Cassian's POV.
I was leaning back in my chair, glass of bourbon in hand, watching the people move around the house, laughing, talking, celebrating. My birthday. My first as Alpha. And I had said I wasn’t scared. I meant it. Kael Arden didn’t scare me. He never had. But I could feel it...something shifting in the air. The pull of his presence, the awareness that he would show up tonight. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I’d been waiting. Preparing.
“Cassian,” my father’s voice cut through my thoughts. Magnus Draven stood at the end of the table, hands behind his back, sharp eyes on everyone. “Another year older. Another year of responsibility.” His approval was quiet, measured, but I saw it in the way he nodded at Aria, standing a few feet away. My soon-to-be Luna. Everyone saw her as m
