Chapter 57 Bloom

When I opened my eyes, the first rays of morning light filtering through the exposed wooden beams overhead stung my eyes. The old house hidden deep within the forest still held onto the suffocating silence of the night.

Slowly, I turned toward the other side of the bed. Cassian was still asleep.

I remembered the ache that had settled inside me when I'd built that invisible—but impossible to cross—wall between us before turning my back on him last night.

But now...

The fierce, untouchable Alpha heir lay completely defenseless on the opposite side of the bed. His dark hair was scattered across the pillow. Even the permanent crease between his brows had finally relaxed.

I took a slow breath as I carefully sat up. Without bothering to change out of my thin camisole and shorts, I quietly slipped out of bed. We weren't at the pack house anymore. There was no reason to dress differently.

As I passed the mirror, my reflection caught my eye. How was I supposed to protect my own heart during this fake relationship?

He was the future Alpha. Protective. Possessive. Dangerous. And I...

I was the greatest secret these lands had ever hidden—a hybrid descended from the First Line. How was I supposed to live under the same roof with him... Without falling for him?

How much longer could I keep my walls standing against that infuriating confidence of his... Against his endless need to control everything?

Somewhere deep inside me, that strange pull between us was waiting for the perfect opportunity to betray my common sense.

Maybe...

It already had.

I shoved the thoughts into the darkest corner of my mind and quietly left the bedroom. Making sure not to wake Cassian, I carefully descended the creaky wooden staircase. The kitchen was just as old as the rest of the house. And just as charming.

Thankfully, Alpha Ronan had stocked the cabinets with enough basic supplies to get us through the first few days.

Needing something—anything—to distract myself from the constant awareness of Cassian, I started making breakfast. The quiet sizzle from the pan filled the otherwise silent kitchen as I sliced fresh bread on the counter. Just as I turned around to carry the plates to the table... I froze.

Someone was leaning against the kitchen doorway. My breath caught instantly. I had no idea when Cassian had come downstairs. Had I really been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't even noticed his scent?

He wore nothing but a pair of black sweatpants. The tattoos stretching across his bare chest... The lean muscles still marked by bruises and fading cuts from recent fights... Every inch of him radiated dangerous strength.

A few strands of dark hair had fallen over his forehead. But those blue eyes... They were locked on me. There was no mistaking the hunger burning inside them. The wild, predatory look that made it seem as though his wolf wanted to devour me right where I stood.

His gaze drifted slowly over the bare skin of my shoulder exposed by my camisole strap... Then lower... To my legs beneath my shorts. The air inside the kitchen turned explosive in an instant.

"How long have you been standing there?"

I did everything I could to keep my voice from shaking as I set the plate onto the counter and lifted my chin.

"Long enough."

His rough morning voice rolled through the room like gravel. My eyes dropped briefly toward his bare chest before returning to his face.

"Cassian..."

I drew a steady breath.

"We need to talk about this arrangement. I don't want any more surprises like yesterday. We need boundaries."

He pushed himself away from the doorway. Every step he took was silent. Measured. Like a hunter closing in on prey without wasting a single movement. I wanted to move. To put some distance between us. But the counter pressed against my back. There was nowhere to go.

Within seconds, he'd closed the distance completely. The heat radiating from his body... His unmistakably masculine scent... Made my head spin. He planted both hands on the edge of the counter behind me, trapping me effortlessly between him and the kitchen island.

As he leaned closer, I could see the unmistakable gleam of his wolf in those blue eyes. I was certain he could hear my heartbeat pounding against my ribs.

"Do you have any idea..." His voice dropped into a whisper. "...what walking around this house dressed like that is doing to my wolf, little fox?"

His breath brushed against my lips. "I promised I wouldn't cross your boundaries."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "But you're the one making them very difficult to keep."

"I'm making breakfast, Cassian." I refused to look away.

Placing both hands against his chest, I tried to push him back. The solid warmth beneath my palms only made my skin burn. "And this is my home too."

"I'll wear whatever I want." I met his gaze without flinching.

"Tell Axel to keep his chains a little tighter."

A smug grin spread across his face.

"Axel stopped caring about chains the moment he caught your scent, Bloom."

His eyes lingered on mine.

"And after yesterday..." His smile deepened. "After you stood that close to me in front of the entire pack..."

"And delivered that clever little performance..." He tilted his head slightly.

"I think we've both started taking this fake relationship a little too seriously."

"That was a one-time performance."

I fought to keep my voice steady.

"It's over."

The attraction humming between us crackled through the kitchen like electricity.

His lips were so close to mine that the slightest movement would destroy every boundary we'd tried to build.

"Which is exactly why..." I swallowed. "...we need to establish some rules."

His thumb brushed slowly across my lower lip. Applying the slightest pressure. My lips parted on instinct. His eyes darkened. The air between us thickened. His gaze locked onto my mouth. A wave of warmth climbed my neck before sinking to places I was trying very hard not to think about.

"So..." I whispered. "How exactly are we supposed to do this? Let's start there."

"We'll be seen together around town."

His voice was low and steady.

"We'll have dinner together. We'll stick together at school." A faint spark lit his eyes.

"We'll do what couples do."

"Fake couples."

"It doesn't matter." He shook his head. "We'll be the only ones who know the truth."

His thumb slowly traced a path from my chin to my collarbone. I was beginning to lose the battle against leaning into his touch.

"If it looks real..." His voice softened. "If it feels real..."

"If everyone believes it's real..." He searched my eyes.

"Then what's the difference?"

"That's exactly why there is a difference." I forced the words out.

"Because I'll know the truth."

"You want the truth?" His expression turned serious. "The truth is there are people hunting you."

"The truth is there are people who would use you if they caught you. They'd chain you. They'd lock you away. They'd make sure you never saw that freedom you treasure so much ever again."

Every word landed like a slap. Because he was right.

"We have to make this believable," he continued, his voice dropping even lower.

"We have to convince humans. Wolves. Everyone."

His fingers lingered lightly against my skin. "That means holding hands."

"Hugging." His thumb drifted a little farther down from my collarbone.

"Kissing."

My knees nearly gave out. "Kissing?"

"If the situation calls for it."

Silence settled between us. Then...

"You didn't say no."

Because I couldn't. God... I couldn't. I wanted it. Even if it was fake. Even if it was built on a lie. Even if I already knew my heart would be the one paying the price in the end.

His thumb barely grazed the curve at the top of my chest. A tiny sound escaped my lips before I could stop it. I caught the flash in his eyes.

"So?"

His voice had grown rough now. He was struggling too. "What do you say, Bloom?"

"...Okay." The word slipped out before I could take it back.

I ducked beneath his arm and stepped away from him. No matter how much my body wanted to stay... Reality crashed back into me. We needed this plan. My chest rose and fell with uneven breaths. Every instinct inside me begged me to turn around... To let him touch me again.

But I had to protect my heart. "I agree."

I steadied my breathing before looking back at him. "We'll play our parts."

"We'll make everyone believe it. But we're not in public right now."

I folded my arms. "There isn't an audience. So there's no reason for you to stand this close."

A tiny smile tugged at my lips. "And we don't need to keep negotiating boundaries. When we're alone..."

"Just give me my space." At that exact moment—

The front door of the house slammed open. Heavy footsteps echoed through the hallway. "Hey! Lovebirds! You in here?"

Kai's familiar teasing voice sliced cleanly through the suffocating tension filling the kitchen.

Cassian muttered a quiet curse through clenched teeth before finally stepping back. Even then... He didn't take his eyes off me until the last possible second. I immediately turned around and busied myself with the bread on the counter as if we'd never been standing inches apart.

As I struggled to steady my heartbeat, Kai and Ivy reached the kitchen doorway. Kai's eyes instantly bounced from my flushed cheeks... To Cassian's bare chest... Then to the irritated look on his face.

That infuriating grin slowly spread beneath his nose. "Ooo..."

He stepped inside. "I guess we showed up at the wrong time."

His grin widened. "You kept talking about wanting privacy, but I thought this was all just an act, buddy."

"Shut up, Kai." Cassian dragged out one of the chairs and dropped into it with a growl.

Desperate to change the subject—and to escape everyone's eyes—I turned toward Ivy. "You got here at the perfect time."

I forced as much cheerfulness into my voice as I could manage. "I was just finishing breakfast."

I gestured toward the table. "Come sit down."

"Otherwise all this food would've gone to waste in a house this big."

Ivy smiled knowingly, clearly understanding exactly what she'd interrupted. "That sounds amazing, Bloom."

She laughed softly. "I'm starving."

"After everything that happened at the pack house yesterday..." She looked around the quiet kitchen. "This place must've been a nice change."

We all gathered around the table. Breakfast somehow came and went between Kai's endless stream of suggestive jokes... And the murderous looks Cassian kept sending his way. But every time I accidentally looked up... I caught Cassian watching me.

He hadn't stopped. Not once. After breakfast, I hurried upstairs to change. I slipped into a pair of jeans and a comfortable sweater before heading back down. Everyone was ready.

Together, we climbed into the car and started the drive to school. Every now and then, I caught Cassian's sharp blue eyes watching me through the rearview mirror. It was all the proof I needed.

The fire that had started in the kitchen that morning... Wasn't going to burn out in the school hallways. Our masks were back in place. We were heading to school.

But both of us already knew the truth.

From the moment the front door of that old house had closed behind us... Nothing between us would ever feel completely fake again.