Chapter Fifty-Four

Chapter Fifty-Four
Cassandra sat still, staring at the door that had been slammed in Fiona’s wake, not sure what to do, what to say. So, she just sat still, thankful that the gashes she had sustained were somewhat healed. In that moment, she was thankful for the blood of the alpha that flowed through her veins.  
Annabelle, on the other hand, was unsure if she should go after her mother or continue with the meeting. After all, she wanted to know what her father would do. She never really cared for Isabelle, and she cared for her even less after her mother had told her her grievance with her father’s first child. She had thought her mother to be a saint, knowing that she would have dropped her in the ocean and allowed her to drown.   
“You and your people can do what you want,” he replied. 
“What?!” Annabelle exclaimed, but her father ignored her. 
“I will also organize a small search party from here as well.” 
Annabelle rose to her feet in anger and stared at her father in disbelief. She could not believe that not only was her father going out of his way to allow the strange lady access to their woods to begin her search, but he was going to expend pack resources to look for Isabelle.  
She began to wonder if she had imagined her father’s hatred for Isabelle. Because she knew for a fact that you didn’t organize search parties for someone you hated, you don’t care when someone who has caused you problems all their life finally disappears. You thank the moon goddess for her mercies and move on.  
But that wasn’t what Father Dearest was doing. No, he wanted to find her.  
“What is the meaning of this?!” Annabelle asked, her eyes blazing. 
Alpha Zane cocked his head to the side and regarded his daughter. “Is there a problem, Annabelle?” He asked.  
Annabelle stomped her feet on the ground and nodded. “Of course, there’s a problem!” She yelled. “Why are you trying to find that wretched rat?! You should be happy that she is gone! You should be happy that she will no longer be a thorn in your flesh! In my mother’s flesh!” 
Alpha Zane pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. He had always admired Annabelle, favored her even. After all, what was there not to live for? She was the spitting image of her mother, and he treated her with so much care because of the way he had broken Fiona’s heart by choosing Mira over her. Annabelle never understood that, and that was the way he liked it.  
But it would seem that he had overindulged her…and now she stood there, glaring at him with eyes that were just like her mother's, with an anger that threatens to fall a mountain. He smiled at her. She didn’t know anything. She didn’t understand anything. All she knew and understood was that she was the favored daughter; she was the one who was loved and favored by all.  
He sighed heavily. “She’s your sister, Annabelle…” 
Annabelle’s face contorted at having the very true fact of her biological link to Isabelle. The very thought of it caused her stomach to churn and bile to rise in her throat.  
“Like hell she is!” 
“That is the truth, whether you want to accept it or not.” 
“No, she isn’t!!” 
“Throwing a tantrum isn’t very befitting of someone who is to become alpha of this great pack, is it?” He asked, sufficiently putting an end to her endless tantrums.  
Annabelle’s eyes moved from her father to Cassandra. She refused to believe that her father would chastise her for the sake of that idiot. She had always been the golden child, the better child, the one everyone smiled at and said sweet things about, the strong one, the best one. And Isabelle…well, she had always been Isabelle. Good old, poor, insignificant, useless Isabelle.  
And now, in a shocking twist of fate, her father stood before her and was being mean to her for the sake of that insignificant person. Oh, the torture. She simply could not bear it. She huffed and stormed out of his office, slamming the door so hard that it shook in its hinges, and a vase toppled over and crashed to the floor. Alpha Zane sighed heavily as he looked at the shards of porcelain lying on the floor. He had always known Annabelle was spoiled. Hell, he was an active participant in the spoiling, and now he was beginning to regret it.  
He sighed heavily and sat on the sofa that his wife and daughter had just vacated and landed back in the chair, propping his legs on the center table. He stared at the woman before him. He had seen her before, a lot of times. He continued to stare at her intently, trying to remember where he had seen the face before.  
And then it clicked.  
He chuckled lightly and ran his hand through the mass of gray hair on his head. He had seen her on Khalil’s arm on several occasions, including but not restricted to the royal balls and seminars. He had paraded her around; everyone had thought that she would be the next luna since the demise of his mate. 
But when years had gone by and he hadn’t officially claimed her, everyone speculated that everything he loved died, and he didn’t want her to die. Some even went as far as crowning it the most selfless sacrifice of love. Keeping yourself away so you do not hurt the ones you love.  
But then again, Khalil hadn’t put up much of a fight when he proposed they strengthen their pack relations by marrying Isabelle to him. He had merely thought for a few seconds and then nodded. They had shaken hands and gone on to drink like a major life-changing deal hadn’t just transpired.  
The whole situation made him ask himself who this lady thought she was…how important did she think she was? 
He remembered how she had carried herself, speaking above others. He doubted Fiona remembered where she knew her from because he knew his wife greatly disliked her and her personality.  
And then he wondered what she was doing there. What was her end goal? What did she want out of it? What did she plan to do? Did she really want to find Isabelle? 
Meanwhile, Cassandra was extremely uncomfortable with the way he continued to stare at her intensely. She shifted in her seat and adjusted her ripped clothes. One of her men outside had been generous enough to surrender his suit to her, and she had draped it over her upper body, where there was the most damage to her dress.  
“What did you say your name was?” Alpha Zane asked.  
“Cassandra,” she replied.  
“Cassandra…” he parroted, nodding his head slowly as he pondered on her name as though it was a rare word, a rare sighting.  
“Is everything okay, sir?” She asked when he continued to nod his head without giving her a response.  
“What are you doing here, Cassandra?” He asked and rested his head on the sofa, staring at her through hooded eyes.  
Cassandra’s brows drew down in a frown. She had answered all these before. Was he deaf? Or was he simply as stupid as his wife and daughter? Either way, he was still the alpha, and she would be stupid to make her standing there worse than it already was, so she forced a smile to her face and promised herself to do whatever was necessary to maintain diplomatic relations by the time she left.  
“I’m here to let you know about Isabelle and—“ 
Zane let out a healthy chuckle. She was determined to see the fool to the end. She was wiser than she looked, he would give her that. But he wasn’t quite in the mood for shenanigans. Isabelle's being missing had shaken him, affected him in ways he hadn’t thought possible.  
“Don’t play games with me, child,” he said, his voice taking on an edge that forced Isabelle to break a sweat.  
“—I don’t understand, sir…” she said, her heart beating heavily in her chest. “What do you mean?” 
And truly, she didn’t.  
Zane dropped his legs to the floor and sat up on the sofa. He sighed as he rested his elbows on his thighs and stared intently at Cassandra, seated across from him. He noticed the sweat on her forehead, and if he listened intently, he would hear her heart beating erratically in her chest.  
“I don’t know if you remember me,” he began. “But I remember you.” 
Cassandra gasped, and her eyes rose to meet his. She didn’t understand what he meant, and that only served to scare her more than she already was…more than she needed to be scared. 
She laughed nervously. “I’m so sorry, but I’m quite sure that I would remember if I ever met a man as intimidating as yourself, sir…” 
Her attempt at humor failed miserably as Zane continued to stare at her. The atmosphere shifted, the air became stuffy, hot, and dangerous. Cassandra suddenly felt as though she was being interrogated, as though she was being placed in a hot seat.  
And she was. Zane didn’t find her presence funny and made a mental note to put a call through to Khalil as soon as she left.  
“Whether you remember me or not is irrelevant, Cassandra,” He replied. “We’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you.” 
The way he said it brooked no room for argument. She could only nod and sit on the edge of the sofa with her back straight.  
“You and Khalil…” he began, thinking of a polite way to name their relations. “Both of you were…sexually engaged. Correct?” 
Cassandra opened her mouth to deny, and immediately thought against it. His tone suggested that the question was a mere formality. He knew that she had ‘sexually engaged’ with Khalil. A single sweat rolled down her forehead into her eye, the salt burning her eye, but she didn’t care.  
“Yes…that would be correct,” she answered.  
Zane nodded. “Good. Now, explain to me why you’re the one searching for Isabelle. Why are you the one here to speak to me in place of Khalil?” 
“It’s because—“ 
“Does he now see my child as a subhuman? One he doesn’t think is worth bribing his ass over here to explain to me what he did with my child?” 
Cassandra’s eyes opened wide in shock. He was getting angry again, and she didn’t know what to do to diffuse the situation.  
“I promise that it’s not what you think, sir,” she answered nervously.  
“No? Then why did he send me his mistress when he should have been here himself?” 
Cassandra took a deep breath. There were so many things she wanted to say to this man. One, that she wasn’t a mistress, that she never was. Even though she fit the textbook description of a mistress. It didn’t matter. He simply didn’t understand.  
Cassandra took a deep breath. Everyone in this household was determined to individually make her lose her cool. One had already succeeded; she would be a fool to allow another one to make her look like a fool.  
“Sir, you’re right in that I once had sexual relations with Khalil,” she began, keeping her voice as calm and stable as she could. “However, I am here because I work for him. I’m his personal assistant. He’s not here because he’s on a search himself.” 
Zane cocked his head to the side and stared at the woman. He didn’t believe her one bit, and he wanted to make sure she understood. 
“That is a well-spun lie, I’d give you that,” he said as he crossed his legs. “You truly expect me to believe that?” 
Cassandra shrugged. “Well, you have managed to make your family believe that you do not care for Isabelle at all. What can I say? I guess we all lie when it is convenient for us, don’t you think?” 
Zane’s eyes softened, and a small smile spread across his lips. He rose to his feet and reached for his trench coat that hung on his coat rack. Cassandra stood to her feet and turned around as he helped her put it on. She moved away from him and smiled, grateful for something that covered her better than the suit.  
“Thank you,” she muttered.  
“You have my full cooperation, Cassandra,” Zane said, ignoring her thanks. “But if you pull off any stupid tricks that hinder the finding of my child, you would rue the day you met me. Understood?” 
Cassandra swallowed hard and nodded slowly. He was right behind her, and his voice had sent a shiver down her spine. She smiled at him as he walked her out of his office, down the hallway, and out the front door, where her men were still diligently waiting. She had seen Annabelle seated in the living room and had ignored her. She didn’t want any extra drama, and that little brat had done enough.  
She smiled at him as they stood on the sidewalk, “Thank you for your cooperation, sir.” 
“Don’t thank me just yet, miss.” 
And then he turned and left, leaving Cassandra staring after him. She felt eyes on her, watching her with the intensity of a hawk watching its prey on the ground. The hair at the back of her neck rose on end, and she unintentionally growled low in the back of her throat. She raised her head slowly, her whole body attuned to the gaze of a potential predator, only to see Fiona staring down at her from an open window, a small mischievous smile playing on her lips. Her smile widened, and before Cassandra could make sense of that encounter, she closed her window, leaving Cassandra disoriented.