CHAPTER 31: THE INVITATION CARD

Leonel cut him off, voice dropping lower, dangerous. "It’s not about meaning to, Cass. It’s about what happened. And what it means."

Cassian’s stomach twisted. "I don’t know what it means... I just... I didn’t want to lie to you anymore."

Leonel’s gaze softened slightly, the anger mingling with something deeper protectiveness, longing, and hurt. "You should never hide anything from me, Cassian. Never."

Aiden shifted beside him, his own jaw tight. "We’ll handle Lucian, don’t worry about him right now." He patted cassian’s head

Leonel’s fists unclenched slowly, his breathing evening out, but his gaze remained locked on Cassian. "He won’t touch you again. Not without consequences. Do you understand?"

Cassian nodded, feeling the weight lift slightly but only a little. "I... I understand."

Leonel’s eyes softened as he finally stepped closer, brushing a hand lightly against Cassian’s cheek more a grounding gesture than a gentle touch, but enough to make Cassian’s heart stutter.

Aiden, sitting close, gave a subtle nod. Protective, but knowing Leonel’s intensity was what Cassian needed right now.

Leonel sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as the tension in the room finally began to melt away.

"Okay," he muttered, his voice softer now, "let’s not make this more complicated than it already is, alright? No more hiding things. We’re here for you, Cass. But next time, don’t just tell Aiden tell me too."

Aiden smirked from where he sat, leaning back in his chair with that easy, knowing grin. "Aw, are you jealous that he confides in me first?"

Leonel huffed, rolling his eyes as he stood up. "Yeah, yeah. Flatter yourself. I’m going to sleep before you make me regret being nice."

Cassian couldn’t help but laugh, his chest easing for the first time all evening. The sound was light, genuine a small relief after everything that had happened. Leonel shot him a tired look that wasn’t really annoyed at all before heading upstairs.

Aiden stretched, his chair scraping against the floor. "You too," he said, pointing at Cassian. "Sleep. You’ve had enough drama for one week."

Cassian grinned faintly. "You’re one to talk."

"Yeah, well, someone’s gotta look sane around here," Aiden muttered, heading for his room.

Cassian stayed in the living room for a moment longer, listening to the house go quiet. It was strange how quickly things could shift from tension to warmth, and then back to silence. When he finally stood and went to bed, he caught himself thinking of Leonel’s words again. No more hiding things.

He meant it.

And Cassian wasn’t sure if that terrified him or comforted him.

The next morning arrived with soft light slipping through the curtains. Breakfast was rushed, filled with half-asleep grumbles and clinking mugs of coffee. Leonel looked mildly human again; Aiden was already scrolling through notes on his phone, muttering about deadlines.

By the time they reached the university gates, Cassian had managed to tuck the previous night away in the back of his mind. Or at least he tried to. The campus, however, was unusually loud that morning. Students huddled in groups, laughter echoing off the hallways.

"What’s going on?" Cassian asked, frowning slightly as they walked toward their lecture hall.

Aiden shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe someone failed their exams dramatically again."

But as soon as they entered the classroom, it became clear this wasn’t about grades. A group of friends were gathered around one of the desks near the window, holding up glossy, sky-blue invitation cards.

"Dude! You guys have to come," one of them Rayan called out when he spotted them. "My dad finally opened that new rooftop complex. We’re hosting a pool party there this weekend! Music, food, everything. You’re invited!"

He handed Cassian, Leonel, and Aiden each a card, still grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, and you can bring someone if you want. One card, two people. Cool, right?"

Before any of them could answer, Rayan was already bounding off to invite more people.

Cassian stared at the card, a smile tugging at his lips. "A pool party on a rooftop? That sounds... kinda fun."

Leonel looked amused. "You look way too excited."

"Well, I haven’t gone to a proper party in forever," Cassian admitted, eyes sparkling. "It could be nice."

Aiden snorted. "Could be chaotic, you mean."

"Chaos is just fun with bad PR," Cassian countered, laughing.

Leonel shook his head, a small smile playing on his mouth. "Alright, alright. We’ll go. But you’re sticking close. I don’t trust half the people who’ll be there."

"Fine," Cassian said, mock-pouting. "You’re such a dad sometimes."

Their laughter faded when the professor walked in, and soon, the room settled into its usual rhythm of half-bored note-taking and whispered jokes. The rest of the day passed quietly almost too quietly, the kind that lulls you into thinking everything’s finally calm again.

After classes ended, the three walked home together under a soft orange sky. The streets were cool, lined with trees swaying lazily in the evening breeze. They stopped by a small convenience store, grabbing cones of ice cream on impulse.

Cassian licked at his vanilla swirl, humming happily. "You know," he said, "this feels nice."

"Us walking or the ice cream?" Aiden asked.

"Both," Cassian replied with a grin.

Leonel chuckled lowly. "You’re easily pleased."

"Guess I am."

For a moment, everything felt... normal. Easy. The kind of quiet peace that Cassian wished could last forever. But peace, for him, never stayed long.

When they reached the house, Aiden and Leonel walked ahead, still talking about some assignment due next week. Cassian trailed behind, fishing his phone out of his pocket as it buzzed.

His steps faltered when he saw the name lighting up his screen.

Lucian.

Hi, bunny. Going to the party this weekend?

Cassian’s blood ran cold. He blinked, staring at the message, but before he could even react, another one came through this time, an image.

Lucian holding the exact same invitation card.

My friend got one. He’s taking me as his plus-one. Can’t wait to see you there.

A winking emoji followed.

Cassian’s grip tightened on the phone. His pulse picked up.

He wanted to throw it straight into the street.

Aiden glanced back. "Cass? You okay?"

Cassian looked up, trying to steady his voice. "I... I don’t think I wanna go to the party."

Leonel and Aiden both stopped at once, turning toward him.

"What?" they said, almost in sync.

Cassian hesitated, biting his lip. "I just -don’t feel like it anymore."

Aiden frowned. "But you were so

excited a minute ago."

Leonel crossed his arms, studying him. "Yeah. You couldn’t stop talking about it."

Cassian exhaled slowly, then wordlessly held out his phone.

Both of them leaned closer.

The text thread glowed on the screen Lucian’s smug words, the picture, the wink.

Aiden’s jaw clenched instantly. "He’s going there?"

Leonel’s eyes darkened, his voice dangerously low. "That bastard doesn’t know when to quit, does he?"

Cassian looked small suddenly, like the floor had dropped beneath him. "I just don’t wanna deal with him again. I don’t want another scene."

Leonel reached out, placing a hand on Cassian’s shoulder, steady but firm. "Then you won’t. If he’s there, he won’t get near you."

Aiden nodded, expression hard. "You’ll stay with us the whole time. If he even tries something, I’ll -"

Cassian shook his head quickly. "No fighting, please. I just... want to pretend he doesn’t exist."

Leonel’s gaze softened, though the tension in his jaw didn’t ease. "You’ll be fine, Cass. I won’t let anything happen to you."

Aiden smirked faintly, trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah. Between us two, Lucian wouldn’t dare breathe near you."

Cassian tried to laugh, but it came out weak. "You two sound like I’m made of glass."

Leonel met his gaze. "No. You’re just something I don’t want broken."

Cassian froze. His heart skipped, pulse fluttering unsteadily. Leonel’s tone wasn’t teasing it was quiet, almost raw.

He didn’t know how to respond. So, instead, he looked down, pretending to fuss with his phone.

But his chest felt heavy, a strange warmth spreading there, tangled with something that felt dangerously close to fear.

Later that night, Cassian lay in bed, scrolling through his messages again. He hovered over Lucian’s name, thumb trembling slightly.

One more text had arrived.

You’ll look good under the moonlight by the pool, bunny. Can’t wait to see if he’ll protect you again.

Cassian’s breath caught. His stomach twisted uneasily.

He locked his phone, pressing it against his chest. For the first time in a long while, he didn’t want to sleep because dreaming meant seeing Lucian’s smirk again, and waking meant facing him.

Down the hall, Leonel stood on the balcony, phone in hand, eyes lost in thought.

He hadn’t told Cassian, but he’d seen that text too when Cassian showed them earlier. The possessiveness in Lucian’s words didn’t just bother him -it scared him.

And somewhere deep inside, Leonel had already decided

If Lucian so much as touched Cassian again, he wouldn’t be walking away this time.