CASSAIN

I never dream, kings like me do not dream.

Monsters like me cannot dream.

Yet for years, every time I shut my eyes, all I ever saw... was her.

Evelessa.

The child with silver eyes and fire-lit limbs.

The only being alive who wasn't afraid of me.

The one fate carved for me.

The one I lost.

Not by choice.

Not by desire.

Not by fate being kind.

On the night I was meant to meet her , as always...

I fell.

A coma.

A fucking coma.

The King of Shadows, Master of Realms, brought down by an illness no one could understand.

Her laughter in the clearing was the last sound I heard.

Her small hands throwing wildflowers at me.

Her smile, bright and fearless.

Then blackness.

Nothing.

I always wake from the memory choking on the same fear that has stalked me for years.

"Your Majesty," someone warns quietly, "your eyes-"

"I know."

They're burning.

Molten gold.

My soldiers stiffen immediately. They've been trained for this.

When my eyes shift like this, it means only one thing:

She is near.

Or at least... my mind believes she is.

I run a hand through my hair and lean against the cold metal wall of the Athletics Centre.

This campus.

This building.

This air.

It carries her.

"How many years now?" Lucian, my deputy, murmurs.

"Six," I breathe. "Six years without her voice. Six years without her scent."

"Six years of outbursts," he mutters.

I glare. He wisely shuts up.

The truth stays the same.

When I woke from the coma, she was gone.

Her father vanished with her and her brothers.

Their scent erased. Their trail removed.

As if they had never existed.

And I-

I tore the world apart searching for her.

I remember waking as if it happened moments ago.

I rose upright in bed, chest heaving, fingers clawing the headboard.

"Where is she?" I growled.

Even my council , warriors who commanded thousands , recoiled from me.

"Your Majesty," the healer stammered, "you've been unconscious for three months-"

"Where. Is. She?"

Pity filled the healer's eyes.

I nearly ripped out his throat.

"She's gone," Lucian whispered. "Her father took her. Even the royal trackers couldn't follow."

Something inside me shattered.

I burned villages.

Demanded answers.

Threatened elders.

Interrogated seers.

I even begged the Ancient Oracle , a woman I despise.

Her words:

"You will not find her until the world decides you are ready."

I hit her.

She only laughed.

Years.

I searched for years.

Every realm.

Every town.

Every coven.

Nothing.

"Cassain," Lucian's voice pulls me back. "Your heart is racing."

Then,

The gym doors open.

Students walk in laughing, talking, oblivious.

Humans.

I've been hiding among them, wearing masks:

Ice hockey star.

Billionaire heir.

Third-year student.

All lies.

Until the one scent that can break me fills the air.

Warm. Soft.

Jasmine dipped in fire.

My whole body goes rigid.

Lucian notices. "What is it?"

My voice is barely a breath.

"Her."

And then she walks in.

Evelessa.

My mate.

My curse.

My salvation.

My obsession.

My tiny spark,

now grown into something dangerous and devastatingly beautiful.

She steps into the gym and the entire world stumbles.

Sound fades.

Time slows.

My vision fractures.

Dark hair in a messy bun.

A sweatshirt clinging to curves that make my teeth ache.

Pink lips.

Silver eyes , still bright, still sharp, still mine.

My gaze follows her brothers guiding her inside.

Overprotective idiots.

But I barely see them.

I see her.

"Cassain," Lucian warns. "Your eyes."

I don't care.

She looks at me.

Directly at me.

Electricity rips down my spine.

Her lips part.

Her heartbeat stutters.

She remembers.

My mate.

Found.

Finally.

My men murmur:

"Is it truly her?"

"She's... stunning."

A roar explodes out of me, shaking the wall.

They all fall back instantly.

Mine.

Mine.

Mine.

She jolts and quickly looks away.

Good.

Be afraid.

Run if you want.

It changes nothing.

She's here now.

I'm never letting her vanish again.

Then some blonde cheer captain starts tormenting her.

A Barbie-looking parasite with a death wish.

"I'm going to tear that girl in half," I growl.

"Cass," Lucian hisses, "humans are fragile. Please delay murder until after midterms."

I breathe. Barely.

Then the coach calls her name.

"Evelessa, you're up."

She walks to the middle of the gym and every man in the room stares.

Idiots.

"She's incredible-"

"Who is she-"

The sound I make is not human.

My soldiers immediately form a shield behind me.

"Look away if you want to live," Lucian warns them.

Then she dances.

And gods,

the universe bows.

Her body bends, rolls, snaps into shapes that make my bones shake.

Hair flying like dark fire.

Legs slicing the air.

Hips moving like molten honey.

I grip the railing so hard the metal bends.

"Holy hell..." Lucian breathes.

One hockey player whispers, "Cass, are you-"

I turn my head.

He runs.

Good.

No one watches her like that but me.

She finishes her move, breathless and divine,

and I forget to breathe entirely.

Then,

She runs out.

Straight to the locker room.

Panic slices through me.

I follow.

"Cassain!" Lucian hisses. "Not in public-!"

Too late.

A King retrieves what is his.

The moment I step inside, her scent slams into me.

Water.

Jasmine.

Heat.

I'm undone.

She leans over the sink, water dripping down her neck.

I take one step.

Then another.

Until I'm right behind her.

Her breath falters.

Good.

I lower my face, brushing her neck with my nose.

Her pulse flutters like wings.

I breathe her in.

Long. Deep.

Something ancient inside me awakens.

Mine.

Mine.

MINE.

"Evelessa," I whisper. "I've found you at last."

She freezes.

"You, you shouldn't be here," she whispers.

I smile.

"My love... I go wherever you are."

My hand slides to her hip.

She trembles.

"I will not lose sight of you again."

She turns, palms pressed to my chest, silver eyes burning with old hurt.

"You left me," she whispers.

The words gut me.

"I never left you," I breathe. "I was in a coma."

She blinks, stunned.

"When I woke... you were gone. I searched every world. Every day. For years."

My chest burns.

"I nearly lost my mind."

Her voice cracks. "My father, my brothers, they don't want-"

"I don't care," I hiss. "Because you're mine."

Her breath shatters.

I almost kiss her.

Almost.

But the door swings open.

"Eve? You okay?" her brother calls.

She gasps.

I disappear.

But I leave something behind.

A soft bite on her neck.

A promise.

A claim.

Found you.

And I'm never losing you again.

RICHARD

Funny how a memory can snap into sharp focus when least expected. That old fear returns without warning, cutting through calm like cold water. Protecting her never needed discussion - it just was. My feet moves before thought catch up. The past pulls me back without asking.

She was never in danger, not really, but the body remembers differently. Something about shadows changed that day. Six years vanished in a breath. Running toward her felt less like choice, more like gravity.

Out of nowhere, while we stood by the gym doors debating if vanilla or chocolate powder can be swallowed easier, whispers spread - every guy nearby suddenly mouthing Evelessa like a secret they'd just learned.

"Where the hell is she?" I mutter, pacing.

Emmanuel eyes me nonchalantly "You'd get brain aneurysm if you don't calm down. She's probably on her way to us already as we speak."

"She's been gone too long."

"Or you're being dramatic."

I glare at him. "You didn't see the way people stared at her in there. The girls looked like they wanted to skin her alive and the boys-"

"Wanted to climb into her skin?"

I punch his arm. "Can you not be creepy for five seconds?"

He laughs... but it's tense. I know he's worried, too.

She's our baby sister. Our tiny hellcat. Our sunshine-covered-in-spikes.

We've survived five high schools, two states, and countless supernatural threats protecting her. We can smell danger before it even walks into a room.

But today?

Today, something felt off. Sinister. Thick. Like eyes tracked her from the shadows.

"I'm going in," I say.

"Richard-"

I ignore him and head toward the hallway leading to the bathrooms. I raise my knuckles to knock-

And then I hear her.

"Evelessa?" I call, voice sharp.

The door swings open in the next second.

She steps out fast. Too fast. Like she's escaping.

Her hoodie is crooked, her eyes are wide, and she looks like she's been sprinting for her life.

"What happened?" I demand.

"Nothing." She tries to walk past me.

I grab her wrist gently. "Eve."

Her pulse is racing.

Her scent is wrong-fear and adrenaline buried under her perfume.

"Richard, I said I'm fine."

"No, you look like you just saw a-"

"Please," she whispers. And something in that tiny plea... guts me.

I let go instantly.

"Okay. Let's go home."

She exhales shakily, nodding.

And I walk her out silently, shielding her body with mine like every threat in the world has suddenly located her GPS.

THE CAR

Emmanuel is already in the driver's seat, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

When he sees us, he frowns. "What happened?"

"She's tired," I lie.

Evelessa climbs into the back and immediately curls against the seat, closing her eyes. The exhaustion is instant-like her body is running on fumes.

In my mind, I shove the link open between us.

Richard: She's shaking.

Emmanuel: I noticed. What the hell happened?

Richard: She's not saying. But something scared her.

He grips the wheel tighter.

Emmanuel: Day one, and this already feels wrong. There are too many eyes on her. Too much attention. We need to set up protections. We need cameras around-

Richard: Agreed. And we shouldn't let her walk around campus alone anymore.

Emmanuel: Or let guys approach her. Or look at her. Or breathe near her.

I snort aloud.

"She's our sister, not a demigod."

But even as I say that, I know it's not that simple.

Evelessa... draws attention. Always has. Her beauty is just a piece of it. There's something else-magnetic, dangerous, supernatural-that's always drawn eyes to her like moths to a flame.

Dad says it's our legacy. Our mother's blood. Our destiny we're supposed to hide from.

But suddenly, it feels like destiny is hunting us.

I shift to look back at her.

Her breathing softens.

She's asleep.

And that scares me more-because Evelessa NEVER falls asleep in cars.

"Let's just get home fast," I say, trying to steady myself.

Emmanuel nods and turns the key.

The engine sputters.

Then coughs.

Then dies.

He tries again.

It does the same damn thing.

"You've got to be kidding me," Emmanuel mutters, pounding the wheel. "We serviced this car last week!"

"Try again."

He does.

Nothing.

I open my door to get out-and freeze.

Because walking toward our car...

Like he owns the universe...

Like gravity bends for him...

Is a man.

Tall. Dark-haired. Built like a damn god.

And his eyes...

His eyes are locked on Evelessa.

I don't need to smell him to know.

I don't need to ask his name.

Because I recognize the aura.

That suffocating, powerful, ancient presence.

Supernatural.

Dangerous.

Deadly.

"Emmanuel," I say through the link, my blood going cold. "We've got company."

My brother peers out the windshield.

"Holy shit."

Yeah. That about sums it up.

The man stops at my window, expression cool but eyes molten-like a starved man who has finally found his meal source.

"You need help?" he asks.

Smooth voice. Deep. Confident. Too confident.

I know that type.

I hate that type.

"No, thanks," I say curtly.

He ignores me completely.

His gaze moves past me.

To the back seat.

To her.

Evelessa shifts, murmuring in her sleep.

His jaw clenches.

His eyes flicker-gold, then darker, then back to human.

Oh, hell no.

"Who are you?" I demand.

He looks at me then. Slowly. Like I'm an annoying fly buzzing near his ear.

"Cassain."

Emmanuel chokes. "The hockey god?!"

I kick his seat.

This is not the time to fangirl.

Cassain glances at our dead car. "You won't be going anywhere with that engine. I can give you a ride."

"No," I say instantly.

Emmanuel hesitates. "But-"

"No."

Cassain raises an eyebrow. "Your sister is exhausted."

My entire body stiffens.

"How do you know she's my sister?"

He doesn't answer.

Just keeps staring at her.

And the possessiveness in his gaze makes my skin crawl.

I open the back door and see that Evelessa is slumped sideways, breathing softly, completely unaware.

Shit.

She really is exhausted.

I lift her into my arms gently. She barely stirs, resting her head on my shoulder.

And Cassain watches.

Every. Damn. Move.

"You can ride with me," he says quietly.

I want to say no.

I want to punch him.

I want to throw holy water at him and pray he combusts.

But we're twenty minutes from home, her weight is limp against me, and Emmanuel's car is officially a corpse.

I grit my teeth. "Fine. But we're watching you."

He smiles.

Actually smiles.

And it's not friendly.

It's the smile of a creature who knows he already won.

THE RIDE

Cassain's black SUV looks like it costs more than our entire apartment. His driver-a silent, stone-faced guy-opens the door.

I settle Evelessa in the back seat.

And Cassain... sits right next to her.

No.

I yank him back by the shoulder.

"You're sitting in the front."

"I'm not," he says calmly.

"Oh yes, you are."

We stare at each other.

And I'm not ashamed to say my legs feel numb.

There are beings in this world who dominate the air they breathe.

He's one of them.

He finally sits in the middle row.

Not because I made him.

But because he chose to.

The car starts.

Evelessa's head slips sideways and falls onto my lap. I gently reposition her so she's comfortable.

But Cassain's gaze follows her like a shadow.

I see every twitch in his jaw. Every inhale. Every flicker in his eyes.

He's not looking at her beauty.

He's looking at her soul.

And that alone confirms what I feared.

Emmanuel... he knows her. Or recognizes her. Something's off.

Do you think he's supernatural?

I KNOW he is.

Then why isn't he hiding it better?

Because he doesn't give a damn.

I glance backwards.

Cassain's eyes meet mine.

It's like staring into the heart of a storm.

I swallow hard and break the gaze.

The ride feels like an eternity.

Finally, the car stops outside our apartment building.

I open the door, pull Evelessa into my arms again, and step out.

Cassain steps out, too.

Of course he does.

Emmanuel immediately stands between him and us.

"I don't know who you think you are," Emmanuel says, voice steady, "but stay away from our sister."

Cassain looks at him with mild amusement. "Is that so?"

"Yes," I add. "We don't want trouble."

His smile is slow.

Dark.

Dangerously soft.

"Trouble," he murmurs, holding my gaze, "arrives whether you want it or not."

I don't like the way he says that.

I don't like the way he looks at her.

I don't like him.

"Stay away," I repeat.

He turns.

He starts walking back to his SUV.

But before he enters, he pauses and glances over his shoulder.

And he says, almost gently-

"Goodnight, brothers."

The door closes.

The SUV drives away.

And a chill runs down my spine so violently I almost drop my sister.

Emmanuel exhales shakily. "Rich..."

"I know."

"That wasn't human."

"I know."

"And he was looking at her like-"

"I KNOW, EMMANUEL."

We both go silent.

I carry Evelessa up the stairs, tuck her into her bed, and watch her sleep for a moment.

She looks peaceful.

But something in her scent...

Something in the tiny mark on her neck...

Something in the way her magic swirls faintly...

My hands curl into fists.

She's still connected to the supernatural world.

She still has enemies.

And somehow...

Cassain is at the centre of all of it.

I step back, close the door softly, and stare at Emmanuel.

"We need to protect her," I say.

"From him?" he whispers.

But another thought hits me.

Hard.

Cold.

Devastating.

What if she doesn't want protection from him?

I don't say it.

Because speaking, it makes it real.

Instead, I say-

"We watch him. We watch her. Every second."

Emmanuel nods.

But neither of us sleeps that night.

Because for the first time since we escaped that hellish world...

Something has found us again.

And its name is Cassain.

EVELESSA

I wake up enveloped in cosiness and the gentle fragrance of roses stretching contentedly like a fulfilled cat. Something feels off. My bed is neither this cosy nor this warm. I open my eyes in alarm. The first thing I spot is the decor of an extravagantly luxurious room. I attempt to rise. I'm quickly pushed back down, and it finally strikes me that this isn't my room and I'm not alone. I start to panic. Just as I'm about to shout, a smooth and confident voice speaks to me while holding me close from behind. "Ugh...baby it's too early for you to be yelling, especially since I'm not the one causing it. Good morning, darling." He grips me firmly. "Cassain?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"How on earth am I here right now?"

"I transported you through teleportation."

I breathe out slowly to remain composed.. "Alright... You're a wolf. How is it that you possess the power to teleport? And my family must be worried now so let me go." I attempt to free myself. He refuses to release me.

"Darling I'm a tribid and there's a version of you, at home I swear they won't detect the difference but I told you at night that I'd never sleep without you on my bed I meant it." He finally spins me around. We look at each other face to face.

I attempt to talk. My wolf Aretha abruptly takes control, growling softly like a cat in heat. It's so irritating. "Hey buddy."

Cassain laughs softly. "Hey wolf, Evelessa isn't going to be pleased with you. She's not prepared yet."

She grins, "Yeah, she's angry, but we aren't going to do anything. Still, I just want to see my mate."

He nods, "Alright. When it comes to me you're dealing with three persons, and you're not permitted to reject me." His wolf finally emerges. "Hello darling, I'm Ares, your mate, and I'm eager to claim you."

Aretha clears her throat. "So nice to meet you, babe. You can't mark me just yet. Evelessa will be furious. We have to return control to our humans immediately so things don't spiral out of control."

Ares sneers, "I need something to maintain my sanity, and my human does well."

Aretha kisses him. "Believe me, they will both receive what they need." She at last returns control to me, and I instantly attempt to pull away from him, but he doesn't allow me even though Cassain has regained control.

"You have to give me something to ease the tension, darling. I regained control from Ares. Then he began kissing me. All my senses became blurred.

I shortened the space separating us, the wool of my pajamas touching the air as he took them off my hands, discovering the rough texture of his nightclothes gliding over the firm surface of his chest underneath.

Abruptly, I shove him away. Drop to my knees in front of him, sensing the plushness of the push bed under me. My gaze remained locked on his as I released him, my breath hitching when his rigid length slipped into my hand, warm and smooth, against my skin. Evelessa he moaned, the noise guttural, as I bent down and enveloped him with my mouth.

The first flavour was utterly captivating. I savoured every moment, my tongue circling the tip exploring the tender ridge before I breathed in deeply accepting more of him. My lips pulled tight, forming a firm seal as I started to move in at a gradual, purposeful pace that caused his fingers to knot in my hair. He wasn't dominating, nor compelling, simply holding on to his grasp, showing a request for more.

"Damn Evelessa I'm on the verge of losing control," he whispered, his hips making a powerless push.

A jolt coursed through me. I moaned around him, the trembling drawing a groan from deep in his throat. I quickened my rhythm, one hand encircling his base, moving in sync with the glide of my mouth. My other hand drifted between my legs, my fingers tracing desperate tiny circles over the throbbing swollen bud. The feelings were intense, the pressure of him, against my tongue, the aroma of his skin, the mounting twisting tension within my belly.

Allow me to taste you. He abruptly growled, his tone heavy, with longing.

With a graceful movement, his hands slipped beneath my arms, raising me and setting me down at the bed's edge. He dropped to his knees, spreading my thighs. Then his lips touched me.

His tongue was like nicotine, leaving me addicted.

A slow broad lick from my entrance up to my clit caused my back to arch away, from the bed a fractured moan escaping my lips. He gripped my hips tightly, holding me in place as he pressed his face between my legs, his tongue flicking and sucking at my core with a fervour that took away my sense of reason.

Yes! Cassain, like that! I exhaled sharply, my head tilting backwards.

He showed no mercy, his tongue tracing circles around my clit before pulling it into the warmth of his mouth, sucking softly at first more intensely. One finger, two glided inside me curling perfectly to stroke that exquisite enchanted spot deep within. The climax struck me suddenly like a bolt of dazzling delight that trembled through my whole body, my thighs gripping his head as I moaned aloud as surges of bliss cascading through me again and again.

Before the final shake had completely stopped I was already slipping off the bed guiding him into a sitting position. I craved having him in my mouth. My turn I gasped, mounting his thighs and reclaiming his fullness, between my lips savoring my essence on him a briny earthy taste that spun me with desire.

Once more. Come for me more little wolf he insisted, his fingers exploring my breasts, thumbs gliding over my sensitive nipples. His order, the nickname triggered another surge deep inside me still pulsing from the first climax.

I took him in deeper, drawing him fully to the back of my throat until I sensed him press against it and I eased, swallowing him down. The sound that escaped him was raw and wild. His grip on my hips grew firmer, his motions turning wilder. I sensed his tension mounting, the wound-up coil of his pleasure about to burst.

My body was ascending more, my fingers moving wildly between my legs, driven by the flavor of him, the noises he produced, the pure intense force of delivering him this delight. The second climax started to rise, an electrifying heat that soon exploded into an unstoppable fire.

I'm... I'm about to... I groaned softly around his shaft, the trembling stirring him deeply.

He moaned. "Cum for me. Immediately."

His utterance acted as the spark. My body convulsed, a moment later a stronger wave of climax overwhelmed me, his fingers moving inside me as my screams were stifled against his flesh. The feeling of my throbbing climax was the last straw, for him.

Evelessa! His shout resonated throughout the room as his climax spilled into my mouth, warm and briny. I swallowed him eagerly, taking in each beat every trembling surge until he was exhausted falling back onto the bed with breaths.

I pressed my forehead onto his thigh, my body vibrating with lingering tremors. The sole noises were our ragged breaths blending together. The faint murmur of the air conditioner, in the room. His hand settled softly on my head, fingers caressing my sweat-soaked hair.

I sat down. Pull on my dress again. "Cass, please take me home. I have to get ready for class and return before my family realizes I'm not the one at home."

He spreads his hands behind his head. I at last observe the many tattoos on the body covered with details about me. Birth date, favorite flower, preferred color and I'm unsure whether to feel worried or amazed. "I can do that. We need to have a conversation. I'd mark you eventually you know that. You can't continue dodging me in public and you're welcome to mark me now. I swear I'd appreciate it and never resent you for it."

I exhale. "I can be civil in public Cassian. There's absolutely no chance our relationship becomes public. I'm a first-year transfer student. You're a third-year student, a hockey player, a billionaire and essentially an attention magnet and at this moment I want none of that spotlight."

He runs his fingers through his hair. "So in essence you're turning me down for all the things that make me appealing to others?

"I'm not turning you down. I simply want us to remain private."

I keep kissing him over and over to persuade him to bring me, and after another hour, he eventually teleports me back.

"I'm happy we managed to clear up a few things, darling," Cassain mentions while standing, his gaze sweeping the area as though looking for leftover traces of our meeting. "However, I must confess I'm somewhat let down. I was certain you'd be prepared to mark me at this point."

I flush, sensing a pang of guilt for not being more open to his proposal. "As I mentioned Cass I have to keep our relationship under wraps for the time being. I'm not prepared for that level of exposure."

Cassains face grows pensive as he nods. "I get it. However I must caution you I won't surrender without a fight. I'm already in love with you Evelessa and I believe we could share something extraordinary."

His words cause a flutter in my chest. I attempt to brush it off. "Cass, I...I care about you well but we should take it slow. Can we simply enjoy discovering each other for the time being?"

My face brightens with a grin. He gives a nod. I promise to be patient.. May I ask you something?"

"Anything," he answered, intrigued.

"What does it feel like to live inside the mind of three personalities?" I inquire, my eyes gleaming with curiosity.

He pauses briefly before answering. "It's... Complex. At times, I sense I'm slipping away in all the personalities, yet simultaneously, it's comforting to have them to support me. And with you now Eve, it's like... Have you ever experienced that feeling of being home as if you're precisely where you're supposed to be?"

I feel a warmth spread through my chest at his words, and I know that I'm in trouble. I'm already falling for this guy, and I don't know if I'll be able to resist him for much longer.