Chapter 16 Cassian

The blood on my hands had dried hours ago. The beast inside me hadn't. Axel was still tearing at the walls of my mind, desperate to break free, run back to that cabin, and fall asleep wrapped in Bloom's scent. Keeping him under control -keeping my human form intact- felt like it was shaving years off my life.

The moment I stepped into the pack house's council room, the tension hit me like a wall. The room was centered around a massive oak table, but it wasn't the furniture that commanded attention. It was the Alpha aura hanging in the air, so dense it felt like it could make the walls tremble.

At the head of the table sat my father, Alpha Ronan, as solid and unmovable as a mountain. My mother sat beside him, concern softening her expression without diminishing the quiet dignity she carried. To their right were our Betas, Zane and Nova. Gamma Carter occupied the left side.

Kai stood near the corner with his arms crossed, watching everyone in silence. Ivy wasn't here. She'd stayed behind at the cabin to keep watch over Bloom, but before Kai and I had returned, the two of them had already filled the elders in on the ambush.

"You finally made it, son," my father said. His voice sliced through every whisper in the room.

"Was everything Kai and Ivy reported true? Did those sewer rats from the Northern Forest really get that close to the girl?"

"Close?" I repeated as I walked toward the table.

I didn't bother hiding the growl in my voice.

"They tried to kill her. They tore her jacket apart and wounded her shoulder. If we'd been even a few seconds later..."

My fists clenched. The cracking of my knuckles echoed through the room.

"We can't keep standing by. It's time Bloom learns the truth. At the very least, she deserves to know who we are and why we came here."

Kai immediately backed me up.

"Cassian's right. She fought today. She didn't panic or run like a normal person would've. She kicked a wolf square in the face." A faint grin tugged at the corner of his mouth before it disappeared again. "But there's a limit to what she can do. She doesn't have a wolf, and everything she's capable of is limited to her human body. We need to start telling her who we are... and at least some of our theories about why those people are hunting her."

Zane leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. "That's a huge risk, Cassian." His voice stayed calm.

"She has no idea what any of this is. If we dump our entire world on her overnight, it'll shatter everything she thinks she knows. Don't forget why we came here in the first place. The only thing we know about hybrids comes from ancient legends. We're not even certain they're true. We came to investigate, nothing more. Until we know whether that girl has any connection to those legends, revealing everything is dangerous."

Gamma Carter nodded in agreement. "Zane's right. The Council is already watching you closely. This girl's existence -and whoever's after her- only makes everything more complicated."

That was enough. Axel surged forward, completely overtaking the back of my mind. I felt my eyes darken from icy blue to pitch black. The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

"Enough." The growl that left my mouth wasn't mine alone. It belonged to Axel. It carried the overwhelming authority of the future Alpha.

I leaned over the table, releasing my Alpha aura without restraint. The pressure was so intense that even Zane and Nova instinctively lowered their heads.

"I don't care about the Council!" Every word shook the room. "That woman is under our protection." I slammed my palm against the table. "I saw her blood today."

The memory flashed through my mind. Bloom standing there with blood running down her shoulder. Axel roared inside me.

"He barely stopped himself from ripping those bastards apart. We tell her the truth... or we leave her blind in the middle of a war she doesn't even know she's fighting."

Silence. Complete silence. Axel's declaration crushed every argument before anyone could voice it. The future Alpha's wolf had spoken.

Challenging that authority wasn't simply disagreement, it bordered on defying the pack hierarchy itself. Only the Alpha... and the Luna... had the standing to oppose him.

Nova quietly reached for her husband's hand beneath the table before lifting her eyes to mine.

She didn't say a word. She didn't need to. The look she gave me was enough. She agreed. The silence stretched until my mother finally rose from her chair. She looked at me first.

There was warmth in her eyes... but strength too. Then she turned toward my father. "Ronan," she said gently, "our son is right."

Her gaze softened. "We can't keep ignoring Axel's protective instincts or that girl's fate. She isn't an ordinary human anymore, if she ever was. Our enemies have already reached our doorstep." She paused before continuing.

"If the legends are true... and Bloom is truly being hunted... then keeping her in the dark isn't protecting her."

My father let out a long, measured breath before standing. The room fell completely still as he slowly walked around the table. He stopped directly in front of me. Then he placed a hand on my shoulder. It wasn't just a father's gesture. It was an Alpha acknowledging the judgment of the future Alpha.

"Very well." His voice was calm. Steady.

"If things are truly this serious... and that girl can defend herself with those fierce hybrid instincts of hers..." A faint smile touched the corner of his mouth. "...then it's time we met Bloom."

I stared at him. "All of you?"

"Yes," my mother answered before he could. A small smile crossed her face. "You're bringing her here, to the pack house."

She folded her hands in front of her. "I want to meet her."

"If we're going to start telling her the truth, then we'll do it properly. Together."

"We'll explain who we are... and everything we've learned from the legends about what she might be capable of." Her expression grew thoughtful.

"And we'll see for ourselves whether she truly has any connection to those legends... and whether she's strong enough to carry the weight of those truths."

For the first time all day... Axel relaxed. He slowly retreated from the front of my mind, and the tightness crushing my chest finally eased. I was going to bring Bloom before my family.

It was dangerous.

But it would also be the first real step toward bringing her into my world. Careful. I was getting too attached. I still refused to believe she was our mate. Axel refused to believe anything else. And somehow...

I couldn't stay away from her either.

If I wanted to keep my head straight, I needed to maintain some distance. Which meant I couldn't let things change with Fiona. As difficult as it was becoming, keeping that balance mattered. The arrangement between Fiona and me benefited both of us. We weren't actually together.

I accompanied her to certain parties so she could maintain the image she wanted, and in return, she played the role of my girlfriend whenever it was useful at school. It works. As long as nobody ever found out it was all just an agreement. Bloom couldn't know how much I cared about her. Not yet.

Not until I knew for certain whether she was truly our mate. The meeting ended, and Kai and I wasted no time leaving the pack house. We cut through the darkness of the forest, heading straight for Bloom's cabin.

The closer we got, the more restless Axel became. He paced relentlessly through my mind, eager to reassure himself that she was safe... that she was close enough for him to feel.

Kai knocked once. The door opened almost immediately. Ivy stepped aside to let us in. Bloom was sitting on the couch in the living room. The bandage around her shoulder was just visible beneath the sleeve of her white T-shirt. The moment she saw us, those fierce green eyes narrowed instinctively.

The instant her gaze settled on me, Axel let out a satisfied rumble before retreating to the back of my mind. Satisfied. She was here. She was safe. "We talked," I said, getting straight to the point.

I remained standing in the middle of the room, looking down at her, though I made an effort to keep my voice gentle.

"My parents..." I corrected myself. "Our pack leaders want to meet you, Bloom." A brief silence passed. "They'd like to invite you to the pack house tomorrow."

Her green eyes widened. Her lips parted slightly. I could hear her heartbeat quicken, each pulse louder than the last. For someone who had spent her entire life alone... someone who had never belonged to a real pack or experienced the structure of pack hierarchy...

I understood exactly how overwhelming this invitation must have felt. The rush of emotions inside her was so intense that even her scent grew stronger. But almost as quickly... Excitement gave way to anxiety.

She straightened on the couch, clasping her hands tightly together in her lap. "A... pack house?" she whispered. Uncertainty colored every word.

"What if I do something wrong? What if I accidentally break one of your rules or say something I shouldn't?" She lowered her eyes for a moment before looking back at me. "I don't belong in that world, Cassian. I don't know anything about your hierarchy. My dad taught me how to fight... but he almost never talked about pack life."

Seeing that side of her…

The timid, vulnerable girl hidden beneath that fierce little fox facade… filled me with a strange warmth.

Before I realized it, the corner of my mouth had lifted into a faint smile. "You won't do anything wrong, Little Fox." I took a step closer. "Because I'll be there."

I lowered myself into the armchair directly across from her. Kai sat beside me, while Ivy quietly moved to Bloom's side. The mood in the room shifted instantly. I held her gaze and drew in a slow breath.

"But before you come tomorrow..."

"There are some things we need to tell you first."

"Tomorrow, you'll hear everything."

"My parents will explain it properly."

"But we want some of those answers to come from us."

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. Inside me, Axel shifted uneasily. He was terrified of what would happen after she learned the truth. The possibility that she might walk away from us...

It was his greatest fear. "I just hope..."

The words came out softer than I'd intended. Almost pleading.

"I hope that after you hear all of this..." I swallowed.

"...you won't turn your back on us." My eyes never left hers. "Especially not on me, Bloom."