Adolphus' POV
“I heard Katrina is nothing but an Omega now.”
Nicholas’s voice rang loud across the training grounds, followed by the cruel laughter of his clique, making me halt for a second.
My grip on my sword tightened as I brought it down against my opponent’s blade with more force than necessary. The young warrior I was sparring with stumbled back, his face paling at my sudden aggression.
I ignored his confused stare. My entire focus had shifted to Nicholas.
Katrina had been demoted?
Nicholas flashed me a mischievous smirk
I knew what he was doing. He wanted me to react. He wanted me to lash out. He wanted a fight.
But I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.
Instead, I took a deep breath, grounding myself. I went through the motions of my next strike, my muscles moving on instinct, even as my mind raced with fury.
I forced myself to keep sparring, but my focus was fractured. Nicholas was still talking, loud enough for me to hear.
"It’s about time, really. A Gamma without a wolf? A disgrace. And now, she’s exactly where she belongs, crawling at the bottom."
Laughter erupted again.
I stopped mid-motion. My opponent barely had time to react before I stepped away from the fight entirely. I wiped the sweat from my brow and turned my back to the training ground.
I had to find her.
I had to find Katrina.
I ignored Nicholas as I walked past him, but I knew he was smirking. He had gotten what he wanted.
By the time I stepped into the main corridors of the packhouse, everyone was talking about it and I realized the whispers had already spread like wildfire.
"Poor thing. She should’ve just shifted."
"I always knew it was only a matter of time."
The words burned in my ears. I clenched my fists, resisting the urge to grab each and every one of them by the throat and make them regret their words.
But that wouldn’t help her.
I searched for Katrina everywhere, her old chamber, the training grounds again, even the small clearing behind the packhouse where she liked to go when she needed to clear her head.
But she was nowhere.
I even stopped a few servants, demanding if they had seen her but they hadn't. It was as if she had disappeared.
That unsettled me more than anything.
If Katrina was truly hiding, it meant she was hurting more than she let on and I hated that I couldn’t find her.
I turned on my heels and made for Cassandra’s chambers. When I got there, I knocked sharply on Cassandra’s door, my patience already running thin.
"Cassandra," I called out. "I need to speak with you."
A moment passed before her smooth voice drifted from inside.
"Come in."
I pushed the door open and stepped inside, only to immediately stop at the threshold. Cassandra was sitting on the edge of her bed, her legs crossed, holding a glass of wine in one hand.
And she was wearing nothing but a towel wrapped loosely around her body. Her damp hair cascaded over her bare shoulders, droplets of water glistening against her skin.
I stiffened.
"I should come back later," I said quickly, already turning to leave.
"Don’t be ridiculous," she said, taking a slow sip of her wine. "You came here for something. Say it."
I hesitated. The entire room smelled like roses and something heady, something intoxicating.
I exhaled sharply and turned back around.
"I heard about Katrina’s demotion," I said, keeping my voice even.
Cassandra raised an eyebrow, swirling the wine in her glass. "And?"
I narrowed my eyes. "Did you know?"
She let out a soft, almost amused sigh. "I overheard my father talking about it," she admitted. "She refused to shift, Adolphus. What did she expect?"
I clenched my jaw. "She didn’t refuse. She can’t."
Cassandra tilted her head, her expression unreadable. "Why are you defending her?"
I remained silent. I didn’t have an answer that I was ready to voice.
Cassandra stood slowly, setting her wine glass aside. She stepped toward me, the silk of her towel shifting slightly as she moved.
She stopped just inches away, reaching up to trail her fingers along my jaw.
"Do you like her?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
I didn’t froze and she tilted my chin up, her nails pressing slightly.
"Do you?" she repeated.
The air between us grew thick. I met her gaze head-on, my pulse steady. And then, I muttered.
"No, I don't.”
She stepped forward and suddenly kissed me.