icy mask all day. There wasn't a trace of the mysterious, protective man who had held me against the hallway wall yesterday. Every time I saw them together, that familiar ache spread through my chest.

I forced myself to keep walking. Get it together, Bloom. There's no way you've become this hung up on a guy after only a few days. When the final bell rang, I packed my things without looking at anyone and hurried off campus.

By the time I reached the dirt road leading to my cabin, the sun had already disappeared beneath the horizon. The woods were quiet. Peaceful. Or they should have been. Just as I reached my gate, I noticed a figure moving through the shadows at the end of the road.

Cassian.

Even from this distance, the scent of fresh blueberries and juniper drifted toward me. My heart betrayed me immediately. "What are you doing here?" The anger in my voice surprised even me.

After everything I'd seen with Fiona yesterday and today... Seeing him standing outside my home hurt more than it should have. "Why are you following me?"

"It's just a patrol." His answer was as cold as ever. His eyes swept the road instead of looking at me.

I walked closer. "Then why this road?" I folded my arms. "Don't you have a girlfriend you should be protecting instead?" The words tasted bitter.

"Why are you always around me, Cassian? I've been taking care of myself just fine. I don't need you."

His blue eyes finally met mine. For one brief moment... I saw something there. Not annoyance. Not indifference. Worry. Real worry. Then it vanished beneath that familiar frozen mask.

"This isn't about you." His voice turned emotionless again. "There are dangerous strangers moving through the area. I'm just being cautious."

I laughed bitterly. "And who exactly are you to protect me?" I took another step toward him. "Go worry about Fiona."

Cassian closed the distance between us. The difference in our height made him feel even larger standing this close. His voice dropped almost to a whisper. "You don't live an ordinary life, Bloom."

My breath caught.

"You don't realize that yet."

"I do."

It sounded like he'd spoken before he could stop himself. Almost immediately, his expression hardened again. "I just don't want you taking stupid risks." His voice suddenly thundered through the empty road. "Go inside. Lock your door. Don't leave your house tonight. I'm trying to protect you."

The force behind his words actually made me take a step backward. For just a second... His mask had slipped. I could see it. The fear hidden beneath all that coldness. The fierce instinct to protect me burned in his eyes too brightly to ignore.

"Why?" My voice came out barely above a whisper. "Why are you protecting me?"

He didn't answer. He simply looked into my eyes. Then... His gaze unfocused for a moment. Like he wasn't really looking at me anymore.

Dad used to do that. Whenever he was talking to his wolf. A chill ran down my spine.

"Just go inside." His voice softened. It barely sounded like an order anymore. It sounded like... A plea.

"Please."

Without another word, he turned away. I stood there, watching him disappear into the darkness. The anger inside me slowly dissolved into something I couldn't even name. He was protecting me. He refused to explain why. But every action... Every look... Every contradiction...

Screamed that there was an entirely different person hiding behind those frozen walls. I locked the door behind me, but somehow it felt like I carried the cold night inside with me.

Leaning against the door, I took a slow, uneven breath. My heart still raced. His eyes. His voice. The way he kept pushing me away while trying to keep me safe. None of it made any sense.

I wandered into my room, dropped my bag beside the bed, and collapsed onto my favorite oversized window cushion. The dim glow from the streetlamp outside spilled through the glass, painting soft shadows across the room. I pulled my knees against my chest. The silence wrapped around me. Without realizing it, I started talking to myself.

My voice echoed quietly through the empty cabin. The anger I'd been clinging to all day slowly gave way to exhaustion. The memory of the hallway came flooding back. The way he'd cornered me. The way his voice had rumbled when he called me Little Fox.

Just remembering it sent a shiver through my body. Not from fear. I'd never once believed he would actually hurt me. There was something dark about him. Something dangerous. And somehow...

That darkness had never made me feel unsafe. His whisper. His voice. Every word he'd spoken had settled like warmth beneath my skin, spreading lower until my cheeks burned. How had everything changed in a single day?

Enough, Bloom. Seriously. I buried my face in my knees. I'm not going to be the one chasing after him. This is exhausting. And there's no point trying on my own anyway. I closed my eyes.

His scent of blueberries and juniper still lingered in my memory so vividly it almost felt like he was somewhere inside the room. Why was he trying so hard to protect me? One second he acted like I was nothing. The next...

He looked at me like I was the most important thing in the world. But Fiona existed. She was his girlfriend. I had to accept that. I covered my face with both hands. If he wanted to avoid me... If he wanted to keep his distance... Fine. Let him.

I wasn't going to chase after him anymore. I wasn't even going to waste my energy getting angry over his mixed signals. Who was he, anyway? Just a strange... Overprotective... Completely confusing stranger. I needed to get a grip.

I drew another slow breath. The air filling my lungs seemed to clear my thoughts little by little. Maybe if I stopped focusing on him... All of this would finally stop. Tomorrow... Tomorrow, when I saw him at school... I'd act like nothing had ever happened.

If he wants Fiona... Fine. That was his business. I'd worry about my own life. The promise didn't erase the ache inside my chest. But at least it gave my head something solid to hold onto.

I rested my cheek against the edge of the cushion and stared out at the dark, empty road beyond my window.

Cassian's nightly patrols... His wolf... That strange presence I could almost feel whenever he was near... None of it belonged inside my home.

Tomorrow...

I was going to be a completely different Bloom. At least... That's what I kept trying to convince myself.