Chapter 46

Selena’s POV

They all laughed

Not the trained one they had been offering me since

This was uncultured in the realest way possible

And it did something to my chest

It was good to know that even the noblest of women could have a laughter so untamed.

“Truly?”

“Well, I wasn’t gagged or chained, if that helps,” I said, shrugging one shoulder. “Let’s just say it was… unconventional.”

“How very Cassian,” someone sighed. “Always dramatic.”

Another leaned in with curious eyes. “So how was it, then? Coping with all that distance between you? The contract, the politics… Surely it wasn’t easy?”

I tilted my head slightly. The softness in her voice was false. She was digging.

Trying to see if the cracks would show.

I could’ve told the truth. That I was nothing but a palace maid for Zevran

That I was banished from his pack and I somehow wandered here?

That I’m with Cassian under contract?

That he kept me because he believes his daughter’s speech is somehow tied to me?

But what would that do? Confirm their suspicions that I was weak? That I didn’t belong?

So I smiled.

“It wasn’t easy,” I said. “But neither of us signed up for something simple. We knew what we were stepping into. We adjusted. We endured. And… we made it through.”

They nodded like I’d just given a speech at a royal academy.

One of them touched my arm lightly. “You’re very composed.”

“I’ve had practice.”

“Still,” the blonde said, “the way he looks at you… It’s different now. He used to walk into rooms like he was carrying ghosts. But tonight…”

She didn’t finish.

She didn’t need to.

They were watching us both.

I could feel his presence even though I hadn’t seen him since stepping inside. He was somewhere behind me—probably doing his own version of diplomacy, which involved as few words as possible and just enough eye contact to make grown men flinch.

“He’s changed,” one whispered.

“Or maybe,” another mused, “he just finally has something to fight for.”

My throat went tight.

I glanced toward where Sisi was now playing with a group of children by the far fountain.

The truth was—I didn’t know who Cassian was fighting for.

Not really.

But I knew who I was fighting for.

Her

Even though we didn’t have any blood ties

I Could feel that my soul was attached to her

Eleanor

And aunt

The music changed. Something softer. Slower.

The Master of Ceremony’s voice rang out, cutting through the conversations with authority.

“And now, dear guests, we welcome to the dance floor a few of tonight’s beloved pairs—leaders, mates, and those bound by more than just blood or titles. First, Alpha Marek and his lovely bride…”

A cheer rose.

People shifted.

“And next—Alpha Cassian Storm and Selena Heron.”

Silence.

Followed by a burst of murmurs.

All eyes turned.

And suddenly….I couldn’t breathe.

The air changed the second our names were called.

Like some invisible curtain had been pulled back, revealing a stage I didn’t ask to stand on.

My name, his name

THey were both together and delivered to a room full of wolves who measured worth in bloodlines, power, and elegance under pressure.

I stood still for half a heartbeat too long.

Then I smiled.

Not because I felt calm.

But because I’d learned a long time ago that the best way to survive in a room full of predators was to act like you weren’t prey.

All around me, eyes darted toward Cassian.

I didn’t have to turn to know he was already looking at me.

I felt it.

The heat of it. The pull.

And I hated that part of me

the raw, bruised part still trying to scab over

That felt restless under his gaze like it still remembered what it meant to be wanted.

“I suppose I should find him,” I announced lightly to the group of women, brushing my hair back from my shoulder.

“You’re lucky,” one of them whispered. “To be looked at the way he looks at you.”

I didn’t reply.

Because if she knew what it cost me to hold that look—

What it cost to carry the weight of it without falling apart—she might’ve thought differently.

I moved through the crowd with practiced grace, each step measured.

I spotted him by the edge of the floor.

Cassian.

He stood like a man used to being obeyed—still, sure, dangerous without needing to prove it.

He wasn’t talking. Just watching.

And when our eyes met again, I swore the world stopped for a beat.

Not because it was romantic.

But because I wasn’t sure whether I was walking toward a man I trusted…

…or the man who could break me again if I let him.

When I reached him, he didn’t speak.

Neither did I.

He offered his hand.

I hesitated for only a breath.

Then placed mine in his.

His fingers curled around mine with slow, deliberate pressure.

Warm.

Familiar.

Wrong.

Right.

We moved.

Not perfectly. Not like those couples who practiced courtly dances every other week.

But there was something easy in the way he guided me.

Something remembered in the way our bodies settled into a rhythm.

Like muscle memory.

Like instinct.

“Red,” he murmured, after a long silence.

I arched a brow. “Yes?”

“I’ve never seen you in red before.”

“Do you like it?”

He didn’t answer immediately. But his hand slid just slightly along the curve of my back, a breath away from being something more than appropriate.

“I think I’ll be seeing it in my sleep.”

My stomach twisted.

He was trying.

He was trying and I wanted to hate him for it.

Because it was easier than wanting him back.

My voice was calm when I said, “The women were asking about you.”

“Of course they were.”

“They’re all shocked you finally settled.”

He gave a low hum. “I’m not settled.”

That made me pull back a bit, blinking. “Oh?”

His mouth lifted slightly. “Settling sounds like giving up. This doesn’t feel like that.”

I looked away.

“I lied,” I muttered quietly.

I was hoping he didn’t hear me

His grip didn’t change. But I felt him tense.

“When they asked how I was coping during our supposed long-distance arrangement. I told them it was hard, but that I was grateful. That we made it work.”

His voice was low. “And?”

“i could have told them how unsure I am especially now.” I met his eyes. “. How easy it was for you to let me go. How easily you let Julia come back into your life.”

His jaw clenched.

“I didn’t let her in,” he said. “Not the way you think.”

“You didn’t stop her either.”

He was silent.

We turned slowly on the dance floor, a hundred eyes on us. But I only saw him.

And he—he only saw me.

“I didn’t know how to stop bleeding on someone who didn’t cause the wound,” he said.

I blinked.

“What?”

He shook his head once. “You came into my life when I was still half-destroyed. You took care of my daughter when I barely knew how to speak to her. And then you stayed, even after I made it clear I wasn’t whole.”

“im staying for the contract Cassian ,” I whispered. “I need the money .”

I didn’t mean it

But I couldn’t let him see hiw much he affected me

I couldn’t let him see thst i was breaking the contract rules

Thst my heart wasn’t paying attention when we signed the agreement

Now it had begun to act according to its own accord

“Doesn’t make it less real.”

We danced for a few moments more in silence.

Then his voice dropped low.

“You’re the strongest person in this room, Selena.”

I laughed under my breath. “You’d be surprised how little strength I have left.”

“But you still showed up.”

“And looked good doing it,” I said with a ghost of a smirk.

“That too.”

A pause.

Then he leaned down, just enough that I could feel his breath near my ear.

“If I ask you to stay by my side through the rest of this cursed evening, will you say no?”

I didn’t answer right away.

Because I wasn’t sure.

Because saying yes felt like peeling open a door I wasn’t ready to walk through.

But I didn’t pull my hand away.

And when the music began to fade and the spotlight dimmed, we were still standing there.

Still dancing.

Even after the music stopped.

Even after the world kept spinning.

The music faded, but his hand didn’t leave mine.

Cassian stood still beside me, chest rising and falling a little faster than before, like the dance had taken something from him

It couldn’t place a finger on what exactly

maybe breath, maybe pride, maybe fear.

I didn’t know.

And I wasn’t going to ask.

We left the floor quietly, the crowd parting just enough for us to glide through. I spotted Sisi near the back with other kids, her cheeks pink and her curls a little messier than before. She was eating cake with the other kids

frosting smudged at the corner of her mouth,

While her eyes lit up with joy.

Good. At least she was having fun.

Cassian and I reached our table, and I was already preparing myself to sit—to breathe—to shift back into the background of this curated fairy tale—

When I felt something change in the air

I didn’t hear her heels at first.

I didn’t have to.

I smelled her perfume.

Too sweet.

Too sharp.

Too familiar.

Cassian turned before I did, which said everything.

“Julia?” he asked.

His voice wasn’t loud.

But it was the kind of voice that made heads turn.

Gasps followed.

Because there she was.

She was standing at the far edge of the reception hall

With a bright colored silver gown

She was beautiful

Really beautiful

So much more ideal for Cassian

Except… she didn’t belong here at all.

And everyone knew it.

The bride’s father was the first to move—Alpha Marek’s cousin, a stern-faced man in navy robes and gold embroidery. He summoned two guards within seconds.

“Excuse me,” he said sharply, his eyes on Julia. “Who let you in?”

Julia didn’t falter. “I’m with Alpha Cassian.”

All eyes turned to him.

Including mine.

Cassian stepped forward, his brows drawn. “I didn’t invite her.”

The older man’s mouth flattened. “So you’re saying she wasn’t on your official guest list?”

“No,” Cassian replied, his voice flat and cold. “She wasn’t.”

Julia’s expression wavered just slightly.

The woman beside Alpha Marek—a regal, dark-skinned beauty with silver braids and the kind of poise I envied—rose from her seat next to the bride.

“This event is sacred,” she said calmly, though her tone was cutting. “Reserved for unity, for celebration. We do not tolerate intrusions.”

Julia started to speak.

Didn’t finish.

Because two guards stepped up beside her.

She looked at Cassian.

Waited.

Expected something.

He didn’t move.

Didn’t speak.

Didn’t blink.

And then, with one final flick of her hair, she turned on her heels—and let them escort her out.

The silence left behind was loud.

And somehow freeing.

I sat down slowly, my heart hammering even though I hadn’t done anything.

Cassian remained standing for a moment longer. I watched his face

And as alwayss, I couldn’t make out anything

Finally, he returned to his seat beside me.

“That was…” I began.

“Overdue,” he muttered.

I glanced sideways. “You didn’t look surprised.”

“I wasn’t surprised she came.” He looked at me then. “I’m surprised I didn’t stop her sooner.”

“You had seen her earlier?”

I had too when I made the statement about his ex

I just didn’t think he had a problem with it

We sat there quietly.

A dozen wolves stared at us. Then turned away when I met their gaze.

I reached for my wine glass, the stem cool against my fingers.

“I’m surprised you didn’t chase after her,” I said before I could stop myself.

Cassian exhaled slowly. “I’m not the man she thinks I am anymore.”

“Who are you, then?”

He didn’t answer.

Because the musicians began again.

And this time, the dance floor filled with laughter, skirts swirling, pups running between tables.

And for once…

I wasn’t pretending to belong here.

I just… did.