Chapter 21 Bloom

The weekend arrived before I knew it. I woke to cold daylight spilling through the window of my cabin. Moving day.

I sat up in bed and looked around the room, a strange ache settling in my chest. For years, my father and I had treated this place like a shelter. A place where we could disappear from the rest of the world. The cracks in the walls, the familiar creak of the wooden floor beneath every step...

It all belonged to me. I pulled out a large suitcase. I packed some of my clothes, a few of my favorite books, and several small keepsakes that had belonged to my family. No matter what happened, I knew I'd come back to this cabin one day.

Back to my independence. This was only temporary.

I'd agreed to move into the pack house because I knew the four rogues found near the border were a serious threat. But that didn't mean I belonged there.

Not completely.

When Ivy and I stepped outside and I locked the door behind us, I slipped the key into the deepest part of my pocket. That key would remain my ticket to freedom. Kai and Cassian were waiting beside the SUV.

The moment Cassian saw the suitcase in my hand, he walked over without a word and took it from me. Our fingers brushed. Instantly, the memory of lying beneath him in the grass flashed through my mind. If you keep moving, I'm not taking responsibility for what Axel does once I lose control. His voice still echoed in my ears.

I quickly looked away. Cassian didn't say anything either, but the dark intensity in his eyes told me more than words ever could. When we reached the pack house, they showed me to a spacious room upstairs, directly beside Ivy's. The moment I opened the door, I stopped in disbelief.

Compared to the cramped, dim bedroom in my cabin, this place looked like a small palace.

There was a huge bed, soft rugs, enormous windows overlooking the forest, and warm sunlight filling every corner of the room. The comfort and hospitality the pack had offered me should have made me feel completely at ease. Instead, it also made me feel like a stranger. And most importantly...

My room was close to the Alpha wing at the end of the hallway. Close to Cassian's room. That first night, I couldn't fall asleep for a long time. The bed was almost ridiculously soft.

Sometime after midnight, I got up and sat by the window, staring out at the dark forest. Strangely, knowing Cassian was somewhere inside that enormous stone building -under the same roof- made me feel safe.

I could sense his presence. His scent. For the first time in years, I could close my eyes without feeling like I needed to watch my own back. It was dangerous. It made my heart vulnerable. But I felt safe.

Monday morning marked the first official day of my new life. When Ivy and I went downstairs, Kai and Cassian were already getting ready to leave for school. This time, Ivy and I wouldn't be riding alone.

Kai took the driver's seat, and Ivy slid into the passenger side. Which left Cassian and me sharing the back seat. The air inside the SUV felt unbearably thick. Kai and Ivy chatted cheerfully about the weekend up front, while a deadly silence ruled the back.

I'd deliberately put as much space between Cassian and me as possible.

But every time Kai took a sharp turn, our shoulders collided. Each brush of contact set my skin on fire. Every time Cassian looked at me, those eyes tore my thoughts apart. His silent, determined stares only made the unspoken tension between us grow stronger with every mile.

When the SUV finally pulled into the school parking lot, I released the breath I'd been holding. Kai shut off the engine, and we all climbed out. But the moment my feet touched the ground, I noticed someone moving quickly toward us through the crowd.

Fiona.

She was dressed in an expensive, stylish jacket, her hair perfectly arranged, carrying herself with the effortless confidence of the school's most popular girl. A huge, cheerful smile covered her face as she walked straight toward us.

She knew nothing about the world of werewolves. Nothing about the four rogues caught near the border. Nothing about the deadly legends surrounding me. She was just an ordinary human. And she was about to deliver the hardest blow of all.

"Cassian!"

Her voice rang across the parking lot. The moment she reached us, she wrapped herself around his arm without hesitation. Then, in front of everyone, she rose onto her toes and pressed a small, affectionate kiss to his cheek.

"I didn't see you at all this weekend," she said flirtatiously. "Where have you been?"

It felt like someone had dumped boiling water over my head. Every dangerous moment Cassian and I had shared... The way he'd held me on the grass. The words he'd whispered against my skin... All of it suddenly lost its meaning. It dissolved like an illusion. Shock swept through my entire body.

Cassian's icy blue eyes found mine immediately. Pure guilt and panic filled them. Even Axel seemed to be staring back at me through those eyes, howling in pain. But for me...

The sight of Fiona wrapped around him was the slap I needed to wake up. The wounded fox inside me -Cassian's name for it- bared its claws. I couldn't believe I'd forgotten the promise I'd made to myself.

Couldn't believe I'd let myself be consumed by his intoxicating scent. Fiona finally pulled her attention away from Cassian and looked at me. That familiar, artificial smile appeared on her face. Condescending. Smug.

"Oh, Bloom," she said pointedly. "You were here too? I didn't notice."

"I was."

I made sure my voice didn't turn completely to ice. I refused to let even the smallest trace of emotion show on my face. Within seconds, I rebuilt the strongest wall I had. The one around my heart. "But I'm leaving."

I saw Cassian shift as though he intended to pull his arm free from Fiona's grip. I didn't give him the chance. I reached for Ivy's arm. "Come on, Ivy. We're going to be late."

I looked back at Cassian one final time. Every trace of warmth in my eyes was gone. Only cold distance remained. My expression said everything I refused to speak aloud.

You crossed the line. The game is over. Then I turned away.

I walked quickly toward the school building, leaving Fiona's voice behind me as she tried to pull Cassian along with her.

I might have moved into the pack house. I might have been living beneath the same roof as him. But from that moment on, Cassian was nothing more than the pack's future Alpha.

Nothing else.

Whatever romantic feelings had begun to grow between us... That wall was back. And this time, it would never come down again. Or at least... That was what I believed.