Cassidy
I hated how warm the fire felt.
It was stupid. A small thing. But I couldn't stop noticing it—the way the heat curled around me, the way my fingers had finally stopped shaking from the cold, I still haven't gotten used to the difference in climate.
The way I had started to relax—just for a moment—before Kieran walked in and shattered the illusion.
Now, warmth felt like a trick.
Like something I couldn't afford to enjoy.
I exhaled sharply, staring down at my hands as the memory of our conversation replayed in my mind.
"The pack needs to see you."
I hadn't argued.
I couldn't argue.
Because I knew he wasn't asking.
I also knew it was useless to resist.
But knowing that didn't make it easier.
It didn't make me less afraid.
Because the last time I had been surrounded by a pack, I had been nothing more than a slave.
And now?
Now I was walking into their world as something else.
Something worse.
Kieran had told them I belonged here.
But he hadn't told me how.
And that scared me more than anything else.
I barely touched my breakfast.
Not because it wasn't good—because it was. The food here was nothing like the scraps I had survived on before.
But my stomach was too tight.
Too full of nerves.
Damon had watched me from across the table, a smirk playing at his lips as he plucked a piece of grape from my plate. "You should eat. It's going to be a long morning."
I didn't answer.
Because what was the point?
I could feel Kieran's gaze on me from his seat at the head of the table, unreadable and steady.
I ignored it.
Or, at least, I tried.
But something about the way he had looked at me earlier—when he had walked into my room without knocking, when his gaze had lingered just a little too long—
It made me uneasy.
Not because I thought he was going to hurt me.
But because I wasn't sure what he was going to do.
And that was almost worse.
By the time we stepped outside, my hands were cold despite the gloves I had been given and the black coat I wore on my yellow knee length dress courtesy of Kieran. My wardrobe had more yellow in it than it should, I guess someone liked yellow. Even the socks I wore under my boots were yellow.
The estate grounds stretched wide before me, the snow-packed paths winding between towering buildings and training yards, the thick forests pressing in from all sides.
I could already feel them.
The wolves.
Kieran stood beside me, his hands tucked into his coat pockets, his posture as relaxed as ever.
Like this was nothing.
Like he wasn't dragging me into a den of wolves to be examined.
I swallowed hard, my breath curling in the air. "Where are we going?"
"A walk," he said simply. "Just stay close."
Stay close.
Like I had a choice.
I forced my shoulders to straighten as I followed him down the steps, my legs stiff with tension.
The first person we passed didn't speak.
Didn't acknowledge me beyond the faint twitch of his nose as he caught my scent.
The second one did.
"Alpha," the old woman greeted, her golden eyes flicking toward me, sharp with curiosity.
She didn't say anything else.
But she didn't have to.
Because the question was there.
Hanging in the air between us.
Kieran gave her a small nod, his expression neutral. "Elsa."
The woman lingered for half a second, then moved on.
I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.
"Relax," Kieran murmured beside me. "You're too tense."
I shot him a sharp look. "Forgive me for not enjoying my morning stroll."
His lips twitched. "I didn't say enjoy it. Just stop looking like I'm leading you to your execution."
I bit the inside of my cheek, forcing my posture to ease.
He wasn't wrong.
I had been wound so tight I was practically trembling.
And if I wanted to survive this, I couldn't afford to look weak.
I had to make them believe I belonged.
Even if I didn't.
Even if I never would.
We walked for what felt like hours.
Everywhere we went, I felt their gazes. Their curiosity. Their quiet, unspoken questions.
Kieran didn't acknowledge them.
But he knew.
He could feel it just as much as I could.
At one point, a group of warriors passed us, their conversations quieting as we approached.
One of them—a younger man with sharp blue eyes—hesitated just a second too long.
His gaze flicked to Kieran, then back to me.
And then—
"Alpha," he said slowly. "Is she…?"
I tensed.
Kieran's expression didn't change. "She is."
The warrior's brows lifted slightly, but he said nothing more.
Just nodded and moved on.
I exhaled, my heart hammering. "What does that mean?" I murmured, keeping my voice low.
Kieran glanced at me. "What?"
"'She is.'" I swallowed hard. "She is what?"
Kieran didn't answer immediately.
And when he finally did, his voice was softer than I expected.
"Mine."
A chill ran through me.
Not from fear.
Not from disgust.
From something else.
Something I didn't want to name.
I looked away quickly, focusing on the path ahead, refusing to acknowledge the strange heat curling in my chest.
Because that was the first time he had said it like that.
Not as a threat.
Not as a warning.
Just as a fact.
And the worst part?
I wasn't sure if I hated it.
_________________________
Cassidy had been quiet since our walk through the estate.
Not in the way she had been before.
Not the sharp, biting silence of resistance.
This was different.
More calculating.
More aware.
I wasn't sure if that was better or worse.
I exhaled, rolling my shoulders as we stepped into the training yard, the scent of sweat and damp earth thick in the crisp morning air.
Wolves moved around us, sparring, shifting, training.
But their eyes kept flicking back to her.
She knew it.
Felt it.
And yet—
She didn't cower.
She was tense. Stiff.
But she was standing.
Holding herself together with the same fragile defiance I had seen in her since the moment I took her from Garrick's grasp.
She was afraid.
But she wasn't broken.
And I was starting to realize—
She never would be.
Damon was already waiting for us, leaning against a wooden post with a lazy grin. "Well, if it isn't our little human celebrity."
Cassidy tensed beside me.
I shot Damon a look. "Don't start."
"What? I'm just admiring the fact that she's still here."
Cassidy's lips pressed into a thin line.
Damon arched a brow, flicking his gaze between us. "Not even a snarky comeback? What, did she finally learn some respect?"
I growled. "Damon."
"Alright, alright." He smirked. "I'll behave."
Cassidy exhaled slowly, shifting her weight. "Why are we here?"
I turned to her, taking in the tightness of her jaw, the way her fingers twitched slightly against her sides.
She didn't like being watched.
Didn't like feeling exposed.
"You're going to need to learn how to defend yourself sooner or later" I said.
Her eyes flickered with something unreadable. "You brought me here to train?"
I gestured toward the yard. "This is how wolves settle disputes. How we test strength. How we prove our place and no for now you're here to observe. Also to make a statement of who is in charge."
She swallowed hard. "And what does that have to do with me?"
Damon chuckled. "Everything."
Cassidy shot him a wary glance.
I sighed. "They need to see that you're under my protection and not being locked away against your will."
Her throat bobbed. "I am. Although I thought you already told them."
I cast her a small glare which she ignored.
"Telling them isn't enough."
She exhaled sharply, looking away. "Of course it isn't."
She was trying to mask her emotions.
But I saw the way she pulled her arms around herself.
The way her pulse spiked.
I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "No one here will touch you, Cassidy."
Her golden eyes flicked up to mine.
I wasn't sure what I expected to see there.
Fear. Resentment.
Instead—
I saw doubt.
Not in me.
In herself.
Like she wasn't sure she could believe anyone anymore.
My chest tightened.
Damon sighed dramatically. "Well, this is getting emotional."
Cassidy turned sharply. "Do you ever shut up?"
Damon blinked. Then, to my surprise—he grinned. "Ah. There she is."
Cassidy scowled. "What?"
"The fight." He nudged me. "You should've seen her when I caught her sneaking out. Fiery little thing."
Cassidy's shoulders went rigid.
I tensed. "Damon."
He smirked. "What? I'm just reminiscing."
Cassidy looked like she wanted to disappear.
I sighed, rubbing my temple. "Enough."
Damon held up his hands in mock surrender. "Fine, fine. I'll let you two have your moment."
Cassidy's face burned. "This is not a moment."
Damon grinned. "Whatever you say, little human."
I ignored him, turning back to Cassidy. "We'll stay long enough for them to see you. Then we leave."
She exhaled, nodding stiffly. "Fine."
But even as she said it, I saw the way her fingers curled into her sleeves again. A nervous habit of hers.
One I had started to notice too much.
I forced my attention back to the yard.
Because I needed to stay focused.
I needed to remind myself—
This wasn't about her.
It was about the pack.
About proving that she belonged here.
About proving that I wouldn't let anyone touch what was mine.
And yet—
As we stood there, surrounded by wolves, their eyes burning into us—
I felt it.
That pull.
That awareness.
The way her scent settled into my senses, threading itself deeper into my thoughts.
The way her golden eyes flicked up at me, searching, hesitant.
Like she wasn't sure if she should trust me.
Like she wanted to.
And that—
That was dangerous.
Because I wasn't sure if I wanted her to trust me.
Or if I just wanted her to stay.
--------------------------
The stares hadn't stopped.
Not from the moment we left the training yard.
Not even after Kieran led me back into the estate, away from the biting cold and the wolves who had studied me like I was something they needed to figure out.
But even here, in the dim halls, the weight of their scrutiny remained.
It clung to my skin, seeped into my thoughts.
Because they weren't just watching me.
They were waiting.
I wrapped my arms around myself as I walked beside him, my footsteps echoing against the tiled ground .
I wasn't used to walking beside someone like him.
Not without feeling the sharp edge of a leash, the threat of punishment lurking behind every step.
But Kieran hadn't leashed me.
He hadn't struck me.
He hadn't hurt me at all.
And somehow, that unsettled me more than anything.
Because I didn't understand him.
I didn't understand what he wanted.
And that made him dangerous.
He didn't speak as we climbed the stairs to my room.
Didn't acknowledge the way I hesitated when we reached my door, my fingers hovering over the handle.
I wasn't sure why I paused.
It wasn't locked.
He had stopped locking it days ago.
And yet—
I felt caged anyway.
"Go rest," Kieran murmured, his voice low, steady.
I swallowed hard, turning to look at him.
I wasn't sure what I expected to see.
Impatience.
Irritation.
But not—
Not the way his eyes flicked over me, taking in the tension in my shoulders, the way my fingers had curled into my sleeves again, gripping the fabric like it was the only thing keeping me upright.
Not the way he watched me.
Like he was trying to figure something out, too.
I wet my lips, my throat tight. "Is this what it's always like?"
His brow furrowed slightly. "What?"
"The stares. The whispers. The waiting."
Kieran exhaled, dragging a hand through his dark hair. "It'll fade."
I let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Will it?"
His gaze flickered with something unreadable. "If you let it."
I clenched my jaw, turning back to the door.
I didn't know what that meant.
I didn't know if I wanted to know.
I reached for the handle—
But before I could turn it, his voice stopped me.
"Cassie."
I hesitated, glancing over my shoulder, the way he called my name caused me to shudder.
He was still watching me, his expression unreadable.
Then, softer—"You don't have to be afraid of them."
Something inside me twisted.
Because he meant it.
Because he believed it.
But he didn't understand.
He had never been a human in a world ruled by wolves.
He had never been helpless.
I swallowed hard, my fingers tightening on the handle. "Maybe not. But they don't know that yet."
I pushed the door open before he could say anything else, stepping inside and closing it behind me.