Chapter 12 Ep12
Kassi 1
"Her journal?" he scrunched up his nose "Why would you think her journal would help us?"
"Because" I shook it "I read a little bit of it and something tells me that she isn't what she seems either" 3
Rhys said nothing but stared at me.
Something clicked
"But you already knew that, didn't you?"
He sighed "Has anyone ever told you that you're too damn smart for your own good?"
I shrugged "No, not really. I usually just sit back and observe, silently putting together the pieces in my head" 39
"Come on" he nudged me again "Let's talk inside"
"Are you finally ready to share with me every piece of information you have?"
"I wasn't not going to share information with you" he put his hand to my lower back, guiding me through the confusing house "It's just the timing was never right" 4
"Sure..." I drawled out
He paused, causing me to halt "I was going to tell you, Kassi"
I just stared into his pretty eyes, getting lost in the grey depths
I turned away "Do you have any idea who Ares fought with?"
He nodded 4
"And did you know he was a Protector?"
"No," he shook his head "I had no idea he was a Protector"
"I thought that all the Protectors were accounted for?" I cocked my head to the side "How did he manage to slip through your grasp?" 7
He opened his office door and gestured for me to sit
Instead, I remained standing.
He rolled his eyes and rounded the desk to sit in the chair "I have no idea how he managed to hide his status from us"
He started clicking something on his computer before dialing a number on his desk phone
"What are you doing?" I asked
"Hello?" he said, ignoring my question "Yes, am I speaking to Marie? 17
"Would you be so kind as to meet me in my office, I need to discuss something with you regarding your son"
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
He said his goodbyes and then hung up the phone
"What was that about?"
"That was the boy's mother" he leaned back in his chair 1
"Okay..." I drawled out in confusion "What does she have to do with anything?"
"Well, when your Protectors were chosen, they were immediately brought here because they were found passed out and unresponsive. If the boy is one of your Protectors, I want to know why he wasn't brought here immediately"
"They all just passed out?" I asked in shock, not knowing what else to say
He nodded "Yeah, and they were unresponsive for days"
"So every single one of my friends was passed out for days? Not knowing what was going on?"
He nodded "The Matthew twins were passed out longer than my friends. About four days longer"
My eyes widened
Four days
"And how long were your friends passed out?"
"A week"
My eyes widened even more
Eleven days 39
My best friends in the whole wide world were passed out for eleven days 3
That must have been hell, for both them and their families.
I would have died if something that long happened to Ares, hell I nearly had a mental breakdown after 3 days of something wrong with him. I couldn't imagine myself surviving eleven days of that torture.
There was a knock at the door, breaking me out of my internal freaking out
"Stand up" Rhys murmured as he stood himself "And join me on this side" 3
I gave him a questioning look and he clarified his request
"If we stand as a united force, she will be less inclined to disrespect you and more forthcoming to a woman" he paused and then smiled shyly "Plus, I feel more comfortable if I have you by my side when I start asking her questions" 8
I nodded and looked away while walking to his side when I felt the heat rising from my neck to my face.
When I was firmly planted to the side of him, Rhys allowed the visitor to enter his office.
A woman, a little older than my own mother, appeared. The hair at her temples was slightly graying and her clothes were wrinkled. 1
Her head was pointed to the ground but as soon as she stopped in front of Rhys desk, she bared her neck to both of us.
I was confused at this but didn't voice my questions out loud. 1
"Mrs. Keen," Rhys said "Please take a seat" 15
"If you don't mind Alpha," the woman said meekly "It's Campbell now. I changed it after..." 23
"Ah," Rhys said with a softer tone "How rude and inconsiderate of me. Please accept my apology"
"No apology needed Alpha," she said in a soft tone "But if you don't mind me asking, what is this about?" 1
"It's about your son Alexander," Rhys said and the woman immediately froze 29
"Yes, and what about him?" her voice shook as she addressed Rhys' question.
"Where is he right now?"
"He's...at home" the woman stuttered on the last part of her sentence.
Rhys looked at me and I couldn't help but step forward to comfort the woman
"Ms. Campbell," I said softly "It's okay to trust us"
She glanced at me for a second before returning her stare to the floor.
"Marie" Rhys leaned forward in his chair "Tell me what happened" 1
"They wouldn't help him" Tears started pooling in her eyes "As much as I begged and pleaded, they just wouldn't help him. She wouldn't even help her own nephew" 1
Rhys sat straighter "Who didn't help?"
"Anne" she sniffled "Alex collapsed one morning before school. My daughter found him and since we couldn't go to a human hospital, we went to the Pack Doctor. Since Anne is his head nurse, and the only nurse working at the time, she wouldn't even allow me to talk with the Doctor. She thinks I should suffer just like her brother suffered" 4
A murderous look overcame Rhys face before he picked up the phone and dialed out
"Bring me the Pack Doctor and Head Nurse" he barked into the phone "NOW!"
The woman continued to cry in her chair
I grabbed a couple of tissues from Rhys desk and handed them to her
She thanked me
"Thank you, Luna"
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
"I...uh..." I glanced at Rhys but he was too busy yelling at someone on the phone "I don't think..."
"It's okay" she smiled slightly "I acted the exact same way when I met my Mate"
I smiled "And how long have you two been together?"
Her smile dropped and I had a feeling I crossed a touchy subject with her
"We were married for sixteen years," she said bitterly "Until he decided I wasn't pretty enough or worthy enough to be his wife" 33
"I'm sorry," I said in embarrassment "I didn't mean to..."
She waved me off "Don't worry, it was a long time ago. I'm over it"
Although she was saying one thing, her eyes held a sadness to them in which I couldn't help but notice.
She definitely wasn't over it and as much as she tried to hide it, she was still affected by it. 3
There was a knock on the door and two people entered the office
An older gentleman in a white lab coat was wringing his hands together, his body shaking a little.
The woman, on the other hand, was glaring at Marie.
When she noticed that I was staring at her, the woman looked me up and down before clicking her tongue and giving me a glare. 51
I glared right back
"Anne" Rhys growled in a warning tone
The woman snapped her head to where Rhys was sitting and immediately bared her neck
"Do you mind telling me why you denied young Alex medical treatment?" he then looked at the Doctor "And do you mind telling me why you allowed this to happen?"
"Well...I..." the Doctor stuttered out but then shut his mouth when the Nurse glared at him 2
"We denied him treatment because the boy didn't need it" the Nurse finally said
Rhys stood up and rounded his desk, standing right in front of them.
The Doctor looked at the floor but the Nurse, on the other hand, looked Rhys dead in the face before avoiding his eyes.
I noticed that she did this periodically from the moment she stepped into the room but didn't quite understand why she didn't just look him square in the eye.
Then I remembered from my werewolf stories that it was considered disrespectful if a wolf other than the Alpha's Mate held eye contact.
Rhys growled and Marie tensed up "A comatose boy didn't need medical treatment? I'm not a Doctor but I'm pretty sure that is the exact situation in which someone needs medical attention" 4
The nurse clenched her jaw "When I checked him, he was fine"
"LIAR!" Marie cried out, shooting out of her chair to face the Nurse "You didn't even check him! I asked for help for your nephew and you just laughed in my face saying it wasn't your problem!"
The Doctor glanced at the Nurse in surprise before returning his stare to the floor
The Nurse looked at Marie and bared her teeth "The moment you opened your big mouth about Jack and ruined our family name was the moment your children were no longer my problem"
Marie stepped forward, yelling profanities, with a crazy look in her eyes "Are you a Moron! Those kids are Jack's too! Despite our differences, he loved those children! How can you deny them?" 4
"Simple" the Nurse stepped forward and growled "The moment you turned in my brother was the moment I stopped caring for you and your children" 15
Marie screamed, shifting into her wolf as she lunged for the nurse. 1
Rhys pushed me back toward his bookshelf on the other side of the room. 1
I stumbled back against the shelves, ultimately falling into a chair in the corner. 3
I watched as Rhys grabbed Marie by the scruff of her thick wolf neck and held her back.
"Guards!" Rhys barked out 6
Two men burst through the door, took one look at the Alpha, and stepped forward to detain the Wolf.
"Grab those two and detain them to the Basement" he ordered "I'll handle her"
He then glanced at me for a quick moment before returning his focus on her "Kassi, I want you to go find one of the others. When you do, stay with them for a while until I come to get you"
I looked at him, analyzing the situation.
Now, a normal person would see what was happening and split, taking the advice that was given to them.
However, we all know that I'm not a normal person 21
I never considered myself a thrill seeker but apparently, I like having a death wish
"Marie..." I said calmly, ignoring Rhys request "I know what it is like to want to protect something so precious to you" 1
Marie ignored me and continued to struggle with Rhys's grip.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
"Marie, calm down" I ordered a little more forcefully "She'll get what she deserves"
The She-Wolf stopped struggling and just looked at me
"We promise that she will get what she deserves," I told her "Let us handle that. What you should be doing right now is caring for your son in the infirmary"
In less than a minute, the Wolf became a woman again.
Rhys handed her the decorative blanket hanging on top of his couch and she accepted it with an embarrassed smile.
"Thank you," she said before scurrying off
I sighed and collapsed back into the office chair
"Impressive" Rhys' voice drifted from above me "Stupid, but very impressive" 2
I waved him off "Yeah, I know"
He rolled his eyes "So...before I go deal with the other two, what do you want to know?"
"Where's your library?"
He raised an eyebrow "My library?" 3
"Yeah" I deadpanned "You know, the room with all the books that people go to read or research something" 6
"I know what a library is Sassypants" he glared at me "What I don't understand is why you want to visit it when I'm finally offering you answers?" 6
"Because something tells me that whatever I find in my mother's journal will be something I don't understand. It would be good to start in a place with lots of references. Plus, I can also research my family heritage, the Protectors, and this crazy killer Moon" 2
"Why don't you just visit the library after I'm done with that two downstairs" he suggested "That way, you'll have help"
"Oh, don't worry" I smiled evilly at him "I'll have help" 19
Kassi
"And how do you know these books will help us?" Mia asked curiously as she slammed the large books down on the table.
"Because," I said "I'm guessing if Ares shifting had to do with a true story then it's highly likely that the rest of my family history is intertwined with the Greek stories as well"
9
Matt stared at me"Do you know how many stories there are? Let alone how many versions there are of the same story?"
1
"I am aware" I smiled brightly
"And do you know how long that will take the three of us?"
"That's why I asked for back up" Mia smiled "When Kassi told me what we were doing, I decided that we might need the extra hands"
2
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and the Twins poked their heads in.
I snorted "You want them to help? They hate libraries. Whenever we went to the library, they used to either cruise the aisles or make paper airplanes that drove the librarian crazy"
1
"Move Morons," Kaden said from behind them "That's why she brought us"
12
I watched as the rest of the group pile in.
In total, we had the twins, Kaden, Skylar, the rest of Rhys friends, and my brother Orion.
I stared at Orion "I thought you were still on a run with Ares?"
"We just got back" he replied "Ares is taking a nap and Luna Emmie thought it would be a good idea to learn about my heritage too"
11
I nodded
"So..." Ethan leaned on the table "What are we doing?"
Rhys entered the room, carrying a tall stack of books "We're going to go through each and every one of these stories to see how they relate to the Dimitriou Pack"
"You're done already," I asked
He nodded
"What stories are they?" Taylor asked, interrupting our little conversation
"Greek Myths"
16
Everyone's mouth dropped opened "Do you know how much time that's going to take?" Ethan whined
"It will only take a couple of Hours" Rhys countered "I already had some Pack members narrow some books down to the ones only relating to Selene"
"And how many are those?"
1
"100" Rhys admitted
1
"How are we even supposed to know if the story relates to Kassi's family?" Taylor whined, "What are we specifically looking for?"
1
"I don't know" he admitted "But I'm pretty sure we'll know when we find it"
~~~
3 Hours Later
8
"I'm going crazy!" Ethan started crying "I can't be here anymore! I can't do any more research!"
42
"You barely looked at three books" I deadpanned as I continued scanning my 15th book
16
"Three books too many!" he cried out "Don't these books have like pictures or something? You know, to show how hot the Goddesses looked?"
2
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
"I'm tempted to drop this on your head," Kaden said, holding up a stack of heavy-looking books "Just to shut you up"
16
"And I'm tempted to let you do it" Ethan replied
10
Kaden's eyes lit up and just as he was about to release the books, Sky clapped her hands.
30
"Okay! I think it's time for a break!"
"But Ethan took like 20 bathroom breaks in between research," Taylor said in annoyance "I vote for him to stay behind and continue to research"
"I had to pee!" he shouted "You can't stop a man's bladder"
8
"No, you're just nosy" Taylor rebutted "That or something's wrong with your bladder"
"Out!" Kaden rubbed his temples "Just get out before I end up killing you both"
4
"Anything to get me out of this hellhole" Ethan muttered under his breath
7
I grabbed a small book and threw it at his head
1
"Ow! What the Hell!" he picked up the small book "Why'd you throw a dictionary at me, Kass?!"
15
"I thought you could learn what manners were" I smiled sweetly
19
"She-devil" he muttered as he walked out
"I will rather be a she-devil than a waste of space!" I called out
7
Curses rang out and I snickered before going back to the book I was reading.
"You're not taking a break?" Rhys asked in surprise
I looked up and found him sitting across from me, staring at me with a smile and his head in his hands.
14
"Not yet" I smiled
He smiled widened and he got up before settling down next to me.
"What are you reading that has captured your interest?"
"The story of Selene and Endymion" I exclaimed "It's so romantic!"
36
Rhys laughed "How so?"
I explained to him about the story and how it was sort of like a twisted love at first sight story.
Rhys listened to my fangirling and when I was finished, he continued to look at me with a look I couldn't decipher.
15
He leaned closer and my heart started pumping over time.
6
I was just about to start hyperventilating when he redirected his attention to the book and pulled it closer to inspect.
5
"I thought girls liked Disney Fairytales?" He raised an eyebrow "Not sad twisted Greek myths"
54
"Everyone can't always get their Happily Ever After" I commented "Besides, not every girl likes Disney Fairytales"
17
"Do you?" he questioned
"Yes,"I said, embarrassed to be admitting it out loud "I'm a sucker for a good fairytale romance"
48
He smiled and I swear my heart melted.
A piece of hair fell in front of my face and just when I went to push it behind my ear, Rhys's hand shot out.
12
I looked at him, a little startled at his sudden forwardness
He just kept on smiling and moved his face closer to me.
My immediate response was to move back but somehow, my body just didn't want to respond.
1
Just when he was less than an inch away from my face, I heard a familiar sing-song voice
"Kassi and Rhys sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love then comes marriage then comes a baby in a baby carriage"
111
I jumped away from Rhys, grabbed the largest book I could find, and ran to the door
"I'm going to kill you!"
Ethan let out a girly scream and I heard shuffling on the other side of the door
18
"Muah ha ha" Ethan let out an evil laugh as he ran through the house
13
"Ugh! You're so annoying!!" I threw the dictionary
He barely dodged it
"Oh Shi..." he ran faster
I stopped short when I realized that I had the one advantage he would never have
"Hey, Dimwit!" I yelled as he continued to run
"Yeah troll face" he called out
"Did you forget that I can control other wolves" I cackled evilly
37
He cursed and ran faster
461
"Stop" I yelled out
8
He stopped and immediately fell flat on his face
219
"My nose" he groaned and rolled over on his back
"Stay still" I commanded as I walked over to him nonchalantly and kicked his leg "Loser"
"You don't play fair Kass"
I laughed "You know I was never good at playing fair"
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
He grumbled "Yeah, I know"
I sat next to him and pinched him "Remember the time you replaced the peanut butter in my PB & J sandwich with mud?"
3
He laughed "The look on your face was priceless!"
2
I laughed too "And remember what I did?"
1
"Yeah" he muttered "You punched me in the face, knocking two of my teeth out before stealing my grandpa's rat traps and planting them all over my bed"
31
I snickered "Good times"
1
At that exact moment, Taylor turned the corner and raised an eyebrow
"Is there a reason why he's on the floor"
"The moon wasn't minding his own business so I used some of my Jedi mind powers on him"
2
Her eyes lit up "So he can't move right now?"
I shook my head "Nope"
"Good" she ran over to him before kicking him in the nuts
135
I slapped my hands over my mouth in shock
4
Ethan cried out in pain
"Why'd you do that?" I asked, looking at her like she was a crazy woman
"That's what you get!" she kicked his leg before turning to me "Because when we're at the mall one day he told this cute guy I was flirting with that we needed to pick up the ointment for my rash"
29
I chuckled and she punched me in the arm
Ethan continued to groan
"What?" I snickered even more "It's funny"
2
"You wouldn't have thought it was funny if it happened to you" she muttered "I still remember the look on the guy's face"
I laughed even harder
"I don't even want to know" Kaden's voice sounded from above us
1
We looked up and watched as he pinched the bridge of his nose
Skylar smiled at us "I think it's wonderful that they're catching up after so many years of being apart"
3
"You think it's wonderful that she kicked me in the nuts for something that happened months ago?" Ethan groaned
7
"Aren't you used to being kicked in the nuts?" Kaden asked, "Because of your sleaziness?"
2
Ethan glared at him "No, girls actually like my charm"
I snorted "Yeah, we know which girls like your charm"
3
He turned his glare on me "At least I don't scare people away with my aggressive nature"
"I do not have an aggressive nature!" I exclaimed
2
Everyone remained quiet and Kaden started whistling
37
Taylor looked at the pictures on the wall and Ethan rolled over on his stomach.
I looked at Sky "Am I that bad?"
6
She gave me one of those motherly smiles, you know, the one where your mom tells you something nice just to make you feel better.
7
"I wouldn't call it aggressive" she offered "More like assertive. You know what you want and nothing is going to change your mind"
I groaned "That's considered aggressive Sky"
1
"Hurts doesn't it" Ethan's muffled voice sounded
1
I glared at the back of his head "Do you like getting kicked in the nuts? Would you like a second round?"
He winced "I'll shut up now"
20
"Good choice"
"Well...let's get another opinion" Sky suggested, nodding to a questioning Rhys and he walked toward us
1
"Do I even want to know?" He asked as soon as he joined us
"Am I aggressive?" I asked bluntly
He took a step back in surprise "What?"
"Am I an aggressive person?"
4
"Yes" he gave me a little grin "But that's what I like most about you"
44
I blushed and looked away
The girls awed, Kaden made a look, and Ethan made gagging noises
36
"Okay Casanova," Kaden said "Tone it down and tell us what you've found"
9
"How do you know that I've found something?"
"Because you wouldn't have been hurrying down the hallway like a madman if you didn't find anything"
7
"Okay" he admitted "I found something"
"What'd you find?"
"Come with me"
We followed him back to the library and crowded around a table.
4
He flipped open a book and then pointed toward a corner.
We all crowded closer to see what he was pointing to.
"What am I supposed to be looking at?" Ethan grumbled
2
"Look closer"
We all looked closer but then bumped heads
26
"Ugh" I groaned, rubbing my temple "Everyone back away. One person at a time"
Everyone backed away, grumbling about me being bossy.
3
I glared at them and grabbed the book
"Where am I looking at again?"
Rhys pointed to the top left corner
I squinted until I saw what he was pointing at
2
In the corner of the page lay a very small engraved symbol. The symbol consisted of a waning crescent moon inside of a very intricately designed crown.
4
"Look familiar?"
I snapped my head up and looked at him before grabbing both of Ethan's arms.
1
"What the hell are you doing?" he tried to yank his hands away
"Stay still" I hissed and he immediately obeyed
"This mind control thing is going to get old real quick"
3
I found what I needed on his wrist and then brought the book closer for inspection.
"Holy..." I poked his wrist "When did you get this?"
"I dunno" he replied "It was just there after my little coma nap"
9
I glanced at Rhys "And do all of them have it"
He nodded
"So this must mean something"
He nodded again
I glanced at the book, paying no attention to its words but instead the symbol
"What book did you find this in?"
"Surprisingly, I found this in the book you were reading"
"Really?" I asked in shock
I guess I was so wrapped up in the story that I didn't notice the little details surrounding it.
"How did you find it?"
"Kind of on accident" He grinned sheepishly "I was reading the story you liked when two of the pages got stuck. When I separated them, I noticed the emblem on the corner"
1
"So that means there must be a clue somewhere in the story itself" I concluded
"Look at the picture," he said
"Oh, that book had pictures" Ethan muttered under his breath
43
Kaden slapped his head "Don't talk. Most of us would like to keep our brain cells"
27
"And how would I talking affect the one brain cell you have?"
7
"One more brain cell than you have" Kaden glared "And Because every time you talk, stupidity comes out"
23
"Amen to that" Taylor muttered
"Hate to cut the ragging short," I said before Ethan can open his mouth again "But can we focus here?"
1
Everyone shut their mouths
138
I looked at the picture where the Goddess of the Moon lay on a Crescent-shaped moon watching her lover sleep.
24
Crescent Shape
That has to be it
"What is that Wolf Moon you guys were talking about?" I questioned, "You know, the one where I die?"
10
Everyone stiffened
"Kass, I don't think we should be talking..." Taylor began
I waved her off "I know you guys feel uncomfortable talking about my death, and trust me I do too but we need to talk about it in order to figure out a way which prevents my death"
A door slammed shut and I looked to see that Rhys was no longer with us.
39
I deflated a bit but then straighten up, realizing that I wasn't some love-struck fool who couldn't get something done without her significant other by her side.
I am Kassiopeia Nyx Dimitriou dammit.
9
I don't depend on a man to help me get through life.
25
I depend on me, myself, and I
63
"Okay" I breathed out "Let's get to work