Kieran
Cassidy sat at the long ceramic table, her posture stiff, her golden eyes scanning every detail of the room as if she were searching for a way out.
She wouldn't find one.
Not tonight.
I couldn't help starring at her, the yellow dress was a good pick.
The air was thick with quiet tension, the lights casting deep shadows across the dinning hall. A maid poured orange juice into our glasses, the scent of Jam, cake and warm bread lingering between us.
But Cassidy wasn't eating.
Not yet.
She was waiting.
For what, I wasn't sure.
My mother sat at the head of the table, composed as ever, her expression unreadable. Celeste lounged beside her, swirling the juice in her glass with slow amusement, eyes flicking between Cassidy and me like we were pieces on a board she was rearranging in her mind.
Damon, of course, sat back, grinning like this was his own personal entertainment.
Cassidy still hadn't touched her food.
Mom noticed. "You should eat."
Cassidy hesitated. "I'm not hungry."
A lie.
I had heard her stomach growl not ten minutes ago.
Mom didn't correct her. Didn't force her.
She only observed.
Calculating.
"I assume," she said, sipping her wine, "that you plan to keep her here."
Cassidy tensed slightly.
I leaned back, my expression unreadable. "She's staying."
Celeste smirked. "And does she have a say in that?"
Cassidy's hands tightened around the edge of the table. "Apparently not."
Celeste laughed. "Oh, I really like her."
I clenched my jaw. "Cassidy is not your entertainment."
"Oh, but she is," Celeste purred, setting down her glass. "You dragged a human into our world, Kieran. You don't think the pack is watching? You don't think they're waiting for an explanation? You just brought home a weakness, a way to hurt you."
Cassidy stiffened beside me.
Mom finally set her glass down, folding her hands neatly in front of her. "That is why we need to discuss what happens next."
I knew what she was getting at.
I had known it since the moment I stepped into this room.
"You need to make a decision," she continued, watching me carefully. "You cannot keep her hidden forever."
Cassidy exhaled sharply. "I'm right here, you know."
mom's gaze flicked to her. "Yes, you are."
Something about the way she said it sent a chill through the room.
Cassidy swallowed hard, her fingers twitching in her lap.
Mom turned back to me. "You know what they will expect."
I did.
They would expect me to prove it.
To prove that Cassidy was mine.
To prove that she belonged here.
The world was full of deceit and betrayal. Everyone had some doubt in them. A war could break out over the smallest thing. Like the wolves and humayn coming together. They would find it hard to believe she was my mate and not a way for humans and wolves to form an alliance.
My stomach twisted.
Not because I doubted the claim.
But because I wasn't sure if I wanted to give them what they wanted.
Not yet.
Not like this.
Celeste grinned, sensing my hesitation. "Oh, dear brother, are you nervous?"
I shot her a glare. "Shut up, Celeste."
She only smiled wider. "Poor thing. Trapped in a bond he doesn't know how to handle."
Cassidy looked between us, her brows furrowing slightly.
She was trying to understand.
Trying to piece it together.
She didn't realize yet how deep this ran.
That this wasn't just about her and me.
It was about the pack.
The council.
The world that would not accept her unless I made them.
I exhaled sharply, pushing my glass aside. "She stays."
my mother just studied me. "And the pack?"
I met her gaze evenly. "They will fall in line."
Celeste snorted. "Oh, they will—if you give them a reason to."
Silence.
The weight of my family's expectations pressed heavy against my ribs.
They wanted more than words.
They wanted proof.
And I wasn't sure if I was ready to give it.
Not tonight.
Not like this.
Cassidy's shoulders were rigid beside me, her breath shallow.
Starting to understand that no matter what she did, this was happening.
That she was already in too deep.
I exhaled slowly. "This discussion is over."
Mom inclined her head slightly, but I didn't miss the flicker of thought behind her eyes.
She was letting this go.
For now.
Celeste sighed dramatically. "Oh, but we were just getting to the fun part."
I shot her a sharp look. "Try anything, Celeste, and I will rip your throat out."
Celeste smirked. "Promises, promises."
Damon finally stretched, breaking the tension with a casual chuckle. "Well, that was fun. Shall we do it again, having breakfast with you all definitely brightens the rest of my day?"
No one answered him.
Because this wasn't over.
Not by a long shot.
And as Cassidy sat beside me, her hands tight in her lap, her face pale—
I knew she finally understood.
That the war wasn't between us anymore.
It was everyone else she had to worry about.
_______________________________
I felt their eyes on me long after we left the dining hall.
It didn't matter that I was no longer sitting at that long ceramic table, forced to endure their scrutiny. It didn't matter that I had made it back upstairs, away from their questions, their expectations.
Because the weight of it remained.
The pack was watching.
Waiting.
Not just for Kieran.
But for me.
And I hated that.
I hated that, somehow, without ever asking for it, my presence had become a statement.
Not just to Kieran's family.
But to everyone.
To the entire world.
I spent the morning in bed, a maid brought lunch but I couldn't bring myself to stand up and eat. It wasn't until a guard knocked and I went to open that I found a little bit of joy.
He was holding a long brown box. It was a TV.
I guess Kieran noticed me staring.
I stood behind the guard as he set up the television in front of my bed. He showed me how to use the remote before leaving but I didn't understand anything.
I spent the entire afternoon trying to understand how it worked before giving up when the moon started to rise. I changed into a night dress, while going through the rest of the stuff a maid brought. It wasn't much but still more than what I had back at home.
I swallowed hard, my fingers tightening around my night dress as I stood near the window, staring out at the busy grounds.
Everything looked so calm from here.
The forests stretched endlessly into the darkness, the faint golden glow of Street lights illuminating the paths below. Wolves patrolled in the distance, their forms blending into the shadows.
And beyond that?
I didn't know.
Because this wasn't my world.
I had never been meant to see this world.
And now?
Now, I was trapped in it.
I forced a slow breath, trying to steady the chaotic storm in my chest.
I wasn't going to panic.
I would not break down.
Not now.
Not after everything.
But gods—
Kieran's family.
His mother, Elara, had been cold but composed, her sharp gaze cutting through me as if she were weighing my worth in her mind.
Celeste had been worse.
Smiling, mocking, enjoying every second of my discomfort, relishing in the power she had in that moment.
And Kieran?
He had barely spoken.
Had barely defended me.
Because this had been a test.
For both of us.
And I wasn't sure who had passed.
Or if either of us had.
I let out a sharp breath, pressing my fingertips to my temples.
I needed to think.
I needed to figure out what came next.
Because if I had learned anything from that breakfast, it was that this was not over.
Not even close.
A knock at the door made me jolt.
I turned sharply, my heart slamming against my ribs.
I wasn't sure who I was expecting.
Kieran.
Damon.
One of the guards.
But when the door creaked open, my breath caught.
Elara.
She stepped inside without waiting for permission, her presence filling the space with a quiet kind of power.
She didn't need to raise her voice to command a room.
She just existed, and the world bent to her.
I straightened instinctively, forcing my expression neutral. "Hello"
Elara studied me for a long moment. "You handled yourself well today."
I blinked.
That… was not what I had been expecting.
I swallowed hard. "I didn't realize it was a test."
"Everything is a test," she said simply. "Especially for you."
I clenched my jaw. "Because I'm human?"
"Because you are his."
The words sent a sharp chill down my spine.
I hated how certain she sounded.
Like this had already been decided.
I lifted my chin slightly. "I didn't ask for this."
Elara tilted her head. "Neither did he."
Silence.
The fire crackled behind us, casting flickering shadows against the stone walls.
I exhaled slowly. "Are you here to warn me?"
Elara's expression didn't change. "I am here to advise you."
I hesitated. "On what?"
"On how to survive."
Something about the way she said it made my stomach twist.
Because she didn't sound cruel.
She didn't sound malicious.
She sounded… practical.
Like she had already seen how this story could unfold.
And she didn't like the ending.
I swallowed hard. "I don't need your help."
"Maybe, but he does. He is my son. Before he became Alpha, before he became council member he was my child. He is 31 years old, he's been searching for his mate since he turned 18, even pushing him to do what he wasn't supposed to. I don't know what he did to deserve a human as a mate but the moon goddess does everything for a reason. Be it the beginning of peace or maybe even war, I don't know, maybe a punishment for the past? What I know is that he won't give up on you. He has waited and longed for a mate for years to let politics take the opportunity away." She said with a flicker of what seemed like sadness in her eyes.
I knew she was right, wolves find their mates before turning at 25. It was unheard of to find a mate at 30. Only rogue wolves find it difficult to find their mates because they've been cut of from their bond with their pack and moon goddess. But why Kieran? What had he done to deserve punishment?
"We both know he wouldn't hurt you so why won't you give him a chance. He needs you to be strong for him, to stand by his side. He can't fight for you when you're always running away from him."
Elara's sharp gaze flickered over me one last time before she turned toward the door.
But just before she left—
She hesitated.
"The pack will expect proof," she murmured. "Kieran can protect you for now. But that will not last forever."
Then, without another word, she disappeared into the hall.
I stood frozen, my breath shallow, my hands shaking at my sides.
Because she was right.
This wasn't just about Kieran.
This was about them.
The pack.
The council.
The entire world watching and waiting.