Chapter 26 Strange happening
CATHERINE
Disguised in plain clothes the next day, Kane and I entered the festival grounds together, blending into the crowd.
It felt strange at first, surreal even, to be walking among people who didn’t bow or stare. For once, I was just Catherine, and the man by my side was just Kane.
"Are you sure this is wise?" I asked, leaning close as we walked through the rows of market stalls. “Someone might recognize us.”
Kane grinned, his eyes glinting with mischief. “They won’t. Not if we don’t act like ourselves.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “And what does that mean, exactly?”
“It means,” he said, leaning in conspiratorially, “that you’re not Lady Catherine today. You’re just Cathy.”
“Cathy?” I rolled my eyes, but a smile tugged at my lips. “And you?”
He straightened up, trying to suppress a smile. “Just... Kane.”
“Oh, Kane,” I repeated, feigning seriousness. “Sounds very normal.”
We exchanged a grin, and I could feel the thrill of it and the excitement of shedding our titles, if only for a few hours.
We strolled through the festival grounds, stopping occasionally at stalls selling everything from trinkets to fresh bread. Then, we reached a small clearing where people were gathering around tables laden with fresh ingredients.
Kane turned to me with a playful look in his eye.
“Fancy trying your hand at cooking?”
I blinked, glancing between him and the tables.
“Cooking? Here?”
“Why not?” he challenged. “Don’t tell me Lady Catherine is afraid of a little flour and fire.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Cathy, remember? And for your information, I’m an excellent cook. You can ask Damon.”
“Oh really?” His grin widened but I caught a bit of jealousy in his eyes which he masked ral quick. “Then prove it.”
Before I could protest, he took my hand, pulling me through the crowd and toward one of the open tables.
There, a woman handed us aprons and pointed toward an assortment of ingredients, vegetables, herbs, flour, spices. Kane put on his apron with an exaggerated flourish, shooting me a cocky look.
“Ready to be impressed?”
“By you?” I scoffed, tying my own apron. “Let’s see if you can handle a frying pan without burning the place down, Alpha Kane.”
We dove into the challenge, selecting vegetables and herbs, chopping and mixing with surprising ease. Kane, I discovered, wasn’t completely inept in the kitchen. He had a natural instinct for flavor, tossing spices with a confidence that suggested he’d done this before.
I couldn’t help but tease.
“Kane, are you sure you’re not secretly a chef?”
He laughed, stirring a pot of sauce. “Maybe in another life. You, on the other hand, are quite skilled. Impressive knife work.”
I gave a mock bow, trying not to feel flattered by his praise.
“Thank you, thank you. I could say the same for you. Although, you seem a bit heavy-handed with the salt.”
His eyes widened as he tasted the sauce, cringing.
“Point taken. You’re in charge of seasoning.”
We continued cooking, bickering lightly and challenging each other as we went.
Occasionally, festival-goers would drift by, complimenting our teamwork, offering advice, or tasting a spoonful of sauce and giving us pointers. They seemed to believe we were just an ordinary couple.
At one point, an older woman with a warm smile approached, watching us work together with a knowing gleam in her eye.
“You two look like you’ve been cooking together forever,” she commented, her gaze twinkling with a hint of mischief.
Kane chuckled, glancing at me. “Oh, I don’t know about forever.”
I fought back a blush. “Just a lucky combination, I guess.”
The woman grinned, clearly not convinced. “Lucky indeed. I bet you two make a good team.”
We exchanged a glance. “Yes,” he murmured. “I think we do.”
For a moment, the world faded around us, leaving just the two of us standing there. But just as quickly, Kane broke the gaze, clearing his throat.
“So, what’s next?” he asked, trying to sound casual as he turned his attention back to the table.
“Next,” I said, holding up a spatula with a grin, “is the flipping. Think you can handle that?”
“Oh, absolutely,” he replied, taking the spatula from me. “Stand back and watch the master at work.”
What followed was a comical series of half-flips and near-disasters as Kane attempted to flip the pancakes without them splattering across the table.
I couldn’t stop laughing, clutching my side as he missed the mark again and again.
“Alright, alright,” he finally said, holding up his hands in defeat. “You win. I hand over the spatula to the superior chef.”
I took it from him with a triumphant smile, expertly flipping the pancake and catching it perfectly in the pan.
“Show-off,” he muttered, but there was a smile in his eyes as he watched me work.
After we’d finished cooking, we sat together at a nearby table, savoring the meal we’d made. The food was simple, hearty, and surprisingly delicious. I took a bite, savoring the flavors, then glanced at Kane, who was watching me with that same, intense look.
“What?” I asked, feeling my cheeks warm under his gaze.
“Nothing,” he replied softly. “It’s just nice, seeing you like this. Happy.”
I looked down, focusing on my plate.
“It’s easy to be happy when you’re not thinking about everything else.”
He nodded. “I know. I wish we could stay like this, here. Away from the castle and its rules. Just the two of us.”
The vulnerability in his voice startled me, and I felt a pang in my chest. Kane, the powerful, untouchable Lycan King was looking at me like he was just a man wanting a moment of peace.
I reached across the table, letting my fingers brush against his.
“Maybe we can, sometimes. Just be us.”
His hand tightened around mine, his eyes warm and steady. “I’d like that, Cathy.”
“That's if you're not going to kill me before then.” I murmured inaudibly.
“Did you say something?” he asked, searching my eyes.
I sook my head very fast. “Its nothing, never mind.”
We finished our meal and both of us were reluctant to leave, as if stepping back into reality would shatter the quiet intimacy we’d found.
Being with Kane like this, seeing him laugh, letting him see me without all the walls I’d built was changing something inside me, something I wasn’t sure I was ready to acknowledge.
When it was late in the day, we returned to the castle. Kane and I came to a halt, lingering in the shadowed quiet. The thrill from our day at the festival still buzzed between us, filling the silence with unspoken words.
“Go on ahead,” I urged, gesturing toward the hallway. “I’ll head up in a minute.”
Kane crossed his arms, arching an eyebrow. “I’m not leaving you out here alone. Go on in, Cathy.”
I rolled my eyes, mirroring his stance. “I think I can manage a hallway, thank you.”
He didn’t move. “Humor me,” he said, his voice softer now.
“You’re relentless, you know that?” I said, laughing to disguise the flutter in my chest.
“Relentless, maybe.” He tilted his head, eyes glinting with that look that made my heart pound. “But you have to admit, that’s part of my charm.”
“Oh, so now you’re charming too?”
“Getting there,” he murmured. In one smooth motion, he closed the distance between us, his fingers finding my wrist. “Cathy…”
Before I could say anything, his hand moved from my wrist to my waist, pulling me closer until I was nearly pressed against him. My heart thundered, and I found myself looking up into those intense, unreadable eyes.
“Kane,” I whispered, not even certain of what I meant to say.
But he seemed to know. His gaze flicked down to my lips, lingering there with a focus that made the world feel as if it were holding its breath.
Slowly, he leaned in, his lips brushing against mine so gently it felt like a whisper. And then, as if unable to hold back, he kissed me deeply, a fierce tenderness in his touch that stole the air from my lungs.
The warmth of his hand on my back, the taste of him, the raw emotion I felt in that moment was overwhelming. I’d been kissed before, but nothing like this. Nothing that felt like being pulled under, where there was no room to think, only to feel.
I leaned into him, my hands finding his shoulders, pulling him closer, needing him as much as he seemed to need me. Time slipped away, everything fading except for him, his warmth, his strength, and that intoxicating, maddening taste of him.
Just as suddenly as it began, he pulled back, his breathing unsteady and his forehead resting against mine.
“I—” He swallowed, his voice rough with restraint. “If I don’t leave now, I don’t think I will at all.”
I could barely catch my breath to reply, my pulse racing as I nodded.
“Maybe it’s better that way,” I whispered, hating how unsteady I sounded.
He pulled back slightly, meeting my gaze while his own eyes was filled with a raw, vulnerable intensity.
“Cathy, you don’t know what you’re doing to me. I really can't wait for you to be mine, fully.”
My hands slid down from his shoulders as he stepped back. He exhaled with a faint smile tugging at his lips.
“Get some sleep.”
I nodded, unable to find words. As he finally turned and walked down the hall, I slipped into my room, closing the door softly behind me with my heart still racing from the imprint of his kiss, only to see someone sitting on my bed right when I stepped in.