Chapter 24

Cassie

This party was much better than the last one I had been to. For one thing it was so much bigger. There were so many shifters here and not just wolves either. I didn't know what everyone was celebrating but I was looking forward to escaping my husband's clutches and talking to people.

Networking crowds like this was something I was good at. I was a friendly person and people liked me. And in this room were so many powerful, important people. People who could help me get my career back on track.

Julian might say he was my boss but he wasn't the boss of the other shifters.

"Let's dance." Julian thrust his hand out and for a second I stared at it unseeing.

"Cassie?" He prompted. His voice was a low menacing hiss. "Dance."

Slowly I slipped my hand into his and let myself be pulled upwards and toward the dance floor that was in the middle of the ballroom.

He twirled me once and a small cheer of appreciation went up from the crowd that was watching us.

Julian's hand slipped against the small of my back and pulled me so tightly against him that I could feel every hard ridge of muscle through his tuxedo and shirt.

"Why exactly are we dancing?"

"Because." His hand slipped upwards so he was touching my skin through the cut out in the back of my dress. "It's what is expected of us."

"And you have to hold me this tightly because." I lifted my face to search his.

"Because we are meant to be madly in love newly weds?" Julian was smiling and it drove me crazy and not in a good way.

God I hated him. I hated his handsome face and the smug way he spoke to me like he thought he was better than everyone else around him.

"Why?" He dropped his face to my ear and I stifled a moan as his hot breath brushed against my skin.

I hated my body's reaction to him the most.

I knew why he was doing it though. He was putting on a show for the other party goers. To anyone looking on it would look like he was whispering sweet nothings in my ear or even kissing my neck.

Neither one of those things were true.

"Don't you do the right thing and sign the damn divorce papers." He murmured in a deep sultry voice. "Free us both from this nightmare."

"No." I didn't add that I couldn't do that. And neither did I mention the contract his grandfather the king had made me sign. I had no idea if Julian was aware of that.

Probably not. If he knew then he wouldn't be pushing the divorce so hard. Unless of purse there was someone else he wanted to marry. Someone like Megan.

I shook the thought away.

"Neither one of us are happy." His lips brushed my ear. "So why not?"

He twirled me away for him for a second before pulling me back into him with such force that my teeth rattled.

"Do you have to be so rough." I hissed.

Chuckling he swept my hair back behind my hair. "Yes." He whispered. "And I can get a lot rougher."

I trembled at the promise in his voice and hated myself for it.

And he felt it. His laugh in my ear was mocking. "Oh not rough in the way you are wanting Cassie. But If you don't free me then I will make your life rough."

Aware that everyone was watching our every move I reached up and began to run my fingers through the thick dark hair at the back of his head.

"You already do."

"Oh no Cassie." He brushed his lips against my cheek in a kiss that wasn't quite a kiss. I didn't know what it was but it wasn't a kiss. It almost felt threatening. "If you don't free me then I will make your life a living hell. I promise you that. I will ruin your life."

The music ended and he stepped backwards, lifting my arm high as the people around us erupted into applause.

They thought we were in love. Madly and deeply. Some of them might even think that we were fated mates. They looked at us and saw happiness when in reality the opposite was true.

We hated each other and were miserable. At least I was. Julian seemed to be enjoying himself.

He got some kind of twisted pleasure from hurting me.

"I need to go to the bathroom if you will excuse me."

"Don't be long." His hand slipped from my back but it was like I could still feel the heat of it on my skin. A burning sensation.

Maybe he was toxic enough to actually leave a hand print on my skin. I wouldn't put it passed him at all.

"They will expect us to dance again soon."

Not answering him, I walked away. My limbs trembling with the need to get away from him even for a few seconds. I didn't know why but he frightened me and excited me in equal measures and I just needed a few moments to catch my breath.

"Hello again Cassie."

I stifled a scream as alpha Bill stepped out of a darkened doorway and reached for me in one fluid movement. His hand curled around my wrist and dragged me into the shadows.

"Get your hands off of me." I cried out but the music from the ballroom drowned out the sound of my voice. The last time I had been alone with him, he had drugged and tried to rape me. I didn't want to be alone with him again.

Not ever.

"What do you want?" I growled out when it became clear that no one was going to come and rescue me. "I thought prince Julian made it clear that you were to leave me alone."

Throwing back his head Bill laughed. "Julian doesn't scare me, and anyway." He stepped into my space. Trapping me against the door with one twist of his body. He crushed me, his arms on either side of my head so I was trapped with nowhere to go.

"Rumours are you want him to leave you alone." His eyes bored down into mine.

It was so strange. Bill was a handsome man but when he looked at me there was only fear clenched my body. Not fear and excitement like when Julian did.

"The gossips are wrong."

"Are they?" His hand slid down my cheek. Tenderly almost but it made me want to scream. I didn't want him to touch me. "Because I've been watching you. You don't look like you are in love. Most of the time you don't even look like you like each other. What hold does he have over you that keeps you trapped to him?" One smooth thumb rubbed across my lip. "I can help free you of him, Cassie. Let me help you." Grinning Bill forced his thumb into my mouth. His eyes darkening.

I did the only thing I could think of. I bit down hard. My sharp teeth piercing his skin so my mouth was suddenly full of his coppery blood.

He howled. His arm lashed backwards but he didn't strike. Slowly he lowered it and grinned.

"You don't want me as an enemy Cassie, remember that." Without another word he walked away, slipping into the crowd in the ballroom and disappeared.

Letting out a sigh of relief I sagged against the door and closed my eyes. That had been close.

I didn't know what Bills problem was but I felt it had more to do with Julian than me. I was just a pawn in a battle that I didn't understand yet.

But I would.

All of these big strong alpha males were trying to use me but I just wasn't the kind of woman who would be used. I had been through too much to let any of them push me around.

Forrest was right, I had to start remembering who I was and fight back.

The door knob behind me twisted and I leapt away but the door didn't open more than an inch before a voice hit me. A very familiar voice.

I flattened myself to the wall.

What was Megan doing here?