Page 5 of Heart of the Rebel Mate (Wolf Billionaire #5)

CHAPTER 5

ELARA

T he gravel shifts beneath my boots, sunlight filtering through the trees, but I barely register it.

"Cassian isn't someone you should be involved with."

Adrian's words echo in my head, sharp and unwelcome. Who the hell does he think he is? Since when did he get to dictate my choices? My grip tightens around the folder, frustration simmering beneath my skin.

He's dangerous.

Dangerous how ? The Cassian I knew was careful, precise, and never reckless. Adrian, however, had spoken with certainty, as if he knew something I didn't . And the way they stood in front of me—bristling, on edge—made one thing clear.

They had history. Bad history.

A breeze stirs the air, carrying something familiar. My steps falter.

"Elara."

His voice is smooth and controlled, but I don't stop.

"Elara, don't ignore me."

Footsteps. Closer. His presence presses against me before I even turn.

"I'm not here to cause trouble," Cassian says evenly.

I whirl around, pulse hammering. "Trouble is the only thing you bring, Cassian."

He stops a few feet away, too relaxed to be at ease.

"What are you even doing here? Didn't you leave?"

Movement catches my eye—students glancing our way, their interest unmistakable. Heat rises to my neck. The last thing I need is gossip. Cassian must notice too because he steps closer, lowering his voice.

"I just want to talk."

"You have nothing to say that I want to hear."

His smirk fades, replaced by something serious . "It's not about the project."

I laugh, sharp and bitter. "Of course, it's not. So why now? After everything?"

He hesitates, then?—

"They're manipulating us, Elara."

A chill prickles down my spine.

I stiffen. "What?"

"The Council," he says, voice steady. "They've been manipulating fated mate bonds for years. Decades. Maybe longer."

His words settle like stones in my stomach.

I blink, the moment stretching too long, too thin. "What are you talking about?"

"They use the bonds to control us," he continues, his voice unwavering. "To keep dissent in check. To eliminate threats. If they think a bond is dangerous, they sever it. If they think it'll serve their agenda, they enforce it."

I shake my head, a sharp exhale slipping through my teeth. "Do you hear yourself?" My voice wavers between disbelief and something sharper, something closer to anger. "You're talking about the Council like they're some omnipotent force pulling invisible strings?—"

"They are. " His voice is firm, unrelenting.

The conviction in his tone unsettles me.

A slow, creeping unease slips beneath my ribs.

There's something about the way he says it that keeps me from shoving the idea away entirely.

I inhale sharply, gripping my arms, grounding myself. "You're paranoid."

"Am I?" His gaze doesn't waver. "Think about it, Elara. Have you ever questioned why some bonds snap for no reason? Why wolves just... disappear ?"

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.

Because the truth is—I haven't.

I don't know enough about that world and don't spend enough time in it to even recognize what should and shouldn't be normal.

And he knows that.

My fingers dig into my sleeves. "What does this have to do with you?" My voice is quieter now, tight.

Cassian hesitates, his jaw tensing. "They came to me."

The breeze shifts, rustling through the trees, carrying something sharp beneath the familiar scents of campus.

"They told me you were a liability," he says. "That your human-centric ideals made you dangerous. If I didn't reject you, they'd ruin you."

A dull ringing fills my ears. The folder slips from my hands, but I barely feel it.

"You're too human for me, Elara."

The memory slams into me, his voice from that night cold, detached. My stomach twists. I had spent months convincing myself I imagined what we had. That I was naive. That I was wrong.

But now? Now I see the fractures in the lie.

My fists clench. "So you gave in," I whisper.

Cassian steps forward, but I jerk back.

"You let them manipulate you," I snap. "You let them destroy us."

Cassian exhales sharply, his hands twitching at his sides. "It wasn't a choice, Elara. It was an ultimatum."

My pulse thunders, but I don't interrupt.

"The Council didn't just warn me," he continues, voice low and tight. "They threatened you. Your career. Your life."

I shake my head, the words too much, too heavy to process.

"And you thought breaking me yourself was the better option?" My voice wavers, sharp with disbelief. "That if you were the one to ruin me, it would hurt less?"

Cassian flinches, but his gaze remains steady. "If I had fought for you, they would've come after you harder. If I had stayed, they would have ripped you apart. This way... at least you got to keep something."

Something inside me twists violently, a scream building in my throat. I had spent years believing he left because I wasn't enough. Because I was too human. Because what we had meant nothing to him.

But now, the truth is worse.

Because he did it to save me.

Because he thought hurting me himself was kinder than what the Council would've done.

A sharp breath rattles through me. "And now?" I demand. "Why are you telling me this now?"

Cassian exhales, his fingers flexing at his sides. "Because I heard about your project."

My pulse stutters.

His gaze flickers over me, unreadable. "When I saw your name attached to it, I knew I had to step in. The university is already on shaky ground with the Council, and if they see you as a factor in that—" He drags a hand through his hair, jaw tightening. "I couldn't ignore it."

I scoff, crossing my arms over my chest, the weight of everything pressing down on me. "So you suddenly care?"

His eyes darken. "I never stopped caring, Elara." The words are quiet but sharp. "I told myself I was keeping my distance for a reason, but when I saw what you were building—when I saw your name linked to something the Council already doesn't trust—I knew I had to be there. To make sure you were okay."

I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. "You really expect me to believe that? That you just happened to show up out of concern?"

Steeling my spine, I force my voice to stay even. "You don't get to decide what's best for me. Not then, and definitely not now."

His jaw tenses, but he doesn't argue.

Good. Because I don't want to hear it.

I turn, walking fast, my breath unsteady, my chest tight.

I don't look back.

His confession lingers, wrapping around old wounds, making them fresh again.

"They told me you were a liability."

"If I didn't reject you, they'd ruin you."

The Council manipulated our bond.

Cassian let them.

A sharp, bitter ache settles deep in my ribs.

No matter how much his confession explains?—

It doesn't fix it.

It doesn't undo it.

And it sure as hell doesn't change the fact that when it mattered most?—

He chose them over me.

Zara's apartment is controlled chaos—papers scattered across the coffee table, sticky notes clinging to the walls, and a corkboard covered in hastily scribbled connections. The scent of coffee and printer ink lingers in the air, mixing with her faint vanilla lotion as she sits on the couch. Her laptop is balanced on one knee with her long, brown braids falling over her shoulder as she types. She's been in this exact position for hours, eyes flicking between screens, a predator tracking a lead.

"You're gonna love this," she says, eyes locked on the screen.

I arch a brow. "That usually means I'm about to hate it."

She grins, spinning the laptop toward me. "Meet Velcrest Holdings—one of your project's biggest investors."

I scan the highlighted sections, my stomach tightening. "Never heard of them."

"Exactly." She tosses a highlighter onto the table. "They don't exist—at least, not in any real capacity. It's a shell company. Took me hours to peel back the layers, and whoever's behind it? They're making damn sure they stay hidden."

I exhale, fingers tightening around my knee. "So who the hell are they?"

Zara shakes her head, irritation flickering in her dark eyes. "No clue yet, but I'll get there."

I lean back, rubbing a hand over my face. "And Cassian?"

She shrugs. "His name's on the list, but you knew that. Whatever he's up to, he's not the only one."

I press my lips together, the unease curling in my gut sharpening. Cassian had said he invested to keep an eye on me—but someone else was funneling money into my project, staying in the shadows.

"How the hell did you even get this?" I murmur.

Zara smirks, stretching her arms above her head. "I have connections, remember?" She winks. "Some high. Some low. Some who just like to talk when you put the right drink in their hand."

Of course, she does. For a human, Zara surprised me with just how far her network and connections ran, even extending into the werewolf society.

"So, looks like we have a lot of investigating to do." She claps and rubs her hands together.

I whip my head to stare at her. "We?"

She scoffs, setting her laptop aside and reaching for her now-cold coffee. "Oh, please. You didn't think I was going to sit this one out, did you?" She takes a sip, grimaces, and mutters, "Disgusting."

A breathy laugh escapes me before I can stop it. "Then why do you keep drinking it?"

Zara shrugs, swirling the cup lazily. "Same reason you keep pretending you don't care about Adrian, I guess. Bad habits are hard to break."

Seriously? She just has to go there?

I scowl. "That is not remotely the same thing."

She lifts a brow. "No? Because you looked pretty affected the last time his name came up."

I open my mouth to argue, but my mind betrays me before I can even form the words. Adrian—his touch, his voice, the way his gaze lingered like he was seeing something he didn't want to admit to himself. My pulse stutters, and I shove the thought away with more force than necessary.

Zara watches me like a wolf waiting for the perfect moment to strike, which is ironic because I'm the wolf here.

I roll my eyes. "Can we focus on the mystery shell company instead of my personal life?"

"Fine, fine." She sets the coffee down, stretching her legs across the couch before nudging my knee with her foot. "So, are we doing this or what?"

I meet her gaze, steady now.

I nod.

Her grin is all teeth as she cracks her knuckles. "Good. Because I've got a lot more digging to do."