BANG! The force of the impact rattled the massive front door, reverberating through the luxurious house.

My heart leaped into my throat, still reeling from Cassius's terrifying revelations and how he was gaining on me. The intimacy of his touch, the shocking knowledge he displayed about my body, had left me breathless. Now, this.

"Who?" I gasped.

Cassius’s head snapped towards the door, his eyes, amber fire, narrowing. He didn’t answer. Instead, he scanned the large windows overlooking the manicured lawn, his gaze sharp, assessing. His silence was louder than any shout, a stark confirmation of imminent danger.

"Cassius," I tried again.

He paused, a flicker of something almost predatory in his eyes. A chilling smile then spread across his lips, transforming his features into a mask of dark amusement.

I wondered how he could smile in all this. When death was after me.

His whisper, usually a soft breeze, now felt like a viper coiling around my fears, slithering into the deepest corners of my mind. It was silent, yet it entered the depths of my soul, chilling me to the core. "That's how you call my name when you're scared, Salome."

The name, Salome, was a heavy mantle, suffocating me. I shook my head. "Are they after me?" I demanded, the question tearing free despite my terror. My gaze flickered to the door, then back to his unreadable face.

"Everyone is after you," he corrected, his whisper dropping lower, denser, like falling stone. He shifted, turning fully to face me. His finger, long and lean, pointed directly at me, a silent accusation. "You didn't know why the ancient pack was locked away? You! Because of you."

My breath hitched. Me? I was just Rosie. A cast-off omega. A sacrifice.

"I loved you," he continued, his voice laced with a fierce longing that sent shivers down my spine. "My brother loved you." His eyes held mine captive, conveying centuries of passion, of loss. "But your blood was power. Your soul, an essence."

I shrugged. “How?”

He paused, his gaze hardening, as if remembering ancient betrayals. "The pack of seven alphas entails me, my brother, our parents, a rogue, a witch, and an inker who was the only friend of yours. The rogue alpha wants to keep you so my brother and I could bow. The witch wants your blood to attain immortality."

My stomach churned. Immortality? My blood? Even a witch was part of the pack.

"Our father and mother want the best for us and want you dead so their sons can focus."

Dead. His parents. My purported in-laws. They wanted me dead.

"And the inker, she's your devout friend."

“Rosie!” My real name screamed in my head. I stood frozen on the spot, every muscle locked. “Death is after you!” I said to myself.

From being a meaningless sacrifice, a lamb led to slaughter, I was now a sheep among wolves, literally.

Death. Death. Death! It echoed in my skull, a macabre chant. Why couldn't I just die in peace? Why did evil, in its most ancient and powerful forms, always find me?

My uncle's brutal "mercy" suddenly felt almost kind compared to this elaborate, terrifying pursuit. He wanted me dead for simple power. These beings wanted me for my very essence.

Another bang, louder this time. The door groaned.

"Cassius!" Casimir’s voice boomed from the other side, impatience laced with a dangerous edge.

Cassius shot me a look, then with a reluctant sigh, he walked to the door. He reached for the handle, then hesitated, glancing back at me.

Casimir pushed through from the outside, his powerful form filling the doorway, sleek in a perfectly tailored dark suit.

He looked every inch the powerful alpha, commanding and modern, a stark contrast to Cassius's worn leather.

"Well, well, little brother," Casimir drawled. "Faster than me with the real estate, I see. And stealing her away right under my nose." His eyes flickered to me.

I wondered if this one too knew the curves of my body. Salome must have been a bitch!

He took another step, to enter fully, then he froze. His smile faltered. He looked around the vast, luxurious room, confusion clouding his features. He tried to move further in, but an invisible barrier stopped him.

"Why can't I enter?" he asked, his voice losing its jocular tone, becoming sharper, more demanding.

Cassius, leaning against the doorframe, smirked. "I got the house in her name." His whisper was soft. "So she's the only one who can invite people in."

My head snapped towards Cassius, then back to Casimir. My name. The house was in my name. And I can only invite people I want. Mine! That's safe.

Cassius turned to me, his amber eyes burning into mine, his whisper dropping even lower, more intimate than before. "You don't need him." He said. “You don't need a crowd. I alone am enough to protect you. And I'll do it with my life.”

I stared into Cassius' eyes and then looked at Casimir.

Casimir’s jaw tightened. He ignored Cassius, his gaze fixed on me, softening. "Cassius," he began, his voice laced with a complex mix of frustration and an appeal to ancient bonds. "I'm your big brother. I taught you to hunt. I taught you everything." He stepped closer to the invisible barrier, his hand reaching out, as if to grasp something beyond his reach.

“I know,” Cassius said in his whisper and stood at attention.

"We cannot repeat the past," Casimir insisted, his voice growing earnest. "The mistakes that made us hibernated. The rivalries that tore us apart. We need to stay together. All of us." His eyes pleaded with me, a silent demand for access.

"And share her?" Cassius's whisper, though technically soft, exploded into the room, raw with emotion. It was a shout, yet it never left the confines of his hushed tone, burrowing under my skin. "I love her. Then and now."

"I love her too," Casimir countered instantly, his eyes blazing, matching Cassius’s intensity. "Let's work together this time around. For Salome. For all of us."

I stood there, paralyzed, caught between two ancient, warring titans. Two powerful alphas, both claiming me, both demanding my allegiance.

My mind raced. Should I let him in? Should I do what Cassius said, and keep him out?

"They will soon come looking for her," Casimir warned. "You can't protect her alone."

His words were a cold dose of reality, a truth I couldn’t deny. Somehow, I believed two against five had a better chance than Cassius alone.

Cassius’s head whipped towards me. He walked behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders. His whisper, almost imperceptible, was lower than any whisper before, a secret shared only with my soul. "You preferred him back then…Make it me this time. Please.”

I stared back. Not knowing what to say.

“Now. Let him in."

I didn't hesitate. "Come in," I spoke, the words feeling foreign on my tongue, granting permission, opening the gate.

Casimir’s face broke into a triumphant smile. He strode across the threshold and walked past the spot where the barrier was.

I stood between them, looking from Casimir's commanding presence to Cassius's quiet intensity.

It didn't matter whether I was Rosie or Salome. These people, these ancient, terrifying alphas, loved me. And that was the most dangerous truth of all.