Chapter Seventy-Three

Cassandra's POV

It was dark.

Very dark.

I remember when I was a child and I had a nightmare because I thought I saw a monster in the shadows by my bed. It's eyes glowed and it towered over me and growled.

When I screamed my parents came rushing in. Worry and concern all over my mother's face as I cried and snuggled into her arms.

Her gentle voice and soft caress as she held and comforted me to the point I was no longer afraid.

I didn't have her gentle touch here. It was cold and dark. It felt like I was alone, but something kept telling me I wasn't. However not being able to tell what or who was around me made me believe otherwise.

Every time I fall asleep a haunting song keeps playing on repeat. It lingered in my head even after I woke up.

So to keep myself distracted I hummed to a tune that helped me drown out the song that was playing somewhere in my subconscious.

It seemed as if I'd been here for years. With the absence of time I couldn't even remember my own name. But that memory of my parents rushing into my bedroom when I was a little girl was the only present thing I actually could remember.

Something warm settled on my wrist then my hand. I looked at it as I lay on the cold wet floor. It was so dark I couldn't even see my own hands, but I could see a glow coming from the warm spot on my wrist and hand.

I sat up, my body sore and fatigued. My eyes squinted as the glow got increasingly brighter. My breathing hitched as a pattern of each mythical being appeared on the skin of my hand.

I hissed as it began to burn. My heart leaped because I didn't know what this was or what was happening. "Calm down, it's helping. Our brother gave it to us." A soft voice cut through the darkness surrounding me.

"Who— who are you?" my voice was weak and cracked many times when I spoke. It seemed as if I hadn't spoken in decades due to how dry my throat was.

"Silly girl. I'm part of you. Did you really think I'd leave you alone?"

Tears welled up in my eyes. "Petra?" I whispered.

"Yes." she purred softly. Her voice was becoming closer. "I thought I'd lost you." she spoke, her tone sounding defeated.

"I thought I lost you!" I sobbed looking around as I tried to locate which direction her voice was coming from.

The water on the floor splashed and I looked directly ahead of me. I looked down at my hand, then lifted it up and used it as a light as the splashing became louder. I gasped softly as I saw a wolf—no, a dire wolf walking up to me. I stood up slowly, my legs felt like they'd give out on me at any given moment. But I managed to stand up. But even doing that, she was still taller and bigger than I was.

She laid down on her belly and I smiled at her as tears fell from my eyes. "I missed you so much." I told her and held back a sob.

"And I missed you, Cassandra." she replied. Her voice echoed a bit in the vast darkness. However I knew it was just her speaking telepathically. I was wondering why it wasn't in my head like it was before.

"That's because we are in your head. You got yourself stuck somehow. That is why I am here. To guide you out."

"I don't understand." I murmured. I walked around her and admitted the beautiful colors on her fur coat. It shimmered in the glow that came from my hand. When I went all around her and came back face-to-face with her again. I noticed her Violet eyes.

"If you're Dire, why are your eyes the color of a Lycan? Shouldn't they match mine?" I touched the side of my face to tell her they should match my own dull grey eyes.

"Because we are born of a Lycan bloodline. You and I were meant to be Lycan. But when the goddess appeared after your birth, she saw something in us that made her give us this blessing."

"Blessing?" I questioned her.

"The blessing of becoming a Dire Wolf and still having access to our Lycan ancestors. Our brother for example. He's a Lycan with a Lycan form. But you my dear....you are so much more. You are not only the new line of Dire wolves, our son is also part dire. Meaning he will do amazing things when he becomes the Beta of the Black Jewel Pack." Petra gave me a wolf smile and cocked her head to the side.

"My boy will be Beta?" She nodded and I smiled.

"He's training with his cousins and uncle as we speak. Scott took him to France with him so he could properly train him in the art of defending himself and how to use his newfound powers."

I gasped softly. My baby has powers? More tears sprung to my eyes as the realization of me missing out on all the new things happening to Silas, and that I wasn't able to be with him through it. A few moments ago I couldn't remember my own name, now I remember everything that brought me here.

"How do I get back?" I wiped my face free of the warm tears that fell and stared at Petra.

"Just close your eyes and listen. One of them are with us now. He's reading to us, but only you will be able to bring yourself back to him to hear it, and when you do I will reappear and be able to give you the strength to wake up."

"I am here, just sit down and listen." Petra purred. "Our mother, Selene, will help guide you back as well." I nodded and took a seat beside her. It felt warm with her next to me, her body was like a personal heater. I smiled at the thought of feeling warm again and she allowed me to snuggle up against her, and she did the same.

I stared at the glow on my hand. I stared at it until my eyes suddenly became droopy and they closed. I wasn't sure how long I laid there like that, but I do know that I wasn't alone. So I didn't worry about why it felt like hours.

After another long while I heard mumbling. I opened my eyes and looked in the direction it came from. Only when I did I realized Petra was gone, but I wasn't cold like before. I got up from the floor and rubbed my eyes. Taking a few steps I stumbled. I'd forgotten I could be accident prone when no lights were on.

My hand heated up with warm tingles and remembered that it was glowing. Lifting out before me. My heart skipped a beat as a light off in the distance reflected off of the light my hand was putting out. If I kept my hand steady enough, I could see that the light was the same design that was in the palm of my hand.

Instead of walking I started running. Except I had to run with my hand outstretched in front of me so I wouldn't lose the light I was following. I felt stupid, but if it worked I could deal with how dumb I probably looked later.

"Keep going, Cass." My wolf told me. I couldn't see her, but I felt her all around me and that made me smile.

As the light became brighter the closer I got I had to shield my eyes. My hand burned with the intensity of the glow that emanated from my palm and wrist.

But I didn't care about that, because I could feel him. "Are you trying to tell me something angel?" i heard him ask softly so I pushed harder.

The closer I got though, a haunting melody began blaring in my head. I stopped frozen as fear fluttered through me. Paralyzing me to the spot.

No.

Not again.

Did they get me before I was rescued?

No that can't be, I remembered them. All of them were there.

Warm tears fell from my dull grey eyes as the thought of being back where I escaped from shook me to my very core and infiltrated my heart, causing my stomach to plummet somewhere deep inside of me.

I could still see the light though. And if I had to fight my own anxiety to find out if my happiness is on the other side, then I'm willing to risk it all. It took me all of ten seconds maybe less to find my legs again and move forward in a full on sprint.

A scream tore from me shortly after as hands roughly grabbed at my shoulders. There was talking but my muddled mind refused to let me find out who it was or what they were saying.

"No, let me go." It took me a few moments for me to feel the sparks and smell the delicious scent. I wasn't sure who it was but it smelt like Zach. But it seemed like it's been forever since I was last with any of them, so I wasn't sure.

I was crying and fighting him off, my fight or flight mode was so fierce that it scared me. I let my own fears take over as I fought him off and away from me, only he refused to let me go. And for that, I hated and loved him for.

He pushed me back a bit and I was forced to look up. Beautiful emerald eyes with those blue flecks in them assured me that it was indeed Zachary that was with me. The relief I felt made me want to break down, and I did. Zach pulled me back in and I poured all of my emotions out while he held me.