Chapter 92 - High Tension Lines

Chapter 92 - High Tension Lines
The breath of the wind made the fine raindrops hit the office windows. Cassie's world spun as she came back into focus after the orgasm. The scent of medicinal herbs mixed with the smell of sex and sweat.

She was intoxicated. Matt smiled slightly and kissed her; the blonde realized every day how much he was falling in love with her.

Cassie was a woman; she was young with a girlish way. She had left the countryside seeking her dreams and carried grit, even if naive. But she was strong; she had endured a lot.

The lightness, the resilience to smile, to seek alternatives, to reach out. Cassie's empathy was one of the most admirable things about her.

Matt was enchanted, just like the other shifters. Yes, she could only be a gift sent from the heavens, she was so perfect.

While he drowned in love, Cassandra remembered their conversation. Pups, that was still a strange term. The heat, she couldn't even imagine what it would be like; would they lose consciousness? The quick gestation... would her human body handle it?

"Matt," she called, somewhat distant. The doctor looked at her with his hands still on her delicate waist. "Will the mark influence the heat? I mean, will it keep the others away?"

He took a deep breath and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, looking at her calmly.

"We can't enter the nest without permission, and the alpha might become more possessive towards you, but... we will all be attracted. The female chooses her partner and discourages other approaches, because the males will try to mate when they smell it."

It was so animal, primitive. It made her dizzy. Perhaps in the next full moon, she would have to deal with the heat.

Cassie sighed and nodded without saying anything. She stood on her tiptoes and quickly kissed Matt.

"I have to go; I need to look for Bart."

The doctor thought for a moment, leading her to the door. "I think he mentioned he would be doing some maintenance at the temple this afternoon."

They said goodbye, and the brunette directed her steps to the path under the light rain. It wasn't enough to soak through, but the small drops hit her skin, and the wind made her pull the cardigan closer around her body.

She needed to talk to Hendrick about it: the heat. She didn't know how he would behave. Even though St. John acted like a prince most of the time, he was a wolf with instincts that dominated him during the heat.

She didn't want him to hurt the others, or her. She was scared, for the first time since she arrived.

She tried to push the thoughts away as soon as she spotted the temple. The strong stone and wood columns supported the ancient structure. From the top, Bart was positioning some tiles.

The wolf smelled her scent and saw her when she got close enough. The builder jumped down without hesitation and walked towards the brunette, who seemed surprised by the height.

"Cassie, what are you doing here?" he asked.

She clasped her hands and took a deep breath. "I came to see you; you weren't well at lunch, and I know you talked to your father."

The blonde led her to one of the stone benches there, sheltered from the rain inside the building. Bart put his head in his hands and sighed, tired.

He was still processing everything he heard; he wasn't sure how to react. Perceiving his difficulty, Cassie started the conversation.

"He told you, didn't he?"

"You knew? Since before." Bart lifted his face, a dry tone, different from the one they had been sharing lately.

"Why do you think that?" she countered.

Lamart looked at her sideways.

"You were together on the couch that day, and you've been avoiding each other... you don't treat anyone else like that, so you know why you can't get close."

It was her turn to sigh. Cassie looked up with a certain guilt, but faced him directly; she would be honest.

"It's difficult, painful... to keep myself away. I can't explain it; it's like before the mark, I could feel the distance I had from Hendrick like an elastic stretching to its limit. The mark calmed that down; it feels like he's always with me, but... Kallias, no, and it hurts; the sensation is that this elastic will snap at any moment. I want to go to him, to be near."

Bart frowned; he didn't know that, he didn't know the feeling.

"I found out after that day on the couch; we almost lost control. Then, Hendrick told me, and I talked to Kallias, we decided to maintain a respectful distance, even if it doesn't work out so well sometimes."

The blonde raised an eyebrow. So Cassie was still having secret make-out sessions with the alpha of the north?

"Yes." She chuckled briefly when she saw his expression. "Sometimes it happens, it's not on purpose... but this won't continue like this forever; things will resolve themselves."

"I find that difficult. Forgive me for being negative, Cassie. My father is a purebred alpha, an ancient wolf, older than Hendrick, and he is here as a foreigner, wanting his mate. This could end badly. Amos and I are not heirs, as we are not alphas, although we carry the gene, it was a blessing from the Moon Goddess, or this would put Hendrick in a bad position."

The brunette swallowed hard; it wasn't about her. The pack succession was a sensitive topic for Hendrick. She knew that if Amos or Bart were alphas, he would lose his position for not having heirs.

"They won't fight, Bart. I feel like I just need to let destiny take its course."

"I want you happy, beautiful, and my father does too, but I don't believe it's possible for you two to be together without something happening. Have you thought about what if you get pregnant by him? What if it's an alpha? Heavens, if you got pregnant by me or Amos, it would already be a risk."

The blonde was frustrated, agonized beneath his own skin. She touched him delicately, looking for the right words, how to calm him.

"Nothing has changed. I'm going to have Hendrick's pup, and everything will be fine. If something has to be different, it will be the will of the goddess, and we will have to trust. Do you understand? You won't solve everything, Bart; it's not your responsibility."

He slowly let out his breath, staring at the landscape. The rain was like a drizzle and was as inviting as a thousand needles falling on the skin.

"Do you really think having an heir will solve everything?"

Cassie laughed and shook her head negatively.

"Children have never solved relationships in crisis, but that's not our case. The circumstances that united me with Hendrick and all of you are not simple. Yohan dreamed of me, tracked me by my scent, knew my voice before seeing me... and they brought me here in a... peculiar way." She felt increasingly calmer about it. "The force that guided them to me is the same that pulls me to you. Hendrick knew from the beginning and now feels through the mark what you all cause in me, I am not a common mate, Bart, and I won't be able to meet that expectation."

The blonde's gaze towards her shifted. He didn't know what Uriel and Cassie talked about or the time they spent in the temple. The blacksmith told her about the legends, the history of their people, and thus integrated her into their culture.

The brunette was maturing, feeling more secure in her place there and understanding how their minds worked.

She had already realized that they had something she called the "pack effect," where feelings were almost contagious. So, she was careful with negative emotions and made sure it didn't affect the others.

Kallias's apprehension could be transmitted, Mason's jealousy, Hendrick's tension...

"Hendrick and I are fine and will continue to be. Kallias and I are still finding a way. But I want you to be a little selfish, Bart, and only think about yourself now, okay? Forget the alpha fight; I'll handle that." She smiled sweetly and held Lamart's hand.

The builder raised an eyebrow uncertainly but nodded, as if hypnotized by her beauty.

"I love you, Cassie. I don't want to lose you; I don't want you to get hurt. I also love my father and I love this pack; it's my family, my home."

The brunette leaned in and left a kiss on his lips. Bart could be sweet, be sensitive.

When she met him, she didn't know that behind the contained facade of the Lamarts, white snow wolves, there was warmth. The blonde could be as playful as the Whites, daring, but he had other sides.

"Oh, you are my family too. I promise I will take good care of this, okay?" she replied emotionally. "I don't want to see you tense; be your usual self, laughing and stealing kisses, and failing to teach me archery."

Bart chuckled and clicked his tongue,
shaking his head negatively. "You are terrible at it."