Kieran
The estate had been restless since our arrival.
It wasn't fear that settled in the halls.
It was curiosity.
I had felt it the moment we stepped through the gates—the shift. The way conversations quieted, the way eyes lingered just a second too long, the way scents changed with barely restrained questions.
They knew I had brought a human.
That wasn't unusual.
Humans worked in the estate, ran shops in town, walked among us without issue.
But this?
Cassidy wasn't just any human.
She was mine.
And that meant something.
I could feel the weight of their unspoken questions pressing against the walls, clawing at the edges of my patience. The whispers were already spreading, threading through my pack like wildfire.
"Who is she?"
"Why did he bring her here?"
"What is she to him?"
No one had dared ask me directly.
Not yet.
But they would.
And when they did, I would have to give them an answer.
One they would accept.
One that wouldn't ignite a storm I wasn't ready to deal with.
Because they would fight this.
They wouldn't understand.
And I wasn't sure how to make them.
I leaned back in my chair, exhaling slowly as I stared at the fire flickering in the stone hearth. My office was warm, filled with the familiar scent of leather and aged parchment, the heavy wooden desk worn from years of use.
It should have been comforting.
But it wasn't.
Not tonight.
Not with her scent still lingering on my clothes.
Cassidy.
She was still in her room.
Still plotting, still waiting, but for what, I wasn't sure.
She had tried to run again.
And she had failed, Damon made sure of it.
Again.
But for the first time since I had taken her, she had gone back on her own.
That meant something.
Not surrender.
Not acceptance.
But an understanding.
She was starting to realize that running wouldn't work.
That the walls around her weren't just physical.
I dragged a hand down my face, inhaling deeply.
She was making this harder than it needed to be.
A knock sounded at the door, pulling me from my thoughts.
I already knew who it was before I spoke. "Enter."
Damon stepped inside, his usual smirk dimmed with something unreadable. "She's stopped fighting."
I arched a brow. "For now."
"For now," he echoed.
Silence stretched between us, thick with things unsaid.
Then, Damon exhaled, crossing his arms. "The council is asking questions."
I tensed. "Already?"
Damon scoffed. "You knew they would. You walked into Garrick's court and claimed a human in front of some of the most powerful supernaturals in the continent . The news is everywhere. Now they want to know why."
Of course they did.
I had given them no choice.
I pressed my fingers together, forcing my voice even. "When?"
"Tomorrow." Damon studied me. "And before you ask—no, you can't just ignore them."
I clenched my jaw. "I wasn't planning to."
Damon arched a brow. "Sure you weren't."
I ignored him, my thoughts already shifting.
The council didn't operate under blind loyalty. They followed me because I had earned their respect, because I had ruled fairly.
But this?
This wasn't something they would accept easily.
Not without answers.
Not without proof.
And I wasn't sure if I was ready to give them either.
Damon sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "And what about her?"
I frowned. "What about her?"
"Are you just going to keep her locked in that room forever?"
I stiffened. "She's not locked away."
Damon gave me a look. "You put her in the highest room in the estate and stationed guards outside her door. That's pretty damn close to locked away."
I clenched my teeth. "She needs time."
"Or you do."
I didn't respond.
Because he was right.
I wasn't sure what I needed.
Time. Space. A way to make sense of something that wasn't supposed to exist.
Cassidy was human.
I was not.
And the bond between us—whatever cruel joke the universe had played—was unnatural.
It shouldn't have happened.
But it had.
And now, I had to find a way to live with it.
"I know what you're thinking about. you're worried about your lineage ending. Worried about her not being able to get pregnant,"
"That's the least of my problems. I can always find another wolf to bare my children," I say with a shrug even though I know deep down I wouldn't be able to do that to her.
"You plan on rejecting her?" he ask with his eyes wide in shock.
"Why would I do that? Right now the only thing on my mind is trying to get her to stop running away."
Damon sighed, shaking his head. "You need to talk to her."
I exhaled slowly, rubbing my temple. "I will."
"When?"
"When she's ready."
Damon snorted. "You think she's ever going to be ready for this?"
I didn't answer.
Because I wasn't sure if she ever would be.
I turned toward the fire, watching the flames lick at the logs, letting the silence settle between us.
Damon sighed, pushing off the desk. "Fine. Just don't wait too long."
He didn't wait for a response.
The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I dragged a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply.
This was spiraling faster than I had anticipated.
The council. The pack.
Cassidy.
I had to get ahead of this.
Before someone else decided to take control of the situation for me.
I stood, pushing back my chair.
I wasn't ready to talk to Cassidy.
But I needed to see her.
To remind myself why I had done this.
Why I had claimed her.
Why I couldn't let her go.
I stepped into the corridor, my boots echoing against the stone. The air was cooler here, the scent of the winter night seeping through the open balcony at the far end of the hall.
I reached her door, the guards stiffening at my presence.
I didn't acknowledge them.
I didn't knock.
I just opened the door.
And there she was.
Curled up in the chair by the fire, arms wrapped around herself, her golden eyes locked on the flames.
She didn't turn.
She didn't flinch.
She just sat there, waiting.
Waiting for whatever came next.
I stepped inside, closing the door behind me.
"We need to talk," I said quietly.
Cassidy exhaled slowly, her fingers tightening around her sleeves.
"Do we?"
Her voice was quiet. Tired.
Different.
I studied her carefully, my stomach twisting.
Because I had expected anger.
I had expected hatred.
But this?
This was something else entirely.
And for the first time since I met her—
I wasn't sure how to handle it.