Chapter 55 Cassian

The thread inside my head had been hammering against my temples like a poisoned needle since last night. Bloom standing against the cold glass of her window, looking straight into my eyes as she accused me of being nothing more than an ordinary man ruled by primitive wolf instincts, had sent Axel into a violent rage behind my ribs.

I hadn't been able to tell her the truth. I hadn't been able to explain that the damned arrangement with Fiona had only ever been a cover. All I'd told Bloom was that Fiona had been a shield.

But today, everything was going to change. Alpha Ronan's dangerous plan to use Bloom as bait had Axel growling with dark satisfaction deep inside me. Fake or not, the little fox would finally be mine.

Under the same roof. Far away from the pack. We all left the pack house together that morning and drove to school, but the atmosphere inside the car felt heavier than last night's battle.

Bloom stared out the window, trying to understand the newly awakened pack bonds inside her mind. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white, forcing myself not to look at her.

When we stepped into the crowded school hallway, everything appeared as ordinary as it was supposed to. Until a shadow blocked our path. Dominic.

"Good morning," Dominic said, looking directly into Bloom's eyes. His voice was smooth and relaxed, as if the two of them shared a secret language no one else could understand.

I felt Axel transform into a monster inside me. My fingers tensed as if claws were about to tear through my skin. The strange, foreign energy rolling off that bastard fed the vicious jealousy inside me with every passing second.

Axel lunged forward inside my head, ready to rip Dominic's throat out in the middle of the hallway. I forced him back. Bloom stood firm beneath Dominic's easy confidence.

"If you're not planning to act as strange and unsettling as you did outside my cabin, then good morning to you too," she said clearly.

Dominic smiled faintly, as though he'd expected the warning, then raised both hands in surrender.

"I'm sorry, Bloom. I was just... a little intense."

His gaze never left her.

"I'd like to make it up to you, if you'll let me."

Bloom gave a small nod, accepting his apology. Even Kai seemed to hold his breath behind me. Axel was losing his mind with jealousy. How could a female descended from the First Line show that much tolerance so quickly to some unknown outsider?

I clenched my jaw, refusing to let even a fraction of the fury tearing through me show on my face. That was when the sharp sound of heels echoed from the opposite end of the hallway.

Fiona appeared.

The usual arrogant, suspicious expression on her face sharpened with every step she took toward us. She stopped directly in front of the group, glancing first at Bloom and then at me.

"Cassian, what is this supposed to mean?" she demanded.

The shrill jealousy in her voice drew the attention of several nearby students.

"You came to school with her again. I saw you two getting out of the car together again. What the hell is going on?"

Her eyes narrowed.

"When did you decide you could start ignoring me like this?"

Fiona's reckless outburst handed me the opportunity I'd been waiting for. I grabbed her arm without answering and pulled her toward the far end of the hallway, into a quieter corner where fewer people were standing.

"Let go of me. You're hurting me," Fiona hissed once we were out of the crowd. She tried to wrench her arm free.

"You owe me an explanation."

"I don't owe you anything, Fiona." I turned my voice into a wall of ice.

"Our arrangement is over. We don't need to keep pretending we're in a relationship anymore."

Her face went still.

"This ends here."

Fiona's eyes widened. For one brief second, the arrogant mask she always wore cracked. Jealousy and panic flooded her voice.

"What do you mean, it's over? I don't accept that."

Her expression twisted.

"You can't just throw me aside, Cassian. Are you leaving me for that pathetic girl?"

I had no patience left to find a gentler way through this. Axel was already sharpening his claws because Dominic was standing beside Bloom. I wasn't about to waste any more time dealing with Fiona's pointless resistance too.

She wanted this to end publicly. Fine. I would play by her rules.

I turned and started walking back toward the others.

She followed me like an angry kitten. The moment we reached the group, I raised my voice loud enough for every student in the hallway to hear.

"I'm done with your ridiculous fits of jealousy and your endless hysterics, Fiona."

My voice thundered through the corridor. Everyone around us fell silent. Every head turned in our direction.

"I'm tired of you questioning every move I make. I'm tired of you making my life miserable."

I stared directly at her. "I said it's over."

Her face drained of color.

"OVER."

The word echoed through the hallway. "Now leave."

Fiona stood frozen beneath the humiliation of being rejected in front of everyone. The flawless public image she'd worked so hard to build had just shattered around her, and she knew it.

She couldn't argue without making it worse. Hatred burned in her eyes as she turned away and stormed down the hallway. As she passed Bloom, she deliberately slammed her shoulder into hers.

Bloom stumbled slightly. My teeth ground together. It took every ounce of control I had not to crush Fiona where she stood. By lunchtime, my temper had only gotten worse.

The moment I stepped into the outdoor courtyard of the cafeteria and saw Bloom sitting beside Dominic at one of the tables, something inside me snapped. Dominic was leaning toward her, talking about something with that same effortless ease.

Axel slammed against the walls of my mind, ready to break free. I had already started toward the table, fully intending to drag that bastard out of his chair...

Then I saw Fiona.

She was marching straight toward Bloom. Every ounce of humiliation from this morning was written across her face. She stopped beside Bloom's table, leaning over her with an expression that was equal parts anger and threat, whispering something that immediately made Bloom's proud expression harden.

The instant I saw the tension settle across her face, the distance between us disappeared beneath my feet. I reached the table without slowing down. Without hesitation, I pulled out the empty chair beside Bloom and sat down.

She turned toward me, clearly stunned, before I extended my arm around her shoulders in one smooth, possessive motion. I pulled her against my side. The familiar warmth of her body pressed against my chest. Axel rumbled in pure satisfaction. Victory.

Fiona's eyes dropped to my arm around Bloom. The horror on her face was almost satisfying. I looked at her without the slightest emotion.

"We broke up, Fiona."

My voice was flat. "I guess you didn't hear me the first time."

"Stay away from me." My gaze sharpened. "And leave."

Then I glanced deliberately at Bloom beside me. "I don't ever want to see you anywhere near Bloom again."

Fiona's entire body shook with rage. Without another word, she spun on her heel and stormed away. Only then did I turn my attention to the other side of the table. To Dominic.

The challenge in his eyes hadn't disappeared. Neither had mine. A slow, arrogant smile spread across my face as I met his gaze.

She's mine. Touch her and I'll erase you. You lost. I won.

***

By the time school ended and we returned to pack territory, everything had already been prepared for the most important part of Ronan's plan.

Nearly the entire pack had gathered in front of the manor. Senior warriors. Our usual group. Everyone was still repairing the damage left behind by the previous night's attack.

I stopped a few steps in front of Bloom. Drawing a slow breath, I raised my voice so it carried across the entire courtyard before locking eyes with her.

"Bloom."

I spoke with the confidence expected of an Alpha heir. "I need to tell you something."

The courtyard gradually fell silent. "It isn't a secret that I've been drawn to you. I think everyone here has already noticed. I can't keep running from it anymore."

A faint smile tugged at one corner of my mouth. "The truth is I don't want to. I want to share my life with you."

I let my voice carry across the gathering. "I want everyone here to witness it."

I held her gaze. "Will you accept me?"

For a split second, genuine shock flashed across Bloom's face. The thread connecting us tightened instantly. Then I heard her voice inside my head.

"Cassian... what are you doing?" She sounded completely panicked.

"Now? Seriously? You literally just broke up with your girlfriend! Isn't this a little soon?"

I answered her through the bond without changing my expression. "Don't forget that we're out of time, little fox. The game has already started. The enemy needs to hear this. Play your part."

Inside me... Axel was happier than I'd ever felt him. As far as he was concerned, this fake relationship was simply the beginning. He truly believed he'd finally get Bloom. That sooner or later, she'd stop resisting and become completely his. Part of me knew this was nothing more than a mission.

The other part...

Wanted to believe Axel. Even if it was fake... She was my woman now. And I intended to enjoy every second fate was willing to give me. Bloom drew a slow breath. She lifted her chin...

Then gave a graceful nod. The courtyard immediately erupted into murmurs. I looked at her with a faint smirk.

"You're going to have to be a little more convincing, baby."

A flicker of embarrassment crossed her face before she forced herself to smile. She stepped closer... Wrapped her arms around me... And spoke loudly enough for everyone nearby to hear.

"I was wondering how much longer you planned to make me wait."

Her green eyes met mine. "It took you long enough to stop pretending you weren't attracted to me." Clever little fox.

Watching the shock ripple across the faces of the entire pack was almost worth everything we'd gone through. Before anyone could recover, I delivered the second blow. Turning toward the crowd, an unapologetically cocky grin spread across my face.

"And because of this new beginning..." I let my Alpha aura naturally color my voice. "...we've decided to move into the old property just outside pack territory."

A few curious murmurs rose from the crowd. I shrugged.

"You all know what wolves are like at the start of a new relationship." I smiled shamelessly. "We'd appreciate a little privacy."

The second those words left my mouth... Laughter rolled across the courtyard. Beside me, Bloom's cheeks instantly turned crimson. She'd gone bright red from embarrassment.

Seeing her like that... So flustered... So vulnerable... Sent a violent rush of heat through both me and Axel. I could practically feel my wolf sharpening his teeth. My gaze drifted to the blush spreading down her neck. Against my better judgment...

I found myself wondering just how far that color reached beneath the collar of her shirt. Behind us, Kai and Ivy exchanged relieved looks as the plan unfolded exactly the way we'd hoped.

Kai caught my eye and smirked. His expression practically screamed, Good luck, buddy. Don't screw this up.

***

It was well past midnight when we finally finished packing our things and reached the old house hidden deep within the forest beyond the pack's borders. Darkness swallowed everything around us. Neither of us spoke as we climbed out of the car and walked toward the house.

I unlocked the front door. We stepped inside. A second later, the heavy wooden door slammed shut behind us with a deep, echoing thud. The sound of the lock clicking into place echoed through the quiet hallway.

Just like that...

The outside world disappeared. The performance. The masks. The pack. All of it stayed beyond that door. Only the two of us remained.

The dim light inside the house mixed with the distant rumble of the storm outside. The unfinished tension from her bedroom... The fake relationship we'd just announced... The unbearable attraction neither of us could keep pretending didn't exist...

It all crashed down on us at once. The silence stole the air from my lungs. Bloom leaned back against the closed door. I took one slow step toward her. And in that moment...

Neither of us knew who was supposed to be the hunter...

Or who was about to become the prey.