[Unedited]
Celia had spent most of the morning packing for the ceremony they had organised with the other packs. Her heart felt heavy as she thought of all the bitten saying their last goodbyes, bravely accepting their death as they all knew it was better than turning into a Bad Soul.
Unfortunately, Celia knew better and it will be because of her that these people will not be put to peace. Instead, she agreed to help Cassius free the beast within and stop the pain it had caused him for all these years. She tried her best not to think about it. It would be a moment in her life that she would never forgive herself for. It was just a job that needed to be done. A hard one, but she suspected her life as an Alpha will be full of hard decisions.
She was caught in deep thought as Cassius entered the room. His posture was stiff, as if there were three poles up his arse than just the usual one.
"Nervous?" He looked as if he could scoff at the question.
"People are only nervous when they're afraid of losing," He replied with a set defiance. Celia didn't quite understand his answer and gave him a quizzical look as she began to prepare sandwiches in the kitchen, carefully trying not to drop crumbs over the bench top Aria had just wiped down.
"You're not scared of losing?" She asked incredulously. He had everything to lose. If he didn't get this right it would take months to gather the numbers he needed. In all honesty her nerves were so high she wouldn't be surprised if a brick fell out of her ass.
"No. Fear creates failure, Celia. If you want something as badly as I do you must be confident that you will get it," he looked at her then. His blue eyes piercing her own with such intensity she felt the cells in her body freeze up. The butter knife stilled mid air as she tried to read the words hidden behind his determined stare. Slowly, Celia was beginning to understand Cassius' motives behind the detached way he went about things. Right now she knew he didn't have a back-up plan. This was his only chance to get it right. Cassius was in full denial of what will happen if this doesn't work. He had to be.
"I'm sure everything will go as planned, we've worked hard on this. Are the rest packs informed on everything?" She asked him, handing over a pathetic looking sandwich. For a second he just stared at the plate, watching the lettuce and chicken slide out from between the two pieces of bread, wondering momentarily if she had ever made a sandwich before. Infuriatingly, the corners of the bread weren't together and for some unfathomable reason, the site of it made him chuckle.
Nodding, he took the plate from her hands. "Everyone is arriving at five in the afternoon which will give us time to talk before our plan falls into place," he replied still flabbergasted by the oddity on his plate.
"What?" Celia deadpanned, her hand unconsciously moving to her hip as she lifted an eyebrow at him. An odd feeling settled within her stomach as she suddenly felt scared that he would judge her. The silence only fuelled the boiling pot inside her until she felt as if she might explode.
"How are you real?" He finally asked with a laugh that deflated the feeling like a balloon as he poked at the mess on his plate. "You know, I'd hate to see you trying to actually cook if this is your attempt at a sandwich."
"Excuse me," she gushed, her voice going up an octave. "You can make your own sandwich next time if you're going to complain," she poked at his side playfully. It was funny how as soon as she was getting used to his shut-out personality, he had made a near 180 degree change. Sure, he wasn't about to braid her hair and tell her all his secrets, but now that she knew about his past and the thing that had been eating inside him for the past few years she felt like he was beginning to let her in. He wasn't scared of the feelings that washed over him when she is near. The one thing he feared most was fear itself and he was sick of letting it control him.
He would prove to her that he was stronger than that. "Well," he sighed, putting his plate back down, "I guess someone has to show you how it's done."
Then, he took a dive into the deep end. This was it, the moment he would rip that nagging voice out from the corner of his mind and prove that he would not let fear of the unknown get in his way.
•§•
Celia stilled as she watched him step closer, his smile disappeared as an intense look danced across his eyes.
Her breath hitched. Watching the crystal clear blue flicker to her lips as her breathing faltered. Stupid airways, she thought to herself as she fought to keep her heart rate down.
The room was silent. Not even the invisible particles of dust that swam through the air seemed to move as they stood millimetres from one another. It was awkward. So awkward, in fact, Celia's fingers began to shake in nervous anticipation as they stood still. Close enough for her to feel the heat of his breath gently fan her face, but not close enough for it to be comfortable.
His stare, unbearably intense, bore into her eyes as if looking for some sort of signal. Unfortunately he had never done this before and had no clue what it was he was supposed to be looking for.
"Cassius?" She whispered, breaking the heated silence. He watched intently as her soft lips softly formed his name and he knew that was his moment.
Cassius moved forward, instinctively pulling her in by the waist as he used the benchtop to support him. After hesitating a moment longer, he sealed the gap between them.
His lips gently brushed against hers, sending shivers to crawl down Celia's spine. Her chest tightened as she felt his fist clench the fabric of her shirt as his lips captured hers in a deep kiss.
Suddenly, the tightness in her chest exploded as a fire erupted within her. His lips massaged hers, turning them numb. The feeling made her head feel light and her knees weak and in that moment she forgot everything. Where they were and what was to come meant nothing to her. The only thing that mattered was Cassius's touch. The way he nibbled on her lips, the way his hands danced over her skin, feeling every surface with a voracious curiosity and most importantly, the way her body moulded into his as they greedily pulled each other closer. It all mattered so much in that moment that it physically hurt.
Panting, his lips lost hers as they travelled down, softly applying pressure on her jawline and moving up to her ear. Celia tried to settle her breathing as she tugged at his dark hair while his tongue played with the gold that pierced through her ear.
Slowly, his hold on her loosened as they both drew in a deep breath. "No matter what happens tonight, we are in this together," he whispered against her ear before he placed a soft kiss against her cheek. Celia felt instantly cold as his body left hers, leaving only the contact of his fingers entwined with hers as he lead her out the door.
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Sorry for the short chapter! But first kisses are so hard to write and it took so unbelievably long that I thought I might post this for you guys now and try to get another chapter up as soon as I can as I know you've all been waiting for this moment (and this update tbh) for agessssssss so thank you for those who have bared with me here, I honestly love and appreciate you all!
xxx