Chapter Fifty-Two
Cassandra's lips curled up as she stood in front of Alpha Zane’s house. She looked around the place, disgusted at having to stand in the same place that Isabelle had stood. In that moment, she began to regret volunteering to head the search party. She wondered what had possessed her to do that.
She sighed heavily and forced the disgust off her face. After all, she would be the Luna soon, and she could not be making enemies for her future husband. She had to be diplomatic, put together; she needed to show everyone that she was much better than her, that whatever good they thought of Isabelle, she was a million times better. She needed to show the rest of the outside world that it didn’t matter that Khalil had chosen her over the woman that he had paraded for years; all that mattered was that she was better. She has always been better. She will always be better.
Cassandra took yet another deep breath and waltzed up to the front door of Alpha Zane’s residence. She looked back at the three SUVs parked on their sidewalk, each bearing the proud insignia of her pack, and she smiled. She had dressed in her best dress. A killer red long-sleeved dress that came down to her calf, and a pointed black shoe. She had come to show power, to show importance.
And she was hell bent on doing so.
She raised her hand and rapped loudly on the door, her irritation growing as no one came running to open it for her. She looked down at her knuckles and swore loudly, wondering why in this day and age, they didn’t have a doorbell. She looked up at the house. It was old, that much she could tell, but that didn’t excuse them for the sin of not having a doorbell.
She waited for a few minutes, giving whoever was on the inside a few extra minutes to come to the door before she lost her patience.
Unfortunately, Cassandra wasn’t known for her patience.
She took a deep breath and raised both fists to the door, pounding on itit with all the strength she could muster. She smiled victoriously as she heard feet thundering down the stairs of the house. She adjusted her clothes, determined to make a solid first impression on the inhabitants of the house.
The door flew open to show a very irate Annabelle staring down her nose at her. Instantly, Cassandra could tell that she was Isabelle’s sister.
“Who the fuck are you?” Annabelle asked, her eyes sparkling with rage. “And what makes you think you have the right to be banging on the door like you own the house?!”
Cassandra was taken aback by her reaction. The person before her was a solid contrast to the Isabelle she knew. This one stood just as tall as her in heels; she looked down her nose at her, her lips curled in disdain as though she was disciplining an errant child.
Cassandra felt insulted.
She looked back at the three SUVs and sighed in relief as she realized that all the men she had come with were facing different directions. She turned back to look at the brat that stood in front of her, her eyes glaring, her hand on her waist, her well-manicured fingers tapping impatiently on the door frame.
“Are you fucking deaf?” Annabelle asked. “Didn’t you hear the question I asked you?”
Cassandra took a deep breath; she was not used to being talked to in such a callous, careless manner. She stood there, imagining her hands around her pretty throat, squeezing the life out of her as she repeatedly begged for mercy. She closed her eyes and sighed, forcing a smile to her face.
She pointed to the cars parked behind her on the sidewalk. “Do you see those cars?” She asked.
Annabelle glanced at the cars and returned her face to her. “And what about them?”
“Do you see what’s on the cars?”
Annabelle looked again and noticed the insignias, she rolled her eyes. “You’re from my sister’s pack, what about it?”
Cassandra’s eyes twitched. She had just met her, but she already hated the brat. “You don’t have much manners, do you?” She asked, her voice laced with anger.
Annabelle smirked and leaned her tall frame against the door. “What do I need them for? Anyone coming from there that isn’t that hunk that is their alpha is nothing but trash…” she said and sighed dreamily. “Isabelle doesn’t deserve him…he should have been mine.”
Cassandra’s hands balled into fists. “Excuse me?” She asked, all pretense of diplomacy gone.
It was enough that she had to deal with Isabelle, but she refused to subject herself to the humiliation of her sister as well. Her mind ran agog. She knew that the reason Annabelle was this spoiled was because Daddy Dearest made it happen. And she also happened to know that Daddy Dearest made Khalil marry Isabelle.
If the spoiled child wanted to sink her claws into her man, she would move the heavens and the earth to ensure that that mistake never happened again. She refused to allow herself to be replaced, to be placed second. She already allowed it once; the goddess forbid that she allow it to happen again.
“What did you say?” Cassandra asked.
Annabelle cocked her head to the side and stared at the woman in front of her. She was beautiful, that much she would give her. But there was also something else about her…something dark and lying beneath the surface. She wasn’t all she appeared to be. She reminded her of someone…yes, her mother.
Annabelle giggled, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she stood upright, closing the door behind her, and forcing Cassandra to take several steps back or get pushed away.
“You heard me…” she said to her, a Cheshire grin on her face. “Why? Is it a problem to list after your alpha? Is it a crime? What’s the punishment?”
Annabelle knew she was dancing on the lady’s nerves, evidenced by the reddening of her face and the veins that threatened to pop in her neck and forehead.
“You think that you are good enough to be his wife? His luna?”
Annabelle shrugged. “Why not? After all, that idiot, Isabelle, was good enough for him. So, why not me?”
Cassandra scoffed. “And you think that you’re less of an idiot?” She spat.
Annabelle smiled at her. “Come on…tell me the truth,” she said. “You like him, don’t you?”
Cassandra bristled at the mocking tone of the younger woman. As she stood there, she realized that she had never had the urge to throttle someone like she wanted to do to the lady in front of her.
“What nonsense are you talking about?” She asked, her tone clipped.
Annabelle’s smile widened. “No, you don’t like him. You love him…and that’s where the problem is…”
Cassandra stared deep into the girl’s eyes, seeing the mischief in them. She knew she was being teased, she knew that this lady wanted to get a rise out of her, she knew that she needed to stop, she needed to focus on what had brought her all the way to this wretched pack, she needed to get herself back on track, push down the anger and bile in her throat, smile and wave and ignore the comments from the brat before her. She knew.
However, knowing it wasn’t enough for her, it took all the willpower she had not to smash her head into the wall. She wanted to wipe that smug grin off her face.
Cassandra took a deep breath and forced a smile to her face. “That is not why I’m here,” she said. “What’s your name?”
Annabelle cocked her head to the side. “Annabelle,” she replied. “But you can call me Anna, seeing as we fantasize about fucking the same man.”
Cassandra’s face turned red, but she ignored the lady’s jab. “I would like to speak to the alpha.”
“What for?” Annabelle asked, not done taunting the older woman.
“That is none of your business,” Cassandra replied, already fed up with the child. “That is between me and the alpha.”
“Well, I will be the alpha of this pack someday, so you might as well tell me.”
“How unfortunate,” Cassandra retorted.
Annabelle cocked her head to the side. “Excuse me? What did you say?”
Cassandra smiled and thought for a second. She could see the challenging glint in the girl’s eyes. She was daring her, daring her to repeat what she had said, asking her with her eyes if she had the guts to make that statement again. She thought about how she had set out here to ensure that everyone knew who the Luna was, that it didn’t matter who Khalil was currently married to.
But then, what better way to show the world that Khalil has a powerful Luna by his side than dealing with an arrant child?
Cassandra cocked her brow. “Are you deaf?” She asked. “Didn’t you hear what I said?”
“You little bitch!”
But Cassandra wasn’t quite done.
“Unfortunately, this great pack that your father has had slaves for all his life would fall into the hands of an insufferable brat such as yourself,” she pressed on. “It is better left to the hands of brain-dead pigs.”
Annabelle sneered. “You really think you’re all that, don’t you?”
Cassandra smiled and shrugged, elated that she was finally able to ruffle the feathers of the brat before her. Now, she would be able to sleep easily.
“I didn’t say anything of the sort. But if you say so, who am I to object?”
Annabelle’s eyes slowly raked the length and breadth of the woman before her, and then threw back her head and laughed. She laughed long and hard. She laughed until tears flowed down her cheeks and she wheezed with the effort. She laughed until people stopped on the street to stare at the alpha’s daughter.
And then suddenly, she stopped.
Her eyes were trained on Cassandra, who immediately became defensive. She felt different; there was raw power coming off of her. If she had underestimated Annabelle before, she had been gravely mistaken. In that moment, she was reminded that she was speaking to an alpha’s daughter. She understood why she was her father’s successor.
“You really think you’re good enough to speak to me in that manner,” she said, her eyes turning a bright shade of red. “You fucking old hag.”
Cassandra suddenly felt the need to bend her knee, to lower her gaze. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead, her hands balled into fists as she refused her instinct to bow her head to an alpha. The goddess forbade that she would let a child make a fool out of her.
“Watch your mouth, child…”
“You don’t realize how miserable you are,” Annabelle said, as her fingers changed to claws and her fangs showed as she smiled. “You want a man who is never yours. Who has never been yours, and who will never be.”
Annabelle was itching for a fight. She wanted to show this woman that she was worthy of respect, that she would respect her whether she wanted to or not. She had brought herself all the way from that pack, and she wondered if Isabelle had been the one to send her. What was her plan? What was her goal? What did she want?
“Shut up,” Cassandra said, her heart beating harder in her chest as her words hit a little too close to home.
“He will never want you…” Annabelle continued, smiling at her. “You are nothing. You are no one.”
Those words struck her in a way that she never expected, and without thinking, she drew her claws and struck Annabelle. Annabelle smiled, happy that she had made the first move.
Both women fought on the lawn of Alpha Zane. Blood, hair, and shreds of clothing flew all over the place as they both squabbled. Cassandra was angry, insulted, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. She knew Annabelle was right, that he would never willingly choose her, that she was always going to be a placeholder for the real Luna to come in.
But no, not this time. She would not let that happen. And with that resolve, she renewed her fighting with vigor, determined to win the fight.
Both women froze mid-combat as a powerful growl tore through the atmosphere. They separated, both panting and bleeding, with several parts of their clothing missing, and a small crowd had gathered to watch the spectacle.
Alpha Zane stood in the driveway, his face a mixture of anger and disappointment as he looked at his daughter, and then his eyes moved to her, and she immediately felt the urge to fall to the ground.
“What the fuck is going on here?” He asked. “And who the fuck are you?”