“My phone said his name is Cassian Ashford; they didn’t even include an image”, she continued, wrinkling her nose as though the name itself offended her.
“They say he’s scary, and they also say he hates women.” Her eyes wandered over his features once more before she shook her head with complete confidence, apparently reaching a conclusion that made perfect sense to her drunken mind.
“No, you can’t be him.
You’re much too handsome to be scary.”
The man remained silent for a moment, his piercing blue eyes resting calmly on her flushed face before he responded, his deep voice once again startling her enough to make her blink several times.
“And what makes you so certain?”
Lena stared at him for several seconds, as though his question had caught her completely off guard.
Then a slow, amused smile spread across her lips as she looked him over again, apparently deciding that there was something strangely charming about the way he spoke.
“You ask way too many questions,” she murmured, her words softened by the wine as she reached up and gently pinched his cheek again.
“But I suppose I don’t mind you.” Her fingers lingered against his cheek for a moment before she gave him a satisfied little nod.
“See?
Definitely not scary.”
Cassian’s gaze dropped briefly to her fingers before returning to her face.
“You’ve had too much to drink.
I think you need to rest.”
Lena considered his words with exaggerated seriousness before slowly shaking her head, her expression becoming almost offended by the suggestion.
“No,” she insisted, her lips curling into a playful smile.
“I’ve had exactly enough.” She paused for a moment, then seemed to reconsider her own answer.
“Maybe I’ve had a little too much, but I can still tell when someone is handsome.” She gave him another long, unabashed look, taking in his sharp features and striking blue eyes as though she were judging him for some very serious competition.
Apparently satisfied with what she saw, she lifted one finger and pointed at him with great certainty.
“I’ve decided you can stay.”
Cassian’s eyebrow lifted slightly.
“Have you?”
“Yes.” Lena nodded firmly, completely convinced that her decision required no further discussion.
“You don’t make me sad.”
The playful amusement that had briefly touched Cassian’s eyes disappeared at those words.
He studied her quietly, realizing that beneath all the drunken laughter was a woman who had spent the entire day hurting and was simply grateful to have found a moment in which she did not have to think about it.
Lena seemed oblivious to the change in his expression, and her eyelids had begun to grow heavier, and the bottle slipped from her fingers onto the bed as she swayed slightly where she stood.
Cassian reached out immediately, placing a steadying hand around her waist before she could lose her balance.
Instead of pulling away, Lena leaned into him as though the contact felt completely natural.
She rested her forehead against his chest, and her fingers loosely gathered the fabric of his shirt while she listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her ear.
After everything she had endured today, the soft sound seemed to offer her a comfort she had not realized she needed.
A faint smile touched her lips.
“It sounds nice,” she whispered, her voice growing softer as sleep began to pull her under.
Cassian lowered his gaze toward her, remaining completely still as the warmth beneath his ribs stirred once again.
The strange bond that had awakened between them seemed to respond to her nearness, no longer restless or demanding but settling into a quiet rhythm that felt almost instinctive.
For a man who had spent twenty-nine years believing that his wolf would remain silent for the rest of his life, having his mate resting peacefully against his chest felt almost impossible to comprehend.
Yet she was here, warm and real in his arms, completely unaware that the stranger she had welcomed into her room was the very man whose name had appeared on her pairing notification only hours earlier.
Cassian allowed her to remain where she was, careful not to disturb her as her breathing gradually slowed and the last traces of consciousness disappeared beneath the exhaustion and alcohol.
He simply stood there holding her, listening to the rain against the windows and the soft rhythm of her breathing, and for the first time in many years the silence surrounding him did not feel empty.
It felt as though something he had never known he was missing had finally found its way into his life.
The warmth of her forehead rested lightly against his chest while her breathing gradually slowed, becoming softer and more even with every passing moment.
The room fell into a comfortable silence, broken only by the steady rhythm of rain tapping gently against the windows and the quiet beat of his heart beneath her ear.
His wolf stirred again—not with the fierce possessiveness that had threatened his restraint earlier, but with a deep, unfamiliar sense of peace.
It had searched for her for so long that simply having her this close seemed enough to quiet the restless instinct.
Mine.
The word echoed softly through his mind before fading into silence.
Lena shifted slightly against him, her fingers absentmindedly curling into the fabric of his shirt as though afraid he might disappear if she let go.
She remained like that for several moments before slowly lifting her head to look at him again.
Her unfocused eyes searched his face with curiosity, and then a sleepy smile spread across her lips.
She giggled softly as her fingertips lingered against his cheek, studying the impossibly handsome face before her.
“I must be dreaming,” she whispered with a lazy smile.
“There’s no way someone this handsome would appear in my room.”