Chapter 15 Bloom

The strange calm my dream had left behind stayed with me throughout the entire school day like armor. Even when I saw Cassian walking through the halls with Fiona, the old storm didn't rise inside me.

I was keeping the promise I'd made to myself. I was letting things unfold. I just hadn't expected fate to unfold so quickly. Or so violently.

After school, I said goodbye to Ivy and Kai before turning onto the isolated, tree-lined road leading to my cabin. Darkness seemed to fall earlier than usual. Fog curled around the tree trunks like burial shrouds. Then a rotten, shadowy scent closed in around me. I stopped instantly.

The hair on the back of my neck rose as growls emerged from the bushes. Not one. Not two. Three enormous rogue wolves stepped onto the road. They were ugly, scarred creatures with eyes glowing with savage hunger. Saliva dripped from their jaws as they spread out around me.

Every one of them had the same target. Me. "You again?"

I threw my backpack to the ground and dropped into the defensive stance my father had drilled into me years ago. Fear didn't rise inside me. Anger did.

Pure, furious anger at whatever curse kept bringing these things straight to my door. The first wolf lunged. I twisted aside and drove my boot hard into the top of its snout. It yelped and stumbled back, but the other two attacked at the same time. Claws tore through my jacket and scraped across my shoulder. The impact threw me off balance.

I hit the ground hard. The third wolf launched itself toward my throat-

Two deafening howls erupted from deep within the forest. The sound shook the earth beneath me.

A silver blur shot through the trees. The wolf was breathtaking, its coat gleaming beneath the moonlight like polished metal. Ivy. She didn't hesitate. She sank her teeth into the throat of the wolf above me and hurled it aside.

A second figure crashed into the clearing behind her. A massive wolf with fur the color of burning red flames. I recognized him by his hazel eyes. Kai.

There was nothing playful or easygoing about him now. He slammed into another rogue and tore into it with the savage force of a predator defending its territory. Watching them shift so perfectly -so naturally- stole the breath from my lungs.

But neither of them was the most terrifying thing in that forest. That honor belonged to the figure walking slowly through the fog.

Cassian. He hadn't shifted. He stood there in human form, dressed in his black jacket, his icy blue eyes fixed on the scene before him. But the Alpha power rolling from his body was so heavy...

So crushing...

That the last remaining rogue took a frightened step backward.

Cassian's gaze dropped. First to my torn jacket. Then to the thin line of blood running from my shoulder. Something inside him broke. His eyes darkened from blue to something nearly black. His jaw tightened so hard that I thought his teeth might crack.

"You touched..." A growl tore from his chest. "...what is mine." That voice wasn't human.

It carried enough violence to shake the soul. Cassian was still standing in front of me...

But he wasn't the one speaking. His wolf was. He hadn't shifted, but the animal inside him had taken control. The rogue turned to run. Cassian moved faster than any human body should have been capable of moving.

He struck the wolf like a wrecking ball. He didn't even need to shift. Raw strength and authority drove the creature into the ground beneath him. One blow from his fist sent its head slamming into the dirt. In that moment, I finally understood the force that had made the water glass tremble in the cafe.

It wasn't simply intimidating. It was lethal. Even in human form, Cassian was a weapon. The entire fight ended within seconds. The wounded rogues fled into the forest without looking back. Ivy and Kai watched them disappear before retreating behind the trees.

Moments later, they returned in human form, adjusting their clothes as they rushed toward me.

Cassian remained where he was. His breathing was ragged. Blood covered his hands. When he turned toward me, I could see the battle raging behind his eyes. His wolf was still fighting to break free. He crossed the distance between us in seconds. Then he dropped to his knees in front of me.

His large, warm hands closed around my face. The touch was so protective... So possessive... That an electric current rushed through my entire body.

"Are you okay?" His voice was rough with panic. "Bloom, look at me."

His eyes searched every inch of my face. "Are you hurt?"

The distant man who had shattered me beside Fiona was gone. In his place was a monster who looked ready to burn the entire world down for me. His hands moved to my shoulder.

The second his fingers brushed my skin, that unfamiliar fire inside me flared to life again. His protectiveness struck me so deeply that I couldn't control the pounding of my heart. I tried to collect myself and pushed lightly against his hands. I couldn't bring myself to fully pull away.

"I'm fine." I forced my voice to remain steady. Then I looked past him at Ivy and Kai. Finally, I looked back into Cassian's dark eyes. All the anger and frustration I'd been holding inside suddenly exploded. "Why?"

My voice echoed through the trees. "Why do these things keep finding me?" I pointed toward the forest. "They were there the night Ivy and I fought in the woods."

"And now they're here again." I looked between all three of them. "Why does every rogue wolf in the area keep showing up wherever I am?" My eyes burned. "And more importantly..."

"Why do you always appear at the exact moment I need you?" Ivy lowered her head, guilt flashing across her face. Kai drew in a deep breath. Cassian never took his eyes off me. He helped me stand.

Then he pulled me against his chest like an unbreakable wall. His arm wrapped tightly around my waist. There was fear in the way he held me. As though letting me go would make me disappear.

"I already told you that you weren't ordinary, Little Fox." His voice had calmed, but it remained low and impossibly deep.

"You'll understand why they're looking for you when the time comes." He leaned closer. His lips nearly brushed my ear. The scent of fresh blueberries and juniper overwhelmed my senses.

"But for now, there's only one thing you need to know." His hold tightened around me. "As long as I'm breathing, I won't let anything hurt you." The words vibrated against my skin. "You're under my protection." He paused.

"Mine and my pack's." His voice hardened into an absolute promise. "Whether you accept it or not." Still pressed against his chest, I was so overwhelmed by the fierce protectiveness surrounding me -by that intensely masculine, untamed aura- that I couldn't find a single word.

I couldn't even argue. I was standing at the center of whatever secret they were hiding. There was no turning back anymore. "What happens now?" I asked, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice.

Without loosening his arm around my waist for even a second, Cassian shot Ivy and Kai a sharp look. "First, we're leaving." His voice carried the unmistakable authority of a command. "We're going to your cabin so I can treat your shoulder."

His eyes shifted to the others. "Ivy. Kai. Sweep the area, then head home." His expression hardened. "Report everything to my father." They both nodded immediately before disappearing into the darkness.

Cassian guided me toward my cabin without another word. The walk was silent. But I noticed everything. The way he constantly positioned himself between me and the trees. The way every rustle in the forest made him tense. The way his attention never drifted from our surroundings. Each silent act of protection only fed the strange fire burning inside me.

The moment we stepped inside, he locked the door behind us with a solid click. Under the dim lights of my living room, his Alpha presence seemed large enough to fill my entire cabin.

"Where's the bathroom?" His eyes settled on the tear in my jacket. "And where do you keep your first-aid kit?"

"It's down the hall." I pointed toward my bedroom. "The bathroom's through there."

He nodded once. Then gently steered me toward my room. As soon as we walked inside, his footsteps slowed. His gaze traveled over my bed... The old family photos hanging on the wall... The scattered little pieces of my life. He drew in a slow breath.

As he inhaled my scent filling the room, a deep, almost inaudible growl escaped his throat.

I didn't need him to explain it.

The wolf inside him was thrilled to be standing inside my bedroom. Inside my private space. His blue eyes darkened again. Heat rushed into my cheeks. The jealousy I'd felt over Fiona yesterday seemed almost ridiculous beneath the overwhelming intensity of his presence.

I retrieved the first-aid kit from the bathroom and sat on the edge of my bed. Cassian knelt in front of me. Carefully, he slid my jacket off my shoulders. Every brush of his cool fingertips against my skin sent tiny shocks racing through my body.

He poured antiseptic onto a cotton pad before pressing it gently against my shoulder. I flinched. "Easy." His voice softened immediately. "It's almost done."

The gentleness in that whisper made it impossible to believe he was the same man who'd looked ready to tear someone apart only an hour earlier.

He cleaned the wound with painstaking care before wrapping a fresh bandage around it. His breath brushed lightly across my collarbone as he worked. His scent had completely filled my room. When he finished...

He didn't pull away.

Instead, he rested both hands lightly on my knees and looked directly into my eyes. "You are never walking down that road alone again, Bloom."

His tone left no room for negotiation.

When we returned to the living room, the electricity between us still lingered in the air. Cassian stopped in the middle of the room and turned toward me.

"It's not safe for you to stay here alone tonight." His voice was calm. "The scent outside is still fresh."

"I'll be fine." I crossed my arms. "You saw what I can do."

He ignored the protest completely. "Ivy's staying here for a while." He pulled out his phone. "I'm calling her." His thumbs moved quickly across the screen. "I'll meet with my pack."

His jaw tightened. "The fact that those rogues got that close to you isn't a coincidence." His eyes narrowed. "I'm going to find out what's really going on." He started toward the front door.

Then paused.

When he looked back, the commanding Alpha mask had returned. But the concern in his eyes remained. "Ivy will be here soon." He reached for the doorknob. "Until she arrives..."

"Don't open the door for anyone." He hesitated. "And if anything happens..." His gaze locked onto mine. "You call me. Otherwise, I might not be able to hold Axel back any longer."

A faint, almost amused breath escaped me.

"You don't even have my number." I blinked. "And... who's Axel?"

For the first time... He smiled. A real smile. Small. Genuine. Completely unguarded. It was enough to make my heart stumble.

"Axel is my wolf." His smile lingered for another second. "And trust me..."

"I'll hear you either way, Little Fox. I don't need your number."

He opened the door. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

The door closed quietly behind him. Silence settled over the cabin. Only the lingering scent of blueberries and juniper remained, wrapped around every corner of the room.

I stood there with my heart refusing to slow down. Whether I wanted to admit it or not...

I had been pulled completely into Cassian's world. And somehow... I wasn't afraid of it anymore.