Chapter Six

Cassius' POV

Striding down the dimly lit corridor away from Talia's holding cell, I clenched and unclenched my fists at my sides. The burning scent of her saturated the air around me, activating Dante's instinctual need to return to our mate's side. To stake our claim fully.

I grit my teeth against the primal urges swelling hotly in my blood. This was unacceptable, allowing a mere human to get under my skin in such a way. I was Cassius De Monte, undisputed alpha and leader of the most powerful pack in the Manhattan colony. I should be able to resist such base compulsions with ease.

And yet, the more time that passed with Talia's intoxicating presence surrounding me, the more I could feel those carefully constructed walls eroding. It was damned unsettling how swiftly she seemed to be chipping away at decades' worth of hard-earned control and emotional discipline.

With a low rumbling growl, I rounded the corner only to pull up short. There stood Yulian, bent over slightly as his deep guffaws of laughter echoed down the empty hall. He met my narrowed glare with unabashed amusement twinkling in his amber eyes.

"What's so endlessly amusing?" I bit out in clear annoyance at his unprofessional display.

Pulling himself upright, Yulian made an exaggerated zipping motion across his lips before shaking his head. "Nothing, Alpha. Just enjoying a bit of quality entertainment courtesy of your...spirited mate."

He didn't bother trying to mask the emphasis he put on that last word, the bastard. The fact he found the absurd situation surrounding Talia's role in my life hilarious only deepened the rumbling pit of agitation in my core.

"She's not my mate," I growled lowly, emerald flecks sparking in my obsidian glare.

Yulian's thick brows climbed pointedly. "Your wolf and those urges you've been battling nonstop say differently, my friend."

My jaw clenched hard enough to grind molars. Of course the insufferable ass had picked up on Dante's incessant stirrings whenever Talia's vibrant presence danced on the edges of my awareness. I hadn't dared share the true depth of the mystical "mate" connection with my most trusted beta, hoping it would fizzle before coming to that.

Apparently I'd underestimated the intensity of this cosmic millstone being thrust upon me.

"Don't push this issue any further than you already are," I ground out in warning.

Yulian's chuckles finally softened to an infuriating smirk. "Not pushing anything, Alpha. Just stating facts based on what my eyes and senses are perceiving."

He clapped a heavy hand on my shoulder, his expression turning serious and almost...pitying? "Look, I get why you're fighting this so hard. Any weaker man would crumble under the weight of such a life-altering bond, especially to a human."

I tensed, fully prepared to clock him for the grave insult of questioning my fortitude. But Yulian pressed on, that damnable understanding gleam never wavering.

"But you and I both know you've never been a weaker man, Cassius. You're the strongest alpha I've ever known, the only one I'd ever pledge unwavering allegiance to. So why not embrace this wild little complication as the blessing it is?"

His words seemed to echo endlessly while swirling around the empty spaces of my mind. I could only stare back, feeling an odd mixture of incredulity and...hope?

Could it really be as simple as lowering my defenses and accepting this maddening human woman into my world? To allow our fated bond to unfurl naturally instead of resisting its inevitability? Was that the true path to controlling this chaos, rather than constantly battling against it?

Almost unconsciously, my gaze drifted down the corridor towards the cell currently housing my alleged "complication." An errant memory flickered through my thoughts - the first glimpse I'd gotten of her exotic beauty amidst the shadows, how brilliantly her azure eyes had shone with defiant fire despite the clear terror gripping her.

This was no wilting violet to be easily controlled or shoved into preconceived notions of obedience. No, Talia Fisher seemed to embody the spirited essence of what Dante had been longing for in our mate all along.

Perhaps it was time I stopped futilely resisting that endless pull, and started forging a new path with her into the great unknown.

The gravity of Yulian's words hung heavy in the air between us. I could sense he was giving me an incredibly rare glimpse past the gruff, unshakable exterior I projected at all times. A chance to confront my own misgivings about this fated bond head on.

Drawing in a fortifying breath, I met my beta's earnest gaze with resolution burning in my eyes. "You raise fair points, as insufferable as your prodding is."

Yulian's scar-twisted lips curved into a faint smirk, recognizing that was as close to a concession as I'd give. We'd stood side-by-side through too many dank pits of hell for him to expect flowery affirmations from me.

"Then I trust you'll quit acting like a caged beast and actually talk to the woman," he stated plainly. "Get to know who she really is, let her understand the truth of what's happening without these evasive alpha mind games."

A muscle feathered along my clenched jaw, but I gave a terse nod of acceptance. As dubious as the prospect seemed right now, Yulian had the PlaintPoint. Continuing to fight the cosmic forces swirling around Talia and myself was only self-defeating.

"Very well. Send for Loras to take over guarding her," I ordered, turning on my heel to head back towards my study. "I'll have the kitchen prepare a light meal to be brought there. You're dismissed."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Yulian called out with a shameless grin, always having to have the last irritating word.

Growling under my breath, I refused to reward his impertinence with any further response. He was lucky our bond as brothers-in-arms ran as thickly as blood itself. Any lesser subordinate would have found themselves dangling from the highest ramparts for their insolence.

By the time I stalked into the dimly lit recesses of my study, I could feel the first faint tinglings of agitation bleeding from my tightly bound psyche. My granite control over both wolf and man were dangerously near a precipice, teetering in the raging vortex left by Talia's arrival.