Chapter 137

Cassie

I had just placed a sleeping baby Noah next to his brother when I heard the stairs squeak.

"I swear to the goddess." Clenching my fists I flung open the front door. "I told you not to follow me, Caspian. I told you I wasn't ready to talk. You need to just leave me alone and let me have some time to think." Standing there with my hands on my hips I froze.

He was there. Right in front of me. As naked as the day he was born and just as unashamed. Tearing my eyes off the perfect sculpted body that I would know anywhere , I lifted my eyes to his bottomless dark ones.

"Julian." His name left my lips in a rush and the wind blew the sound away but I knew he had heard me anyway.

For a split second we stood there with not even a foot between us and then he was moving. Taking the final steps in one bound he crashed into me. Forcing me backwards. I stumbled , a small cry of shock escaping my lips before his mouth came crashing down on mine. We smashed into the doorframe and pain lanced up my spine but it was nothing compared to the breathlessness I was feeling from being in his arms again.

It felt so good.

"Get off of her-" Another voice roared, only this time it was female. Julian had half turned before a loud growl pierced the air.

A giant wolf jumped between my husband and the woman who my father had sent to guard me.

Crouching low , the wolf pulled back his lips from giant teeth and snarled. Drool dripping from his mouth in thick wet ropes.

Ian. The wolf was Ian.

They had both made it and they had found me. It should have been a happy time and not the start of another war.

"Back off dog boy." The woman flexed her arms and her muscles rippled. She didn't have any weapons and even though she was tall, Ian's wolf towered over her. If she was human she wouldn't have stood a chance. Even if she had been a wolf she wouldn't have.

But she wasn't any of those things. She was Lycan and she would rip both of them apart with her bare hands without even breaking a sweat.

"Stop it." Stepping around Julian and ignoring his protest I padded down the steps to stand in front of Ian. "Both of you stop it." I looked from him to the unnamed woman and back again. "There is no need for this. Stop growling Ian."

He ignored me. His head swung around to stare around me. I rolled my eyes.  They were all acting like class A douche bags.

"You." I pointed at the woman. "Go back and tell Caspian that-"

"I don't tell the king anything, I do not order him. You told him he wasn't allowed to follow you to keep you safe so he sent me."

"Fuck." Of course he had found a loophole. Of course he had.

"So I'm here until someone comes to replace me or I have orders to stand down."

"Fine. But stop threatening. Ian is my friend. Everyone here is my friend." Turning my attention back to Ian I stared at him. He stared right around me and continued to growl.

Exasperated, I slapped the top of his nose hard. "Will you shift so we can talk properly? Like people." I gave his nose another tap. "Shift back."

"Will you stop slapping at me like a mongrel." Ian grumbled. Cupping himself so he wasn't flapping in the wind. Turning to me with a grin , he hugged me with one arm. And I hugged him back. I knew Julian wouldn't like it. I could almost feel his jealousy in the air but I didn't care. Ian was my friend and I wouldn't let Julian yank another friend from me. I needed all the friends I could get right now.

"It's so good to see you Ian." I murmured.

"Same goes to you Cassie. I knew you would get out in one peace and you're looking great."

"Well-" the Lycan interrupted. We turned to her in shock. She  let her eyes travel down his body and sneered. "You are one. You look like one anyway. And no mongrel gets to touch her. The king orders."

Ian stepped in front of me again. "I do not recognise your king. I recognise mine and he is her husband."

"For now. But step away now. Move away from her. Or I'll-"

They went back to arguing and it was starting to wear thin.

"You  will do what? You can't do anything."

The woman pulled herself up to her full height. "I could rip you apart but such a small-" she let her sneer widen as she let her eyes drop down his body again. "Man wouldn't deserve that much effort."

It was the wrong thing to say. Ian's fists clenched at his side.

"I'll end you-" he stepped forward. And she danced forward to meet him. I had never seen two strangers hate each other on first sight as much as these two did.

"I'm going to feast on your-"

"Actually." A new voice said from the shadows of the trees. "The only person who gets to feast on Ian is me."

"Yana." I turned in shock but Ian got to her first. He swung her up and into his arms. Kissing her face wildly.

"Ian?" Julian muttered.

"Leave him." I patted his arm. "Let them be."

"Who is she?" Both the Lycan and Julian asked at the same time.

"Yana." I said simply. "His mate."

"She's not a wolf." Julian muttered.

I turned to him with a glare. "I'm pretty sure he knows that already."

"She's as weak as he is." The woman muttered under her breath.

"Oh shut up." I glared at her. "Now make yourself useful and take everyone down to scarlet. If Yana is here then so are some of her pack. Take everyone down the hill. I'll be down in the morning."

"I can't leave you unprotected."

"She won't be. I'll be here with her." Julian reached for my hand and I shook it away. Ignoring the look of hurt in his eyes.

"No you won't. I need you to leave as well. I just need to be on my own."