Chapter 150

Julian

Cassie was quiet. Quiet and polite and I knew something was wrong. It wasn't like her to be so secretive. Only in a way it was because once she had been so secretive that she had run away from me for months on end.

It was the quietness that did it. It made me nervous. I could handle her when she was raging at me. In fact I preferred it. At least when she was ranting and raging at me it meant there was something we could sort out. This polite cold shoulder meant she was hiding something from me.

"You don't need to cook for me you know?" I said softly as I moved towards her. Everyone knew, Cassie included that she wasn't the best cook in the world. Moving behind her I wrapped my arms around her waist and let my chin rest on the top of her head. "I already ate down with the other council members. It was great. You should have-"

She stiffened in my arms, her back rigid. The wooden spoon in her hand dropped into the thick red sauce she was stirring.

"I see." Two words but they were laden with anger.

"I should have told you." I rubbed my chin back and forth across the top of her head. Making her hair stick up. "Shall I go and get you something-"

Cassie stepped back. Right onto my foot and I let her go. My arms dropped to my side. I waited for her to turn to me and start yelling. Cassie wasn't usually so shy about telling me what was the matter and it was clear I had done something to piss her off.

"What have I done?" I asked when she didn't turn around. The set in her shoulders were still the same. And the way she was aggressively stiring the sauce like she would quite happily use that heavy wooden spoon and bop me over the head with it.

Which would have been better than this icy silent treatment.

"Nothing." Cassie snapped out of the corner of her mouth. "Nothing at all."

That was a lie and we both knew it.

"I'm sorry if I ate down with the pack. I just didn't want you to wait on me. That's not your job." I mumbled.

"Move please." Not letting me time to move out of her way; she took the pan and dumped it into the sink. Red sauce splattering everywhere.

"Cassie."

Whirling around she threw up a hand to silence me. "Just stop Julian. You didn't eat down there because it was better for me. You ate down there because you completely forgot about me. " Wiping her hands down her jeans she padded across the room and headed towards the front of the house.

"Don't stay up. " she called back over her shoulder as she shrugged into her coat.  "I won't be back until late."

I was across the room and at her side in an instant. My hand closed around her wrist to stop her opening the front door and leaving me.

"Where are you going?" This time there was anger in my voice as well. A growl that made it deeper and more gruff. "Cassie-" I let my teeth show. "Where are you going?"

She turned to me slowly. Her own lips pulled back. "Let go of me."

I shook my head. "No. I know the look on your face. You're up to something and it's something I won't agree with."

Rolling her hand she snatched her arm away, glaring at me. "I'm going out." She snapped back.

"Where? Who with? This young pup Kip?" My voice shook.

Throwing back her head Cassie laughed. "You're jealous of a boy. You are the big all important king. Come on now Julian." She rolled her eyes. "I don't owe you an explanation as to where I am going or who I am with."

"You are my wife."

More laughter filled my ears. "I am your wife Julian." Turning into me she placed both of her hands on my chest. "And I am your queen. A fact that seemed to slip your mind today at the meeting. You and the other old stuck in their ways council members did not want to listen. It was like because we are women then our ideas are useless."

"That is not what I meant at all. You are twisting things. You and Scarlett just don't have the experience in these matters." The moment I said it I knew it was the wrong thing to say. Cassies face closed down completely. The angry light went out of her eyes and a small sardonic smile pulled at the corners of her lips. Making them thinner than usual.

"No we don't. You are right about that." Cassie said quietly. "And that's why I am leaving now."

"You haven't told me where you are going or when you will be back. I'm not trying to control you but I can't protect you if I don't know."

"You haven't known where I was all day and it wasn't a problem then." She pointed out and I bristled. Mostly because she was right. I had known deep down she was safe because she was with Ian.

"You were with Ian and-"

She cut me off. "I'll be with Ian again tonight. Ian and Scarlett and young Kip. We are going to put together a task force about the orphan  adoption thing." She lifted her eyes to me unblinking. "And then we are going to train."

My eyes narrowed. "Train?" My eyebrows shot up.

"Yes Julian Train. I am not the only woman in this pack that needs to learn how to defend herself. So we are setting up classes for those who want to take them."

"Cassie." I warned.

"I refuse to be weak. I want my children back and to do that I need to be strong. I need to learn how to fight."

"You are not weak." I had never meant anything more in my life. "And if you want to train then I will teach you."

She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek.  "You have more important things to concentrate on. I will try not to be late but don't wait up."

I watched powerless as she walked away and didn't look back. Everything she had said made perfect sense. She had even kissed me so why did it feel like I was watching her walk out of my life.

Lifting my hand I ran my fingers through my hair. Goddess women were confusing.