Chapter Two Cassius

CASSIUS

I’m woken up by the shrill blaring of my alarm on my phone going off. Squinting my eyes, I search for my phone, only to find the damn thing underneath the female wolf shifter I brought home with me from the bar last night. This is not good; not good at all.

She’s not even supposed to be here, dammit! This woman was supposed to have gone back with her friend, who had hooked up with another guy just down the way from my place. But here she is. She’s going to wake up any second now wanting round three, and I have no time for that. Neither one of us were drunk last night. I guess we both just passed out after the wild time we had. We didn’t have sex; but we did many other wild and amazing things.

“Shit!” I yell, then growl when she stirs and starts rubbing her ass cheeks against my morning wood.

“This is gonna hafta be quick. I’ve got important plans this morning,” I say as I flip her over on her back, tear her underwear off, and start fingerfucking and licking her to death.

When I’ve made her cum, she rises, grips my shoulders and thrust me down on the bed. She then straddles me and starts gyrating and sliding her slick folds along my stiff length, taking care to make sure I don’t slip inside her. She’s a virgin as well as I, and this isn’t how either of us wants to lose it. After we’ve both found release, she stumbles out of bed, gets dressed and scurries out the door.

Glancing at my phone, I see I only have ten minutes left before I’m supposed to meet Xeraphina for roping lessons. “Damnit!” She’ll freaking whoop my ass if I’m late!

“Damn it!” I exclaim, frustration lacing my voice, as my feet tangle in the twisted sheets, causing me to lose my balance and crash onto the unforgiving floor. The moon goddess seems to have cast her judgment upon me, as if her ethereal presence fills the room with an aura of punishment for my unfaithfulness.

After untangling the sheets from my feet, I quickly jump out of bed and head straight to the coffee machine. The aroma instantly perks me up. I then rush to the bathroom for a quick shower. Xeraphina may not have her wolf yet, but her alpha blood gives her heightened senses that surpass those of a mere human. There’s no way I’m going to meet up with her while smelling like sex. If she found out, she would definitely tell her brothers, and I don’t need any more chastisement from them. Thankfully, they haven’t spilled the beans to Alpha Joseph or Luna Sarah. If they were to find out, I’d be lucky to survive their wrath.

Glancing in the mirror afterwards, I growl at the sight of my hair. “If I don’t get a haircut soon, Luna Sarah is going to beat my ass,” I say to my reflection in the mirror.

I shake my wavy locks out and then grab the towel and get them as dry as possible, pull on some clothes, then pull my cowboy hat on. Thank the goddess, I was smart enough to brush my teeth while I was showering. There is no way I would have time to brush them right now.

After securing two mugs and pouring coffee inside, I screw the caps on, then pluck a box of donuts from the refrigerator. I open the door, put the box of donuts in my arms, then grab the mugs and make my way outside. After kicking the door shut, I glance over and see that Xeraphina is in a lounge chair, asleep.

Approaching her, I appreciate the serene beauty she exudes while sleeping. “Xeraphina,” I say, only to realize that the music in her ear is blaring. “Xeraphina!” I shout, hoping to grab her attention. She remains undisturbed, so I nudge her, causing her captivating oceanic bluish-green eyes to open and glare up at me.

‘How long has she been waiting for me? I hope she didn’t come up to the door and hear anything.’

My suspicions are quickly validated as she begins to criticize me. I can tell that she doesn’t trust me when I attempt to dismiss her words by claiming ignorance. It feels incredibly painful, as if a knife has pierced my heart when she speaks of rejecting me and the potential for me cheating on her.

Yes, that’s correct. I’ve been aware that Xeraphina is my mate since I turned eighteen, and now I’m twenty-five. However, nobody, not even Charity, is aware of this. It’s been a secret I’ve kept for seven years. There’s a seven-year age gap between Xeraphina and me, so she was only eleven when I realized she was my mate. Initially, I thought marrying Charity and forming a bond with her would help break the one-sided connection. But when the time came to mark Charity, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. She, too, wanted to wait, hoping to find her own fated mate. As a result, we no longer share a bed, and we both go out in search of our respective mates. As for me, I engage in casual relationships to suppress the urge to claim Xeraphina, hold her in my arms, ravish her, and mark her as mine. At least I’ve saved my virginity for her.

I almost come unhinged when Xeraphina says that she watches p**n. With what time and why would she be doing such things?! My annoyance at her berating me turns into anger as she slips her air pods in my ears and that damn song ‘Old Town Road’ starts blasting into my ears.

‘So, this is what she fucking thinks of me! I’ve seriously fucked up! What the hell was I thinking, bringing all those women to my place?! How the hell am I going to fix things with Xeraphina?! She turns eighteen in two weeks. She’ll find out we are mates and she’ll reject me! I’m such a fucking idiot!’

It takes everything in me not to haul her up into my arms and confess everything to her when she walks past me, saying she’s going to reject me. My eyes cloud over with unshed tears that I try to hold back and turn and follow her. Damn, my heart feels like it’s being ripped out of my chest. My heart is literally shattering into thousands of tiny, sharp shards. I would die if she were to reject me.

She will become the ideal partner for someone else in the future. Maybe I should just let her go. I don’t deserve her. Xeraphina, being such a flawless woman, is too remarkable to succumb to rejection. The Moon Goddess will grant her a second chance at finding a suitable mate. As for me, I am doomed.

If her pups take after her in terms of appearance and temperament, they will be fortunate. It’s just a shame that it won’t be my pups she will carry in her belly. She possesses such kindness, compassion, and generosity. Her smile illuminates any room. However, she also has a fiery spirit and never backs down from a fight. To say she is straightforward and direct would be an understatement. With her waist-length, dark brown, wavy hair and hypnotic oceanic eyes, her external beauty is extraordinary. Her high cheekbones and button nose, adorned with freckles, have always been something I have admired. She has perfectly bronzed skin from spending countless hours under the sun, and she has long, toned legs that never seem to end. She’s an amazing woman inside and out.

We used to be the best of friends. She’s always confided in me about everything. Until I got married, that is. Then we parted ways. Rather, I parted ways with her. I thought it was the best thing to do, considering I was married. But then I ended up becoming sex crazed. I couldn’t have Xeraphina because she was too young, and Charity had tossed me away without a thought. So I had to keep myself in check. Unfortunately, I went overboard. Indulging in way too many women. In short, I’m a dumbass! A fucking idiot!

I take in her heart-shaped ass, in those tight jeans as she walks away. My cock twitching and rising. Damn! ‘Chill out dude!’ I inwardly scrutinize myself. ‘She’s not even eighteen yet.’

As my gaze wanders up, I’m dumbfounded by the tight shirt that hardly covers her breast she’s wearing. My eyes widen when I see the cherries decorating the shirt. What the hell is she wearing?! My wolf Talon has come to the surface, and he’s throwing a fit of rage. Pacing back and forth, growling.

“I’m not taking you out there dressed like that. Go change your shirt!” I command, grasping her elbow and spinning her around. “Are you trying to announce to the entire world that you’re a virgin or what?! You wanna get raped, or something?!”

“You’re not my father, Cassius, and can’t order me to do anything. I woke my brothers up as I was leaving this morning and they all saw what I had on. They said nothing. So you have no say,” she says, pulling her arm from my grasp and walking away from me.

Standing in front of her, I shake my head and motion towards their place. I attempt to maintain eye contact, avoiding any downward glances towards her ample breasts. “They weren’t fully awake to notice that you’re walking around in a shirt that could easily pass as a bra, with cherries as its decor,” I state, stressing my point. “Please go back in there and put on a more appropriate shirt! Right now, Xeraphina!”

She glares as she twists, her boots kicking up dirt, and saunters back over to their place. Then comes back out a few minutes later in one of her brother’s oversized t-shirts. “Is this better asshole?” she asks, storming past me. Damn, she’s hot when she’s pissed off.

She glances back at me and rolls her eyes. Clearly, she’s annoyed and pissed off at me. “Are you going to my coming of age ball in two weeks? Or are you going to ditch me for your countless women?”

Halting her by clutching her elbow, I turn her around to face me. “Why would you ask me such a thing? Of course I’m going to your party?”

“Since you got married two years ago, I have basically lost my best friend. I used to talk to you about everything. With her in your life and these countless women, there has been no place for me in your life. I have no one to talk to about anything anymore. All my friends have either turned eighteen and found their mates, or have boyfriends. My only genuine friend beyond you died two months ago. All my brothers have mates and mom and dad are so busy with pack affairs to notice my existence. I’m completely left out and utterly alone. You get married and suddenly, I mean nothing to you anymore! So I have every right to ask you that,” she says, huffing as she stomps away from me.

‘Well, fuck. I’m definitely screwed.’