Chapter 89 - His Place

Chapter 89 - His Place
Hendrick took a while to open his eyes that morning, or maybe afternoon; time seemed to have dissolved along with them.

Cassie was lying on his chest, her breathing serene, her body relaxed in a sweet abandon he had never seen in her.

And, for the first time in centuries, Hendrick felt... peace.

Not a silent, distant peace. But one that filled the internal spaces, that calmed the wolf, that made the world less hostile.

Cassie.

The mark pulsed beneath his lips. Yes, his lips, because the alpha had kissed the spot several times while she slept.

She was his.

But, more than that, it was her presence there that said: I choose you too.

The wolf inside Hendrick purred softly, more satisfied than it had ever been.

Only when she stirred, stretching with a lazy sigh, did he realize how much he was smiling.

"Good morning... or good afternoon," Cassie murmured, her voice husky.

"It doesn't matter," Hendrick replied, stroking her hair. "You are with me. It is enough."

Cassie smiled, both shy and radiant. She rested her ear against his chest, listening to the strong beats, and Hendrick's smile widened as he felt, through the mark, the wave of warm affection flooding her chest.

It was like diving into her heart.

But along with the love... there was something else.

A light, pulsating desire that crossed the connection and traveled up Hendrick's spine like electricity.

He went rigid.

Cassie noticed immediately and lifted her face, blushing.

"Sorry... can you feel it?"

"Everything, little one," he murmured, his voice low, hoarse. It was both a confession and a delight. "I didn't know it would be so..."

She covered her face with her hands, laughing softly, and Hendrick pulled her hands away to kiss them.

"Don't apologize." His silvery eyes dropped to her neck.

He took a deep breath; the familiar scent invaded his senses; he had always been able to smell her excitement. But this was different; it was like dissecting layers; if he concentrated a little...

Cassie felt desire for him because of the moment they shared earlier; the sex was good, and she wanted more. Hendrick could perceive that emotion was like an old friend; it was always with her.

Was the brunette always desiring? For him? Ah, the more he looked at Cassie's blushing face, the more he felt it. Her thoughts were racing; it was hard to keep up.

The lake. Nude bodies swimming. Wolves running. Sweaty men training shirtless. Working in the workshop. Flirting. Kisses. Touches.

"That much?" he questioned, making Cassie look at him confused. A slow, malicious smile spread across the alpha's face. "Do you desire us that much? We can excite you so easily."

She swallowed hard. She didn't know her thoughts would be so exposed, so clear. She nodded hesitantly; there was no reason to lie.

Her desire seemed to infect him; heat rushed through his veins, making him hard, wanting to possess her again.

"You want them, don't you? You want all of us, like a greedy girl."

Cassie opened her mouth to try and defend herself, but what could she say? It was true; she desired them always, all the time, she wanted them all for herself, just for her.

Those handsome, strong men who adored her. They loved her like she had never felt.

"I..."

But how could she confess that in bed with the alpha who had just marked her?

"You don't have to be ashamed." He stroked her cheek, his gaze never leaving her brown irises. "I like that, little one."

The confession also caught him off guard. He genuinely liked it.

Cassandra was not an innocent little girl; she was a woman full of desire. And that excited him, how it excited him. Knowing that she thought about them and all the indecent things she wanted to do.

It was contagious. Her happiness was his, her sadness was his, her desire was his.

Cassie rested her chin on the alpha's chest, looking at him with that immense affection that he could now literally feel.

"Hendrick... how are you feeling after everything?"

He slowly passed his hand over the curve of her waist, thoughtful. The silence between them was comfortable.

"Better than I imagined it would be," he confessed. "I can feel what you feel for me... and now I know. I have no doubt, I have no fear. What you feel for the others doesn't erase what you feel for me. There is no threat."

Cassie smiled, relieved.

"You are too important to me. You always have been."

"And now I can feel that." He kissed her forehead. "And I also feel what you feel for Matt, for Nick, for Mason, for Kallias, for each one... it's different. It's that growing connection... but the place I occupy... it's mine alone, isn't it?"

She nodded.

"It is yours. And it always will be."

The alpha's chest warmed with an almost painful emotion.

"Thank you for showing me this," he murmured. "I needed to feel it."

Cassie rubbed her nose against his.

"Hendrick... how do you want things to be from now on? Me and the others... I mean... with the mark now..."

The alpha thought before answering. He held her face between his hands, running his thumb over the corner of her lips.

"I want you happy."

Cassie blinked, surprised.

"Happy?"

"And satisfied." His gaze shone with desire and tenderness. "I want you desiring to stay here. I want the pack to be home for you. I want this place... to be your family, Cassie. The family you didn't have out there."

Her eyes filled with tears.

"Hendrick..."

"I don't want to imprison you. I never did." He touched his forehead to hers. "I want you to stay because you feel loved. Whether by me or by the others too."

The tears fell. Cassie threw her body onto him, hugging him by the waist, covering his face with kisses.

"I will take care of you. All of you," she promised, her voice choked. "And I will take good care."

The alpha smiled, that rare smile that made her lose her breath.

"I know you will, little one."

After a few minutes of lazy kisses, Hendrick noticed something changing in her emotion.
A slight shadow of sadness.

"Cassie... what is hurting there?" he asked, sliding his fingers over the marked neck.

She bit her lip, thoughtful.

"I... I miss the city."

Hendrick was silent, listening.

"I miss Los Angeles. The noise, the lights, the rehearsals... the stage." She rested her head on his shoulder. "The club, Chay, the girls... the music vibrating in my body."

There was sadness there, a vivid longing.

"Do you want to go back?" Hendrick asked softly.
"I don't want to leave you." She immediately looked up. "I chose you. And I'm fine here. It just... sometimes it hurts a little to remember."

Hendrick held her hand, intertwining their fingers.

"Then let's take it one day at a time."

She smiled, touched by the simplicity with which he cared without suffocating her. Hendrick didn't pressure her, didn't insist, didn't probe further. He just pulled her to his chest again, kissing the top of her head with silent affection.

The call came as a light touch in his mind.

"Hendrick? Lunch is ready."

It was Uriel.

The alpha sighed, burying his face in Cassie's hair.
"I think we are being summoned."

She chuckled, lazy.

"Just one more minute..."

"Cassie..."

"Fine... two minutes."

He laughed too, squeezing her waist before finally moving.

They both got up, still sleepy and a little clingy from the new level of intimacy unlocked. Cassie wore a simple, light dress that left part of her neck exposed.

Hendrick watched the mark there proudly. And then he realized, Mason's mark was gone.
There was not even a scar; the skin was clean, immaculate.

The alpha's mark erased what was there before.
Cassie touched the spot where Mason's mark had been, surprised.

"It looks like it never happened..."

He kissed the new mark, slowly, with devotion.

When they went down to the dining room together, the conversations ceased. Everyone looked.

Nick was the first to notice. His eyes widened, then lit up.

Matt froze with the spoon in his hand. Uriel raised an eyebrow, surprised.

And Mason...

Mason felt the emptiness where his mark had been, and his gaze immediately went to her neck.

There was the alpha's mark, and his had disappeared. He remembered Hendrick saying there would be consequences for his actions, but...

Kallias gasped abruptly, as if something had passed through him. His blue eyes shone with raw emotion. Desire, jealousy, respect, surrender... it was hard to decipher.

But Cassie just smiled, not with guilt. With serenity. She was exactly where she wanted to be.

Hendrick slid his hand to her back, guiding her to the seat beside him.

Her place.

And, at that instant, the entire pack knew: Cassie was now officially the alpha's mate.

The heart of the pack. Their home.