“You’re just drunk due to our kiss,” she beamed at me, teeth flashing. “You know, it’s not only wine that can intoxicate a man. Sometimes it’s also kisses and sex. Lots of sex.”
“Cassidy,” I began, my voice becoming more serious and steady but filled with a hint of nervousness. “I can't deny the way you make me feel. Being with you, it's like I've found the missing piece of my existence. You make me feel alive.”
A soft smile danced upon Cassidy's lips as she reached out to take my hand. “Alpha Zarion,” she whispered, her voice carrying a delicate vulnerability. Her words felt foreign, but it sounds familiar especially if it’s coming from the lips I have kissed a couple of times. “I feel the same way. I've never met anyone like you before. Being with you, it's like I've discovered a new world. The true world. My world.”
With those words hanging in the air, I took a deep breath, gathering my courage. This was a moment I had thought about countless times, replaying it over and over in my mind. But now, faced with the reality of it. I couldn't help but feel a rush of uncertainty.
“Cassidy,” I said with my voice trembling slightly. “Will you be my girlfriend? Will you allow me the honor of being by your side, not just as your Alpha but as someone who cares for you deeply?”
“Just a girlfriend?” Her eyes widened, filled with surprise and joy, then scoffing. I could see a tear glistening at the corner of her eye. “Yes, Alpha. Yes, Zarion.” Her words are laced with emotions I always want to feel. “I would be honored to be your girlfriend, to share this journey with you. From now, until then.”
Relief flooded through me, mingling with the overwhelming happiness that coursed through my veins. In that moment, I knew that everything I had ever longed for was within my grasp. I had found love, a love that surpassed everything I had ever known.
And most of all, I found Cassidy. I don’t know but I got to thank that snowstorm that resulted in me being a wounded like-a-dog wolf that night. It’s all thanks to the snowstorm.
But then Cassidy's expression shifted, a flicker of worry crossing her features. “Alpha Zarion, what about your mate?” The sudden question also made me stiff. “What if she appears? What will happen then?”
I couldn't help but chuckle at her sudden concern, gently placing a hand on her cheek. “Cassidy, my love,” I said, my voice filled with reassurance. “I have searched far and wide for that witch and her death potion, hoping to rid myself of the curse that binds me to this immortal existence. But being with you has made me realize that I no longer desire that escape. I want to embrace eternity with you.”
“You’re no longer searching for that witch or your mate?” Her eyes searched mine, seeking the truth in my would-be answer. I only nodded once, then twice.
“But what if your mate does come?” she persisted, her voice barely a whisper.
I shook my head, my gaze never wavering from hers. “Cassidy, I promise you, my heart belongs to you. The bond between mates may be a powerful force, but my love for you transcends it. I will reject my mate without hesitation, for it is you who has captured my soul.”
“Reject your mate?!” Glare glistened in her eyes. “Then you're no different from Brandon.”
Cassidy shifted, threatening to walk out from my sight—from my life.
“I am not like Brandon.”
“I know.” She inhaled without looking me in the eyes, “It’s just—I’m sensitive with that issue right now.”
“The mating issue?”
“Yes.”
“Then we’ll worry about that later when she comes.”
“If she comes.” A wave of relief washed over her features, and a smile spread across her face. Thank the Moon Goddess she didn’t walk out.
“I trust you,” she said softly, leaning into my touch, her body melting into mine. “I believe in the strength of our love.”
Surrounded by the beauty of the moonlit meadow, I made a silent vow to myself. A vow to protect Cassidy, cherish her, and make every moment we shared together an eternity of love. With her by my side, I had found a love that defied all odds—a love that promised to transcend time and forever be our own.
A love that even death cannot contend with.
***
I closed my eyes as soon as we arrived at the border of the Madfur Claws Pack.
Cassidy immediately looked at me but I only closed my eyes.
As I stood before Cassidy, the love of my life, I could feel the weight of the words I was about to utter hanging heavily in the air. The sunlight streamed through the canopy of trees as I fluttered my eyes open, casting dappled shadows on our faces.
I took a deep breath, my heart pounding in my chest. “Cassidy,” I began, my voice steady yet filled with a mixture of determination and trepidation, “We need to be in Brandon's Pack—the Mad Fur Claws Pack. It's time for the ceremony of rejection.”
Cassidy's eyes widened in surprise, her gaze meeting mine with a mixture of confusion and concern. Her lips parted, but no words emerged. Only her shock of silence. I could see the wheels turning in her mind as she tried to process my sudden request.
Before she could respond, her attention shifted to Hestia, Brandon's mate. A momentary distraction that would soon become a revelation. Cassidy's gaze fell upon Hestia's rounded belly, unmistakably pregnant. Hestia, in turn, wore a triumphant smile that hinted at a secret victory.
I watched Cassidy's expression change from confusion to realization. The pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. I saw the pure emotions in her soul, the shock and hurt in her eyes. Hestia's pregnancy confirmed what we both suspected deep down: Brandon is the father.
It was a blow, a betrayal that cut deep into Cassidy's heart. She had been vulnerable and open with Brandon, only to be deceived by his actions. Well she’s with me in the first place because Brandon ignored her—rejected her informally in front of her face.
I wanted to comfort her, to hold her close and shield her from the pain, but there were more revelations to come. As the truth settled between us, Cassidy and I exchanged a meaningful glance. A wordless acknowledgement of the magnitude of the situation. We discovered that the ceremony of rejection wasn't the only event taking place in Brandon's pack. It was also the day of the recognition—the announcement—of the Luna and their wedding.
Brandon, oblivious to the storm brewing within us, stood nearby. Grinning like a fool who had won a great prize. It took all my strength not to succumb to the anger boiling inside me, not to rend his beating heart from his chest. To resist the urge to tear into my brother for his betrayal and clawed his heart out. We were in a fragile truce, and I couldn't risk jeopardizing the delicate temporary peace we had managed to establish.
I composed myself, pushing down the tumultuous emotions oozing within, threatening to consume me whole. My focus shifted back to Cassidy, whose hurt mirrored my own. I reached out, taking her hand in mine, offering a silent gesture of support.
“We must go, Cassidy.” I stared at her sidelong, my resonating with determination.
“We'll face this head-on, and we'll do it together.”
Then her eyes met mine, and I could see the flicker of resilience kindling within her. Burning and flaming, raw and hot.
Cassidy nodded, her grip on my hand tightening.
I bobbed my head back.
“We won't let them break us,” she declared, her voice filled with a newfound determination.
“We won’t let them break us,” I smiled at Cassidy, my vow bold and deadly as hers. “We won’t.”