Cassie
Morning came, but it felt no different from the long, restless night that bled into it. The weight in my chest hadn't lifted. My head throbbed, my stomach twisted — and I knew it wasn't just hunger.
It was fear.
I sat on the edge of my bed, fingers tangled in the worn blanket, staring at nothing. Lucas's voice echoed in my mind, over and over, like a curse I couldn't break: "Your kind is a threat to the bayou."
"Claiming you will secure my title."
I could still see the way he'd looked at me — not like a father seeing his daughter for the first time, but like a hunter sizing up his prize. I clenched my jaw. No matter what he said, no matter what promises he made to my mother, I didn't trust him. I couldn't.
Outside, the morning fog still clung to the trees. The air smelled of moss, damp earth, and rain waiting to fall. I forced myself to get up, to push open the creaking door of my room.
The scent of herbs and boiling water hit me. I followed it to the kitchen, where I found my mother standing over the stove, stirring a small pot. She didn't look up when I entered, but I knew she'd heard me. She always did.
"Sit, sweet one," she said softly. "I made your tea."
I sat at the small wooden table and took the mug she offered. The steam rose between us, carrying the familiar bitter smell. This tea — it was the only thing that ever dulled the gnawing pangs that came when my vampire side stirred too strongly. My mother had discovered it after that terrible night at my old school.
I took a sip, letting the heat burn my tongue, hoping it would somehow burn away my dread too.
"Mum…" I began, my voice barely above a whisper.
She finally met my eyes, and in hers I saw exhaustion. Worry. But beneath it, that same fierce determination she'd always carried.
"What if I can't control myself?" I blurted. "What if, when I'm with the other wolves, they know? What if they smell it on me? Sense it? I don't trust Lucas, Mum. I don't trust him at all."
My mother set her mug down, the clink loud in the quiet kitchen. She came around the table, crouched beside me, and took my hands.
"It'll be fine, Cas," she said, though I could hear the strain in her voice. "I'll take care of you. I always have. And you're right — I don't trust Lucas either. But listen to me… he has more to lose than we do. If he betrays me, if he tries anything, he'll be cast out. Or worse."
Her grip on my hands tightened.
"I hold the leverage, sweet one. He needs us more than we need him. He can't risk exposure — not now, not when the title is within his grasp. So all you have to do is play your part. Blend in. Act like the others. You'll be introduced as the alpha's heir, and everything will fall into place."
But her words didn't soothe the storm inside me.
"Mum… what if they ask questions?" My voice trembled despite myself. "Where was I all these years? Why now? Why at the coronation, conveniently, like some long-lost heir returning just in time?"
My mother stood, running a hand through her hair, staring out the window as if the mist might give her answers.
"That's for me and Lucas to worry about," she said at last. Her voice was firmer now, like she was trying to convince herself as much as me. "We'll handle it. Just focus on yourself. Stay calm. Stay hidden, even in plain sight."
I stared down into my tea, watching the ripples tremble from my shaking hands.
Plain sight.
Blend in.
Act normal.
It sounded so simple when she said it. But nothing about me was normal.
I rose, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. "I'll go get ready," I said, my voice hollow.
She turned to me, tried to smile, but it faltered. "Once Lucas's letter arrives, we'll leave. It's all arranged."
I nodded, though my heart sank lower. Every step felt like I was walking deeper into a trap.
The hours dragged. I packed what little I owned — a few clothes, a worn journal, the locket my mother had given me when I was small. I kept glancing out the window, waiting for a messenger, dreading the moment they'd arrive.
When the knock finally came, my heart leapt to my throat.
I peeked through the curtain as my mother went to the door. A wiry wolf stood on the porch, glancing nervously at the trees like he feared something might leap out at him.
"The letter, ma'am," he said, his voice low. "It's time."
My mother took it, thanked him quietly, and watched him disappear into the fog. She turned to me, the sealed envelope trembling slightly in her hand.
"It's begun," she said.
And I knew, in that moment, that whatever life I'd known was over. The real game had started. And I was the piece they all wanted to claim.
....
The van rattled along the dusty road, the tires crunching over gravel. Outside, the trees whipped past in a blur, but I wasn't paying attention. My heart was hammering in my chest, and my palms were slick with sweat. I kept telling myself to breathe, but it didn't help.
The silence between my mother and me was unbearable. I couldn't take it anymore.
"Mum." My voice came out sharper than I meant it to. "What if I can't do this?"
She kept her eyes on the road, her jaw tight. "You can. You will."
"That's not an answer!" I snapped, my frustration boiling over. "You don't know what it's like for me! What if they can smell it on me? What if I lose control again?"
Her grip on the steering wheel tightened, the veins in her hands standing out. "Cassie, please. Just—just stay calm, okay? This isn't the time—"
"Not the time?" I barked a bitter laugh. "When is the right time? When I'm standing in front of a pack of wolves who'll tear me apart the second they figure out what I am?"
Her eyes flicked to me for a split second, filled with a mixture of fear and sadness. "You think I don't worry about that? You think I don't stay up every night wondering if I've done the right thing keeping you here, hiding you?"
"Then why are we doing this?" I said, my voice breaking. "Why are we walking right into their den? Just so Lucas can have his precious title? We're risking everything for him?"
Her lips pressed into a thin line. I could see the storm brewing in her.
"This isn't about Lucas," she said, her voice low and trembling with restraint. "This is about you. About keeping you alive. Do you think I like this plan? Do you think I want to stand beside him and play Luna to a man I despise? If there were another way—"
"Then we should've found one!" I shouted, unable to stop myself. "We should've run, or—or fought, or something! Not hand me over like—like a pawn in one of his games!"
"Cassie!" Her voice cracked like a whip, silencing me. The van swerved slightly as her hands clenched the wheel.
I fell back against my seat, breathing hard. My throat burned, my eyes stung. I hated this. I hated feeling so powerless.
She took a shaky breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell."
Neither of us spoke for a long moment, the tension thick enough to choke on.
When she spoke again, her voice was softer. "I don't trust Lucas either. I never will. But we're out of options. If we don't do this, they'll come for us anyway — the pack, the council, whoever's been spreading those rumors about a vampire in the bayou. This gives us a chance. A shield. That's all I'm trying to do, Cassie. Keep you safe."
I swallowed hard, staring at my hands. "And what about me? I have to live with them, among them. What if I slip? What if I hurt someone again?"
She glanced at me, her eyes glassy. "You won't. You've grown stronger. You'll blend in — like I taught you. Like we practiced. You'll act normal, like the other girls. You'll make this work."
My chest ached. I don't want to blend in. I don't want to pretend. I want to be me.
The trees broke apart, and suddenly, the academy rose in front of us — massive, cold, and unwelcoming. My stomach twisted into knots.
"Cassie…" My mother's voice brought me back. "You'll have a roommate. I couldn't stop that. And I'll be staying near Lucas, keeping close, training the young females. That way I can look after you — from a distance."
"A roommate?" I turned to her, panic flaring. "Mum, how can I hide what I am with someone right there, watching me all the time? What if I slip at night? What if they hear something? Smell something?"
"I know." She let out a long breath. "It terrifies me too. But we can't ask for special treatment. That would draw more attention. This is the only way."
I wanted to argue, to scream, but my words caught in my throat as we rolled to a stop.
There they were. Lucas. Three of his betas. Standing at the gates like they'd been waiting forever. The academy loomed behind them, its stone walls casting long shadows across the ground.
The gate creaked as it swung wider, as if inviting me into a world I wasn't ready for.
I felt the blood drain from my face. My mother reached for my hand, gave it a squeeze.
"Whatever happens in there… you're not alone. I promise you that."