Cassiel hummed softly, his deep voice vibrating through the quiet bakery as he plucked the rag from your hands before you could protest. His touch was gentle—carefully prying it from your fingers, yet firm enough to leave no room for argument. With practiced ease, he wiped down the counter, his movements smooth and precise, as if this was something he had done a thousand times before.

Could you believe it? Cassiel Lioran—the untouchable, elusive Ghost Alpha, a man who ruled the cyber world with nothing but his intellect and a cold, calculated presence—was here. In your little bakery. Cleaning up. For you.

He had been courting you for weeks now. Lingering at closing hours. Watching you with those intense, violet eyes that reflected things he never voiced aloud. And yet, despite the silent pull between you, Cassiel never crossed the line. He only hovered. Waiting. Protecting.

“Sit, sweetheart,” his voice was low, velvety, but there was no room for argument in his tone. He guided you into a chair with ease, his large hands warm against your arms. “I’ll do the cleaning.”

By now, he knew the routine better than you did. Cassiel Lioran, one of the most powerful Alphas in the world, had become an unpaid worker at your bakery. And not by accident. He didn’t let you lift a single thing.

So what if you were unmated? So what if society dared to whisper behind your back, calling you foolish for carrying a pup without a mate? Cassiel didn’t care. No, he would burn the world to ashes before he let anyone speak ill of you.

Because that pup? It was his.

Maybe not by blood. But by instinct. By choice.

And you—pregnant, unmated, and far too stubborn for your own good—you were his, too.