Cassian's POV
I stood frozen in the doorway, my gaze darting in confusion between the lace dangling from Sasha's fingers and Vivienne who was backed against the dresser, looking cornered.
My brow furrowed, confusion etched in my gaze as I stared at the scene.
Slowly, my eyes narrowed down on the lace and I involuntarily sniffed, my senses heightening as the sharp, unmistakable scent of female arousal wafted from the silk.
I froze, my eyes widening.
That smell…
Holy fucking—
My eyes flew to Vivienne. Her steps faltered just in front of the doorstep, her scent wafting into my nostrils, matching the exact scent on those panties, arousal or not.
She slowly turned to Sasha and the sound of her heart skipping a beat, then thumping loudly didn't escape my ears.
I exchanged a look with Maddox.
His face was unreadable but I could already tell the thoughts running wildly in his head.
I stopped looking at him and turned my gaze back to Vivienne. Then…back to the lace panty.
Danmmmm!
How the hell was her—
Angrily, my eyes ripped away from the lace and flew to my brother.
Rhys stood like a statue, his towering frame tense and jaws locked tight.
The moment our eyes met, an unspoken, dark understanding passed between us.
The subtle flare of guilty panic in his gaze told me everything I needed to know.
My brother, had been hoarding Vivienne's intimate things.
Why the hell would he even…
Before I could even process the absurdity, Sasha's gaze snapped toward Vivienne.
Her eyes narrowed into a vicious, calculating slit and I felt the bile I didn't know was stuck in my throat, forcefully drop to the pit of my stomach.
I knew exactly what was about to happen next, but I couldn't step in.
I couldn't do a damn thing.
Not when Sasha's connections were the only reason our border patrol hadn't been completely wiped out by the rogue coalition yet. We needed her. So I forced myself to stay rooted to the spot, watching the trainwreck unfold.
"Oh, I see…'' Sasha started, a tauntingly, cruel mocking laugh bubbling up from her throat as she stepped closer to Vivienne. "Under all that innocent girl facade, you are really as loose as they say, aren't you?''
A low chuckle escaped her lips and she stepped into Vivienne's personal space even more. ''The guts you have to come in here and try to seduce Rhys while your husband is out there risking his life needs to be studied. I mean…You were so desperate, you couldn't even keep your panties on!"
"Sasha!'' Maddox's voice boomed, a low, lethal warning vibrating in his chest. "Let it go.''
Sasha gave him a small glance before crossing her hand against her chest, a sly smirk curling across her lips as she faced Vivienne, not willing to stop.
When Maddox didn't say anything anymore, she pressed on, her voice rising to a shrill, venomous pitch. "Why should I stop?'' She stepped close to Vivienne, her shoulders tightening.
''How shameless can you be? Tell me, will you only be satisfied when you have all four brothers to yourself? Are you trying to—''
The words had barely left her mouth when the air in the room shattered.
To our absolute shock, Vivienne stepped directly into Sasha's face.
Before anyone could blink, her hand cut through the air, delivering a hot, blinding slap right across Sasha's cheek.
The crack of skin against skin echoed in the room.
Sasha's head snapped to the side, her fingers flying to her burning, reddening cheek.
Her eyes widened and a hot seering tears brimmed in her eyes.
Vivienne ignored the tears in her eyes and growled, her voice dripping with a lethal, dominant authority that made my blood freeze. ''I don't know what hold you crawled out from but things are different now!''
Her chest heaved heavily as she stared down at Sasha with an intensity that could kill. ''I am the Luna of this pack now! If you think you can push me around and run your loose mouth, think again!''
I stared at her, my breath catching in my throat.
My hand dug into the flesh of my skin as a sudden, violent jolt of electricity shot straight down to my groin.
My manhood strained fiercely against my pants, throbbing with an intense, sudden arousal.
Seeing her like that—fierce, unyielding, and utterly dominant made my wolf jolt up happily.
I grit my teeth harshly and clench my thighs together, forcing down the wave of arousal.
''You—''
Sasha's words hung in her throat as Vivienne snatched the lace out of her hand and stormed out of the room, her scent trailing behind her.
Sasha stood stunned, her eyes wide and her mouth agape as she stared at the empty doorway.
Tears welled in her eyes, her hand clutching her cheek as her lips quivered.
She tried to speak, her chest heaving as she choked on her words repeatedly, but nothing came
out.
''Did she just—'' Her words hung in her throat once more, her teary eyes darting between me and my brothers.
Realizing none of us were going to comfort her, she let out a frustrated sob and stormed out of the room too, slamming the door hard behind her.
The hinges almost ripped off at the impact. But the door clicked shut and the fragile restraint holding me together snapped.
''You've got to be fucking—'' I lunged across the room, grabbing Rhys by the collar of his shirt and slamming him hard against the wall.
"Rhys, you bastard!" I shouted into his face, my veins popping against my neck as my jaw ticked with pure rage.
''What the fuck where you thinking?!'' My hand tightened around his collar, pressing him into the wall till it hurts.
''Why the hell would you think to take Vivienne's panties? Are you trying to ruin everything?!"
Rhys didn't flinch.
Instead, a twisted maniacal laugh bubbles up from his chest as he stared at me with a smirk cutting across his face. ''What? Jealous, Cassian?''
I bit into the inside of my cheeks till the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.
''Jealous? Are you fucking insane?!'' My hand slowly curled into fist, my body trembling from anger.
Before I could tear his throat out, Maddox shoved me aside. The force enough to throw me across the room.
His eyes flickered between his wolf's eyes color and his normal eye color as he heaved heavily, anger erupting from him.
He grabbed Rhys by the throat, his fingers curling into tight claws that dug straight into the flesh of his neck.
My heart stopped.
"Maddox!" I roared, smelling the sharp, metallic tang of blood filling the air.
I quickly rushed to him and shoved him away from Rhysc stepped between them.
Maddox was completely uncontrollable when he was angry, and his wolf was clawing at the surface, threatening to be let free.
I knew he was trying so hard to keep himself at bay.
He slowly exhaled and cursed at Rhys. "Bastard!" His chest heaved as he glared over my shoulder.
"We share! We fucking share! But now is not the right time! Roman is out there right now, fighting a war. For all we know, he could be fucking what? Dead? And the only thing in your sick mind is how to fuck his wife!''
At the mention of Roman being dead, the smug, maniacal smile on Rhys's face instantly faltered.
It was as if the brutal reality of his actions finally crashed through his skull.
His face drained of color as he realized the consequences of the game he had intended to play. He stepped away from the wall, straightening his rumpled collar, his jaw ticking in agonizing silence.
Before any of us could open our mouths to speak another word, the heavy door burst open once more.
The pack nurse we had spoken to earlier stood in the frame, her chest heaving violently as she gasped for air.
Her eyes were wide with pure, unadulterated terror, her hands shaking so hard she could barely hold herself up.
We all froze, looking at her in complete confusion.
"Alphas..." she breathed out, her voice cracking with panic as she looked up at us. "I—It's—It's—'' Her words caught in her throat, her hand gripping the base of her knee as she wheezed, fighting for air.
My brow shot up in confusion, my mouth twisting.
''It's Luna Vivienne.''
My heart did a violent leap.
Our hearts froze at the same time, the only heartbeat the intense drumming of the heart against the rib cage coming from the nurse.
Maddox was the first to step forward after a long while of silence. ''What happened to her?!'' His voice was cold and riddled with urgency.
The nurse flinched a bit before exhaling, her heartbeat slowly normalizing.
She swallowed a bile in her throat before speaking, not quite meeting our eyes. ''She just took a silver blade from the armory. Sh-She's on her way to the border right now."