Chapter 7

Cassian’s POV

I watched her eyes widen.

Yet again the shade of brown seemed to amaze me.

They looked…perfect.

Far from the character of the who held them.

They locked onto mine the second I said the word privately, like I had said something forbidden.

She didn’t speak.

Didn’t scream.

Didn’t fall to her knees or lash out with the kind of fire I knew she was capable of.

Instead she stood there, her shoulders were obviously tense and her nostrils flared.

Every muscle in her body rejected me. Rejected this. And yet, she didn’t move.

We were both silent, it was like a war just that in this one we only glared at each other and we both understood what the other party thought.

Well sort of.

But I chose to ignore it.

For now.

There was no point in tossing oil into a fire I already planned to control.

Calmly, I moved toward the liquor cart tucked into the corner. Poured a glass of water. No whiskey tonight. I needed clarity, not comfort.

Ice clinked against the rim as I leaned back against the counter, watching her like one would a caged wolf deciding whether to attack or retreat.

“You’ll act as my Luna,” I said evenly. “Publicly and privately. Appearances. Rituals. The rites. The whole performance.”

I sipped slowly. Let it hang.

She didn’t move.

Her bag was on the floor, sitting by the door like it was a guard, while she, the princess, stood with her arms crossed around her chest, staring at me as though she wanted me dead in a matter of seconds.

So I kept going.

“And when it’s done,” I smiled, lowering the glass, “we’ll go our separate ways. You’ll leave with more than you came with comfort, protection, and a generous divorce settlement.”

I couldn’t tell which of my words did it but I saw it— tye snap in her eyes.

“Divorce settlement?” she repeated slowly, carefully musing over each letter.

Ofcourse, what had I expected in the first place. They were all the same— low lives looking to leech off someone of status.

“Exactly.” I gave a single nod. “A severance package. Compensation for your time, your effort, your cooperation. Call it… hazard pay for surviving me.”

“And i'm meant to be jumping?” She retorted, arching an eyebrow at me.

I don’t know what upset me more.

The fact that she seemed ungrateful or the possibility of me being wrong in my judgement of her

And I… was never wrong.

“I go from being thrown in your puiny dungeon, to being your pretend Luna. I have to put my life on pause for as long as you want me to, because you are the alpha? And what I should be ecstatic about your sentence?”

“It’s not a sentence, Selena,” I mumbled.

I couldn’t pull my eyes away from her,

Why?

Because I didn’t want to miss a reaction

I wanted to know which of my words would hit a nerve.

“It’s a role,” I continued, “Temporary. Strategic. Mutually beneficial.”

Her lips curled up and I thought, maybe she was beginning to see the sense in what I was saying.

Maybe she had dropped the pretense.

But what followed was an outburst of laughter, a humorless, bitter laughter.

“Mutually?” She spat back, ”I have to pause my life, Alpha Cassian, and you? You get a fake Luna, and your mute daughter calling someone Mummy again. What do I get?”

I looked her straight in the eye.

“Survival.”

Her face darkened. “You don’t get to play hero, Cassian. Not after dragging me into a cell like a rogue.”

“You followed,” I reminded her.

“Because I didn’t have a choice!” she snapped.

“Exactly.” I beamed, “ Which means you already know how this works.” I set the glass down with a soft clink. “You do what’s necessary to survive. Because I say so”

She opened her mouth to argue, but I cut in before she could begin her rant .

“You’ll do it,” I expressed quietly. Final. “Because your aunt—Lillian, isn’t it?—is two weeks late on her medication. Her breathing’s getting worse. The last clinic turned her away because the bills haven’t been cleared. And you, little creature , can’t help her from a prison cell.”

Her entire body went still.

“How do you know that?” Her pupils had dilated, making them appear wider, I could hear the sobs creeping into her voice.

I had to commend her tho

For keeping it together up until now.

I took a step forward.

“I’m the Alpha King,” I said softly. “Everything under Silvercreek’s sun belongs to me—land, law, secrets.”

Another step. She didn’t move.

“And people.”

There it was… the same expression I enjoyed whenever I said something that affected her.

“You don’t own people,” she protested. “You arrogant, twisted—”

“Careful,” I warned, tilting my head. “I’m offering you an opportunity, not a punishment.”

“You’re offering me a leash!” she snarled, eyes blazing. “And expecting me to say thank you!”

“I’m expecting you to think.” I stepped even closer now, close enough to feel the heat of her anger. “You want your aunt safe? You want a future? Then drop the act and take the damn deal.”

Her hands curled into fists.

“You think because you have power and soldiers and a cursed crown that gives you the right to decide who deserves freedom?”

“I think reality doesn’t care about what’s right,” I said. “Only what works.”

“You mean what works for you,” she spat.

“I mean what works for all of us.” I paused, my voice cooling like the water in my glass. “You can stay in this room, play the part, protect your aunt, and walk away with your dignity intact. Or you can return to the dungeon. Rot with your pride. You choose.”

She took a step forward, looking directly into my eyes.

“You think I give a damn about your throne? Your wolves and your empty rituals? You think I’ll crawl for coin while you sit in silk sheets playing king?”

“You already stepped into the room,” I said. “You crossed the threshold. You’re in the game.”

“I followed because I didn’t want to die!” she shouted. “Don’t confuse survival with surrender.”

I didn’t answer.

I watched her.

I let her fury rise until it shook her shoulders and stole the steadiness from her voice.

“I won’t be your puppet,” she expressed , quieter now, but more dangerous. “Not for a hundred contracts. Not for your spoiled little kingdom.”

Then she turned.

I didn’t stop her.

Didn’t follow.

Because I had the power to find her even if she lived under a rock, and because I knew she’d be back.

The world outside that door was colder than I’d ever be.

And like it or not…

I had just become her warmest enemy.