Chapter Seventy-Seven (Part Two)

Cassandra's POV

"Mama," He called, his voice hitched and he moved around both Tyler and Scott and came over to me. Due to how close I'd gotten he didn't have to take but just a few steps before he reached me. I crouched down and wrapped my arms around Silas and he did the same with me. I scented him, myself and my wolf both getting reacquainted with our pups scent. He smells of the beautiful lake I would sneak out and take him to after his father passed out. We never swam but just sat in the fresh open air and enjoyed the silence while he played with the ducks that surrounded the lake.

"I missed you." I fought off the whimper that resonated within me after I told him this. It's been—at most—two months, since he told us he didn't want to return so soon. Perhaps he could see how tired I was on our video calls. He was probably thinking of me, wanted me to actually try and get better before sending for him to return.

That thought, knowing he missed me as much, if not more, it made me hug him just a little tighter.

"I missed you mama." He mumbled into the fabric of my shirt. My soul cracked at knowing I was right. I wish it didn't take as long as it did to know I would finally not scare Silas with my moments of flight when something or someone accidentally forced me into those flashbacks. I still get them, but in random nightmares. I was better and one day those too will stop, just like all the rest did.

"Can I see them?" he pulled back and swiped at his face, ridding his cheeks of the few tears he shed while we had our moment. My brows knitted together, confusion written in my furrowed brow. Someone, Jordan maybe tapped my shoulder just below the mate mark that they had given me. Quickly I recalled the talk Silas and I had a couple nights ago. I promised him a closer look at it when he got home after he noticed it.

I pushed my hair out of the way and tilted my head a little. Silas reached out and poked it, when nothing happened he tried scratching at the new mark. "Hey," Jordan noticed, he gently swatted at Silas' hands then rubbed his thumb over the mark he scratched at.

"I wanted to make sure it wouldn't come off." Silas shrugged a grin on his face. He stared at the mark then a sly little smirk formed on his face—wait a minute, who the hell taught him that? "Uncle Scott, hers has a crown on it."

"What?" a voice behind him came up at his back and I moved my eyes up as Scott stared down at my neck too. With all the eyes on me I felt a little crowded and covered the mark with my hair and stood up. "Well why didn't I get one?" he poured and I had to conceal my laugh with my hand.

"Because I'm better than you." Jordan teased, and humor in Scott's eyes vanished as he full-on glared at the man behind me.

"I don't want to hear about the things that happened after you guys marked my baby sister." Scott crossed him arms over his chest, Brooklyn came up behind him holding their newest arrival.

"And there's the proof I need to know what you and my baby sister do after you place Rosa to bed." I blushed a shade of red that made my neck itchy. Scott's glare quickly turned into a smirk, knowing he has the upper hand in this playful banter they were having. Jordan wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer to him.

"I know why she has a crown little man." Scott looked down at Silas. "She has been Moon Blessed by our Creator Selene. She isn't just the Princess of France, she's the Princess of the moon. Essentially she has more power than even I." My heart rate jumped, and a smile grew on my face hearing it be said. My freaking world refused to tell me what exactly I was, and why I felt so much more at home under the moonlight. Hearing Scott say it though, it made my entire body buzz with power I had little knowledge of using, let alone how to contain.

"Don't worry, little sister." Scott raised a brow at me, a proud smile on his lips as he leaned down a bit into my space. "I will help teach you how much power you can weld when keeping these men in line while I'm away–" His smile then turned to a smirk as he stared right at me, into my eyes and spoke. "–making more babies with my wife. What do you say we go behind the house and test out that one that needs no.."

I lifted a hand and returned his smirk. My cellphone that was gifted to me weeks ago flew into my hand and I gripped it tightly so it wouldn't fall and break...again. "Telepathy?"

"He shook his head. "I see you're a quick learner. But no, not that one. The astral projection...the one where you scared the living hell out of Nanny Karen by manifesting it without telling her first?"

I giggled. "if this was before being here... I have no clue who that is."

"You have a way with memories too." My eyebrow rose. I haven't gotten that back yet, same with the astral projection. Good things to know. "So have you been working on the shield? Have you been able to move it past just yourself?"

"It's just a barrier between me and others."

"Similar to Brookes, but hers allowed her mate in. Hmmm..." he thought for a second, then two. "As curious as I don't want to be, has she marked you all yet?"

"No. Petra refused to let her before they were ready." Jordan answered for me.

"That could be why. Brooklyn and I were fully marked and mated when... you know?"

"Could we not talk about marking and mating?" I mumbled my face heating up in embarrassment over the direction this small talk had taken. I feel awkward and can quite seem to hold eye contact with any of the adults surrounding me. I felt like I was sixteen all over again as I explained to the nurses how I thought I was pregnant. Even without saying it out loud I felt chastised because my wolf refused to mark her mate.

"Be glad too." Scott sounded just as awkward as I felt

Laughing caught our attention, I looked over my shoulder to see who it was. Levi and Zach walked out of the front door laughing at something on Zach's phone. They each had swimwear on and towels over their shoulder.

My excitement had me forget that the guys all planned an outing at the beach as a end of summer trip before school began. They specifically said it was to happen the minute Scott and Brooke arrived, but truthfully I believe that they wanted to give their sister a break from having green kids running around after having a baby. Which was sweet now that I thought about it.

Two of the three kids around us squealed in excitement, but not Silas. His perfect little face showed pure nerves as he faked a smile I knew so well.

He opened his mouth to speak but closed it when he couldn't find the right words. Zachary seemed to notice his lack of the thrill for going to the beach, and walked over to him and kneeled down to whisper something in his ear. Silas' face turned a shade of pink before he nodded to what Zach told him.

Scott clapped his hands. "As much as I'd love to join you all, I think me and Brooke should go rest–"

"No babe, you can go. I'll just stay with Mom, she's been texting me wondering when we will show. I think she wants baby love." My eyes instantly traveled down to the infant in her arms. I didn't want any more babies, but seeing this adorable little one, something inside me was imagining me with one in my own arms with eyes that matched its father. It seemed right, so right it had Petra pawing to get out and go create this imaginary child.

I had Silas, and much like myself these three didn't want any kids of their own. Which is why they have given Tyler, their nephew the Alpha title. I was seriously having baby fever.

"So what do you say little sister? Can your big brother join you?" Scott's voice brought me back to the situation at hand. He had raised his eyebrow, and smirked slightly. "I'd like to speak privately before we go though?" he asked softly.

"Uhh, yeah sure?" I didn't mean for it to sound like a question but it did. I was extremely nervous, not because he was a king or a Lycan. But because he's my older brother, and ever since I started therapy, I've somehow recovered a few hidden memories from before I got sick as a child. Most of them include our parents, mostly Mom, but some have him. And it is weird looking at him today, compared to what the memories show him as when he was eleven had a sense of nostalgia erupt in me.

Scott smiled brightly as the thoughts and memories I had of him flooded my head.

"Careful Cass, he's a mind reader! He can hear what you're thinking." Jordan warned playfully.

I shrugged, I already knew that. And I didn't mind that he could hear how excited I was. "That's okay. I'm just thinking of the time when we were kids, and he used to let me sit with him in his room. I'd play with my toys while he read."

"You remember that?" Scott asked. I looked up at him with a smile.

"I remember very little, but that one has stuck out the most." I confirmed with a nod.