Chapter 3

Cassandra’s POV

I didn’t realize that mending things with Gabriel would be so hard. I kept repeating to myself that it was time to talk to him, but each time I mustered my courage to approach him, something went wrong, and I backed out.

Honestly, I still couldn’t fully embrace his ambitions to strengthen our pack, especially by hurting other wolves. But what I realized was that my feelings for Gabriel were still strong, and ignoring each other wouldn’t help any of us. If I wanted this relationship to work, I would need to do something and finally find a compromise. Who knows? Maybe he would hear me out and change his mind.

I returned to my regular pack chores and stopped exhausting myself with other’s work. I realized it would be no good if I let others just overburden me. We all had our duties, after all.

I didn’t know what to do with my free time, though. But luckily, Daniel stayed within the pack’s territory, and I could see him more often. So we started spending more and more time together.

It was almost evening, and Daniel and I sneaked out from the pack’s eyes to the lakeside. My thoughts about Gabriel were already eating me out, but I still couldn’t find enough strength to face him.

Daniel noticed my discomfort and asked, “Cass, you look like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders. What's going on?”

I hesitated for a moment. I wasn’t sure if I should tell him about Gabriel and me – our relationship was secret for a reason. But it wouldn’t hurt if I told only him, right?

I signed deeply and said, “Daniel, I need to tell you something.”

“Go on, I’m all ears,” he gave me a reassuring smile.

“Well… It’s about Gabriel, our alpha.”

“What about him?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Gabriel and I... we’re in a relationship. A secret one.”

“Hold on a second. You and Gabriel? Seriously?” He was truly surprised.

“Yeah… kind of.”

“You gotta be kidding. Since when?”

“For a while now. It’s complicated. But that’s not what matters here. We had a fight recently, and we’ve been avoiding each other since then. I just don’t know what to do, and I feel like I’m stuck in this situation,” I said, heaving a sad sigh.

“Have you tried talking to Gabriel?” he asked.

“Yes and no,” I replied, shaking my head. “I tried many times, actually. But every time I try to approach him, I just get scared and run away.”

“Wow…” he said, confused. “I don’t know what happened between you two, but it seems to be tough. Let’s look at this issue this way. Is he important to you?”

“Yes.”

“Do you care about him?”

“Yes.”

“And you don’t want to lose him, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then you need to be honest with him, Cass. Lay your feelings out there. Tell him you want to find a way to reconcile, to understand each other better. I’m sure he will listen to you, and together, you will find a way. If he cares about you as much as you care about him, of course.”

“Ouch! That was harsh,” I retorted and slightly kicked his shoulder.

“But true,” he laughed.

His words made sense, and I knew he was right. I couldn’t keep living in uncertainty, letting my feelings consume me. I had to take action and face my fears. With Daniel’s encouragement, I finally worked up the courage to talk to Gabriel.

It wasn’t an easy conversation, and I stumbled over my words more than once. But I poured my heart out to him, telling him how I felt and how confused I was. To my surprise, Gabriel listened attentively without interrupting me.

“I’m sorry, Gabriel. I shouldn’t have reacted that way. I care about you, and I want to support you. But sometimes, I just can’t understand your actions,” I told him honestly.

“It’s alright, Cass,” he said, taking my hand in his. “Sometimes, leaders have to make unpopular decisions, however confusing and provocative they may be. All I do is in the best interest of the pack, I assure you. I just hope you won’t be so quick to judge.”

“I’ll do my best,” I replied. “Just don’t avoid me, please. I don’t want to lose you.”

“Neither do I. We can find a way to make it work, Cassandra. I promise,” he smiled, looking into my eyes.

I felt a wave of relief wash over me. It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I voiced my concerns to Gabriel, and he understood. His words gave me hope, and I knew that with him by my side, we could face any challenges that came our way.

As I walked back to my room, I thought about Daniel. I felt grateful for Daniel’s support and encouragement. He had been there for me, helping me find the courage to talk to Gabriel.

Over the next few days, Gabriel and I were seeing each other more often. I wished we were officially dating. Keeping our relationship secret just didn’t feel right. But I had to be grateful for whatever I had. I mean, who would ever agree to date a girl who couldn’t even shift into her wolf? And dating an alpha, even secretly, seemed like a dream come true.

I really enjoyed my relationship with Gabriel, and I couldn’t have been happier. Besides, Daniel was always by my side, constantly boosting my energy and giving me his support whenever I needed it. I felt so blessed to have a friend like him.

One night, as we sat around the campfire, Daniel pulled me aside for a private conversation. I could see the nervousness in his eyes.

“Cassandra,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I need to tell you something, and I hope you won’t be upset with me.”

My heart sank, fearing the worst. But I encouraged him to continue.

“I know that you and Gabriel are together now,” he said, his voice trembling. “And I respect that. But I can’t deny my feelings for you anymore. I’ve had them for a long time, but I didn’t want to burden you with them. I just needed to tell you how I feel.”

I was stunned, unsure of what to say. I thought he was okay just being friends with me, especially knowing that I was with Gabriel now. I never suspected that Daniel might have feelings for me. I didn’t want to hurt Daniel, so I struggled to find the right words to say.

“Daniel, I appreciate your honesty,” I finally said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “But I’m with Gabriel now, and I can’t change that. I care for you deeply, but I don’t want to hurt you or anyone else. I hope you can understand.”

He nodded, a sad expression on his face. “I understand, Cassandra. I just wanted to tell you how I feel, and I won’t bring it up again. I just want you to be happy.”

I hugged him tightly, grateful for his understanding. He was truly one of the kindest and most selfless people I had ever met, and I didn’t want to lose his friendship. We returned to the campfire, and I tried to push my thoughts about Daniel to the back of my mind.

As time passed, my thoughts about Daniel never quite went away. I tried to ignore them, focusing on my relationship with Gabriel. But deep down, I knew that I would always care for him in a special way. I just didn’t know what to do about it.

One day, as I sat alone by the lake, Daniel approached me. We sat in silence for a few minutes before he started speaking.

“Cassandra,” he finally said, breaking the silence. “I know that I told you about my feelings for you, and I don’t want to make things awkward between us. But I just want you to know that I’ll always be here for you, no matter what. And if you ever need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on, I’m here.”