The nighttime air hung thick with tension as the camp hummed with low activity. Sitting close to the fire, Cassandra observed the flames licking at the logs, their warm glow throwing shadows that danced on the faces of the other pack members.
Her thoughts of Damon occupied a thousand miles away, so she hardly saw them. Stronger than any vision, more vivid than any warning Alpha Caelum had ever given her, the pull she felt towards him was undeniable.
She could not get rid of it. But her commitment to her pack kept weighing on her shoulders, affecting her breathing ability.
Days of close observation had passed for Liora, her closest friend. Cassandra could sense the burden of her stare, the way Liora's brow creased every time their eyes met. She had always been able to tell when anything was wrong with her pal; tonight was no exception.
Liora sat down next to Cassandra and remarked, "You've been distant," her voice steady yet forceful. Your situation baffles me, yet it is beginning to get out of control.
Staring into the fire, Cassandra shifted uncomfortably, and her fingers anxiously followed the edge of her cloak. Not now, not when everything inside her felt so unknown, she did not wish to have this talk.
Cassandra replied, her voice too soft to be credible, "I'm fine."
Liora was not buying it. "You are not, then. Cassandra, I know you. You have been avoiding me, concealing your feelings. You won't even discuss what your visions caused." Her dark eyes narrowed, and she moved in closer. "And I have observed your gaze on him. Damon."
Cassandra's breath caught. Her chest was tense. How could Liora see through her so quickly? How could she not see that her relationship with Damon was tense? She had been cautious. Or so she imagined.
"What do you mean by that?" Cassandra enquired, attempting to maintain her voice steady although it quivered somewhat.
Liora's look softened, although her eyes still showed some sharpness. "I'm referring to him-the rogue. The one you have been meeting with covertly. I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm saying this now: he's dangerous, Cassandra. And you are entering something that might kill you. Can't you see it?"
Cassandra shook her head, denying the anxiety Liora's words aroused in her. "He's not like that," she continued, her voice stronger. "Yes, I've been speaking to him, but it's not what you assume. He's not what you believe."
Liora's lips pushed into a narrow line. "I don't care who he is. Cassandra, he's a renegade. You are part of this pack. You cannot allow him to approach you. Not when we lack knowledge of his true identity or what he wants. It's clouding your judgment, and you're letting him mess with your feelings. And I won't allow you to walk into the arms of someone who will kill you."
Her words stung more than Cassandra had anticipated, like a slap. The bond they shared—one that had always been built on trust—was abruptly strained, and it hurt more than anything she had ever known. The thought that Liora could consider herself weak or silly turned inside her. She was not feeble. She couldn't be.
Cassandra said quietly and somewhat icily, "I am not stupid, Liora. I am not walking into anything. I am only trying to make sense of things and what is happening. Damon is not the adversary. He is not what you believe him to be."
Liora shot up suddenly, her eyes flashing with rage. "Cassandra, you don't even know who he was. This notion of his is blinding you, Cassandra. You are making excuses. One day, however, you will witness it for yourself. When that day arrives, you will not be able to return. You will have lost everything."
Cassandra opened her mouth to speak but found the words stuck in her throat. She didn't know what to say or whether anything could influence Liora's decision. Damon's way of making her feel the emotions inside her, and how everything seemed to line up when he was close by, were all difficult for her to express.
Liora had already turned away, leaving Cassandra with only the echo of her words before she could say anything. The fire crackled loudly in the quiet that followed; the warmth could not reach the chilly knot in Cassandra's gut.
Cassandra and Liora struggled in the days to come. Once simple talks turned into a fight for Cassandra and Liora, each word loaded with unsaid importance. Cassandra was unable to tell Liora the whole truth about her feelings. How could she? How could she tell her best friend that the pull she felt for Damon was beyond her control, which appeared to defy logic or reason?
Attraction was not the only factor. It was something more profound, something Cassandra couldn't describe. Every time they talked, every time their eyes touched, she felt as though her world was moving. To her, Damon was more than simply a rogue. He was more than just that. Something she was unprepared to deal with.
But the pressure increased as her relationship with Liora became more tense. It ate away at her. Liora was correct in some respects; she had been drifting away from her pack, and for what reason? A rogue? It was unreasonable. But what if her relationship with Damon went beyond mere comprehension? What if it were part of a destiny she couldn't alter?
That dusk, Cassandra sat on the camp's edge, staring towards the horizon where the last remnants of sunshine sank beneath the trees. She had hoped the isolation would enable her to clear her mind, but it drew her nearer to the internal conflict gnawing at her for days.
"You have been avoiding me."
Cassandra spun around, shocked by the abrupt words. A few steps away, arms crossed, Liora stood with an enigmatic look. Uncertain of what to say, Cassandra did not react right away.
Liora said, her voice more pointed, "You've been avoiding us all, but mostly me. But I understand it. You have found someone else. Someone you believe understands you." Her eyes narrowed, and she moved nearer. "But what happens if you are mistaken? What happens if you find out Damon is only a nuisance?"
"I'm not wrong," Cassandra said, her voice softer than she meant. Trying to maintain her ground, she stood facing Liora now. "He's not as you believe. He isn't here to harm anyone."
"Then what is he here to do?" Liora stepped forward to question. "You will lose everything should you continue down this path. Your place here. Your family. Everything you have known will vanish from your grasp."
Cassandra's heart raced. Liora's words hurt her sharply, but something else was growing inside her that had been lying under the surface for far too long.
"You're not going to make me choose," she responded, her voice rising with an unintentional edge. "Not between Damon and my pack, then. I am not seeking anyone's approval. I'm just trying to understand what is happening. I have to understand this."
Liora stepped back, the wall-like pressure of Cassandra's words resting between them. "You will have to choose eventually," she added softly. "Don't claim I didn't forewarn you when that moment arrives."
The tension between them was obvious, thick like a storm about to break. Cassandra saw Liora go away, fear pooling in her stomach. Liora's words were impossible for her to dispute. A day would come when one would have to decide, but she was unsure whether she was prepared.
Cassandra couldn't help but think that something would shift as she strolled through the woods attempting to clear her head that evening. Her thoughts, a jumble of remorse, perplexity, and longing, were too much to untangle by herself. She had to leave the camp, away from the strain of her pack and Liora's cautions.
Her breath caught with every step as she walked deeper into the trees, the woodland around her heavy with darkness. The pull to Damon was tremendous- too strong to ignore—and despite everything, despite her concerns, she knew she had to see him again.
Then, just like that, she discovered him.
Damon stood in a tiny clearing with his back to her, his tall figure silhouetted against the setting sun. His stance was calm but aware, and his dark hair fell in dishevelled waves around his face. Though she made no noise, he did not hear her come. When it came to him, she never did anything. He could make her feel simultaneously safe and unsure.
His head turned, and their eyes locked as she approached. The space between them looked to sizzle with an intensity neither could ignore.
"You," he added quietly, his voice low and husky, "have been avoiding me."
Cassandra stepped forward cautiously and smiled weakly. "I suppose we have both been doing quite a bit of avoiding recently."
Damon's lips moved, but his eyes didn't show a smile. "I wasn't expecting you this evening."
"I wasn't expecting to be here," she said, shaking a little. "But something... something keeps pulling me towards you."
He did not respond right away. He closed the distance between them instead, his almost predatory motions flowing. They were standing so close when he stopped that Cassandra could feel the heat coming from his body.
"Maybe it's fate," he whispered, his breath warm against her skin.
A massive crash from the trees rang out before she could react.
All at once, everything changed. Bursting into the clearing, a pack of rogue wolves filled the air with snarls. The sound of heavy footsteps coming from all directions made Cassandra's pulse skip a beat. She suddenly realized they weren't just here to watch—they were hunting.
And she was the hunted.