Chapter Four

Pierce's P.O.V

I can feel it in his eyes. The way he looks at me, even the way he talks. He is not letting on all that needs to be known. But it matters little to me. I can go along with this little charade as long as I get to go back.

Despite me saying otherwise. . .I miss my little sister, my father, and friends. I need to let them know that I'm ok. I can't possibly allow my father to grieve over another one of his children.

I sit on the chair staring at nothing in particular. All the glamour of this room had faded the hour I stepped in here. As I look towards the foot of the bed, I see Cassius sprawled out on the massive amount of pillows he has, with little threads of drool hanging from the side of his mouth. His hair is all in a big mess, strands going this way and that.

Yet...he still looks extremely gorgeous.

His eyebrows are arched down in the manner that sharpens his already chiseled features. As his eyes are closed I notice how long his lashes are. They are very much like a woman's but I'm sure saying that would be no compliment to him.

Going even further down, I note the even roundedness at the end of his nose enhancing the kind of cuteness you would expect from a feminine person. His lips draw my attention even more. Slender yet plump, pink lips. I bite down on my own as I realize how he somewhat parts his lips as he sleeps. My eyes fall as thoughts of craving and lusts begins to slowly appear. For the first I notice the fine structure of his face.

Judging from his looks alone, he must be someone of importance. The lavishness of his room only supports my claim. So why would they allow someone like me, to be with him? Alone with him? Do they really think I would not lay a finger on him? He mumbles out something incoherent as he turns on his stomach and lets out a small sigh. Even he, himself is pretty lax around me.

I really just don't understand this man...

I'm sure if they knew my ranking they would not be so indifferent. I could only imagine what kind of " punishment" they would have in mind for me. Maybe another whipping? I scoff at this.

If that's what they call punishment, I would hate for one of them to end up as our prisoners, but we never keep prisoners. Somehow, the Alpha finds it inhumane. My head shakes at the thought. As for them...

I turn my head to look at the drooling man and his placid form only to be greeted by amber eyes staring calmly at me.The small amounts of green and grey specks can be seen from my distance alone. They are still heavy with sleep, but I can slightly make out the gears churning in his head trying to come up with something to say to me. He continues to stare until a small smile tugs on his lips catching me off guard. No matter how much I try, I cannot ever read him.

"Good Morning," He says softly with amusement lacing around his words.

"It's late in the afternoon," I say dryly back to him.

"Oh..."

As he makes movements to rise his fragrance wafts towards me. It's sweet, almost too sweet, but the smell of freshness and newness counterbalances it. I close my eyes for a brief moment only heightening his scent. It holds a tinge of a fruity smell but not very citrusy. A flower-like smell. . .it's almost blissful and relaxes me more than I would like to admit.

Once I open my eyes, I see him peeling off his shirt in a very nonchalant manner. Me being a were of the Eastern territories, it's not uncommon for us to see one another naked, male or female. I've never felt the need to turn around or feel some form of unease. But right now. . .the burning sensation running up to my face fills me with the urge to turn bashfully away.

Yet, I don't.

I take this opportunity to thoroughly scan down his body. I found myself admiring the way his toned, leaned frame would flex and contort at the smallest movements his arms made. I tried to turn my attention to somewhere else, but it was no use. I watched every little action he took until he smiled a devilish knowing grin at me making me instantly transfix my gaze on something, anything besides him.

He throws a playful glance at me and continues to strip off the rest of his clothing as he heads to the bathroom. "I'm going to shower."

His head pops up around the corner as I hear the shower start. "No peaking." He winks at me and then disappears into the shower. The door shutting makes me sigh out loud.

I rake my hands through my hair and shake my head completely disappointed with myself. It honestly shouldn't be embarrassing for me after everything, especially with what I had agreed to.

I know the connotation of being 'his' could mean insurmountable amount of things, but I know somewhere along the lines sex will be involved. I have no qualms about it. None at all. The sad fact that I'm ok with that is probably because of how attractive he is. Whether purposely or not, he leaks sex appeal and it's hard to ignore.

I tended to keep my sexual endeavors at a minimum simply because they lacked the connection and feeling I have constantly been looking for. Never once was I ever satisfied and began to find it pointless. This will just be like that, so I don't mind. After all, it's just sex.

He comes back out fully dressed in much more casual clothing than he slept in. He messily dries the rest of his hair off with a plush, red towel and throws it mindlessly in the room. "I don't want to hole you up in my room so...I'll drop you off with someone."

I look at him side-eyed and soon begin to roll my eyes and stare off into nothing. Whatever he thinks this is or how this thing is going to be. . .it isn't going to end well. I can almost guarantee that.

____________________________________________________________

Cassius' P.O.V

No matter the expression he makes, it just looks extremely sexy on him. Everyone and this kingdom knows that. I saw the way people were staring at him and I didn't like it one bit. But I suppose I may have to reign in my jealousy though.

He doesn't seem like the type to go around and have sex with just anybody. Mmm...but then again I could be wrong. He must be popular...and he's a man...I look at him and huff out as he looks absently away from me.

I can tell he's not too fond of the idea of me dropping him off somewhere, but I don't want to treat him like he's my prisoner sex slave. He's my mate. "Ah, don't look like that. You may like the little surprise I'm giving you," I say close to seductive on purpose causing me to get his attention.

"I honestly don't like the way you said that."

I smirk at this. Honest and straight-forward. I'm beginning to like him already.

"Ahah, it was completely innocent I swear."

I walk towards him as I say this. My hands run through his black blades of hair unable to resist the need to touch him. "So come on." His emerald green eyes meet mine as he puts his hands on top of mine sending more sparks down my body. He quickly removes my hands from his hair and gets up walking towards the door.

But sometimes. . .honesty is not all that nice to the person receiving it.

Never-minding that, I'm already late meeting with my mother. I walk towards him but instead of addressing what just happened I just open up the door and walk out.

"Where is he..." I see someone running practically out of breathe and stops right in front of me. "Your-"

"Don't," I growl.

"Take him and have him meet the other one." He nods and signals for Pierce to come with him in which he does with little to no problem.

"I'll see you soon."

"..."

"I guess it really can't be helped..." I turn away and head in the other direction of the building swatting off escorts here and there.

"Your Highness, your mother would like a word with you. She's in the Clastic Hall. I'll-"

"Okay, I don't need an escort."

"...Well My Lady asked me to escort you personally. . .so. . ."

"And who are you going to listen to?"

"...My Lady of course. She is your mother."

I look at the small form of the woman slightly bowing to me and sigh out again. It's back to this again huh? The palace life. I roll my eyes and motion for her to rise. "Let's go."

"Cassius. Your mother is really worried about you. She hasn't seen you in a while and she thought you went missing or something terrible had happened to you."

"I'm fine. That woman always thinks something is going to happen to me."

I continue to walk on making my way to the other side of the building. She's going to lecture me. I can feel it in the very depths of my bones. She must have heard by now. . .about Pierce.

"Lucrisia, has she heard?" I ask subtly. I'm sure Christophe or Anastasia has already told her. They've been waiting for the day where I finally slip up or make a mistake.

"...I'm not too sure."

I nod warily as we near the door. "She is right in there. Please tell me if you need anything." I nod and open the door mentally bracing myself for what's to come. Hopefully she'll be understanding...

"Cass."

I shut the door and don't bother to make eye contact with her. "You are late as usual."

"Forgive me, dear Mother."

"Why are you tense?"

"I'm not."

"Come here. Come have a seat." I walk over to her reluctantly and take a seat right next to her. She stops her embroidery to get a good look at me.

"You look troubled about something. Is it Christophe again?" I shake my head and let out a sigh.

"Many people want you to fail, but as always I'll always be by your side. You are my one and only son."

"Mom. . .I don't know what to do."

Her eyebrows furrow at my confession. "Tell me what's the matter?"

"...I...I found my mate." Her amber eyes gleam with excitement and shock.

"This is a happy occasion Cass! My, when I met your father I was as young as nineteen years of age, just like you. You see, I shared more than just my genes with you." I let out a scoff of laughter as my mom nudges me.

"So tell me, is your mate a man or woman? I am sure it's the former."

"...A man."

"Oh? He must be really attractive to be matched with my son~" She says dotingly which I can't help but smile at. " At this crucial time, I'm glad your mate is male. There will be two men leading this territory. There may be some light at the end of this very dark, dark tunnel."

"But..."

She looks at me as she moves her amber strands of hair from her very young looking face. "But what? Don't worry about his genes or where he came from. He is your mate. He will love you regardless, as you should him, just as your father had loved me..." There was faint traces of reminencence in her voice making me look painfully away from her.

"...You really mean that?"

"Of course!"

"You see...he's not from our territory."

"...What?" Her voice drops.

"...He...is not from here."

"He is an outsider? Which pack?"

"The Eastern Territory..." I say softly. I can feel her eyes on me as a long silence falls over us making me fidget. She purses her lips and sits silently staring at nothing in general, a habit that they both share. Finally, she decides to look at me and the expression was not what I was expecting.

"They care nothing of the sacred bond of mates. You realize and acknowledge this fact. Am I correct?" Her voice is stern and emotionless, but her eyes holds some sense of sadness and a foreign pain. I nod my head in compliance.

"He has yet to even accept me. He cares far too much of the contents of my blood. . .he would fully reject me if he ever finds out who I am. I cannot hide that forever and it worries me. He does not even want me touching him. I don't even think he likes me. I want him to accept me. However, I don't think he ever will."

She looks at me with a sad smile still lingering on her face. " Just because you are mates does not mean you will fall in love at first sight. Give him some time, don't be so pushy, and control your temperament. He'll come around I'm sure of it."

"...yea..." I say doubting her completely.

"His name. . .what is it?"

"Pierce."

"Pierce." She repeats back and this time with a smile. "That's a lovely name...I'd like to meet with him."

"He is not very. . ."

"Oh I know. If he is giving you such a hard time, I am sure he is a stubborn one, but I would still like a word with him nonetheless." I nod my head.

"...The other one. Gabriel. He is such a sweet boy. He came from the same place. I'm sure they know each other..."

"I already sent him to meet with him. He already has a very bad disposition of us and he wanted to leave but I..."

"You are forcing him to stay here?"

"If he leaves he'll forget all about me! Even when we do meet again, it will not be on good terms. I had to keep him here."

"...Cas. "

"So I agreed to let him go after a month's time lapses."

"You and your father shared the same personality. So pushy... don't do anything rash Cassius."

"I know. I know you can't force feelings. I want him to like me."

"Do you like him?"

I blink at this question. "You hardly know each other and you already trying to profess your love for him, " she chuckles while covering her thin lips.

"You have never been in a relationship, so I see how this may be bewildering to you, but you have to take it slow. Make sure to give him plenty of space and autonomy. Ok?"

I shake my head.

"While you do that, make sure you are getting to know him as well. You will be surprised by how fast your relationship will develop."

"Mom, are you really fine with this?"

"Of course I am. If he is the guy you like, I honestly don't care. I just want you to be happy." She kisses the side of cheek lightly before I can move away.

"Until he willingly accepts you, I rather you not tell anyone about him being your mate. Things may become overly complicated."

"I know. I won't."

She smiles warmly at me as she ruffles my hair. "I am so happy you found your mate. I really am. Now I know you will be looked after and taken care of properly. I do not have to worry so much."

"Mom, that is not necessary. It is really not that serious and honestly I can take care of myself." She sniffs a little moving her dainty hand over her lips trying to hold back another one of her smiles.

"Yes I know Cass, but it is nice to know I can finally put my trust in someone other than myself."

I let out a sigh as I begin to get up. She's really getting all emotional right now. . . .It's not like I'm getting married. . .

"I am going to go check up on him. "

"I will come by and visit you soon."

I give her a nod of acknowledgement and walk out the door with shaky breathe and all. I can hear her crying but I don't bother to go back in. After my father passed away she has grown weary and stressed out. I hated to see her like that. I'm glad she can finally relax.

For her sake, I really hope Pierce will come around and just acknowledge me. Accept me as his. Lucrisia bows slightly and quickly walks inside to comfort my mother.

______________________________________________________

Pierce's P.O.V

My eyes widen as pure shock and happiness surfaces. I see his eyes widen as he gets up slowly. His blonde hair, dusty grey eyes, and that smile that always lingers on his face is very much all the same. He has no bruising, no scars, not even a scratch. He's been well taken care of despite my intuition.

"Pierce..."

"..."

"Pierce! What are you doing here?!" He finally runs up to me and practically hugs the dear life out of me. My mind is still in shock and it's hard to process this all. I thought he was dead. His unit said he was. I just don't understand. I hug him back regardless of the stream of questions trickling into my mind.

"Gabriel I thought you were dead! We all thought you were..." My voice becomes shaky as I say this.

He separates from me and smiles one of his signature smirks at me making me relax drastically. " I'm fine. . .I've been here this entire time. They've been really kind to me. . . after the ambush attack my unit suffered. I was separated from the rest of team.

I had broken my leg and I had a deep wound in my torso. I could barely even defend myself against the weres from the Western territory. But a girl from this pack had saved my life. I've been here ever since."

"Why didn't you ask to go back? Your mother and father, your brothers and sister, they've-"

"I know. . .but I can't go back."

"What?"

"...You see I... I owe them a lot. I owe that woman my life."

"Gabriel!"

"I'm guessing someone saved you too right? You would not be here if otherwise."

I nod my head solemnly.

"They're good people. The Alpha, our Alpha, has been feeding us nothing but lies. How can I go back there and feign ignorance while slaughtering these people? I know some of their names now Pierce. I can't possibly go back there."

"...Yes someone saved my life. It would have been fine if my team didn't doubt my strategic planning. They just ran into battle wanting to die!"

"...Lily told me it was Cassius."

"Lily...? How do you know about-"

"Cassius. . .is a pretty hot-headed individual. It's rare that he would save a were from another territory, given what happened to his father. You must be pretty special."

I shake my head at this, not wanting to hear this useless information. "Gabriel we have to go back. Our friends and family are waiting for us."

"I met someone here. I want to protect her with my life just as she protected me with hers. A debt must be paid."

My eyes narrow as I acknowledge his argument. "It could be paid some other way."

"Gab-" A girls voice interupts our conversation, but stops abruptly as she sees me. Her blue eyes widen as she looks up at me full of awe. Just as quick as her reaction she wraps her arm around Gabriel's arms drawing herself closer to him as she stares subtly at me.

"...Is he one of your friends...?" Her voice is soft yet her stare is hard, leering almost. Strands of her chocolate brown hair begins to cover the side of her face as she moves her face closer to him.

"Yea. He is a very close friend... Pierce this is Lily. Lily Pierce."

I look at her oddly only because of the way she is looking at me. "...He's really handsome," She says softly taking both Gabriel and I by surprise. A blush consumes my face completely not expecting that.

"Uh...thanks," I mumble entirely embarrassed at this point. Slowly, she begins to peel herself away from Gabriel and moves a little closer to me.

"No wonder Cas is so into you. . ."

"...Cas? Cassius?" The name sounded so foreign on my tongue. It is actually the first time I said his name aloud.

She nods her head and smiles. " He's very fond of you...I'm glad he has someone big and tall to take care of him, protect him you know. . ." She smiles happily at me making my eyebrows furrow together. I look to Gabriel who looks just as confused as me until he looks at me.

"Pierce. . .you're his mate?" My eyes widen at this as my wolf's pacing heightens at the word.

"Mate?" Another foreign word on my tongue.

She notices both of our expressions and laughs softly while wrapping her arm around Gabriel's again. " You definitely are...he would not be treating you so nicely if you were not," Gabriel says just as confused as before. He looks at me for confirmation, but I only look away.

Mate...so is that what he meant by me being his? Him wanting me around is for that purpose...? I look back at Gabriel and Lily and shake my head. "I honestly don't know what you are talking about."

"He saved your life. You are in debt to him. You cannot leave until you fulfill it. You know that."

"I know. We already worked out a deal. I'll be here for a month and then I can leave."

"Are you leaving as well Gabriel?" Lily asks tentatively instantly making Gabriel grow restless.

"...More than likely. But, I will not go anywhere if he continues treat his savior coldly. You cannot treat him like that. Regardless of pack ties, he saved your life. You owe him that much."

"Cassius!" Gabe says while resisting the urge to bow his head.

I turn around and notice him and his strong, infatuating scent as he stands idly by the door. Gabriel bows slightly making Cassius narrow his eyes at him and he immediately stops. He smiles at me but I can only look away.

Who exactly is he?

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[A/N] Another chapter completed! I'm really writing this story for the heck of it. Sorry if it's taking too long for the plot to develop. I don't wanna leave no stone unturned! I hope you liked it~