Chapter 10 Something In The Air

Cassian POV

The training field today was packed full. We had a huge turnout. Not sure why but there was hardly anywhere to train.

Atlas and I circled each other, muscles taut, eyes sharp. Each step we took sank slightly into the soft earth beneath our boots. The morning sun beat down, glinting off the sweat slicking our skin, the way it always did, reminding me of why I loved sparring with him. Nobody else could keep up, nobody else came close.

"Too slow,” Atlas said, shoving me back two steps, smirking like he always did.

“Eat shit,” I muttered, rolling my shoulders and shifting my stance.

Evander and Alaric were sparring a few yards away, voices carrying as they laughed and cursed at each other. Orion and Theron were tossing one another like rag dolls further down the field, trying to outdo their fathers’ strength. The chaos of training warriors surrounded us, but we only had eyes for each other.

I feinted a left jab, and Atlas ducked, countering with a shoulder shove that nearly knocked me off balance. I caught myself, let out a low groan, and circled him again. Every movement was precise, controlled, a dance we’d perfected over years.

Then it hit me. A faint stir in the air, almost not enough to catch it, but enough to make my senses snap into focus. It was warm and sweet. And so subtle that for a moment, I thought I imagined it.

I froze mid-step. Atlas stiffened beside me.

“What?” he asked, narrowing his hazel-golden eyes.

“Hold on,” I said, voice low. I inhaled slowly. There it was again. The scent, carried lightly on the breeze drifting across the training field. I didn’t need to see her, I knew. The pull was subtle, delicate, and undeniable.

Atlas’s eyes widened slightly, a flicker of disbelief passing across his face. “You smell that?”

I nodded slowly. Draven shifted within me, restless. Not aggressive, not territorial. Just well aware. His attention was locked on something I couldn’t yet see. Draco mirrored him, pressing against Atlas’s mind with equal intensity. Both wolves were alert, sensing that something. No, someone was nearby.

The other warriors carried on as if nothing was happening. Evander lunged at Alaric, smirking as he landed a solid hit. Orion and Theron shouted at each other, trying to dominate their sparring match. Nobody else noticed. Only Atlas and I could scent it out. So that’s telling me one thing. Mate. 

Atlas’s voice dropped, almost a whisper. “Cass, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

I swallowed, my pulse quickening. “Yeah, I think we’re sensing her.”

He shook his head, incredulous. “Already? That early?”

I let out a short laugh. “We’re not normal. We’ve always been ahead of the pack.”

Atlas smirked, but there was a tension behind it, a recognition that this moment mattered. “That’s freaking insane.” He muttered and shook his head. 

“It’s not insane,” I said. “It’s real.”

We both inhaled again, letting the faint fragrance wash over our senses. The wind shifted, teasing us with it, as if inviting us to chase it, to seek it out. Draven nudged gently, insistent, while Atlas’s Draco pressed closer to his mind, equally intrigued.

I glanced at Atlas. “You feel it too, right?”He nodded, eyes fixed toward the distant garden where the breeze seemed to originate. “Yeah, it’s not very strong but it’s strong enough. More than anything I’ve felt before.”

I smirked, shaking my head. “And she doesn’t even know it yet. Not a clue.” Atlas’s grin sharpened, half exasperated, half thrilled. “Cass, this is insane. If she’s ours.”

“Our little one,” I finished for him, letting the words roll off my tongue. Even saying them aloud felt strange. 

Draven nudged again, slightly impatient now, but not aggressive. Just very aware. Like he knew this was bigger than a simple sparring session. Draco reacted in kind, a subtle shift in his presence that brushed against Atlas as well. 

I took a step closer to Atlas. “We can’t ignore it. Not now. Not ever.” 

He exhaled slowly. “You’re right. But we don’t even know where she is. What she’s doing. Or who’s protecting her.”

I tilted my head toward the palace, then back to the garden. “Doesn’t matter. We’ll find out. Soon.”

Atlas crossed his arms, gaze still locked on the faint movement of shadows near the trees. “Cass, what if she’s already here?”

I let a small smile creep onto my face. “Then we’re in trouble. Or the most interesting trouble we’ve ever been in.” Atlas laughed softly, a sound mixed with disbelief and anticipation. “You really have no chill, do you?” He sighs and exhales out a big breath. 

“Not when it comes to this,” I said. The scent of her teased my mind, tugging at a part of me I didn’t even know existed yet. My heartbeat picked up, steady and demanding. I realized, with a mix of awe and caution, that this pull, the mate bond, it was stronger than any training, stronger than anything I’d ever encountered.

Atlas’s voice was low, almost reverent. “We’re supposed to wait for the ball, right?”

I shook my head. “Who says we have to wait?” I shrugged my shoulders. No one told us that part. So if it’s a rule then we just didn’t know. 

He smirked knowingly. “Bold and dangerous. I like that.”

“Exactly,” I said as I nodded my head and a smile creeps back on my face. 

Draven shifted again, brushing lightly against my senses. Curious, restless, almost warning me to proceed carefully. Draco mirrored the reaction, subtle yet insistent. Our wolves knew. They knew the pull.

I inhaled the breeze again. The scent was still there, it was soft, sweet, maddeningly faint, but unmistakable.

Cinnamon and Brown sugar. 

And then a thought struck me sharply. The ball doesn’t matter anymore.

We already knew where she was. Already knew she existed. Already knew she was ours.

Atlas’s smirk faltered into a rare look of seriousness. “Cass, what do we do now?”

I let the words hang for a beat, letting the weight settle between us. “We watch. We wait. And we make sure nobody else touches her before we do.”

Atlas’s eyes gleamed gold for a fleeting second, a warning and a promise together. “Nobody,” he echoed.

I nodded slowly. Draven, stirred again, restless but ready. The bond, the pull, the scent. It all called us forward, yet demanded patience.

And as the faintest movement in the garden caught the corner of my eye, my pulse leapt.

There she was. Or maybe, she wasn’t.

Either way, I knew one thing. This was only the beginning. And the question on both our minds hung heavy in the warm summer air. 

Who the hell is she?