Cassandra’s POV
“What’s wrong?” My eyes are trained on Jason, daring him to speak a lie but instead he just stares back at me his eyes wide and vulnerable.
“I’m fine”, his voice sounded quieter than it was supposed to, flooding with a weak kind of uncertainty.
I pursed my lips, “try again alpha”.
He sighed through his nose in annoyance.
“Magic”, he says simply like I could somehow get into his mind and read what exactly that meant.
“Um… could you maybe, I dunno elaborate?” I ask with a snappy annoyed voice.
He rolled his eyes at me like I was some annoying roach.
“I was cursed Cassandra. I don’t know by who or why but I was cursed”.
“Cursed?” I asked as my brows crinkled in confusion.
I barely knew what that entailed but I was sure it wasn’t good.
“You should go see Anna”, I suggest.
He smirked, “I will the moment you get off me”.
Heat rises to my cheek as I climb off his lap where I was previously straddling him.
I take a deep breath and force composure before I hold a hand out to him despite knowing my strength would do nothing in lifting his weight.
He looked down at my outstretched hand amused.
“You think you can pull me up?”
The thought is laughable even to me.
I roll my eyes, “consider it a peace offering. Now take my hand”.
He does as he’s told though he does most of the work.
I flinch at the feeling of a pleasing pulse of electricity running through my veins causing me to gulp.
Stupid mate bond.
“Before we see her, you should probably have some fun”, I tell him and he lifts a brow at me but stays silent.
“I’ll make you a s’more”.
“The thought of being poisoned doesn’t entice me”, he says flatly and I roll my eyes once more.
“I’m not going to poison you”, I snap despite knowing I’m a hundred percent capable of doing just that.
“You already did”, he says as he walks towards the fire and I follow behind him.
The pack members present look at me with a mixture of confusion and skepticism wondering who I was but I let myself have the relief that at least they couldn’t feel my energy so they couldn’t know I’m a vampire.
It’s still a weird thing to say.
Jason doesn’t bother making introductions and takes a seat and I plop down beside him on the bench.
I grab a stick and a marshmallow before putting it over the fire that illuminated the pack house backyard, letting me see the face of the werewolves that sat around it.
Werewolves that I was supposed to lead.
Werewolves that would kill me the moment they discovered what I was and realize that I’m their Luna.
At least I’m supposed to be, I don’t see a possibility of that happening.
“You have to put it higher”, Jason’s words snap me out of my thoughts.
“What?”
He sighs before holding up my hand, lifting the marshmallow away from the fire.
He doesn’t let go and I can’t help but look up and stare at him.
His eyes look distant and faraway as he stares at the marshmallow held over the fire.
He was deep in thought, a furrow forming on his brows.
Then his eyes flick to me, “keep looking at me like that, it isn’t creepy at all” he drawled, his voice laced with a sarcasm that I found extremely infuriating.
“Jackson is nicer than you”, I huff.
He smiled amused, “is that so?”
I nodded, “he’s much nicer and you’re just a-”
“Dick?” He cuts me off with a laugh.
I rarely hear him laugh and it’s an oddly beautiful sound and something in me wishes that I could hear this sound more often when he was with me.
Wishful thinking.
“I was going to say jerk” I clarify, “but yeah, that works too”.
He smiles, “you’re his mate, it makes sense he would like you”.
“I’m your mate” I tell him.
“And you hate me”.
His brows furrow, “Hate? I don’t hate you Cassandra”.
“Actions prove otherwise”, I scoff and his eyes soften in a way I never thought I would witness.
He runs his hands through the locks of his dark brown hair in exasperation.
“I dislike your kind, not you in particular”.
“My kind?”
He nods, “vampires, I don’t have the best history with them”.
I do the same, my eyes drinking in the scar that marred his skin, it told stories that I could not even begin to phantom.
“Vampires did that to you?” I question and he sighs before nodding.
“You see, my hatred has nothing to do with you but still I can’t seem to separate who you are from the rest of your kind. It’s unfair to you, I know”.
“You know? And yet you treat me the way you do?” I question my voice harsh with unresolved emotion.
“I would tell you that I’m sorry”, he whispered.
“But I want to reserve those words for when I truly mean them”.
I glared at him but then my eyes softened because I understood.
It definitely wasn’t right to dislike me for something I couldn’t control but at the same time, it was difficult for him to see me as something other than a vampire.
“You need to see me as your mate”, my words are quiet but stern.
“You need to see me as your Luna, your companion, someone who would fight by your side and not just a vampire”.
“I know”, he whispered.
“Just… give me more time”.
I looked up at him again and nodded and we fell into a relaxed silence.
***
The rest of the pack had gone to bed for the night but I feared the very thought of closing my eyes for fear of what I would see, so instead I sank myself to the grass beneath me, laid back and looked up at the blanket of stars that rested on top of the world.
“Can’t sleep?” A figure stood over me, watching me with a careful gaze, I blinked.
“Can’t” I reply.
“You?”
He sighs, “guess we have something in common”.
He surprises me by sinking into the grass beside me and laying down.
He was merely a few centimeters away from me, I could have reached out and held his hand.
If I wanted to.
I don’t want to.
I think.
He sighs through his nose, “the blood moon would be here soon”.
“Is that a problem?” I ask, my eyes never trailing from the night sky.
He pauses for a moment, “I’m bonded to it”.
“Okay…” I drawl out, urging him to offer me the full explanation.
“I was bound to the blood moon the night I became alpha, it’s like a curse- one that is yet to be broken. When the moon rises, I change forms”.
“To what?”
“Best you don’t know”.
We sit in silence for a while.
“No matter how much I try” Jason speaks quietly.
“The stars always remind me of something”.
“What would that be?” I ask and Jason turns on his side to face me.
“Your eyes”.
His words startle me enough to make me face him.
“What?” I breathe in disbelief and he smiles softly, his gaze meeting mine.
“You think I’m lying, don’t you?” His smile is light and I momentarily forget that this is the alpha that dislikes me for simply being a vampire.
“Yes”.
“I suppose that’s reasonable”, he says but his his voice grew quieter.
“I don’t know if it’s the mate bond or something… but I think about you more than I’m supposed to”.
“It’s the mate bond”, I counter and he nods.
“Probably”.
He gets up and holds out a hand to me, “it’s getting a bit cold, let’s head inside”.
I smile before taking his hand and we walk side by side into the pack house.
“I’ll walk you to your room”, Jason offered and I looked at him like he had grown two heads.
“Are you okay? Did you hit your head?” I asked alarmed and Jason gives me a questioning glance.
“Why are you being nice to me?” I whisper accusingly and he smiled.
“I’m trying to be a decent person”.
“For once”, I add with an eye roll.
He smiles, “for once”.
We arrive at my door and I look up at Jason.
“Thanks” I breathe.
“For walking me up here… and not hating me”.
“It’s okay. Decent person remember?”
The moment the door shut behind me, I let out a sigh.
I knew I wasn’t going to get any sleep so I opened one of my drawers and pulled out some art supplies I had managed to steal from some of the pack members and some of the stores around.
It wasn’t the most Luna-y thing to do but a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do.
I painted the first thing that came to my mind and I was quite pleased with it.
I dropped it on my desk to dry.
I sighed in frustration and ran a hand down my face feeling fatigued and my eyes drift to the bed and its inviting covers.
I glare at it.
“Don’t taunt me with sleep I can’t get”, I snarl but climb under the covers nonetheless.
The explosions sound all around me and I will my legs to move faster.
I could hardly get air into my lungs, my heart beating heavily and my throat dry.
Fire cascading around the surroundings, smoldering me with it’s heat.
Violent lightning shot down from the skies, avoiding me by mere inches.
I try to run but my limbs fail me and I fall to the ground with a thud.
Lightning and fire resumes their pursuit, coming at me with so much speed, I squeeze my eyes as I embrace my inevitable death.
It never happens.
My eyes peek open and I’m surrounded by a golden dome of sorts.
I blink staring in awe at the woman, her hands held up and her eyes focused on the dome, seemingly being the one who created it.
She turns to me with a smile, silver eyes softening as she examined me.
“You’re beautiful”, she whispered and I can say nothing but stare at her my mouth hanging open.
Lightning strikes the dome and the woman is pushed back just a bit.
She sucks in a breath, “they are upon you Cassandra. Find your power and don’t let them take what’s yours”.
I open my mouth to ask a question but it dissolves in my mouth the moment she disappears.
The dome falls and lightning and fire intertwine in a deadly dance that was sure to lead me to my demise.
I scream for help I know that evades me.
“Cassandra!” Jason is beside me, shaking me awake.
I gasp, my body still trembling in terror.
I’m holding his hands tightly, using them as my anchor to reality.
“It’s okay. You’re okay. Everything is okay”, Jason reassured.
“Just breathe Cass”.
I take a deep breath again and again until the heavy thudding of my heart slows.
“Are you okay?” Jason asks with concern lacing his voice.
I nod, “just a nightmare. I’m fine”.
“You should go back to sleep”, he slowly eases me into the bed and pulls the covers over me.
“I was going on a run when I heard you”.
“In the middle of the night?” I question suspiciously, he had just dropped me off in my room not long ago.
He shrugs, “sleep isn’t a luxury I can afford”.
“I relate to that”.
Jason says a goodnight for the second time this night and turns to leave but I stop him.
“Please” my words halt his movements and he turns to face me.
“Don’t go” I whisper.
“I can’t be alone”.
“You want me to stay?” Jason says slowly, momentarily stunned.
“Yes”, at my words he moves beside the bed hesitantly before positioning himself on the floor.
I shake my head, “it’s cold”.
I raise the covers inviting him into the warmth of my bed.
Jason looks hesitant, panicked and skeptical all at the same time.
Nevertheless, he climbs into the bed leaving a few centimeters of space between us.
“Alright” he whispers.
“Now get some sleep”.
My eyes are drifting shut not long after.