22. Casandra
It’s been two days since Nikolai pinned me to his bed. Two days since I let him touch me in ways that still make my skin prickle with a mixture of phantom pleasure and visceral, bone-deep shame.
I haven’t spoken to him since I fled his suite.
I’ve seen him, of course—in classes, in the corridors, his molten gold gaze tracking me like a predator stalking a particularly elusive piece of prey.
Every time the bond tries to pull at me, every time the scent of cinnamon drifts through the air, I wrap myself in a layer of frost so thick it could rival a Siberian winter.
He thinks I’m a “maybe.” I’m not.
Today, I’m dressing for a different kind of alliance. I pull on a pair of jet-black skinny jeans and a ribbed black turtleneck that hugs my throat.
“You’re sure you’re okay with this?” I ask Ilinca, checking my reflection.
In the living room, Ilinca is a bundle of nervous, radiant energy. She’s arranging a tray of fruit and pastries. Today is the day. Magnus and Nikolai are coming to our apartment—not as students, but as the future Alpha and Beta—to formally discuss Ilinca’s integration into their pack.
“I’m fine, Cassie,” Ilinca says, her eyes glowing. “Magnus is... he’s everything I didn’t think I deserved. But are you sure you want to meet Julian alone? He’s.. powerful.”
“He’s my betrothed, Ili. At least on paper,” I remind her, sliding a silver dagger into my boot just in case. “My parents want this union. If I’m going to spend eternity with a man, I should probably know if he’s a bore.”
“And if Nikolai finds out?”
“Nikolai made his choice.”
Ilinca gives me a pitiful look. “What if.. Maybe.. Maybe you could reject him?”
I pause at the door, my hand on the handle. I’m almost ashamed I haven’t thought about that. Alphas can reject, but can’t be rejected. Being a princess though — it might be worth a shot.
“Maybe,” I say, exiting out apartment.
The lake is a hidden gem, tucked away in a valley three miles from the academy perimeter.
The water is a dark, glassy emerald, perfectly still under the gray sky.
I walk along the pebble-strewn shore, my senses dialed to the maximum.
I smell the damp moss, the cedar, and the sharp, metallic tang of the lake water.
But I don’t smell him. Not until it’s too late.
“You’re late, Princess. I was starting to think you’d decided the wolves were better company.”
I whirl around, my hand flying to my boot, but I stop mid-motion.
He is standing just a few feet away, leaning casually against the trunk of a massive hemlock tree. I didn’t hear a footstep. I didn’t catch a scent.
“Julian,” I breathe, trying to regain my composure.
He laughs—a rich, melodic sound that ripples through the quiet woods. He steps out of the shadows, and for a moment, I understand why my mother was so insistent on this match — other than the political advantage that comes with it.
Julian is the pinnacle of that immortal grace.
He is towering—easily 6′7"—matching Nikolai’s intimidating height, but where Nikolai is a mountain of rugged, explosive muscle, Julian is a masterpiece of lean, lethal elegance.
His hair is the color of a starless night, falling over a brow that shields eyes so dark they look like ink.
And his smile.. it’s dangerous. It’s the kind of smile that has probably led thousands to their doom with a grin.
“Casandra,” he says, his voice a smooth, cultured baritone. He reaches out, taking my hand and brushing his cool lips against my knuckles. “The rumors didn’t do you justice. You look like a girl who is ready to set the world on fire.”
“I’m working on it,” I say, pulling my hand back, though not unkindly. “So.. I understand you had duties that kept you away from Blackmere.”
“Opposing forces are growing in the west.”
Julian says, falling into step beside me as we walk the perimeter of the water.
“Some clans don’t like the peace we’ve brokered with the shifters. They think we’ve become soft. Our marriage... it makes sense, Casandra. It solidifies your father’s throne and gives us a united front.”
I look away, the image of Nikolai’s golden eyes flashing in my mind. I feel the weight of the last two weeks like lead in my stomach. I know I have to tell him. Transparency is the only currency I have left.
“Julian,” I start, my voice dropping, “I need to tell you something. Before we proceed any further.”
He raises an eyebrow, his dark eyes fixed on mine with intense focus. “I’m listening.”
“I have a.. complication.” I confess, taking a breath. “Nikolai, the Alpha King’s son... he’s my mate.”
I expect shock. But Julian just nods, a small, sad smile touching his lips.
“I know,” he says.
I blink, stunned. “You... you know?”
“Cassie, I might have been gone but I still have friends here.” He sighs, looking out over the water.
I feel a strange sense of relief, followed by a flicker of irritation. “And you still want to marry me? Knowing I’m tied to him?”
Julian turns back to me, his expression void of judgment.
“A marriage between a Corvin and the Alpha King’s heir would benefit our cause more than a union between us, Cassie. I would understand if you choose to pursue him. Our alliance stands whether we wear rings or not. But... if he remains the fool he currently is,
I am more than happy to be your partner.”
His honesty is jarring. It makes Nikolai’s cruelty feel even more deliberate.
Julian’s eyes darken, the ink in his pupils expanding until his eyes are entirely black. The air around him drops several degrees. “He doesn’t know who you are, does he?”
“I haven’t told him,” I say firmly. “I don’t want a man who accepts me because of my last name. If he can’t see the value in me without a title, he doesn’t deserve me.”
“I mean.. it’s not like you and I would marry for love,” He teases, but raises his hands in mock surrender when I narrow my eyes at him.
He steps closer, his demeanor shifting back to his playful, charming self. “Enough of that. You look like you’re ready to start a war, and frankly, I prefer my betrothed to be a bit more relaxed. It’s a bit stuffy in these clothes, don’t you think? We should go for a swim.”
I blink at him, the sudden change in topic throwing me off balance. “Now? I don’t have a swimsuit, Julian. And the water is freezing.”
“You know you’re a vampire, right?” he teases, a mischievous glint in his eye.
“Still, no. My jeans will be ruined.”
“A tragedy,” he says, his voice dripping with mock sympathy.
Before I can protest, he moves. He is a blur of motion, his strong arms hooking under my knees and around my back. I let out a genuine, startled scream as he lifts me off the ground.
“Julian! Put me down!”
“As you wish,” he grins.
He lunges toward the lake. I have just enough time to take a breath before we hit the surface. The water is an icy shock, a physical jolt that forces the air from my lungs. We sink deep into the dark green silence before Julian kicks upward, bringing us both gasping to the surface.
I emerge spluttering, my hair plastered to my face, my clothes weighing a ton. I wipe the water from my eyes and find Julian laughing, his black hair swept back, looking like a dark god. He looks so effortless, so free of the burdens that seem to crush Nikolai.
“I’m going to murder you!” I yell, splashing a wave of freezing water into his face.
We spend the next twenty minutes playing like children, splashing and diving in the shadows of the pines.
Julian is light. He is fun. He doesn’t carry the heavy, brooding darkness that Nikolai wears like a cloak.
With Julian, the world feels easy. It wouldn’t be hard, I think, to fall for someone who makes me laugh like this.
The playfulness helps. It scrubs the lingering tension from my shoulders. For a few minutes, I’m not a Princess, or a mate, or a weapon; I’m just a girl at a lake with a man who actually seems to like me.
After a while, the cold finally starts to seep into my bones. We wade out of the lake, our clothes clinging to us, dripping onto the pebbles.
“See?” he says, his dark eyes searching mine. “Not so bad, right?”
“Not so bad,” I admit, shivering slightly.
As we start the walk back toward the campus, the sun beginning to set, I feel a strange sense of peace.