“Just breathe, Jesse,” Maya said quietly. She sounded like she was grieving—urging me not to give up.
But I could barely inhale, and when I did, my lungs didn’t seem to draw oxygen from the air. I was heaving.
“Why… why would he d-do that? Why? He promised me he’d never… wait, has he done this before?!” I was horrified and snapped my head around, staring at her wide-eyed and pleading.
It was only a small relief when she shook her head.
“Then why?!” I shrieked.
~ JESSE ~Maya talked for a long time—about Cazz’s history. About his pain. And about how he’d let me down.I listened. I agreed. I knew she was right. But the longer I sat there, the more I became stuck in a weird duality.Half of me growing more and more numb. Calmer—almost untouched. That side of me felt like if Cazz had walked in right then, I would have just looked at him and asked him calmly to explain.But the other half of me… That half was a forest fire.Grief. Fear. Betrayal. Sick.That side of me continued to crack and shatter, and the longer she talked, the less I heard. Because in th
~ CASIMIR ~I was standing outside Jesse’s chamber door, which had been mostly closed, but not entirely. And I was peering through a tiny sliver of space to watch my mate embrace my best friend.“Rake… if anything happens—”“Shhhhh, don’t do that. Don’t let the tensions here make you catastrophize. I’m back again in less than a week—and I’ll be calling the final Selection for Cazz and you to make the declarations. So, just focus on that. And don’t worry about me.”“No, Rake, I’m serious. If anything happens to you it will kill me. I need you to be so careful. Watch your back when my brothers are around—always. And… and come back safe. Plea
~ CASIMIR ~We stood right in each other’s space, both quivering on the edge of the shift. He wasn’t challenging for dominance so he wouldn’t shift first, wouldn’t push me to it—because he knew he’d lose. But he didn’t drop my gaze, and didn’t back down. If I shifted, he would too.I growled, low and deep in my chest.Rake’s gaze didn’t waver, but he shifted his weight on his feet, balancing himself. “I’ve never touched her, Cazz. Never said anything to her about how I feel. Never given her any reason to think or believe… anything except that I am on her team. I’ve never done anything inappropriate. And before you growl, it’s true—I’v
~ CASIMIR ~Half an hour later I was pacing Rake’s rooms, clawing hands through my hair and growling.Where the fuck was she? I wanted to run, to shift, to go after her, scent her for myself, follow her and drag her back here. But I couldn’t leave this fucker to escape.Rake, on the other hand, sat in the simple chair in his room, watching me pace. The only clue to his tension, the way he drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair.“Would you sit down?” he growled. “This isn’t what you think it is. She’s going to come back and tell you and you’re going to see. You know that, Cazz. You know her. You’re just creating divisions where n
~ CASIMIR ~I growled at the girl, ready to tell her exactly what I thought of that—but Rake cursed.“She’s gone to talk to her brothers. She’s gone to prove herself. You fucking did it, Cazz. You finally pushed her too far—and she’s going to put herself in danger to prove you wrong.”I turned on him then, every ounce of protectiveness of her as my mate and our Queen making me quiver with rage. “I told her no,” I snarled. “I tried to stop her. To protect her. If they kill her, I’m holding you responsible.”“That is such bull
~ CASIMIR ~I was quivering, my whole body shivering with rage and fear and a deeply painful sense of betrayal and—Maya’s knobbly walking stick appeared next to my wrist, pushing my hand away from Rake’s throat with a surprising strength.I considered fighting her, but what was I going to do? Kill my aunt? I snarled and let go of Rake, glaring at him as he sucked in deep, gulping breaths, but didn’t move away. He was still upright against the wall, though his color looked a bit odd.Good. He needed to pay for—Then Maya tsked. “Stop throwing blame to save your heart, Cazz. Jesse didn’t leave to refuse you, or
~ CASIMIR ~When the tunnel outside was quiet and we were alone, Maya sighed, and suddenly the blocks disappeared—I drank in the power as it washed back into my veins, sighing with relief, trembling with it, pushing away the shock of how reliant I was upon it to keep my control.Rake slumped. She’d obviously held some kind of grip on him as well.“If either so much as looks at the other the wrong way, I will return your blocks, and I will not be gentle. I need both of you to set aside your differences and act like the adults that I know you can be.” Then she looked back and forth between us with a sniff. “Well… I hope, at least,” she qualified with disdain.Then she turned and hobbled towards Rake’s chair, speaking as
“Beware those who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” - Gospel of Matthew 7:15 ***** ~ JESSE ~ The guards tipped us out into the room like puppies out of a bag. I landed heavily on rough stone, scraping my knees and palms, hissing against the pain. But they'd freed my hands and ankles before they shoved me in here, so, with my heart thudding in my chest, I scrabbled to pull down the blindfold that was over my eyes and get my bearings quickly. Dark room. Stone walls and ceiling. Warm lights. Cold air. Damp. Shadows my eyes couldn’t penetrate—and more shadows behind us I wished they couldn’t. Left and right, women shrieked and sobbed, hitting the floor, some rolling, one planting face-first into the rock and laying there, unmoving. Behind me, a cluster of guards filled the doorway, with more spreading out along the wall. They didn't carry weapons, but they didn't need to. They were all well over six foot and huge with it. Strong and rugged… feral. B