A WAR INSIDE ME

The moment Darius vanished, the forest fell into silence.

The absence of his presence should have been a relief.

But it wasn’t.

Because I could still feel him.

Lingering inside me.

Not physically.

Not even through the bond.

But something deeper.

Like a whisper woven into my very essence.

Cassian’s grip on me was tight, his breathing heavy, his body thrumming with barely restrained rage.

I forced myself to look at him.

His red eyes burned with raw fury, but beneath it, I saw something else.

Something that terrified me more than anything.

Fear.

Not for himself.

For me.

“Cassian.”

“Did you feel that?” he cut me off, his voice sharp, clipped.

I swallowed, my throat dry. “Yes.”

His jaw tensed.

“You wanted to go to him.”

It wasn’t a question.

And I hated that he was right.

Because in that moment, when Darius looked at me.

Something inside me had ached to follow him.

A part of me that I didn’t even recognize.

Cassian exhaled sharply, stepping away from me, dragging his hands through his hair in frustration.

“I told you,” he muttered, mostly to himself. “I told you this would happen.”

Anger flared in my chest.

“This isn’t my fault,” I snapped.

Cassian’s eyes flashed, his power coiling around him.

“No,” he growled. “But you let him in.”

I clenched my fists.

“You think I wanted this?” My voice rose. “You think I want to feel this connection to him?”

Cassian took a step forward, his body a taut line of anger and desperation.

“I don’t know what you want anymore, Sienna.”

The words were like a slap to the face.

I reeled back, my breath catching.

Cassian must have realized his mistake because his expression shifted, his lips parting as if to take it back.

But it was too late.

The damage was done.

I turned away before he could see the hurt in my eyes.

I didn’t want to fight with him.

Not now.

Not when I was already losing a war inside myself.

We moved again before the sun rose, traveling in tense silence.

Cassian didn’t touch me.

Didn’t speak unless necessary.

And I hated it.

Because I could still feel him.

Through the bond.

Through the way his body always angled toward mine, like he was ready to protect me at any moment.

But he wouldn’t look at me.

Like he was afraid of what he might see.

The rift between us was growing.

And I didn’t know how to fix it.

Because I wasn’t sure if I even deserved to.

Not when I was still battling whatever was happening inside me.

The fire inside my veins had only grown stronger.

Every step I took, I could feel the power beneath my skin shifting, thrumming, begging to be released.

And the worst part?

I wanted to let it go.

By the time we stopped to rest, my entire body was burning.

Not from exhaustion.

Not from the cold night air.

But from something else.

Something wrong.

Cassian was watching me, his red eyes narrowed.

“You’re shaking,” he said.

I wrapped my arms around myself, my teeth clenching. “I’m fine.”

Cassian’s gaze darkened.

“No, you’re not.”

I turned away, but Cassian was faster.

His hand caught my wrist, his grip firm but careful.

The moment our skin touched.

The fire inside me exploded.

A shockwave of heat blasted outward, knocking Cassian back.

I stumbled, gasping for air, my entire body pulsing with light.

Cassian caught himself, his eyes wide with shock.

“Sienna,” he breathed.

I looked down at my hands.

And froze.

Golden light flickered beneath my skin, curling over my fingers like flames that weren’t flames.

I sucked in a sharp breath, panic crawling up my throat.

“What is this?”

Cassian stood slowly, his gaze locked onto me.

I could feel his power stirring—his wolf responding instinctively to my magic.

But he didn’t move toward me.

Because for the first time since we met.

Cassian was afraid of me.

Cassian took a careful step forward.

“Breathe,” he instructed, his voice lower now, calmer. “You have to stay in control.”

I clenched my fists, my chest tight.

“I—I don’t know how.”

Cassian studied me, his red eyes scanning my face, my glowing hands, the tension in my body.

Then, his expression shifted.

Like something had clicked into place.

“You’re not just the last heir of the Original Pack,” he said, almost to himself.

I swallowed hard. “Then what am I?”

Cassian hesitated—just for a second.

Then, he said it.

Something that changed everything.

“You’re something that wasn’t supposed to exist.”

A chill rushed through me, despite the heat still radiating from my body.

“What does that mean?”

Cassian took another slow step closer.

“The Council didn’t just want you because of your lineage,” he said, his voice steady, but his eyes still sharp with caution.

“They wanted you because of your blood.”

My heart pounded.

“My blood?”

Cassian nodded. “They wanted to use it. To awaken something inside you.”

I shook my head. “No. That doesn’t make sense.”

But it did.

It made too much sense.

The visions. The voices. The fire inside me that I couldn’t control.

Darius calling me a gift of fate.

It was all connected.

And the realization made me sick.

Cassian reached out, his fingers brushing my arm, grounding me.

“You have to fight it, Sienna.”

I looked up at him.

The bond between us pulsed, heavy and full of things neither of us were saying.

I wasn’t just fighting Darius.

I wasn’t just fighting the Council.

I was fighting myself.

And I wasn’t sure if I was winning anymore.