Chapter 31 Chapter 0031
•CASSANDRA•
"That's absurd," Nadia snapped. "There's no one who could've poisoned the Alpha. How do we know if this infamous doctor isn't lying to us?" she scoffed. "She wants to make this look like it was someone else's fault when we don't even know how she treated him."
I was actually not surprised to hear that. I was just surprised that she couldn't at least be grateful that her husband was awake.
"We will discuss this when we get home, Luna," Elder Kian cleared his throat and looked at me as if he wanted to say something he wasn't meant to say. "Let's go home."
"Wait," Mason murmured behind me as I was walking to the door. I took a moment before I turned and looked at him with a smile on my face.
"Mr. Steele, you're fully awake!" I said excitedly, hiding the ache that was rising in my throat.
"Are you the doctor who saved my life?" He asked as he got off the bed and leaned toward me. His eyes were intensely locked on me, which caused my chest to tighten painfully.
"Yes," I answered. "It pleases me to see that you're well."
"Yes," he murmured. "But—" he stopped as he stood an inch from me. Suddenly, it felt as if it were just the two of us in the room. "Do I know you?"
"No," I answered after hesitating for a moment. "Anyway, I'm sorry, but I have to go. Please get well and don't get poisoned again."
I slipped out the door before they could stop me.
Nadia's eyes burned into my skin until I closed the door behind me.
I didn't waste time as I went to my car in the parking lot and drove back home.
When I got to the driveway, I stayed in the car and slept for a few hours until dawn. I didn't want to wake Dante up and then have to explain where I was.
I took a deep breath before stepping out of the car. I opened the door quietly, hoping Elena was still asleep.
But she wasn't. She sat on the living room floor with her coloring books scattered around her, with a bowl of cereal in her hands.
Dante stood near the kitchen doorway, his arms crossed, and his face tight with anger. The moment he saw me, his expression hardened even more.
Elena looked up and ran to me. “Mama! You are back!”
I knelt down and hugged her tightly. “Hi, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?”
She nodded. “Uncle D made pancakes for my lunchbox.”
I smiled and kissed her forehead. “That sounds perfect. Why don’t you go get your schoolbag? I will drive you to school."
"Alright, Mama."
Elena glanced between Dante and me. She could sense the tension in the room. She gave me one more hug before walking down the hallway to her bedroom.
The door clicked shut behind her.
Dante scoffed as he stepped forward, voice low but sharp. “Where are you coming from? Do you know how many times I've called you since you left in the middle of the night?"
I set my bag down on the couch. “I left a note and told you where I was going and why.”
“A note?” he repeated. “You left a note on the table like you were running to the store. You drove straight into the pack that banished you, the pack that took your son, the pack that almost killed you. And you did not think to wake me or talk to me first?”
I met his gaze steadily. “I went to the clinic. Mason was dying, Dante. Someone poisoned him. He would be dead right now if I hadn't gone to see him."
Dante ran a hand through his hair. “And you could've been dead right now as well, or worse, they could've recognized you. You walked into that place with no backup, no plan, no way to protect yourself if things went wrong.”
I kept my voice calm. “I masked my scent completely, and no one recognized me. Not Nadia, not Mason, and not even Rowan. They thought I was just a human doctor."
My stomach knotted when I thought of Rowan. I left before I could speak with him.
Dante shook his head. “You took a reckless chance. You don't know how close you came to being caught. I've spent five years watching you rebuild your life, watching you raise Elena, watching you finally find some peace, and you threw all of it away in one night because you couldn't let him die.”
I stepped closer. “I couldn’t let him die when I could save him. That is who I am, and you know that.”
Dante’s voice cracked slightly. “Do you know how much I worry about you? Every time I leave this apartment, I count the hours until I am back with you. I always wonder how I'd feel if things went wrong at the hospital. Our jobs are dangerous, and I don't want to lose you. I can't fathom the thought of losing you, Cass.”
“I am sorry I scared you,” I muttered. “I didn’t want to wake you. And you must believe me as well, Dante, that I don't want to lose you either."
He sighed. “You always do this. You carry everything alone, and you think you have to fix every problem by yourself. But you don't have to. Not anymore.”
I nodded slowly. “I know, and I am trying to learn that.”
He lifted his gaze to mine. “Then stop running off into danger without telling me. Stop acting like you are still alone in the world.”
I opened my mouth to answer, but he stepped forward and kissed me.
The kiss was sudden and full of everything he hadn't said. His hands cupped my face, and I froze for a heartbeat, then kissed him back.
My fingers curled into his shirt. The world narrowed to the warmth of his mouth, the steady beat of his heart against mine.
When he pulled away, his forehead rested against mine. “I love you, Cass,” he whispered. “I have loved you for years, and I don't want to lose you.”
My heart stopped. Without thinking, I slammed my lips into his again.
"Oh, oh," Elena gasped behind us. "Mama and Uncle D are getting married!"
Dante and I laughed as we leaned back from each other and helped her collect her books from the floor.
But there was a faint knot in my stomach. Dante told me he loved me. But I didn't know how I felt. I was still mated to Mason…