5. CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 5
Graham
Cassidy left before I could finish my story. She left before I could make sure that she wouldn't reveal our secret.
She left.
My chest is tight as if a great force had punched me there, leaving me reeling and with much to think about.
What are we going to do? my inner wolf asks.
We have to go after her, I reply. We have to make sure she keeps quiet.
And what if she doesn't?
Then we'll do what has to be done, I tell him with determination I don't feel. I took the risk and revealed the secret to her. Her silence is my problem now.
But before you do anything, my wolf says urgently, make sure you call your brothers and inform them of the risk.
Why?
They have wives and kids now, he continues. It's best they both know so they can take the necessary precautions.
No, I say firmly. There's no point in worrying them. Not when I have it under control.
My inner wolf protests, It's because of you that we're in this mess. You should've locked the door. What the fuck were you thinking? Your carelessness is going to bite us in the ass.
Enough! I yell, my temper flaring. I said I'll fix it.
I throw my clothes back on and straighten the tie. With everything already buttoned up, I take my time to get out of the office.
The elevator is too slow for my taste, and so, I opt for the stairs, the same as Cassidy did. Since I'm a wolf shifter and not a human, I am a lot faster than her, but I forcefully slow down and keep my steps quiet.
I'm going to use this as a test.
A test of loyalty.
I want to see what she'll do.
Will she betray us? Betray me?
Will you stop her if you have to? my wolf asks. His voice sends chills down my spine. Not the good kind either.
I'll do what has to be done, I growl back.
Cassidy doesn't stop running. Not once does she look over her shoulder. She turns right when the street opens, and only then does her pace slow down. Her stamina is commendable. The air around her is filled with the scent of adrenaline. It’s the only explanation of how she keeps going and why she hasn’t crashed yet.
The hour is late.
I slip into the shadows, using them to camouflage my movement as I follow her.
She jumps into a cab as if that could save her from me.
Nothing can.
Leaning against the wall behind the nearest corner, I wait. The moment the cab leaves, I run again. My back muscles and legs are aching with the effort of holding the shift at bay.
Stop trying to get out, I tell my wolf. I can handle this.
My inner wolf withdraws with a loud growl, his dissent clear.
At the next corner, I sniff the air, locking on her scent. Thankfully, she had kept the window in the cab open, and I'm able to track her by the smell that lingers in the air.
Though some of the New Yorkers glance at me, most of them don't seem too surprised to see a runner in an expensive suit. New York is full of weirdos, and right now, it works to my advantage.
The lights are brighter here, which allows me to see inside the car she'd hailed. Her nose is pressed to the glass, looking to the side.
My lips curve, and I stop and pretend to tie my shoelace. One, two, three, I count internally. On the last number, I look to the side, so it seems like I might've caught sight of her. Nothing too elaborate and nothing incriminating, just natural curiosity.
The cab takes another right turn. Good. That means we'll have a longer stretch of a road to go over the next five blocks. Which will make tracking her a lot easier.
I reach a cluster of cafés. Most of them are closed, but the nearest one, The Crushed Bean, has three workers still inside. The one sweeping the floor notices me at the door.
I nod. "Excuse me, I'm in a bit of a hurry," I say.
It's best if I don't mention the pressing need to possibly murder my employee.
"That's fine," he tells me without so much as a flinch. I could be a thief for all he knows, and still, the dude doesn't flinch.
You got to love New York, my wolf chuckles.
Keeping out of the spotlight, I position myself in the window, so my eyes can follow the yellow cab from a distance. I don't have to watch for very long. When the cars move at a snail's pace, it gives me the opportunity to follow Cassidy's trail at a reasonable distance from her.
She doesn't look my way, her eyes unseeing even though she's staring right at me. I assume she must have looked my way a few times while leaving Grey Tech, but not once does her gaze waver. It's the effect of the shadows I'm weaving around me. A basic skill that all pups with darkness affinity learn.
The night grows darker. Though my night vision isn't perfect, it's enough to keep the yellow cab in my view.
The car stops in front of an apartment building. The door of the cab opens. Cassidy gets out.
That must be where she lives, my wolf comments.
I'll follow her inside, I say, coming up with the plan as I go. I'll try to talk to her one more time.
What if she's not open to talking? my wolf asks.
Why do you have to be so negative? I shoot back, annoyed at him for forcing me to think about the next step when there's a very good chance that I won't need to do anything along those lines at all.
You have to say it, my wolf insists. You have to face it before you do it.
I already thought about murdering her, I growl back. I will do what has to be done, okay? Are you happy?
Of course not, he says with a cold voice. Nothing about this mess makes me happy.
Then shut up and let me deal with it, I say with a gentle push into the inner darkness to get my point across.
I watch the windows, waiting to see Cassidy's silhouette behind the thin curtains. The building has balconies attached to it. I can use them to get up without being seen.
My muscles vibrate as I leap. I move upwards with no problem. My fingers hook in the bars, and then my legs bend, hoisting me back up until I reach the third story. Easy.
If I'd wanted to murder Cassidy, which I don't because I'm not a jerk who wouldn't give her a second chance, I wouldn't have needed to do it from the street. I could easily use the method through the window.
I hoist myself onto her balcony and envelop my body in the shadows. It's easier up here. There are no streetlights to break through my darkness.
I slide the balcony door open.
Surprisingly, there's no screeching sound or a creak in the wood. Even if I wasn't hiding in the darkness, Cassidy wouldn't know I'm here until it's too late.
I sniff the air, tracking her scent.
She's in the bathroom, my wolf informs me.
What should we do? I ask, feeling a bit awkward about storming into her bathroom. Should we wait?
From the opposite room, she emits a sob.
What's happening?
She's not sobbing. I don't think Cassidy is that type of a person , my wolf murmurs.
Then why do we hear her sobbing?
Let's go find out, he says.
I listen to his advice and use the darkness around me to sneak deeper into her apartment. The small kitchen and the living room area are directly connected, so I just follow the sound of her ragged breathing.
I'm barely in the doorway when my knees almost give out from underneath me.
Holy shit.
Cassidy opens the bathroom door and stands before me in only her underwear.
Double holy shit.
When the hell did I start letting my thoughts get carried away?
Her skin is bright and smooth. Perfect. Not a bruise on her shoulder. Or her stomach. Or her hips...
Wait, no hips. I like curves. Women with the shape that I can hold onto are the best, especially when I want to—.
God damn it, get a hold of yourself, man! my wolf yells.
Ignoring him, I continue to drink in the beauty before me.
But the thing that really catches my attention are her curves. The light shining in through the window outlines the perfection that is Cassidy's body.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Cassidy.
Her loud tone forces me back to reality. Now that my dick has finally joined the team, I have to act.
Like, right this second.
"We need to talk," I say with forced calmness, motioning to the pile of discarded clothing on the floor. "Please, tell me you plan on wearing more than your current attire."
"Of course," she hisses.
At least her sassy attitude is still here, I think, but don't say it out loud. I'm already in enough trouble. No need to escalate the situation.
A hoodie and some sweatpants later, we're sitting on her sofa as if it's the most natural thing for me to break into her apartment.
Nothing about today is normal, my wolf comments.
"First of all, I want to say again that no harm will come to you," I tell her, hoping that I'm not lying. "Also, I'm sorry for coming to your apartment uninvited."
"How the fuck did you get in?" Cassidy demands, completely ignoring my attempt at peace.
I casually gesture in the direction of the balcony. "I climbed up."
"That's fucking crazy," she whispers. Her cheeks are pale.
Good, my wolf exclaims with a low cheer. Let's keep her scared. The fear will keep her mouth shut.
"Again, I'm so sorry," I say, not acknowledging his suggestion. "But I'm glad I did. We need to talk. Did you hear what I told you? What you saw tonight needs to stay between us. I'm a wolf shifter. A prince, actually."
She remains silent.
"If you don't keep quiet," I force the words out. "About the whole wolf thing. I'll have to..."
"You'll have to what?" Cassidy shoots back.
Damn her strong personality, my wolf mutters. Just tell her she's as good as dead. Make her believe it.
It's not a tactic I'd normally use, I retort, but find myself giving it a try, still.
"Tell me!" Cassidy yells, reminding me of our conversation.
"I'll have to...end you," I reply.
"Kill me?" Cassidy asks, raising her brow. "I thought you said no harm would come to me."
"Well, it won't, but only if you don't tell anyone about shifters."
"You're a prince?" Cassidy asks abruptly, tilting her head to the side as her brows furrow.
Either she wants more information or we're growing on her , my wolf says.
Narrowing my eyes, I nod. That wasn't a stupid question after all.
"No wonder you're an entitled, bossy asshole," she mutters under her breath.
If looks could kill, she'd be a dead woman, my wolf growls, his head appearing in my mind's eye.
I thought you liked them feisty, I say to my wolf.
Only when they're not disrespecting us so directly, he mutters back.
"In order for you to understand how serious this is, I have to tell you another story," I begin. Maybe that will help. Maybe it will cement the importance of keeping this a secret.
"Go ahead," Cassidy replies.
Let's get this over with, my wolf says and nudges me to talk.
"As I mentioned before, wolf societies are made out of monarchies," I say, my brows furrow as I search for a way to explain this without complicating my life too much. "I come from a royal line. My eldest brother Garren is the king now, and my younger brother Gavin married a queen, so he's a king now, too."
You're making it confusing, my wolf comments.
Cassidy's blank stare confirms his words.
"Okay, okay, let's forget about the lineage lesson," I say quickly, hoping that I haven't lost her interest yet. "The point is that the witches and wolves have been at war since the Paleolithic period. We've been sworn enemies, killing each other on sight. But that all changed five years ago."
"What happened?" Cassidy prompts me to continue.
Good, she's interested, my wolf says with a hint of approval.
"Five years ago, my older brother Grayden fell in love with a witch," I continue. "Once we realized that they're soulmates, we had no other choice but to help him."
She doesn't need to know about the fated mates, my wolf warns. Don't give all our secrets away.
"There was a battle between the covens and the courts," I say, taking his advice. "Grayden came close to losing his life. Many actually did. Both sides had casualties. But with the leaders who were set on archaic vengeance now dead, we were able to form a peace treaty.
It's been holding up for five years. But now the radicals have emerged, and as the name suggests, they are willing to use the most radical approaches to put the species on different sides again."
"Are they wolves or witches?" Cassidy asks, confused.
She's a smart woman , my wolf comments. That's an excellent question.
"I don't know," I say. It pains me to admit it. "We don't know much about them. They came to the scene fast and strong. Thanks to their inside man, they are pretty good at avoiding cameras and having the footage erased before anyone sees it."
"That's impossible," Cassidy argues, crossing her hands.
"Is it?" I ask. "You heard me talking. You experienced me shifting. What part of this isn't possible to you, if you're so sure about the lack of possibility being possible."
"Okay," Cassidy replies. She draws out the vowels a little too much as if she's talking to a kindergartner. "Even though I can't dispute that magic animals exist..."
"Shifters," I mutter.
"Pardon?"
"We like being called shifters, not magical animals," I correct her.
The room goes quiet, neither of us saying a word.
Are you okay, Cassidy? Do you have any other stupid questions? my wolf asks with a sarcastic hint in his tone.
To my surprise, she listens to his gentle urging as if she can hear him. "I know what shifter means," she continues, "it doesn't exactly make sense. I'm still sort of hoping that you slipped something in my drink."
"Well, my kind exists," I say stubbornly.
"Okay, fine, you exist," she gives in and rolls her eyes. "Either way, it's getting late. If you don't mind, I'd like to get some sleep."
"Fair enough," I agree, then glance around. "I'll take the sofa."
"Excuse me?!" she exclaims, her jaw slack and eyes bulging.
"No offense," I raise my hands in defense. "I mean it in the most respectful way, but since I've revealed to you the secrets that could destroy me and my family, I want to make sure you don't tell anyone. Which means sleeping on your sofa. We can continue our conversation in the morning."
"You..."
I expect some colorful language, but to my disappointment, she gets a hold of herself.
When she wants, Cassidy Strayed has the discipline of a world-class sniper, my wolf points out.
"Fine," she sighs and her shoulders fall. "Make yourself comfortable. And don't even try to peek, or I'll use the wolf inside you for target practice."
And I look forward to it, my wolf says, clearly enjoying this type of feistiness.
With a wicked grin on my face, I disappear into the living room where I remove my shoes, then lie down on the sofa, thinking of tomorrow's plan.
Do you feel safer with her now? my wolf asks me, interrupting the calm flow of my thoughts.
Not sure, I answer.
Then why the hell would you reveal yourself? he asks harshly.
It's a chance I had to take , I say stubbornly. I don't want to kill her.
Bullshit, my wolf exclaims. You just want into her panties.
Let's just go to sleep, I urge him. She won't do anything stupid today. Not with us being on the other side of her bedroom door.
If you weren't so damn proud, we could be on the same side, he comments. I can't believe you managed to keep a straight face when you told her that no part of us wanted to touch her.
You're such an idiot , I say. Why should it matter what I'd said? She was never interested in anything more than kissing me and touching my abs, and now she hates my guts.
If you say so, he agrees too easily for my taste.
My wolf remains quiet, allowing me to finally fall asleep. My hearing is locked on Cassidy's breathing, letting it lull me to sleep. Everything's fine. She's calm.
Just as she drifts off, so do I, but not before I have a thought.
I can't let her out of my sight until I know I can trust her, which means that I'm going to have to take her with me to the Grey Manor tomorrow. My family will be thrilled with having a human in the house. I royally fucked up.