"You are wary of me," Cassian Redwood remarked as they walked down the quiet corridor toward the lounge with Emira walking a step behind him.
His tone was casual, but there was a faint amusement in it that made Emira tense up, as if he knew something she didn’t.
"I am not..." she was about to deny about being wary of him but he interrupted her with a smile as he said, "I’m not asking. I know you are. I can feel it- the way your steps slow a little when I get too close, the way you keep your eyes on the floor instead of looking at me. Even now you are probably cursing your Luna because she ordered you to come with me. You are wary of me, Emira. But what I don’t understand is why."
Emira slowed down her steps. She indeed did not want to get too close to this man. Something about him repelled her. As if his smiling face was nothing but a mask. But of course she could not say it. So, she kept her head bowed and answered, "You are the future Alpha of the Redwood Pack. As an Omega, it is natural for me to be cautious. I wouldn’t want to say or do anything that might offend you."
Cassian laughed loudly at that. "Hiding behind such an excuse, hmm? I heard you’ve recently become part of the Stormhold Pack. Are you saying that Stormhold is just as prejudiced against Omegas as the rest of the werewolf Pack?"
Emira’s eyes narrowed. Just as she’d expected...She lifted her gaze to him then and spoke in a soft voice, "You’re quite well-informed about me, Alpha Cassian. Even though we’ve only just met, you know I am not from here. Tell me, shouldn’t I be the one wary of you?"
Alpha Cassian stared at her for a moment before his laughter deepened and then abruptly stopped. He stopped laughing and stopped walking forcing Emira to come to a stop as well, just outside the door of the lounge as he stared down at her.
Emira frowned at his abrubt stopping, and walked forward, intending to step around him but he blocked her path and instead studied her face, as if searching for something...
Then, instead of stepping inside, he reached out and brushed his fingers lightly along her cheek. Emira hurriedly stepped back, trying to put some distance between them, when he said, "But have we only just met? Are you... sure?"
Emira’s brows drew together. What did he mean? Had they really met? Is that why she could recall seeing his angry face?
She looked at his still smiling face. He wanted her to ask him. But she wouldn’t. She didn’t want to. Something inside her was urging her to leave his presence as soon as possible.
So, she stepped back and said," Please go ahead and change. There are people inside who would be able to help you with everything..."
But before she could leave, Alpha Cassian caught her wrist. "Emira. Wait."
Emira reacted instantly and tried to snap her wrist free. But the man was quite strong... She frowned. With constant training from Prince Kael, she had grown stronger and yet she could not make him let go...
She jerked harder, only for the man to pull back at her hand, causing her to stumble.
As she twisted and struggled to get away from him, the delicate clasp at the collar of her dress came undone. The fabric slipped slightly, revealing the claw marks that trailed along the side of her neck.
Alpha Cassian’s eyes went to them instantly. The faint amusement in his face vanished. His hand on her wrist tightened as his gaze lingered on the marks and his eyes narrowed, his expression hardening into something unreadable.
Emira froze. Her first instinct was to pull back again, but the change in his eyes was so quick and sharp that it made her hesitate.
She watched as Alpha Cassian raised his free hand, moving as if to touch the scars. His fingers hovered near her skin, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from them.
Before he could make contact, Emira covered the marks hurriedly with her own hand, pushing his away. "Don’t, Alpha Cassian. Please let me go."
For a heartbeat, the man didn’t move. Then, his grip on her wrist tightened again, making her flinch.
Emira caught the look in his eyes. It was the same one she kept thinking she had seen and she stilled.
He looked like he wanted to kill someone. She tried again to pull her wrist free, but once again he didn’t let go.
Finally, just when she was ready to scream for help, Alpha Cassian exhaled and the tension in his shoulders eased as he let go of her hand.
He looked away for a second, then back at her, the cold edge in his gaze fading into the smooth, practiced smile he had been showing her. "Emira. I was just... curious. And I forgot my manners for a moment. I apologize."
His tone was calm again, but it didn’t match the brief flash of anger she had seen in his eyes. It made her even more uneasy. A man who could control his emotions so easily...
She said nothing to his apology and simply bowed her head, ready to escape the man’s presence. "I’ll take your leave then..."
"Wait..."
Emira stopped, even though she did not want to and turned around to look at him, making sure to keep some safe distance between them. "Emira. What about that dance?"
Emira shook her head immediately. "I’ve already told you that I cannot..."
"I know you said that. But you should reconsider..." With that, he extended his hand and continued," I think you might be interested now..."
Emira stilled as she looked down at his hand and then looked up at his face again. " How do you have this..."
Alpha Cassian smiled at that. "I’ll go change. Save that dance for me."