Chapter 9
1242 Words
~Caspian~
Sitting in that booth felt like watching a movie I’d already seen a thousand times.
The music was too loud, the drinks were too dull, and the people around me were trying way too hard to be interesting. I was leaning back, half-listening to some girl whisper in my ear, feeling like I was just going through the motions. I was bored out of my mind, waiting for a reason other than school to care about being back in the Ivory Spire.
Then, it hit me.
It was a scent, sudden and so intoxicating that my heart skipped a beat: a mix of sweet, zesty orange and warm, golden honey. It was the most amazing thing I’d ever scented.
In the back of my mind, Cade, my wolf, lunged forward.
Mate!
He was screaming it, his paws pacing against my ribs. Mate is here!
I froze, my glass halfway to my lips. My senses went into overdrive, tracing that honey-orange scent through the thick, smoky air of the club. It led me straight to a girl standing right beside my cousin, Sofia.
I stared at the back of her head, watching the way her golden curls caught the light. I needed to see her.
I needed to know if she was real or if the club was playing tricks on me. As if she could feel the weight of my gaze burning into her, she started to turn.
The world didn't just slow down; it stopped.
Mate! Cade growled again, his voice like thunder in my head.
God, she was beautiful. With my sharp vision I saw those huge green eyes that looked like a forest in the middle of a storm. She looked so fragile and perfect in that black dress that I felt a sudden, fierce urge to stand up and roar at anyone who dared to breathe her air.
I watched her lean in and whisper something to Sofia. She looked nervous, her eyes darted around like she was ready to bolt. When Sofia pointed toward the booth and they started moving, I didn't wait. I leaned back, trying to look way cooler than I felt, and gave her a single, sharp tilt of my chin.
Come here.
The look she gave me back was pure electricity. She didn't look like the other girls who came to this booth, she didn't have that pick me smile. She looked like she was walking toward a lion’s den, and she was terrified but she was still coming.
My wolf was practically purring now, a low vibration that made my whole chest feel warm.
I watched her come closer, and the closer she got, the louder Cade was howling. Mate! making it hard to even breathe.
The two blondes on my arms were still talking, still touching me, but they felt like static on a TV screen. They didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered but the girl with the golden curls and that intoxicating scent of orange and honey.
When they got to the couch I asked
"Who is she?"
I didn't even look at Sofia when I asked. My eyes were locked on her only. I wanted to see if she felt it, too—that pull that felt like a physical chain between our hearts.
One of the girls on the couch tried to pull me back, her voice was whiny and desperate, I just gave her a look that made her freeze mid-sentence. They got the message then scrambled off the couch and disappeared into the crowd.
I reached out and took my mate’s hand.
The second our skin touched, it wasn't just a spark. A jolt of electricity shot up my arm, and for a second, I forgot where we were. I forgot the club, the music, and my brothers, everything else. There was just her.
"Jasmine." She replied
I said her name like a prayer. I wanted to taste it. But then I noticed something that made Cade stop pacing. She wasn't leaning in. She wasn't sniffing the air like she’d just found her favorite thing in the world.
She looked... lost. Her eyes were searching mine, but there was no recognition.
Before I could figure out what was wrong, Rhett’s shadow fell over the booth. He held out my phone,
"Caspian. It’s Kalean."
I cursed under my breath. When the oldest of us calls, he demands attention, I took the phone, but I didn't let go of Jasmine’s hand.
"Don't move."
I said it as a command, but my wolf meant it as a plea. ‘Don't leave. Don't disappear.’ I stepped away to take the call—Kalean was landing early, and he sounded like he was ready to bite someone's head off.
When I turned back, I half-expected her to be sitting. But she was standing right where I’d left her, looking like a little golden statue.
"You actually didn't move."
"You told me not to."
I laughed, feeling a weird tightness in my chest. She was so innocent, and it was dangerous. But then I saw her shiver. That tiny black dress was doing nothing to keep her warm. Without thinking, I pulled off my leather jacket, a jacket that was soaked in my scent and draped it over her shoulders.
I waited for her to breathe in my scent and realize I was her mate. I watched her bury her face in the collar and take a deep breath.
But then, her eyes filled with tears. She looked like I’d just handed her a box of ashes instead of a miracle.
Cade was whining in my head now, confused and hurt. Why is she sad ? Why couldn't she smell us?
I flirted with her a little trying to understand her.
She excused herself to the restroom for sometime with Sofia.
I want to take her away from the club to my personal space so I told them we're leaving.
"You're good?."
"I'm fine, Caspian. Really."
She tried to shrug the jacket off, but I wasn't having it. I grabbed her wrists, my skin burning where I touched her.
"Keep it." I said "you're shaking."
We rode back to the penthouse and pulled up, the elevator ride felt like an eternity.
When the doors finally opened to the penthouse, I watched Jasmine quietly. She looked at the marble floors and the city lights like they're not real, she looked nervous.
"Sofia, put Jasmine and her friend in the rooms near Lucien’s wing. Stay away from Kalean’s side. He’s in a mood, and he doesn't like strangers in his space when he lands." I instructed.
Kalean was a beast on a good day, and right now, Jasmine looked like she’d break if someone breathed on her too hard. I stepped closer, my shadow swallowing her up.
"Sleep well, pretty little wolf. You’ll be meeting my brother tomorrow."
I gave her a wink, trying to hide the fact that my heart was beating fast. I walked away, but I could still hear her heartbeat.
I went to my room and stood by the window, staring at the city. My mate was under my roof. She was right down the hall. But there was a wall between us that I didn't understand.
"Why can't you smell me, Jasmine?" I whispered to the glass.
Cade let out a low, mournful growl. We had found our mate, but she was looking at us like we were strangers…
- Writer
