Lahat ng Kabanata ng Forbidden: My Alpha Brother’s Obsession : Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

CASSIEThe funeral is held in the main hall of the pack house, as befits a Luna. White flowers cover every surface. The air is thick with the scent of lilies and the low murmur of hundreds of wolves who have come to pay their respects.People speak in hushed, reverent tones about how kind Patricia Marlowe was, how steady she was, and how she always remembered every pup’s name and every warrior’s tea preference.I sit among pack members, but I remember quieter things. The late-night texts asking if I had eaten properly or had enough water, the reminders that the weather was turning colder and I should wear an extra layer, and the voice notes that always ended with “I love you, sweetheart.”Those small, persistent kindnesses hurt more than the formal eulogies. If I could turn back the hand of time, I’d cherish her ever

CASSIEZoren stops a few feet away from me. Up close, he’s even more imposing than from across the funeral hall. The black suit sharpens every line of him. His blue eyes are unreadable, but there is a tension in his jaw that suggests the last half-hour of successful evasion has not gone unnoticed.“Cassie.”My name in his mouth still sounds the same. Four years haven’t changed that.“We need to talk.”A scoff almost escapes, but I keep my face carefully blank. After the silence, the engagement, and everything else, I refuse to make this easy. He has a lot of nerve requesting an audience.“I’m not interested,” I say.His brows pinch. “Five minutes. That’s all I’m asking.”“And I said no, Mr. Marlowe.”

CASSIEThe birthday candles flicker on the cake. Haven and Maya stare at me, waiting for me to blow them out and make a wish. I lean forward and extinguish the flames without wishing for anything.“Seriously?” Haven says.I shrug, and they both snort at my nonchalance.Another yawn escapes me as Haven cuts my twenty-first birthday cake. The cake arrived before I returned from lectures. They had set it up thinking it came from home. I don’t know who sent it, and I don’t care. I don’t care about many things these days. It’s hard when I’m always so tired.“Maybe you should go to your room,” Maya offers gently.A smile touches my lips. I nod and pull myself toward my room, no longer bothering to hide the exhaustion. In the span of five months, I&

CASSIEThe house is quiet when I step back inside. As I walk past Katherine’s door on the way to my bedroom, I wonder if she knows about this arrangement. If she’ll approve of the marriage. What if she hasn’t gotten over her teenage crush on Austin? What if she still likes him?I shake off that thought and enter my room. After tucking the envelope into my suitcase, I strip and enter the bathroom for a shower. I thought my birthday would be calm, but here we are. What a way to celebrate twenty-one years old.After my shower, I lie on my side in the dark, staring at the wall of the room, the proposal still heavy on my mind. My chest tightens with each thought, as if something unfinished is growing inside it. I toss and turn on the bed.Sleep won’t come.A few minutes pass, but I’m still restle

CASSIEThe morning of the wedding is colder than I expected. I stand in the side room while two attendants adjust the veil.Though the white dress is beautiful, simple, and elegant, I didn’t choose it. The fabric is cool under my fingers, and the quiet in the room feels too wide. My reflection looks so calm and pretty in the mirror that I barely recognize her.The image of my parents smiling comes to my mind. I always believed they would be here for this. Mom fixing my hair with those gentle, certain hands. Dad walking me down the aisle, steady and proud, the way he used to walk me into important rooms when I was younger.They would have supported whatever I chose, even this marriage. Especially if they thought it would keep me safe.The thought lands soft and heavy at the same time. They are not here. The seat whe