Chapter 35 Bloom

By the time the morning sun filtered through the damp branches outside and spilled across the dusty windows of my cabin, the endless night had finally come to an end.

I'd spent hours staring at the ceiling without closing my eyes.

Slowly, I pushed myself out of bed, ignoring the ache in my bones and the exhaustion clouding my mind before making my way into the bathroom. Facing my reflection felt harder than it ever had.

Dark circles shadowed my eyes, and the spark that used to live in them had been replaced by a cold, empty distance.

No.

There was no room for weakness.

I turned the faucet all the way on and splashed icy water across my face. The sting against my skin helped bury every trace of hurt deeper inside me—somewhere no one else could ever reach.

I pulled on my strongest armor: black jeans, a thick jacket, and the expression that kept the rest of the world at arm's length.

Especially that pack. Especially the people who had built my life on lies. After locking the cabin behind me, I started toward school. The familiar scent of damp earth and pine filled my lungs, but it brought me none of the peace it once had. With every step, the forest whispered the same things.

The pack's deception. Ronan's mysterious legend. Cassian looking me straight in the eyes while lying to me. I picked up my pace. Today I was going to be nothing more than an ordinary student. I didn't care about hybrids. Legends. Or wolves.

The moment I stepped onto school grounds, the familiar buzz of students washed over me.

As I walked through the dim hallway, it didn't take long to spot Dominic waiting beside my locker. After everything that had happened outside my cabin the night before—and after I'd sent both of them away—his posture was completely different.

More cautious. More respectful. When I walked over, relief softened the embarrassed smile on his face.

"Morning, Bloom."

He kept his voice low, clearly trying not to attract attention.

"I just... wanted to make sure you're okay."

His hands slipped into his pockets.

"You asked me to leave last night."

"I respected that."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Or make everything you're carrying any heavier."

He offered me a small smile.

"I just wanted you to know..."

"...that I'm here if you ever need me."

There was something so simple and genuine about the way he said it that the walls around my heart loosened ever so slightly.

"Thanks, Dominic."

I kept my tone as even as I could.

"I needed some time to clear my head."

I nodded toward the hallway.

"Come on."

"Let's go to the library."

"I could use a little quiet before class."

We settled at an old wooden table tucked away in the farthest corner of the library, where almost no one ever came. Dominic quickly buried himself in a book. I, however, couldn't stop watching him. Carefully. Without making it obvious. My thoughts drifted back to the night before.

To that strange ache I'd felt in my chest before he'd even reached my cabin. How had he sensed my pain? My fear? My heartbreak... ...from miles away? Was Axel right? Was Dominic simply a wolf responding to raw power? Or...

Was he truly the second chance fate had prepared for me? The questions churned endlessly in my mind. As if he could feel me staring, Dominic suddenly looked up and smiled.

I immediately looked away. By the time we left the library and headed toward our first class, another familiar scent drifted through the hallway.

Artificial.

Sweet.

Smug.

Fiona.

Apparently Cassian's absence from school had given her more confidence than usual.

She stepped directly into my path, folding her arms across her chest with that same arrogant smile she always wore.

"So, you finally decided to show up."

Her voice was loud enough for the surrounding students to hear.

"Do you have any idea what kind of scene Cassian caused last night?"

She tilted her chin higher.

"Everyone is on edge. And honestly?"

"It isn't hard to figure out who's responsible."

Her smile sharpened.

"I'm only going to say this one last time."

"Stay away from Cassian."

Her eyes swept over me with open contempt.

"The only woman who's going to stand beside him is me."

"Not some pathetic mistake who doesn't even know what she is."

"So know your place..."

"...and crawl back into the mud where you belong."

Every word she spoke gathered everything I'd been carrying since the night before. The lies. The pack. Cassian. The betrayal. The hurt. Everything condensed into a single point. Then... The storm inside me went completely still. I didn't step back.

Instead, I closed the distance until we were standing face-to-face. I looked directly into her eyes. Cold. Unmoving. The smug smile froze on her lips the instant she saw the hatred reflected in mine.

"Look at me, Fiona."

My voice was so calm... So smooth... That the chatter filling the hallway died instantly.

"The man you think you have wrapped around your finger..."

I held her gaze without blinking.

"...means absolutely nothing to me."

"To me..."

"He's nothing."

Her eyes widened. Before she could recover, I delivered the next blow.

"If you're really the only woman he'll ever choose..."

"If you really have that much control over him..."

I leaned in slightly.

"Then answer me something."

A faint smile touched my lips.

"Why was he standing outside my cabin last night?"

Silence. Complete silence. The color drained from beneath Fiona's bright red lipstick. Her mouth opened. Closed. Not a single word came out. With one sentence, I'd shattered her pride in front of everyone watching.

"If you want him that badly..."

I stepped past her.

"Go put a leash around his neck and keep him."

I looked at her with undisguised disgust.

"Because I don't have a single second left to waste on his lies..."

"...his childish games..."

"...or your pathetic jealousy."

I brushed past her shoulder.

"Now get out of my way."

Without looking back, I continued down the hallway, leaving Fiona standing in the middle of the corridor, frozen in the humiliation of her very public defeat.

The ache inside me hadn't disappeared. Not even close. But knowing I'd finally started tearing apart the false, arrogant world hiding behind all those masks...

That alone was enough to make me walk a little taller.