Chapter 24 Bloom

By the time we arrived at school the next morning, yesterday's bloodshed at the southern border -and everything that had happened in my bedroom the night before- still lingered in the back of my mind.

The second we got out of the car, Ivy and I headed straight for our usual table in the courtyard. Pretending everything was normal was easier than acknowledging the restless knot twisting inside my chest.

Kai joined us a few minutes later. Then the entire courtyard went quiet. Every pair of eyes turned toward the same direction. Cassian was walking straight toward our table. With Fiona on his arm.

She looked perfectly content, chatting away while clinging to him, but Cassian never looked at her. His eyes stayed locked on me the entire time. When they reached us, he casually pulled out a chair and sat down as if nothing had happened. Fiona immediately took the seat beside him.

Kai and Ivy exchanged stunned looks before staring at Cassian. Kai had barely opened his mouth to question him when Cassian slowly lifted one eyebrow. Silence. Heavy. Absolute. I understood immediately.

He wasn't here because he wanted to be. He was here because we needed to stay together. After the organized attack at the southern border, he knew the danger could easily reach the school. Keeping all of us within sight was his way of protecting us.

Not that it made him any less infuriating.

His gaze kept drifting back to me, lingering against my skin as though trying to drag my thoughts back to what had happened in my room the night before. I refused to give him the satisfaction.

Keeping my face perfectly blank, I focused on my coffee instead. By the time classes ended, I felt completely suffocated. The nightmare. Cassian standing in my bedroom. Watching him spend the entire day with Fiona.

I needed to breathe. The second Ivy and I changed after returning to the pack house, I grabbed her arm. "I can't do this anymore, Ivy."

My tone left no room for argument. "We're going to a club tonight. I need to get out of my head."

She glanced uneasily toward the pack house boundaries. After everything that had happened... Her hesitation made perfect sense. But one look into my eyes was enough. She recognized that stubborn look.

She knew she wasn't changing my mind.

An hour later we were standing inside one of the busiest clubs in the city. Dim lights flashed across the dance floor while bass-heavy music vibrated through the walls. The crowd, the noise, the chaos...

It was exactly what I needed. Or so I thought. About an hour later, a familiar scent drifted through the sea of strangers. Blueberries. Juniper.

My entire body went rigid. Turning toward one of the darker corners of the club, I found him immediately. Cassian.

Somehow he'd found out we'd come here. Of course he had. But the part that truly drove me insane... Fiona was with him.

Across the crowded room, our eyes met. She had her arms wrapped around him. He let her. Yet his eyes...

His eyes were stripping me bare. Leaving Fiona behind without another thought, he cut through the crowd with that effortless confidence only he possessed. He stopped directly in front of me.

Leaning close enough for me to hear him over the pounding music, his voice dropped into a dangerous growl.

"What are you doing here?"

Every word vibrated against my ear.

"You saw what happened at the border yesterday, Bloom. After those attacks, standing here like an open target is a terrible idea."

His eyes hardened.

"We're going home."

I had absolutely no intention of listening to him. Or explaining myself. That overbearing Alpha protectiveness only made me more rebellious. Rolling my eyes, I grabbed Ivy's hand.

"Come on, Ivy."

I pulled her toward the dance floor.

"Let's dance."

The music swallowed us whole. I let myself move with the rhythm, trying to forget everything else. But I could feel him. Every movement. Every step. Every sway of my hips.

His gaze burned into my back, following every inch of my body with unmistakable hunger. While his girlfriend stood only a few feet away. Unbelievable.

Then someone else stepped into my space. A man I'd never seen before. He flashed me an easy smile before resting a hand lightly against my waist, inviting me to dance.

The instant his fingers touched me…

A savage growl exploded through the club. It was so vicious it seemed to overpower even the music. Before I could react, Cassian was there. Like a storm.

He grabbed the man's shoulder with one hand and threw him backward effortlessly.

The stranger stumbled away in terror before disappearing into the crowd.

When I looked back at Cassian...

His eyes had gone completely black. Not Cassian. Axel.

I swear, what did that wolf have against me? Instead of backing down, I marched straight toward him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I shouted over the music.

"What gives you the right to interfere with my life? With the people around me?"

I jabbed a finger toward his chest.

"Who do you think you are?"

Whatever patience Cassian -or maybe Axel- had left disappeared. His mouth flattened into a hard line. Without saying a single word... He moved.

One second I was standing. The next…

His arm wrapped around my waist. I barely had time to gasp before he hoisted me over his shoulder in one smooth motion.

"What-"

The club erupted around us. People stared. I could hear Ivy shouting my name somewhere behind us. I kicked and struggled with everything I had.

"Put me down, Cassian!" I yelled, pounding my fists against his back.

"Put me down right now!"

It was like punching solid marble. He didn't even flinch. Instead... He chuckled. Actually chuckled. Then he gave my backside a light smack. My eyes widened. Did he seriously just-

Grinding my teeth, I growled, "Hey! Watch your hands and put me down this instant!" His laughter only grew.

"You might want to stop making those adorable little growling sounds."

His voice was infuriatingly amused. "They're only turning me on more."

He tilted his head just enough for me to hear the rest.

"That might be the cutest and sexiest sound I've ever heard."

This man!

"You think you're funny?" I snapped.

"What exactly are you doing carrying another woman over your shoulder while your girlfriend is watching?"

His expression changed instantly. The amusement vanished. Without answering, he headed toward the row of VIP rooms at the end of the hallway. He kicked one of the doors open, carried me inside, and the second we crossed the threshold...

He slammed the door shut behind us. Then locked it.