6. Claimed In Front Of All
918 Words
Aria
The knock came again. Strong. Final.
Everyone froze.
Mrs. Blackwood looked up from the hallway, brow pulled tight like she was ready to scream if it was another neighbor asking to borrow something. Maddie stopped mid-text, her head jerking toward the door. Even Jordan, halfway up the stairs, turned around slowly like something in the air had shifted.
The barking stopped.
Even Bruno seemed to get it.
And then the door opened.
Not by me. Not by anyone in the house. It was pushed from outside. Firmly. Like whoever was on the other end didn’t need permission to come in.
And there he was.
Cassian Draven.
In all black.
A black bomber jacket, black jeans, and boots that looked like they cost more than my entire life. His face was blank...emotionless...but his eyes... sharp, direct, already scanning the room.
Behind him were four others. All tall. Built. Dressed in similar dark clothes. One of them I recognized immediately...his Beta, Dax. His second-in-command. The others were part of the elite squad. The ones who trained on the higher grounds. The ones who never stepped foot anywhere near this part of the pack.
Behind them, through the wide glass of the front door, I saw the cars.
Three of them.
Black SUVs. Glossy. The kind of cars you only saw when someone important died or someone more important arrived.
“What the...” Jordan muttered.
Mrs. Blackwood’s face went pale like someone had slapped the lipstick off her mouth. Mr. Blackwood...who rarely came downstairs...was suddenly at the end of the hallway, in full Beta uniform like he’d thrown it on just now.
He stepped forward with a hand on his chest. “Alpha... Alpha Cassian.” He looked stunned. “This is an unexpected...uh, honor. I didn’t know we were...what brings you...?”
Cassian didn’t answer him.
His eyes were still scanning.
Looking past the pictures on the wall. Past the open room. Past everyone in the house...
Until they landed on me.
Soaking wet. Still holding the mop. Kneeling in the middle of the hallway like I belonged to the floor.
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.
He stepped in further, his boots clicking against the tiles. The rest of them stayed back. Even Dax. But Cassian walked forward, slow, calm... and terrifying.
Everyone backed up without being told. Even Jordan.
Then Cassian raised his hand and pointed.
At me.
“I’ve come to get her,” he said.
Dead silence.
Mrs. Blackwood blinked fast. “Her?”
Cassian’s jaw tensed. “Aria.”
“What... what did she do?” she asked quickly, forcing a fake laugh. “If she caused trouble at school or disrespected you in any way, I swear we’ll punish her for it. We’ll...”
“She didn’t do anything wrong,” Cassian cut in flatly.
Maddie stepped forward then, smiling too hard, twisting her fingers in her hair. “Cassian,” she purred, “you must be joking. That’s just our maid. She’s always like this, always causing drama. But you don’t have to waste your time here. If you’re bored, I could...”
“I’m not here for you,” Cassian said without even glancing her way.
She blinked.
“But I...”
“I came for Aria.”
I stood there, frozen, the mop slipping from my hand. My whole body was shaking. This wasn’t real. He wasn’t really here. This was a prank. Some twisted joke to humiliate me even more. He had to be messing with me. Right?
Mrs. Blackwood stepped in again, laughing nervously. “Look, I don’t know what Aria told you, but she lies a lot. She likes attention. She probably said something to get your sympathy. Please don’t mind her. She doesn’t know her place.”
“She knows exactly where she belongs,” Cassian said, voice harder now. “And it’s not here.”
Mr. Blackwood looked between me and him like he was trying to do the math and failing. “Alpha, I... with all due respect, this girl...she’s just... she’s no one.”
Cassian’s eyes narrowed. “Say that again.”
Mr. Blackwood’s lips parted, then closed.
Cassian stepped past everyone.
Straight toward me.
I was still kneeling, still drenched, hair dripping down my face. I couldn’t even lift my head. My heart was pounding so loud in my chest I thought I might faint.
Then I felt him.
Right in front of me.
He crouched.
His hand reached out slowly, like I was a stray animal that might bolt. But he didn’t touch me. Just let his eyes lock onto mine.
And then he stood again. Turned to the room.
“She’s my mate.”
Gasps.
From everywhere.
Maddie’s jaw dropped open. Jordan swore under his breath. Mrs. Blackwood’s hand flew to her mouth.
“Mate?” Maddie echoed, eyes huge. “Wait... what?”
Cassian nodded, expression unreadable. “We’re mated. Marked soon. She is now the future Luna of this pack.”
Silence.
Real, full silence.
You could’ve heard the sound of a needle dropping on glass.
Then...
Thud.
Maddie fainted.
Like, straight down. Her phone hit the ground first, followed by her body in slow motion. Jordan caught her too late. Mrs. Blackwood gasped and dropped to her knees beside her. Mr. Blackwood looked like someone just shoved a knife into his ribs.
And me?
I still hadn’t moved.
Still soaking wet. Still in my hoodie. Still in disbelief.
But Cassian turned back to me.
Offered his hand.
- Writer
