A deal with the devil
1733 Words
Kianna, Cassandra's wolf, was thoroughly disappointed in her human counterpart.
How could she let that other woman have what they worked so hard for? Why didn’t Cassandra fight for it? Even though she didn’t come out, she was present there all the time, and it was a humiliation to her. It didn't settle well with her, and as a result, she went numb.
The pain in Cassandra's chest intensified as her wolf forbade her to help her through the pain.
The girl closed her eyes to contain the humiliation as she walked towards the pack borders after getting out of the taxi.
Walking inside the pack, she heard people whispering behind her.
They were talking about how she was betrayed by her husband of two years and how he even hid his mate until he made her Luna, using her as a stepping stone for both of them.
Cassandra clenched her fists.
Disappointment laced her heart, gripping it like a lock suffocating her.
Seeing her in so much pain, Kianna looked at her human counterpart.
“Even if Thomas gave the alpha title to Caleb, as the former alpha, he can help you contact the council. He can vouch for you and speak about the misconduct. After all, Caleb got the alpha position not because of his skills but because of you,” Kianna said.
Cassandra stopped.
Right. Why didn't she think about that?
She wiped her tears before rushing to the pack house, where they must've taken the alpha.
It was solemn. The environment was too pessimistic, and it felt too heavy to breathe.
It almost felt like everyone was mourning some kind of ….
Cassandra's pupils dilated, and without delaying, she hurried inside, only to see Alpha Thomas taking his last breaths.
“Cassandra,” Thomas called for her weakly.
“Can I talk to you alone?” Thomas asked.
With his weak condition, it was practically impossible to take him anywhere. Thus, Cassandra looked at everyone, and they nodded in understanding.
They left them alone.
Thomas took a deep, shaky breath before extending his hand to the girl he treated as his daughter.
“What happened was unfortunate –”
“You will be fine soon. Just focus on being healthy. You can vouch for me in the council and tell them everything –” Cassandra started, but Thomas shook his head.
“I only have a few minutes left. The doctor gave me an injection to make me able to speak for this time,” Thomas took another deep breath.
His body shook with each second and word he spoke, and Cassandra noticed how aged he looked suddenly.
The Luna title and injustice didn't matter for a second. Her heart ached for the man on the couch.
“That can't be true. You can't –” Cassandra started, but stopped when she saw his weak eyes.
“Promise me, Cass. Promise me that you won't leave this pack. You will take care of it like I did. I can't trust anyone else but you. Even your father wanted you to be loyal to this pack,” Thomas said.
Cassandra nodded to him.
“I promise I will protect it from wherever I am,” she said.
Thomas shook his head.
“You don't understand. There is a treasure inside the pack that needs to stay hidden. You will have to protect that, Cass. I can only trust you with this. Your bloodline is –” Thomas couldn't speak the following syllable.
Cassandra sat frozen in her place.
The snap of the pack's bond with the former alpha made her stagger backward.
The howls of pain echoed in her pack, and soon, everyone rushed inside the living room.
Their former alpha, Thomas Maybach, was dead.
“Miss Cassandra, you need to be strong.” Betty placed her hand on her shoulders, but Cassandra didn't respond.
It was as if someone had taken the roof from her head.
She couldn't bear to see Alpha Thomas like this.
Cassandra shook her head and stood from the carpet, dashing outside.
Her gaze met Caleb and his mate Harmony, who smiled as they approached the pack house. Just by looking at them, she felt bile rise in her throat.
The same man who used to make her heart flutter made her want to vomit in disgust.
Cassandra didn't wait to talk to Caleb and ran towards the forest.
She ran until she reached the lake, panting heavily, and sat there for some time.
However, it wasn't enough to calm her heart.
Ready to jump into the water to cool her body, Cassandra was about to take her jacket off when a card fell from her pocket.
“Alpha Joaquin Callisto,” the card said, and Cassandra picked it up and looked at it carefully. He gave this card to her when they met.
‘You can't let him win like this. There has to be someone who could help you,’ Michelle's voice echoed in her ears, and Cassandra gulped before pulling her phone out.
She dialed the number on the card, waiting anxiously.
However, no one picked.
‘It was a bad choice. Why would an Alpha like him–’
Before she could finish her thoughts, her phone started ringing.
Cassandra looked at it for a couple of seconds, contemplating things.
‘Pick it up, Cass. The worst thing that could happen is that the man would reject helping you. ' Cassandra told herself it couldn't be worse than being humiliated before the entire nation and picked up the call.
“Hello?” She spoke.
There was silence on the other side, and thinking that the man was probably waiting for her to introduce herself, Cassandra licked her bottom lip.
“I am Cass–” She started.
“Hello,” the man's deep and hoarse voice caught Cassandra off guard, making her heart skip a beat. She gulped.
“I am Cassandra Eleanor. We met in the competition… in your room,” Cassandra said.
“I know,” The man hummed lazily.
Cassandra wiped her sweaty hands on her clothes.
“I need your help,” She said, summoning her courage.
“Let's schedule a meeting, Miss Cassandra,” The alpha said.
Cassandra wanted to correct him, but chose otherwise.
“Should I come to your Pack?” She asked.
The man stayed silent for some time.
“Let's meet outside,” He said and ended the call.
Cassandra furrowed her brows.
How was she supposed to know where to meet when–
She looked at the incoming message with the time and venue they were supposed to meet.
It was scheduled after two hours.
Cassandra looked at her condition and quickly went to the outhouse to get changed.
After attending the Alpha Thames cremation ceremony, Cassandra left the pack to meet the dangerous alpha.
Her heart was pounding loudly against her chest the entire path as she tried to reform the sentences she would use to persuade the alpha why he could trust her and should help her.
Cassandra exited the taxi once they reached the restaurant where they were supposed to meet. She was dressed in a red dress that reached her knees.
“Miss Cassandra?” The person standing near the door asked her, and she nodded hesitantly.
“We were informed you would be arriving,” the man said, leading her to a private room on the first floor.
Cassandra entered the empty room where a wine bottle and two glasses were kept and gulped.
Was it alright to meet an Alpha at this time?
She was having second thoughts, but she didn't want to offend the alpha, who was her last resort.
She looked at the door and stood to greet the person who arrived, but to her surprise, three girls and four men walked inside the room, standing at the corners.
“The alpha is arriving,” The girl said, and Cassandra nodded in understanding.
Her gaze first fell on the man's shining shoes before traveling to his fitted pants and a black shirt that hugged his figure. His biceps nearly bulged from the strain, and his sleeves rolled near his elbows, giving him a semi-formal look.
Due to the three undone buttons, his wheatish chest was visible, and Cassandra gulped before meeting his hazel-amber eyes.
His aura was undefeated, and his power alone made her wolf calm down and relax, which was quite strange because there were only a few people around whom Kianna relaxed.
Alpha Joaquin nodded at her briefly and sat on the couch before her, his sharp jaws almost appearing clenched while he relaxed a little.
“Please speak,” The man beside the alpha said.
She looked at the alpha, ready to speak, when Alpha Joaquin, who had been relaxing while observing her, leaned forward.
“Let's sign a contract,” he said.
Cassandra raised her brows, looking at the man beside the alpha, hoping he would interpret those words for her.
However, it looked like the man was surprised himself.
“You want my help, and in return, you will come to my pack and train my female soldiers. It's a fair deal,” Joaquin said, a lopsided smile on his face that didn't leave any room for negotiation.
“But you don't even know why I need your help and what for,” Cassandra said.
Alpha Joaquin smirked; his gaze was dark and unpredictable.
“To throw your cheating husband off the pack. Though I would prefer killing and having a clean record, I know you wouldn't fancy that,” Alpha Joaquin said as if killing someone wasn't a big deal, and Cassandra gulped.
Right. What else could she expect from the named monster of the alpha world?
“Okay,” Cassandra said after thinking about everything. Alpha Joaquin leaned backward before looking at one of the girls who walked forward and placed the contract on the table.
Cassandra raised her brows.
It looked like the man was prepared already.
“It’s a three-month contract. Once you fulfill your part of your deal, we will fulfill ours,” the alpha said, and Cassandra nodded before she read the statement.
She didn't know why, but it felt like she was signing something bigger than just taking her time to train the female soldiers, like signing a deal with the devil.
- Writer
