The Alpha's Heir Forbidden Mate

You shouldn't care

(Kiara)

Cassian reached for his cup, but his eyes returned to me. His attention settled on the side of my face where Maris had struck me. I turned away and picked up the pitcher before he could ask about it. I should have known that wouldn't stop him.

"What happened to your face, Kiara?" Cassian asked. He pushed his breakfast aside and looked at me. "Someone hit you." There was no point pretending he hadn't noticed.

"I dropped a plate this morning." I poured more water into Evelina's cup and moved toward the other side of the table. "Maris was angry about it." I left out the servant who had bumped into me because it wouldn't change anything.

Cassian stood from his chair and looked toward the doorway. "She hit you because you broke a plate?" His anger was clear now. "Where is she?" He looked ready to find her himself.

"Sit down, Cassian," Lucan ordered. He continued eating without looking at me. "Maris is responsible for the servants, and Kiara knows the rules."

"Being responsible for them doesn't give her the right to hit them." Cassian remained beside his chair and faced his father. "Kiara didn't deserve that." His words drew the attention of everyone at the table.

"Please sit down." I picked up the empty bread basket and held it against me. "I have work to finish anyway." I needed him to understand that defending me in front of Lucan wouldn't help.

Cassian looked at me before sitting again. I left the dining area and headed for the kitchen with the basket. I wanted to finish my work before Maris found another reason to punish me. Unfortunately, she was already waiting.

"You couldn't even make it through breakfast without getting his attention." Maris took the basket from my hands and placed it on the counter. "The Alpha heir comes home, and suddenly you're helpless." Her eyes moved over my face.

"I didn't ask him to defend me." I reached for another basket filled with clean cloths. "He saw what you did." I wanted to leave before her anger became worse.

Maris caught my wrist and stopped me. "I've seen the way he looks at you." Her fingers pressed into my skin. "Don't start thinking you're something you're not."

"I know who I am." I pulled against her grip, but she refused to release me. "Now let me go." Nyra pushed against me from within.

Maris raised her hand again. I knew what was coming and prepared myself for it. Her hand never reached my face. Cassian's voice stopped her.

"Let her go." Cassian stood in the kitchen entrance with his eyes fixed on Maris. "Now." He waited until she released my wrist.

"Young Alpha, she was disrespectful." Maris moved away from me. "Your father gave me authority over the servants." She tried to make herself sound innocent.

"My father gave you a job." Cassian walked farther into the kitchen and stopped beside me. "He didn't give you permission to hurt someone because you enjoy it." He looked at my wrist before facing her again.

Maris lowered her eyes. "It won't happen again." She picked up the bread basket and carried it toward the pantry. "I have work to finish." She disappeared through the doorway.

I picked up the basket of cloths and headed outside. Cassian followed me, but I didn't ask him to leave this time. My wrist hurt where Maris had grabbed it. I knew he had noticed.

"Why didn't you tell me this was happening?" Cassian asked as we crossed the grounds. "How long has she been treating you like this?" He reached for the basket.

"Long enough." I moved it away before he could take it. "And you were gone for three weeks." I didn't want him believing he could fix thirteen years in one morning.

"I thought about you while I was gone." Cassian stopped walking and waited for me to face him. "I missed you, Kiara." There was nothing playful about the way he said it.

I stared at him because I hadn't expected those words. Cassian and I had known each other since we were children, but we weren't children anymore. I had noticed the difference long before he left Blackridge. Hearing him admit he'd missed me made it harder to ignore.

"You shouldn't say things like that." I looked toward the pack house. "People already notice when you pay attention to me." I didn't want to imagine what Lucan would think.

"I don't care what people think." Cassian took the basket before I could stop him. "I missed you, and I'm not going to pretend I didn't." He started toward the storage building.

I followed him and tried not to think about how easily he'd said it. Cassian had nothing to fear from people talking about us. I did. Blackridge had never allowed me to forget the difference between us.

Cassian placed the basket inside the storage building and turned to me. "You don't always have to act like I'm going to disappear." His words caught me off guard. "I'm still your friend."

"You're the future Alpha." I stepped away from him and headed back toward the pack house. "That matters whether you want it to or not." I left before he could answer.

Maris didn't bother me again that morning. She barely looked at me when I returned to the kitchen. I thought Cassian's warning had finally bought me a few hours of peace. Then one of the servants came looking for me.

"Alpha Lucan wants you in his office." She gave me a worried look before returning to her work. "He said immediately." I didn't need to ask why.

I walked to Lucan's office and knocked on the door. He told me to enter, and I found him sitting behind his desk. Several papers were spread in front of him. He pointed toward the chair across from him.

"I heard about what happened with Maris." Lucan watched me sit. "More importantly, I heard about Cassian's reaction." His attention stayed on me.

"I didn't ask him to interfere." I kept my hands in my lap. "He came into the kitchen himself." I wasn't taking responsibility for Cassian's choices.

"Yet he keeps finding reasons to interfere where you're concerned." Lucan leaned back in his chair. "You've known my son for many years, Kiara." His voice remained calm.

"Yes, Alpha." I knew there was no safe answer beyond that. "We've known each other since we were children." I waited for him to continue.

"Cassian isn't a child anymore." Lucan looked directly at me. "He's the heir to Blackridge, and he'll eventually need a Luna suitable for the position." I understood exactly why he'd called me there.

"I know that." Anger moved through me, but I kept it hidden. "I've never forgotten who he is." Lucan had made sure of that.

"Then don't mistake his kindness for something it isn't." Lucan picked up one of the papers from his desk. "Cassian has always felt sorry for you because of what happened to your family." His words hurt more than I wanted them to.

I stood when he dismissed me and walked toward the door. I didn't believe Cassian had spoken to me all these years because he felt sorry for me. Still, Lucan had managed to place the thought in my mind. I hated him for that.

'He's wrong,' Nyra said as I left the office. 'Cassian doesn't look at us because he feels sorry for us.' She sounded certain.

I continued down the passage without answering her. Cassian had said he missed me, and I had seen his face when he said it. Lucan wanted me to believe those words meant nothing. I wasn't sure I could anymore.