9. Casandra
The campus café is a glass-walled hub of activity, smelling of espresso. We take a table in a quiet corner, away from the prying eyes.
Lukas sets a steaming black coffee in front of me and sits back, his long legs stretching out under the table until his boot brushes mine. He doesn’t move it.
“So,” he begins, watching me over the rim of his cup. “I’ve been trying to solve the puzzle of you all morning. You lived like a ghost in V?rmland. Why hide there? Why not stay in the mountains of Romania where you have guards and servants?”
“God, you just never give up, do you?” I say, pinching the bridge of my nose.
“I wasn’t hiding, Lukas. My parents thought it was safer for me to live among humans before the awakening happened. My powers didn’t activate until I turned twenty. The vampire in us stays dormant to protect the vessel until we’re ready.”
It’s a half-truth. I don’t tell him that I spent twenty years thinking I was human. If he knows I am a “newborn” in the eyes of the supernatural world, my authority will evaporate.
“A sensible strategy,” Lukas muses, though his eyes remain sharp. “And now you’re here.”
“And now I’m here.. I was supposed to be welcomed by Nikolai,” I say, a bitter edge to my voice. “Our parents arranged it months ago. He knew I was coming to Blackmere.”
I let out a dry laugh. “I don’t think either of our fathers anticipated your Moon Goddess throwing a mate bond into the middle of it.”
Lukas leans forward, his voice dropping. “Nikolai is a Prince, Cass, but he’s not the only power here. You know how the Council works. Our fathers sit in the council right now, ruling every pack from the Nordics to the Rockies. But we’re the next generation.”
I watch him, my face a mask of bored indifference even though my mind is filing away every detail of his posture. “I know how it works, Lukas. The fathers rule, and you lot spend your days posturing in the gym until it’s your turn to play with the crown.”
I lean back, a small, sharp smile tugging at my lips. “What do you call yourselves? The Heir-apparent Club? Or is it more of a Junior Council of Arrogance?”
Lukas lets out a genuine, rich laugh. “I think I prefer The Junior Council. It sounds less like a frat house and more like a threat.”
“Trust me,” I counter. “To the rest of us, it sounds like a support group for people with daddy issues.”
Lukas’s grin softens into something more predatory, more focused.
“Maybe,” he whispers. “But unlike Nikolai, I’m no prince. I don’t need a fated bond to know what I want. And I’m very interested in discussing our… collaboration.”
He lets the word hang in the air, heavy and thick. His eyes drop to my lips, and for a second, the political talk vanishes, replaced by a tension that is purely physical.
“I came here to learn and to build alliances, Lukas,” I say, my voice steady despite the way the air seems to thin.
“I have excellent stamina, Cass,” he purrs, his voice a low vibration that I feel in my bones. “And I’ve always been a fan of private negotiations. There’s so much more we could do together behind closed doors than we can ever do in a council chamber.”
Before I can reply, the door to the cafe swings open. I half expect it to be Nikolai, summoned by Lukas’ bold statements. But it’s not Nikolai. It’s a group of first-year wolves.
“...did you hear? Magnus is tearing the training grounds apart looking for his mate.”
My stomach drops.
I stand up so fast my chair scrapes harshly against the floor. Lukas is on his feet a second later, his brow furrowed.
“Cass? What is it?”
“I have to go,” I say, my voice tight with a sudden, clawing panic.
“I’ll walk you—”
“No!” I snap, then force myself to take a breath. “No, Lukas. Stay. We’ll finish our.. negotiations later.”
I don’t wait for his answer. I bolt out of the cafe, my mind racing. If Magnus is tracking Ilinca’s scent to the West Wing, he isn’t just going to find his mate. He is going to find her son.