Page 21 of The Alpha's Pretend Mate

Aleksander whirled on him, his eyes blazing. "What the hell was that, Cassius? Since when is my sister your mate?"

Cassius ran a hand through his hair, his mind racing. "It's not… It's not real, Aleks. I had to say something. You heard what he was suggesting. I couldn't let him think Alysa was available for some political marriage."

Aleksander's anger deflated slightly, but confusion still clouded his features. "So it was all a lie? Just to protect her?"

"Of course," Cassius said, perhaps a bit too quickly. "You know how I feel about Alysa. She's like a sister to me. I couldn't stand by and let her be used as a bargaining chip."

Like a sister. Right. Keep telling yourself that.

Aleksander sank into a chair, shaking his head. "I appreciate you looking out for her, but this… This is a mess, Cass. How are we going to explain this to Alysa? To the rest of the Pack?"

Cassius's stomach churned at the thought. "We'll figure it out. It's only for two weeks. We just need to keep up the charade until the exchange is complete. Then we can say it didn't work out or something."

"And you don't think people will find that suspicious? An Alpha claiming a mate and then suddenly breaking it off?"

Cassius winced. He hadn't thought that far ahead. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. The important thing is that Alysa is safe from being traded off to some stranger."

Aleksander's eyes narrowed. "Is that the only reason, Cass? Or is there something you're not telling me?"

Heat crept up Cassius's neck. "What are you implying?"

Aleksander raised a brow. “You’re not doing this because of Marcus being a rogue, are you? You’ve always been one of the few who’s been open to working with them.”

“It’s not about him being a rogue,” Cassius shot back. “It’s about not knowing him well enough. He could be dangerous. We don’t know what kind of life Alysa would have with him.”

Aleksander sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I get it. I do. But you and I both know that some people are going to see this as a slap in the face to the rogues. You’re going to have to defend your decision.”

“I will,” Cassius said firmly. “I don’t care what people think. My only concern is Alysa.”

Aleksander was silent for a while until Cassius finally spoke. “If you had to choose… would you rather she ends up with him? Or with me?”

"You. Of course, my best friend," Aleksander said. "I just find it interesting that your first instinct was to claim her as your mate. Not your ward, but your mate."

Cassius stood abruptly, pacing the length of the room. "You're reading too much into this, Aleks. I did what I had to do to protect her. That's all."

Is it, though? Or did you just say out loud what you've been denying to yourself?

Aleksander watched him for a long moment before sighing. "Alright. I believe you. And… thank you. For protecting her. Even if your method was a bit… extreme."

Cassius stopped pacing, turning to face his friend. "You know I'd do anything to keep her safe. To keep any member of both our Packs safe."

"I know," Aleksander said softly. "But this isn't just any member of the Pack, Cass. This is Alysa. My sister. Your… whatever she is to you. This affects her life in a big way."

Guilt gnawed at Cassius's insides. He hadn't considered how this would impact Alysa beyond keeping her safe from Marcus's proposition. "You're right. I should have thought it through more. But what's done is done. We need to figure out how to move forward."

Aleksander paced, shaking his head. “You know she’s going to lose her mind when she hears about this.”

Cassius winced internally. He knew that all too well. “I’ll explain it to her. She’ll understand.”

Or at least, I hope she does.

Aleksander nodded, his expression turning thoughtful. "We should tell her together. She deserves to hear it from both of us."

The thought of facing Alysa, of explaining what he'd done, made Cassius's stomach churn. But Aleksander was right. They owed her the truth.

"Agreed," Cassius said, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair. "Let's go now. The sooner we explain, the better."

As they left the conference room, Cassius's mind raced with possible scenarios. How would Alysa react? Would she be angry? Hurt? Or, worst of all, indifferent?

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