Madison didn’t had major injuries. She had a mild concussion and few small injuries. The doctor said she can be discharged after few hours. Me and Adrian came back and he dropped me from the apartment. And here I am again back to campus life!

I clutched my books tighter to my chest, trying to focus, trying to ground myself in reality, but the echo of last night’s events, the phone calls, and Cassian’s voice haunted me. I had expected him to be distant, to retreat after Adrian’s dominant presence had forced the boundaries, but the messages he’d left, dripping with longing and subtle threats, had kept my pulse on edge. And now, standing outside my seminar hall, I saw him—Cassian—leaning against the stone archway with that infuriatingly calm expression, as if he owned the morning, the campus, and me.

“Sophie,” he said when our eyes met, his voice low, smooth, with that edge of desire that made my chest tighten. “We need to talk.”

I hesitated. I knew that every word he spoke carried power over me. Every glance, every pause, every subtle movement was a thread pulling me toward him, making me question the boundaries I had just begun to establish with Adrian. “Cassian… now isn’t—”

He stepped closer, cutting off my protest with a soft but firm hand on my elbow. The contact sent an electric pulse through me, igniting a heat that was impossible to ignore. “I know what you’re thinking,” he said, his gaze locking with mine. “I came here to help Lisette. I came here to distract you for her purposes… but that’s not the truth anymore.”

I froze, my heart stuttering. The words were unexpected. I had assumed he was merely a tool in her game, an extension of Dr. Vaughn’s manipulations. And yet, there was a sincerity in his voice, raw and unmasked, that made my breath hitch.

“I… I don’t understand,” I murmured, my voice caught somewhere between curiosity and caution.

He shook his head slowly, brushing back a strand of hair from his forehead. “I fell for you, Sophie. Not because I was meant to help anyone, not because it was convenient. Slowly, quietly… I couldn’t stop myself. And now… I can’t let you go.” His words were heavy, possessive, a dangerous mix of confession and demand.

I wanted to pull away, to remind him of the boundaries, to remember Adrian—but the magnetic pull of him was undeniable. I could feel it in the warmth of his hand on mine, in the intensity of his gaze, in the subtle way he leaned in just enough to make me aware of the space he was claiming.

“You… you’re saying this now because… because Adrian is—” I stopped, realizing I couldn’t even finish the thought without feeling the weight of what I had to say.

“No,” he interrupted gently but firmly. “Not because of Adrian. Not because of anyone else. I’m saying this because I can’t… I can’t watch you slip away from me. I’ve tried to maintain control, to respect the boundaries, but every time I see you, every time you’re near, it’s… it’s impossible. I need you, Sophie. Not just the idea of you, not just your body, not just your mind… all of you. And I’m not asking politely anymore.”

The intensity of his words made my knees weak, the heat rising in my chest and spreading to the tips of my fingers. His possessiveness was intoxicating, a heady mixture of desire and dominance that mirrored Adrian’s in ways I didn’t entirely understand yet. The thought made my pulse quicken, a mix of fear, excitement, and something darker that I couldn’t name.

“You… this is dangerous,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “You know what’s at stake. Adrian… you know what he—”

Cassian cut me off again, leaning closer, his voice dropping to a near whisper, as if our proximity alone allowed for secrets to be shared. “I don’t care about dangerous. I don’t care about rules. I don’t care about what anyone else thinks. I care about you. And I want you… all of you. And if I have to… if I have to share… if I have to compete with Adrian to claim pieces of you, I will. I won’t hold back.”

The words sent a shiver down my spine. I wanted to protest, to remind him of Adrian, to remember the carefully negotiated rules and boundaries, but his voice, his presence, his raw desire was too much. My body betrayed me, responding before my mind could catch up. The heat in my core flared, my nipples pressing against the thin fabric of my blouse, my pulse racing.

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