Chapter 44 Chapter 44
Violet
Cassie pulled me closer and sighed. “Look, I know how straight and honest you are but sometimes, to get your loved ones to listen to you, you have to use certain tactics.”
“It is still trickery” I argued.
Cassie slapped her hands to her thighs loudly at htat. “Oh come on, I want my brother to not live his life in isolation. He is growing old and even the mightiest king needs a queen.”
I blinked. “What does that have to do with your act of being injured?”
She shook her head as if I was a fool who didn’t understand the simple basics of anything. Then explaining to me like I was five, she began.
“This pack needs a Luna and everybody agrees that the King needs a queen beside him, right?”
The doctor nodded enthusiastically.
“So, I have been trying to get my brother to do anything except work, maybe meet new girls etc but if I say that, he will lock me in the basement.”
“Okay….”
“So when I was lying on this hospital bed, I got an amazing idea, shared it with the doctor and he liked it as well.”
This was so shady but Cassie was bubbling like a child that couldn’t contain its excitement.
“Which is?”
“So my emotionless brother was feeling a lot of things when he saw me injured. And I want him to feel more so I decided to act weak and injured to make him to agree to a thing he has been putting off for years.”
“To let you go to a stripclub?” I joked.
“Meh” she booed me and I stuck my tongue out while she continued elaborating her grand plan.
“So, I got him to agree to a small reunion with the family that he pretends doesn’t exist.”
Woah. That was huge.
“A family reunion?” I echoed.
Cassie nodded and the doctor interrupted. “I am afraid, I can’t chitchat with you all day so I will take my leave.”
Cassie gave him a big thumbs up and continued explaining. “Yep. Imagine having en entire family and never meeting them or keeping contact with them for years. He doesn’t know what it means to not have a mother to talk to, you know.”
I gave her a sad smile, recalling the way she had been sitting by her mother’s grave last week.
Maybe, that was also why I had forgiven my mom for her mistake. I loved her far more than a few sketches I could draw whenever I wanted.
“I understand” I nodded in agreement.
“Yep, so he has agreed to attend a small family dinner with dad and his mom and me. A small effort from my side that will possibly make him understand what he is missing out in life, you need a family to fall back on, after all. If he sees what a family is, how it's nice to have a partner, he might give it a thought. Plus, saying no to parents when they ask him for a luna, will be incredibly tough for him.”
I ignored the slight pinch I felt when she mentioned her grand plan included finding a partner for him. I recalled his cold silence to his beta’s words and todl myself it was none of my business to dwell on the topic of his personal life.
Just hot sex didn’t equal compatibility or love. That was all I had with him. Nothing else.
However, I couldn’t help but agree with her on the importance of spending time with parents. I had devoted my life entirely to Nate and was only now noticing how there were wrinkles and fine lines under my mom’s eyes or how tired dad looked these days.
I could not even imagine how life would have been had my parents not taken me in after my break up with Nate and welcomed me back with the same love and warmth they always showered on me.
“And he would have never agreed if I asked him nicely. But seeing me weak and injured, that helped strengthen my case.”
“Smart girl” I applauded her for her plan that she bowed again to.
“However, there is a small problem,” she said, looking at me warily.
“What problem?”
“Because I was asking about you so much yesterday while pretending to be hospitalized and pestered him to bring you as well as agree to the dinner, I ended up saying I wanted you at the family reunion as well.”
What?
I immediately shook my head.
“But its your family dinner. What am I going to do there? I don’t even belong to your pack, forget family.”
Cassie tried to pacify me.
“Dont worry, I have got you covered. You are my friend and dad wont mind bringing you over.”
Suddenly, I was too cautious of meeting cassie’s family, because it was not just hers.
But also Elijah’s.
“I can’t, Cassie. You said Elijah hasn’t met them in years. How awkward will it be to have a stranger in a family dinner? Do you even know how absurd it sounds?”
Cassie fell to my feet and started begging me.
“Oh come on, don’t jinx my plan. I only have to mention how you came running to look for me and helped save my life from the rogues and dad will adopt you in the blink of an eye.”
I stepped back while she grabbed my feet and looked at me pleadingly.
“Please, please, please. Don’t say no. I can’t keep Elijah in check all by myself but if you are around, everything will be alright.”
“Cassie, get up!” I tried to loosen her grip from my legs but she wouldn’t budge.
“Please, say yes. I wont leave you until you agree” Cassie shook her head and stuck to my legs like glue.
I sighed.
“I know it will feel like drama to you but I really missed you, you know.”
She was so dramatic but I couldn’t help but shake my head and smile at her.
“Only for a few hours, right? Then I will just leave and you both can continue talking to your parents.”
Cassie let out a whoop and cheered, finally letting go of her hold on me.
“I knew you would agree. You are such a sweet friend.”
Cassie was grinning from ear to ear and gushing about meeting the rest of the family and my curiosity wouldn’t let me stay put.
“Are you guys a big family?”
She nodded. “Yes, loads of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, siblings, you name it. We are a big chaotic and a slightly dysfunctional family.”
But her answer made me nervous.
“I hope it will just be you both and your parents like you mentioned.”
The idea of meeting Elijah’s parents was nerve wracking as it is, I didn’t want to meet the entire family in the first instance itself.
“I mean I hope they don't invite anybody else. Elijah wouldn’t like it either.”
I chuckled. “Why? His grumpy ass thinks meeting other relatives would be a death sentence?”
Cassie nodded. “Lets assume dad or his mother will not do anything to further piss him off.”