The Alpha's Fated Outcast Rise Of The Moonsinger novel Chapter 397

Lenny

I cleared my throat. "Enjoying the view?"

Caius turned toward me, gave me a quick once-over, then returned his attention to the window. "Just appreciating the scenery."

"The scenery," I repeated dryly. "Is that what we're calling it?"

"What would you call it?"

"Stalking."

Caius snorted. "It's not stalking if it's public space and I'm not hiding."

"You're lurking by a window with alcohol at ten AM, watching a woman who has no idea you're there. That's pretty much the definition of creepy behaviour."

"Says the man who just sidled up to join me in said lurking," Caius pointed out with annoying accuracy.

I opened my mouth to argue, then realised he had a point. "I was curious about what you were doing."

"And now you know. I'm watching Cassidy teach the younger pack members about local plant identification for their survival training."

"How do you know that's what she's teaching?"

"Because I asked her yesterday what she had planned for today." Caius took another sip of wine, still not looking away from the window. "She's incredibly knowledgeable about native flora. Did you know she can identify over two hundred medicinal plants just by their leaves?"

The admiration in his voice made my stomach clench with an emotion I didn't want to think about.

Caius suddenly looked away from the window with a sigh and turned to face me fully. "You've known Cassidy for the longest time, right? Do you know what she likes?"

I turned to him at the unexpected question. "What she likes?"

"Gifts, hobbies, preferences. It's difficult to figure out what to give a beautiful woman when you want it to be meaningful."

My eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why?"

"Cassidy's birthday is coming up next week, and I want to get her something special. Something that shows I've been paying attention to who she is, not just what she looks like."

I scoffed, hoping my tone didn't come out as aggressive as I felt. "What do you think you're doing, buying Cassidy gifts? Did she ask you to?"

Caius arched an eyebrow, looking confused by my reaction. "She's my girlfriend. Why wouldn't I want to buy my girlfriend a gift?"

I stood frozen, staring at him as my brain struggled to process what he'd just said.

"Your... what?"

"My girlfriend," Caius repeated slowly, as if I were having trouble understanding basic English. "We've been dating for three weeks now. I thought everyone knew."

"Three weeks?" My voice came out strangled. "You've been dating Cassidy for three weeks?"

"Well, officially dating. We've been spending time together after the war, and we grew really close, but we made it official recently." Caius studied my face with growing concern. "Lenny, are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

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