Ti seed to freeze as the bowl of hot minestrone soup slid off the tray, tipping directly toward Cassandra. The scalding liquid splashed across her pale forearm, and she let out a startled cry.
“Oh my god!” Callum jumped up instantly, panic flashing across his face. “Are you okay?”
Cassandra automatically pulled back, but she wasn’t fast enough to avoid the soup completely. The hot liquid had already soaked through the sleeve of her light blue sundress, leaving an angry red stain spreading across the fabric.
“I’m so incredibly sorry, miss!” The waiter’s face had gone pale with horror. He frantically grabbed napkins from the table, offering them to Cassandra. “Please, let help—”
“It’s fine,” Cassandra said, though her voice was tight with pain. She pressed the napkins against her arm, wincing slightly.
Callum was already on his feet, hovering over her with concern etched into every line of his face. “Let see, Cass. You might need burn cream.”
He reached for her arm, gently pushing up her sleeve to check the damage. I watched as the wet fabric slid up, revealing angry red skin underneath—but sothing else caught my eye. Just below her elbow was what looked like a dark mark or scar. It was partially hidden, but I could make out what appeared to be four leg-like lines, almost like part of an animal.
Cassandra noticed my gaze and quickly tugged her sleeve back down. “It’s really nothing,” she insisted, her movents just a little too hurried.
“Are you sure?” Sophia asked. “That soup was steaming hot. We should at least get so ice on it.”
The commotion had drawn attention from nearby tables. A harried-looking woman rushed over, pulling two sheepish children behind her.
“I am so sorry,” she began, her tone irritated. “My boys were supposed to be—” She stopped abruptly when her eyes landed on , her expression shifting instantly. “Oh! I didn’t realize—I’m so sorry for not watching my kids better. Co on, boys, let’s go.”
She hurried away with her children before I could even respond, leaving confused by the sudden change in her deanor. Was she intimidated because of my connection to the Sullivan triplets? I still wasn’t used to how differently so pack mbers treated now.
The waiter returned, his forehead beaded with sweat. “Again, I sincerely apologize. The restaurant would like to comp your entire al as compensation for the accident.”
“That’s really not necessary,” Cassandra said, her sweet smile back in place. “It was an accident. I’ll heal soon enough.” Her voice was light, but I noticed she kept her arm carefully angled away from view.
“At least let bring you an ice pack,” the waiter insisted.
Cassandra nodded. “That would be nice, thank you.”
As the waiter rushed off, Sophia leaned forward. “Are you sure you don’t want to see one of the pack healers? There’s a clinic just a few stores down from here.”
“No, really, I’m fine.” Cassandra’s voice was soft but firm. “Wolf healing, rember? It’ll be gone in a few hours.”
Callum didn’t look convinced, but he settled back into his seat, keeping a protective arm around her shoulders. “If you’re sure...”
“Completely sure,” she replied, before turning to with that sa serene smile. “Now, where were we before all this excitent?”
The waiter returned with an ice pack wrapped in a clean cloth, which Cassandra pressed gently against her arm. The rest of our food arrived shortly after, and the conversation gradually returned to normal. Sophia talked about her studies, Callum shared stories from his job, and Cassandra listened attentively, asking thoughtful questions.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about Cassandra’s reaction. I looked at her. Everything about her seed normal, every much the loving, infatuated she-wolf who had just found her mate. Yet, there was an unsettling feeling in my stomach.
I tried to shrug it off. Maybe the unsettling feeling wasn’t mine. Maybe the triplets had t an issue at their eting.
“Hazel? Earth to Hazel?” Sophia nudged gently.
I blinked, realizing everyone was looking at expectantly. “Sorry, what?”
“Cassandra was asking if you’re planning to attend the spring festival next month,” Callum explained, eyebrows raised in concern. “You okay? You zoned out for a minute there.”
“Yeah, just thinking about so pack stuff I need to take care of,” I lied, forcing a smile. “The spring festival? I’m not sure yet. It depends on how things go with the... current situation.”
Cassandra tilted her head. “Current situation?”
Sophia and Callum exchanged glances, clearly unsure how much to share about the Annie investigation.
“Just so pack business,” I said vaguely. “Nothing too exciting.”
“I understand,” Cassandra replied, though sothing in her eyes made wonder if she actually knew more than she was letting on. “Pack politics can be so complicated.”
As we finished our als, I tried to push away my suspicions. Maybe I was being paranoid after everything that had happened.
When we finally said our goodbyes in the parking lot, Cassandra hugged with surprising strength for soone so delicate-looking.
“It was lovely eting you, Hazel,” she whispered, her breath cool against my ear. “I hope we’ll be seeing much more of each other.”
A shiver ran down my spine, though I couldn’t explain why.
“ too,” I replied automatically.
As Callum drove away with Cassandra in the passenger seat, I couldn’t shake the feeling that sothing wasn’t right about her.
Third POV
Lucas Sullivan paced the length of his father’s office, tension evident in every line of his body. His brothers sat nearby, equally on edge as they listened to the reports.
“All the evidence points to Annie working alone,” Beta Cohen was saying, gesturing to the docunts spread across Alpha Henry’s desk. “The items found in her room match exactly with what was used in the attacks against Hazel.”
“But why?” Liam asked, frustration clear in his voice. “I know she was upset about our relationship ending, but to go that far?”
Levi shook his head and shrugged. “I don’t know, man. She always seed like a bitch to .”
Alpha Henry frowned, examining the photographs of the evidence. “Sotis we never truly know what others are capable of until they’re pushed to their limits.”
Lucas stopped pacing. “We need to talk to Samuel Williams about this. He has always been protective of his daughter. I don’t believe that he didn’t have a single clue about her plans.”
“I agree,” Alpha Henry nodded. “I’ve always valued Samuel as an advisor, but in this case, his loyalty to his daughter might be clouding his judgnt.”
The door burst open suddenly, and a young warrior rushed in, breathing hard. The triplets imdiately tensed, recognizing the panic on his face.
“Alpha Henry, young alphas,” the warrior said, bowing quickly. “I apologize for the interruption, but I thought you should know imdiately—Annie Williams is missing.”
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