<h4>Chapter 92: This Changes Nothing</h4>


    <strong>Cassandra~</strong>


    Destiny. A word so many throw around without truly understanding it. And if I’m being honest, I never gave it much thought either—until now. Is destiny a chain of coincidences, or is it a script already written, each step meticulously ced before us? I never imagined I’d be asking myself these questions, not until I crossed paths with a certain vampire.


    That evening, after Griffin took me to an outrageously extravagant hotel, I found myself sprawled across the plush couch in the penthouse, a ss of winezily swirling between my fingers. The city skyline stretched beyond the towering windows, its glittering lights scattered like fallen stars against the ss.


    Griffin had disappeared into his room a while ago, leaving me to my thoughts. I had been restless all day, an odd, almost suffocating feeling gnawing at my insides. It felt like something—someone—was calling me, tugging at my very soul.


    I scoffed at the ridiculousness of the thought and took a sip of my wine. Nothing calls Cassandra unless Cassandra calls first.


    Fifteen minutester, Griffin burst back into the room, eyes gleaming with wild excitement—like a kid high on too much candy and bad ideas.


    "We have a meeting tomorrow," he announced, plopping down onto the chair across from me.


    I arched a brow. "With whom?"


    His lips twitched as if he were holding back amusement. "A Purple Blood Vampire."


    I stilled, my grip tightening around the ss. My pulse, steady and cold as always, suddenly quickened.


    "A Purple Blood Vampire?" I repeated, slowly setting my ss down. My mind raced. "And how, exactly, do you know one of the rarest vampires in existence?"


    Griffin smirked. "I have my ways."


    That smug bastard.


    Nera, stirred in my mind, her hackles raised in a way that made my stomach churn.


    <strong><i>"Something is wrong," </i></strong>she whispered. <strong><i>"Something... strange." </i></strong>


    I shook off the feeling and leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "Tell me everything, Griffin. Who is he?"


    "Sebastian Lawrence," he answered. "Co-founder of a multi-billion-dorpany. He’s close to Cole Lucky the person I want you to keep out of my way."


    <i>Sebastian Lawrence. </i>Interesting.


    Kalmia, had been searching for a Purple Blood Vampire for centuries. Their blood held unfathomable power—power that could change everything. ording to her.


    My lips curled into a slow smile. "You’ve proven to be useful, Griffin."


    "tter me more," he teased, leaning back in his chair.


    Ignoring him, I closed my eyes and reached for Kalmia.


    <i>"He is the one," </i>Kalmia’s voice slithered into my mind, dark and hypnotic.<i> "Once you kill him, your mission will beplete. You will rule by my side for eternity, Cassandra." </i>


    My chest tightened. The idea of eternity by Kalmia’s side should have thrilled me. It didn’t.


    Instead, an inexplicable dread settled in my bones.


    I swallowed it down.<i> "It will be done."</i>


    The next day, Griffin and I got ready to meet this so-called Sebastian. Earlier, he had filled me in on the n—I’d be going undercover as his business partner, using the name Brielle Hector. Total bullshit, if you asked me. But Kalmia had told me to stick with Griffin, and for better or worse, I had to trust her judgment.


    The moment I stepped into the toweringpany building, a jarring sensation crashed over me—sharp, cold, and sudden, like an icy wave mming straight into my chest.


    My breath hitched.


    I wasn’t the type to get nervous. I had faced creatures far stronger than me, danced with death more times than I could count.


    But this?


    This was different.


    Nera suddenly became restless.


    <strong><i>"He’s here,"</i></strong> she whispered, her voice filled with something foreign—something dangerously close to longing.


    My pulse quickened. "Shut up, Nera," I muttered under my breath, pushing the odd sensation aside.


    Griffin shot me a look as we walked through the sleek, modern corridors. "Talking to yourself now?"


    "Mind your business," I quipped, forcing a smirk.


    The truth was, I was trying desperately to ignore the way my body felt pulled—yanked—toward something. Toward someone.


    The scent hit me before I even reached his office.


    Gods.


    It was intoxicating. Dark and rich, like smoked vani. A deep, smoky, and slightly sweet aroma that lingers in the air and the faintest hint of wine. It wrapped around me, seeping into my skin, curling into my lungs.


    My feet faltered.


    My heart—my damned traitorous heart—mmed against my ribcage.


    No. No, this isn’t happening.


    But it was.


    <strong><i>"He’s in there, Cassie."</i></strong>


    I clenched my jaw and straightened my spine, ignoring the way my hands trembled at my sides.


    When Griffin knocked, a deep voice called from within.


    "Enter."


    The sound of it sent an unfamiliar shiver down my spine.


    And then—


    The door swung open.


    My world stopped.


    The moment my eyesnded on him, the air left my lungs.


    <i>Sebastian Lawrence.</i>


    Tall. Impossibly handsome. Midnight-ck hair that curled slightly at the ends, framing a face that was all sharp angles and smooth perfection. His sharp, ancient eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, the universe ceased to exist.


    Nera howled.


    <strong><i>MATE! </i></strong>


    <strong><i>MINE! </i></strong>


    No.


    No, no, no.


    This was wrong. This was impossible.


    A vampire? I was a vampire hunter for fuck’s sake!


    Sebastian’s entire body tensed as his nostrils red, his pupils dting.


    I saw it—the realization mming into him.


    His lips parted slightly, his breathing uneven.


    And then—he took a step forward.


    Like a predator stalking prey.


    Like a man starved.


    Oh, hell no.


    Panic surged through me.


    I wasn’t supposed to feel this way. I wasn’t supposed to want him.


    I was here to kill him.


    And yet everything in me screamed to run to him.


    Instead, I did the opposite.


    I spun on my heel and bolted.


    The door flew open before I could reach it—only to have me collide straight into a solid chest.


    A low grunt of surprise vibrated through the air.


    My head snapped up, and I found myself staring into cold, stormy blue eyes.


    A man I didn’t know.


    He raised a brow. "Well, this is new."


    I shoved him aside without hesitation.


    "Did she just—"


    I didn’t wait to hear the rest.


    I ran.


    No. No, this cannot be happening.


    My mate.


    The man I was supposed to kill was my mate.


    Inside me, Nera whimpered.


    <strong><i>"Sebastian. My Sebastian." </i></strong>


    <strong>**********</strong>


    I didn’t know where I was running to. I just ran.


    The city blurred past me in streaks of light and shadow, my breathing out in ragged gasps. My boots pounded against the pavement, echoing in the empty streets. The heavy scent of rain lingered in the air, but I barely noticed it.


    My heart was a war drum in my chest, my pulse roaring in my ears.


    Sebastian.


    My mate.


    No.


    This wasn’t supposed to happen. It couldn’t happen.


    I had one mission. One purpose. Find the rarest vampire blood and deliver it to <i>her</i>. That was all. That was my existence.


    So why? Why had the universe—cruel, merciless—decided to y this sick joke on me?


    The need to escape burned in my veins, and by the time I stopped, I was in a dark alleyway, tucked away from the city’s glow. The only sound was mybored breathing and the distant hum of traffic.


    I braced my hands on my knees, trying to steady my breath.


    I could still feel him. The imprint of his presence. Like an invisible thread wrapping around my ribs, squeezing tighter with each second.


    Nera, whimpered. <strong><i>"Cassie, he’s ours." </i></strong>


    <i>"Shut up," </i>I snapped, gripping my head as if I could squeeze the thoughts away.


    But it was useless.


    I had one option left.


    "Kalmia," I whispered, my voice only a breath. "I need you."


    The temperature plummeted instantly.


    The air grew thick, suffocating. The world around me stopped, and then, a whisper followed.


    Soft. Gentle. Sweet, like honey dripping from a de.


    <i>"My precious little Cassandra."</i>


    A shiver ran down my spine.


    I turned slowly.


    She was there.


    Kalmia.


    Tall. Elegant. Dressed in a flowing ck gown that seemed to be made of shadows. Her long, inky hair drifted around her like it was alive, each strand moving with an unnatural grace.


    Her eyes—impossibly dark—held an eerie, otherworldly glow, swirling like liquid night.


    She smiled. It was the kind of smile that sent entire armies to their knees.


    "I called for you," I whispered, my throat dry.


    <i>"And I answered,"</i> she purred. She reached out, trailing a cold, wed finger along my cheek.<i> "You’re trembling, my child. That’s not like you."</i>


    I swallowed hard. "I—"


    I hesitated. How could I even exin this?


    Sebastian. My mate. A vampire.


    I clenched my fists. "Great mother...something happened."


    Her smile didn’t falter, but I felt the shift in the air. Like the entire universe held its breath.


    "I met Sebastian." The name felt foreign on my tongue. "The vampire with the blood you need."


    Kalmia’s smile widened, her eyes glinting. <i>"How wonderful. So, why do you look like a frightened little rabbit instead of the ruthless hunter I raised?"</i>


    I forced myself to breathe.


    "He’s my mate."


    Kalmia was silent for a bit and then sheughed.


    Low. Melodic. Wrong.


    <i>"My poor, poor Cassandra," </i>she cooed.<i> "The gods have such cruel humor, don’t they?"</i>


    I tensed.


    Her cold fingers suddenly gripped my chin, forcing me to look into those endless ck eyes.


    <i>"This changes nothing," </i>she murmured.


    My heart plummeted.


    <i>"You will kill him."</i>


    I recoiled, ripping myself from her grasp. "No."


    Her expression didn’t change, but the air grew even colder. The walls of the alley seemed to darken, the shadows stretching, watching.


    <i>"This is the time for you to prove your loyalty, Cassandra," </i>Kalmia said, her voice still sweet, still calm, yetced with something deadly.


    I shook my head. "You can’t ask me to do that."


    <i>"I can."</i>


    Her voice—still so soft, so deceptively kind—sent a chill through my bones.


    <i>"He is the price,"</i> she whispered, stepping closer. <i>"The rarest blood. The blood I have sought for centuries."</i>


    I backed away.


    "This isn’t fair," I hissed. "You don’t understand."


    <i>"I understand everything."</i> Her voice turned sharp, slicing through me like a de. <i>"I raised you. I made you what you are. And now, I am asking you to do what must be done."</i>


    My chest heaved.


    She wasn’t asking.


    She wasmanding.


    I could feel it—the weight of her presence pressing on me.


    I shook my head, desperation wing at my throat." Great mother, please."


    Her expression remained unreadable. <i>"Don’t break my heart, Cassandra."</i>


    I froze.


    <i>"Because if you do..."</i> She leaned in, her lips brushing against my ear.


    <i>"I will kill you."</i>


    The words were a dagger to my spine.


    A promise.


    I barely noticed I had stopped breathing.


    Kalmia pulled back, tilting her head, studying me like a predator observing its prey.


    <i>"If you refuse me, you will no longer hear my voice,"</i> she said smoothly<i>. "And if I stop speaking to you...you will die."</i>


    My stomach twisted violently.


    "Great mother—"


    <i>"Shhh." </i>She ced a cold finger against my lips. <i>"No more begging, my little wolf. You have your orders.</i>"


    The world went still.


    Then, she was gone.


    The air warmed instantly. The city sounds returned.


    Like she had never been there.


    But I felt her absence like a de to the gut.


    I copsed onto the cold, damp ground, my body trembling.


    Tears burned my eyes.


    I gritted my teeth, shaking my head. "No," I whispered to myself.


    I couldn’t do this.


    <i>Sebastian.</i>


    The name echoed through my mind, through my soul.


    Nera whimpered inside me, curling against the pain.


    <strong><i>"Don’t hurt him," </i></strong>she whispered.


    I clenched my fists.


    But what choice did I have?


    Kalmia had never given me a choice.


    Tears slipped down my face, silent and bitter.


    I didn’t know what to do.


    But for the first time in a very long while...


    I was truly, utterly terrified.