15. Cass
CASS
“ C aspian Redgrave.”
I freeze.
It’s like someone dumped a bucket of ice water straight down my spine. One second ago, I was on fire, burning with the kind of need I’ve never let myself feel before.
Now I’m frozen. Cold. Rigid. Resentment prickling beneath my skin like broken glass.
I pull back from Sterling just enough to shield her with my body, my arms instinctively curling around her even as the moment shatters.
“Cass?” she breathes, her voice still thick with desire, soft and dazed with the aftershocks of what we were about to do. She tries to look past me, craning to see what’s wrong.
“Shhh, songbird,” I whisper, voice low against her ear. “Don’t move, trust me.” I hate that it comes out strained. That I can feel the tremble in my chest, something ugly trying to claw its way out.
Because I know that voice.
I know that voice.
My father.
The last man I want to see right now or ever.
Of course he’d pick this moment to crawl out of whatever dark corner he’s been festering in just to poison the first perfect moment I've had in a really long time.
Sterling’s breath is still hot against my neck. Her pupils are blown wide, her scent clinging to my skin—sweet and thick, wrapping around me like temptation incarnate. She’s still trembling, lips kiss-bruised, clothes askew; she is way too vulnerable right now.
I won’t allow him to see her like this.
I slowly set her back down, gently pull her shirt down making sure she’s covered. I rest my forehead against hers for the briefest moment.
I want to drag her back into my arms.
I want to bury myself in her so deep I forget there’s a world beyond us.
I want to finish what I started—mark her, claim her, lose myself in everything she’s offering.
But the moment I hear his voice, everything inside me goes cold.
Like I’ve been snapped in half.
Like I’m sixteen again and already too broken to protect anything.
“Hi, son. What an interesting…position to find you in.”
The sound of his voice grates, curling inside my chest like poison.
I move on instinct, helping Sterling smooth her clothes, tucking her behind to shield her from the filth hanging in the air. From him.
I turn to face my father, my body tense, jaw already clenched like it knows what’s coming.
“What do you want, Graves?” I spit, lacing my voice with indifference, even though my blood’s boiling. I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing the fury clawing through me. Not yet.
I widen my stance, making damn sure Sterling is completely hidden behind me. His eyes don’t get to touch her. He doesn’t get to breathe in her scent. He doesn’t deserve to know her name.
“Didn’t take you for the type to rut in public, boy,” he drawls, voice thick with mockery, like this is a joke to him.
My jaw locks so tight I feel it grind in my skull.
Boy.
He always says it like it’s a curse. Like I’m still that worthless kid he left behind, like I’m not twice the man he ever was.
“Then again,” he continues, his tone turning mocking, “when an Omega smells that sweet, I guess it’s hard to stop yourself.”
Sterling stiffens behind me, her fingers clutching the back of my jacket.
I barely hold back a growl and a cold wave of shame rolls over me. I almost fucked her, right here without any care for her reputation, her position. A sick feeling settles deep in my gut.
“What do you want?” I snap, my voice low and sharp.
My father just smirks, ignoring the question. His eyes flicking lazily over me before landing on Sterling—or at least what little he can see of her behind me.
“And who’s this little thing? Aren’t you going to introduce me?” he muses, tilting his head. “She seems very receptive to being…friendly?” He somehow makes the word sound so filthy.
Sterling inhales sharply, her grip tightening.
I take a step forward.
I’m taller than Graves, and have been since I was a teenager, but standing in front of him still feels like I’m a kid squaring up against a goddamn mountain. Like no matter how big I get, he’ll always be the boogie man.
“You don’t look at her. You don’t speak to her.” My voice is low, lethal. Final.
His smile widens. Like I just gave him exactly what he wanted.
“Easy, now,” he tuts, unbothered. “Stop being so sensitive. I guess it makes sense, though, you are your mother’s son.”
I growl at him, because fuck him . “If we are just going to do the same fucking thing we always do, you can save it for next time.” I reach back and grab Sterling’s hand and lean down to grab her basket.
“I’m not interested today.” I start to go around him, keeping Sterling as far away from him as possible.
“So is this the little Omega you let go overboard?” I halt suddenly, though I shouldn’t have been surprised. Graves makes it his business to know everything that happens in this town.
“Oh yeah, I heard about it, boy. I’ve spent the last week hearing about it, had to listen to every idiot in this town talk about it. Leave it to my idiot son to screw up that badly,” he says almost to himself. So this is what has his hackles up.
Rage licks up my spine, hot and blinding, like it always does when I’m reminded of how little he actually cares for me.
“That kind of thing wouldn’t happen if I were captain of the North Star,” he continues, flicking imaginary lint from his sleeve like my life is something he can just dust off.
“Well, you’re not, so I guess we’ll never fucking find out,” I throw back, childish as hell?—
But fuck it.
I don’t care.
Let him choke on it.
“You think this is how you prove to me you can run a business? Last I checked, passengers need to stay on the boat? We’re just lucky the bitch isn’t going to sue us.”
“Watch your mouth, Graves,” I growl, stepping in close, close enough to make him flinch.
He takes a small step back. Almost unnoticeable.
My Alpha swells in my chest, pounding like a war drum. Fucking bully.
Sterling sucks in a breath behind me, and shame slices through me like a blade. Again.
She shouldn’t have to hear this—any of it.
I can only imagine what she must be thinking, what kind of man I look like right now.
Then her hand tightens on the back of my jacket.
I feel her press her cheek into the space between my shoulder blades, soft and steady. Like she’s anchoring me. Like she knows I’m close to losing it.
She starts tracing these small, soothing circles just behind my shoulder, and it’s…grounding.
The red haze in my head clears just enough for me to breathe again. She’s calming my Alpha. And fuck me, it works.
“You’re not the captain,” I grit out, forcing the words through clenched teeth. “And you never will be. The North Star is my boat, and the rest of the business will be, too.”
His chuckle is low, condescending, the kind of sound meant to make you feel small.
“Let’s not pretend you’ll ever actually pull that off, son.”
“You think I don’t see what’s happening?
” he continues, voice smooth, infuriating.
“You don’t have the money. You don’t have the influence.
Hell, you don’t even have the intelligence to make it work.
What you do have is a failing business, a pack full of nobodies, and a reputation for running your mouth. ”
“That’s funny,” I say, shoving my hands in my pockets to keep from swinging, “because last I checked, the only reason the North Star isn’t turning a profit is because you keep screwing me out of contracts.”
He lifts a shoulder, mock casual. “Business is business, son.”
“No,” I snap, stepping forward. “This isn’t business. This is you being a bitter old bastard who can’t stand the possibility that I got out from under your thumb.”
His smile sharpens, but his eyes stay cold.
“And what exactly have you gotten out from under, Caspian? Hm? I just spent my entire week cleaning up your mess with the paper. Reporters sniffing around, asking about your little overboard incident. While you’re what?
Rutting in the street like trash? You know how bad that looks for the family name? ”
“See, that’s where you fucked up…I couldn’t fucking care any less about what the public thinks,” I bite out.
He scoffs. “Of course you don’t. You never did understand how to play the long game. You don’t think. You react. You let some pretty little Omega with sweet smelling slick get you all twisted up and now what? You’re a loser, son. You excel at it; probably the only thing you’ve ever excelled at.” .”
Sterling stiffens behind me.
I take another step forward, closing the space between us. Done with this conversation.
“You don’t get to talk about me or my business. And you sure as hell don’t get to talk about my pack or Sterling.”
His lip curls. “A pack? Is that what you call those two strays you’ve latched onto? A corporate dropout and a washed-up diver with a criminal record a mile long? Hardly the foundation of an empire, son. You can’t build anything on the backs of those failures.”
I see red.
My father has always been a bastard, always been cruel, always known exactly how to cut me as deeply as possible.
Davis Redgrave has always enjoyed two things more than anything else. Power and hurting people, especially me.
I wish I could say it still didn’t hurt, but I can’t. But where it used to send me into tears, now it just fuels my fire.
“I built something without you,” I say, voice low, steady despite the ferocity burning through me. “Without your money. Without your name. Without your games. Without you.”
“And where did that get you?” He smirks. “What do you actually have to show for it?”
“I’d rather lose everything than owe you anything, so you can go fuck yourself.”
His gaze flicks to Sterling, calculating another angle he can exploit.
“And what about her?”
Sterling freezes behind me, but I feel her arms circle me.
“What about her?” I bite out, my voice sharp.
“You really think you can afford to take on an Omega?” he muses. “You can barely afford to keep the lights on. What’s the plan, Caspian? You think you’re going to claim her? Build a happy little life? A family ?” he says incredulously.
I try to stop myself from flinching when he says it.
He chuckles. “You don’t have what it takes to keep a business afloat, let alone a mate. You think an Omega wants to hitch herself to a man who can’t even stand on his own? Even if she is a slut?—”
I snap.
I grab the front of his pristine button-up, fisting it in my grip as I haul him closer.
“If you finish that sentence, you won’t be walking out of here.”
The smirk never leaves his face.
But for the first time, I see something in his eyes. Fear? Pride?
He’s pleased. He knew just how I’d react.
“Still got that temper, I see,” he mumbles, amused. “Just like your mother.”
“No, Cass. He’s not worth it.” Sterling stares up at me, her eyes wide, her scent shifting. I feel her hand on my arm, the faintest touch, like she’s trying to root me to the earth.
I release my father with a shove.
He just straightens his shirt, adjusts his collar, still smirking.
“I’ll see you soon, son. Come by the harbor office when you’re not…busy?”
He turns and walks away, throwing a final crude remark over his shoulder—something low, nasty, and calculating, meant just for Sterling.
I don’t respond. The roar in my head is too loud.
I stand there, breathing hard, fists clenched, jaw locked so tight it aches.
I should have expected this. Should have known Graves would take one look at Sterling and see an opportunity to dig his claws in, to mess with me the way he always does.
This isn’t over. Not even close. He’ll be all over her. I’m lost in my thoughts, startling when she says my name, bringing me back to the present.
“Cass.” Sterling’s voice is soft, careful. “Hey, just…just breathe, okay?”
A small, warm hand on my back, barely there, meant to be comforting.
It doesn’t work. If anything, it makes it worse.
I shake my head, staring at the spot where my father just disappeared.
“Breathe?” I let out a sharp, bitter laugh, running a hand through my hair. “You have no idea what kind of man he is, Sterling.”
She doesn’t pull away.
“Maybe not,” she says. “But I get fucked up families.And I know I don’t really know you but, but I think I know what kind of man you are…”
I finally turn, my gaze locking onto hers, my chest still heaving with the effort to keep myself in check.
“And what kind of man is that?” I challenge.
Her lips press together, her eyes searching mine, storm-gray and steady.
She says simply, “One who wants to protect people, one who works hard, one who cares for his pack.”
My stomach tightens. I wish I could see myself the way she does.
I exhale sharply, stepping back, pulling away from her touch. Breaking the contact between us. No matter how I look at it, there is no safe place for her, no safe way for her to exist in my life as more than a fling. And she’s worth so much more than that.
“Let’s get you home, Sterling.”
She hesitates, her lips parting, trying to find the right words.
“Cass, I…”
“Look, I’m sorry,” I cut in, voice louder than I intend it to be—rough, frayed at the edges. “I just— I lost my fucking mind for a minute, alright? I should never have touched you.”
She flinches.
And it guts me.
That flicker of hurt in her eyes quickly turns to anger.
For a second, I think she’s going to argue, to yell at me. But the silence that stretches between us is heavier than anything she could say.
Until she looks me dead in the eyes, her voice shaking but fierce.
“Fuck you, Caspian Redgrave.”
Then she marches right up to me, close enough that I can still smell her slick, still feel the heat of everything we almost were.
“You don’t get to take what just happened away from me,” she snaps, jabbing a finger hard into my chest. “It was my choice. I wanted it. I don’t give a damn about your dad or any of the nasty shit he said.”
Her eyes blaze, lips trembling with emotion but steady with truth.
“I’m not sorry,” she continues, chin tilted defiantly. “And fuck if I wouldn’t do it again—a million times over.”
The air between us crackles, charged and raw.
Then she steps back.
“I’ll walk myself to my car. Tell the others I said goodbye.”
And just like that, she turns and walks away—leaving me standing there with my heart in my throat, and her scent still clinging to my skin like a brand.