Eden Grace
Cassian hovered over her like a grim reaper, "So tell me Eden, are you really my mate?"
As soon as Eden met his gaze, her breath and courage faltered.
He was too close. Far too close.
Cassian's face was just a few inches from hers, close enough that she could see every sharp line of his jaw, every subtle shadow beneath his eyes, every faint mark of power and dominance etched into his expression.
He was so well put together.
Perfect face. Perfect body. Perfect everything. Perfect in a way that made her heart stumble and her mind blur.
Eden's chest heaved, the shallow rise and fall betraying the careful composure she tried to maintain. "I don't know what you're thinking but no matter how many times you ask it will not change the fact, Cassian. I'm not your mate, I will never be."
'She's lying! She must be hiding something' Rael growled.
Cassian's jaw tightened, just enough to betray the storm rising beneath his calm exterior, his wolf pacing restlessly.
"Right. I believe you." He said calmly, shocking both Rael and Eden.
Her rows knitted in confusion.
"You…do?"
"Yes. If you say you are not my mate, then that is what I will accept." His tone was even, almost casual. "It doesn't really matter anyway…if you are my mate or not."
What?
"I do not need fate's permission to claim what I want," he said quietly. "Bond or no bond, you are already mine now."
This mad man.
"Are you insane?" Eden stared at him in disbelief. "What…what do you mean by mine?"
Cassian's gaze darkened slightly.
"I mean from this moment on, your life is under my control. Where you go. Who you meet. What you do."
Her heart began to race. "You cannot just decide that."
"I already have," he said simply. She flinched when his fingers brushed against her cheek.
"You know, Eden," Cassian said calmly as he gathered a loose strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. "When I thought you were my mate, I was so excited that I could not control myself. I had waited too long for that bond, and when I finally felt it, even for a moment, I let my emotions take over. I did not care who saw it. I did not care who knew. I let the whole world know that you were mine." he replied evenly.
Eden's breath caught sharply. "What do you mean by world?"
"Why don't you see for yourself." Cassian smiled like a Cheshire cat pointing at her phone.
Eden's heart raced as she pulled out her phone. Her fingers were trembling so badly that she almost dropped it, and the cold glow of the screen felt harsh against her eyes.
A notification sat at the top.
From Cassian.
She swallowed and opened it. Her jaw dropped, her breath catching painfully in her throat. What is this!!?
The photo of Eden and Cassian being a couple was posted on a big screen of Time Square!! Their faces were edited together like a perfect couple's portrait. Below their faces, in bold letters, flashed the question: Will you marry me, my love?
Gahhh!! Eden stared up at the screen, anger boiling beneath the surface.
How dare he!? How dare he expose her like this, turning her into a trophy for the whole world to see?
This wasn't some harmless romance, Cassian wasn't just playing games. He was dragging her into a mess she never asked for. Now everyone would know.
Cassian's tone slid through the line like dark velvet, "Honey, did you not like my surprise..?"
Her fingers tightened on the phone until her knuckles ached. "You call this a surprise? By pushing me to the death? By ruining my life?"
"Ruin your life? Which part of your life did I ruin this time, sweetheart?" Cassian looked at her amused. "In fact I gave you a new life, a new identity."
Eden's breath caught in her throat at the arrogance in his tone. He hadn't changed at all, he was as cruel as before in school days.
"New identity? By making me look like…" she broke off, the word choking her.
"Like you belong to me..?" Cassian completed her sentence, his voice dropping to a low murmur that chilled her to the bones.
The air between them suddenly turned heavy, thick with pheromones and unspoken bond tension.
"It's the truth isn't it, Eden." His gaze darkened, his silver grey eyes honing into something sadistic as Rael stirred inside him.
Eden's body reacted before her mind could stop it. No can't give it in yet!
"You don't own me. I don't belong to anyone."
Cassian's mouth curved, not in amusement this time but something darker, more territorial. "But the world seems to think otherwise. They clearly know who owns you now. And…you are welcome, little lamb. I just made you untouchable."
"You made me a target, not untouchable!" Eden seethe out. "Now every pack, every rogue mafia, every rival, will know who I am to you. They will come for me because of you."
"Sweetheart …you were already a target long before that screen lit up. You know why. Do you think by saving me would not have caught other's attention? You know how many enemies an Alpha like me has."
His gaze locked onto hers, intense and unyielding. "I only made sure the world understood one thing clearly. If they want you they have to go through me first. Through Rael."
Eden's breath hitched as a sudden wave of heat surged through her veins, sharp and unbearable, her hidden bond almost cracking.
She staggered back a step, pressing her palm against the wooden table behind her, her fingers digging into it as if she could anchor herself to reality.
No. Not now.
Eden glared at him. "I do not want your protection if it means belonging to you."
Cassian however laughed, his gaze steady and unblinking solely on her. "Belonging is such a dramatic word, Eden. Think of it as collaboration. An agreement. You give me what I want and in return you become the safest woman in this city. You'll be untouchable, unquestionable…and more importantly alive."
Eden's glare wavered for a second and she hated that her mind was already calculating survival.
"What agreement?" Her voice trembled.
Cassian did not answer immediately instead his gaze darkened, his face etching with dangerous restrained satisfaction that made her skin prickle suddenly.
The silence was way too oppressive. Way too lethal.
"Marry me, Eden." Cassian finaly said.
The words hit her like a physical blow. What? Eden breathed out, staring at him as if she had misheard. "What did you just say?"