Chapter 82 *

Chapter 82 Chapter 82
Angelina’s POV
The entire casino was staring at us. All of them were looking at me now. Waiting to see what I'd do.
I needed to end this. Now.
"Fine," I said. "You want to talk? Let's talk. But not here."
Caelan's expression shifted slightly. Success. "Where?"
"Outside. In the back alley. Away from all these people."
He nodded. "Lead the way."
I turned to Franklin. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Don't let anyone follow us."
Franklin looked worried but nodded. "As you wish, Miss Aria."
I started walking toward the back exit. Caelan followed.
Behind us, the whispers exploded.
"They're going together!"
"So she does know him!"
"I knew it! This is definitely some kind of lovers' quarrel!"
"Do you think they're dating?"
"They have to be! Why else would he come all this way?"
I ignored all of it.
Kept walking.
Through the casino floor. Past the bathrooms. Down a narrow hallway that led to the service exit.
I could feel Caelan behind me. Close but not too close.
Finally, we reached the back door. I pushed it open.
The alley behind Silver Fang Casino was dark. Dirty. Trash bags piled against one wall. The smell of garbage and cigarette smoke hung in the air.
A single dim light flickered above the door, barely illuminating anything.
I walked a few steps into the alley and turned around.
Caelan had stopped just outside the door. He was looking at the alley with barely concealed disgust.
His germaphobe instincts were probably screaming at him right now.
Good. "Come on," I said. "You wanted to talk. So talk."
Caelan hesitated. His eyes scanned the dirty ground. The overflowing dumpster. The stained walls.
Then he looked at me.
And stepped into the alley.
The door swung shut behind him with a heavy thud.
Now it was just the two of us.
In a dark, filthy alley behind a casino in the middle of Wyoming.
I crossed my arms and waited.
Caelan walked toward me slowly. His expensive shoes stepping carefully around the worst of the grime.
He stopped about three feet away.
"Why did you run?" he asked.
"I didn't run. I left. There's a difference."
"You disappeared without telling anyone where you were going."
"I don't owe you an explanation."
"Yes, you do."
"No, I don't." I met his eyes. "We're not friends. We're not family. We're nothing. So I don't owe you anything."
Caelan's expression hardened. "That's not true."
"Yes, it is."
"No, it's not." He took a step closer. "And you know it."
I held my ground. "What I know is that you need to stop following me. Stop showing up wherever I go. Stop acting like you have some kind of claim on me."
"I'm not acting."
"Then you're delusional."
"I'm not delusional. I'm right."
"I'm not yours. I don't belong to anyone. And whatever you think is happening between us, you're wrong. I don't like you. I will never like you. So stop following me around and—"
He moved.
One second he was standing five feet away. The next second he was right in front of me.
His hand shot out. Grabbed my chin. Not rough, but firm. Tilting my face up toward his.
His other hand slammed against the wall behind me. Trapping me.
"What are you—"
His mouth crashed down on mine.
The kiss was aggressive. His lips pressed hard against mine.
I froze.
My mind went blank for a second.
What the hell?
This wasn't like when our lips touched accidentally at the Sterling house. That had been brief. Unexpected.
This was deliberate. He was kissing me like he had every right to.
I felt his hand move from my chin to the back of my neck. His fingers tangled in my hair. Holding me in place.
The kiss deepened. More intense. More possessive.
And the strangest thing happened.
I didn't hate it.
I should have. I should have been disgusted. Angry. Furious that he'd dare touch me without permission.
But instead, there was this weird sense of... familiarity.
Which made no sense. I'd never kissed anyone in either of my lives. Not as Angelina. Not as Aria.
So why did this feel familiar?
My hands moved on their own. Pressed against his chest. Ready to shove him away.
But before I could, Caelan pulled back.
He stepped away. Giving me space.
I immediately retreated. Put three meters of distance between us. My back hit the opposite wall of the alley.
My heart was pounding. My lips felt warm. My face was probably red.
I glared at him. "What the hell was that?"
Caelan's expression didn't change.
"An answer," he said simply.
"An answer to what?"
"To the question you were about to ask. Why I'm following you."
I stared at him. "That wasn't an answer. That was assault."
"You didn't push me away."
"I was about to!"
"But you didn't." His eyes locked on mine. "You stood there. For three full seconds. You could have stopped me at any point."
I had no response to that.
Because he was right.
I could have stopped him. Could have broken his arm. But I hadn't.
Why?
I pushed that thought away. Focused on the situation.
"Why are you in Wyoming?" I demanded. "How did you even know I was here?"
Caelan didn't answer right away. He just looked at me with those cold blue eyes.
Then he said, "You're my fated mate."
The words hit me like a punch.
"What?"
"You heard me."
I stared at him. "That's impossible."
"Alex scented you. The moment I first saw you in the forest."
My mind was racing. After my rebirth, my wolf Yara had fallen into a deep sleep. I couldn't awaken her. Couldn't access her at all.
Which meant I had no way to verify what Caelan was saying. No way to ask Yara if she recognized his wolf. If the mate bond was real.
I was completely blind. And Caelan was claiming I was his?
No. No way.
"Even if it's true," I said slowly, "I don't accept it. I don't want a mate."
"That doesn't change what you are to me."
His tone was so certain. Like my opinion didn't matter at all.
I felt anger rising in my chest. "I'm not yours. I don't belong to anyone. And I'm not interested in whatever relationship you think we're going to have."
Caelan didn't respond. Just watched me.
I turned to leave. "This conversation is over."
"Angelina."
I froze. That name. My real name.
Slowly, I turned back around. Every muscle in my body tensed.
Caelan was still standing in the same spot. His expression unchanged.
"Former Alpha King of Riverbend Pack," he continued. His voice was quiet. Controlled. "The strongest Alpha who ever lived. You conquered all forty-nine Packs in America."
My heart was hammering now. But I kept my face blank.
He took a step closer. "Three months ago, there was an explosion on your yacht. Everyone thought you died. But you didn't, did you? You were reborn. Into this body."
I said nothing.
Caelan stopped about two meters away. "Your fighting style gave you away. The way you killed Cory and his men. The precision. The efficiency. That's not something a fifteen-year-old learns in high school."
Damn it.
I'd been too reckless. Too confident. I'd let my old combat instincts take over without thinking about how it would look.
"And then there's The Raven Court," Caelan continued. "Leo saw you accessing it at the hospital. He described the symbol perfectly. A black page with a silver raven, wings spread."
Leo. My brother had mentioned that website in front of Caelan. I'd shut down the conversation immediately, but it had been too late.
Caelan had already connected the dots.
I was silent for several seconds. My mind was calculating. Looking for a way out of this.
But there wasn't one. He knew. He'd figured it out.
The question was—what was he going to do about it?
I let out a slow breath. Then I looked directly at him.
"So what if you're right?" My voice was cold. "What are you going to do about it?"
Caelan's expression didn't change. "Nothing."