Chapter 2 TWO

Cassie.

I looked at Jasper in amazement, my mouth open.

I chose to ignore his flat-out told me, "You might catch flies."

"Valeria is your mate?!?" I cried, my eyes wide with shock.

Hissing and scowling at me, he said, "Will you keep it down?! And is this so hard to believe?" I stared at him in blankness as he continued to roll his eyes at my face.

"If you don't stop staring at me like you just saw a fucking squirrel having a cigarette, I'll drop you." He said without pause.

In my ecstatic joy, I cried, "Oh my god!! This is gold, Jasper! When did you find out?!" I almost bounced in his embrace as I voiced my surprise.

Cursing under his breath, he dropped his eyes and said, "Will you stay still?!" He had known since he was eighteen. Apologies, everyone, but my jaw has chosen to go out again.

"Seriously?!" I sputtered in shock. With all these shocking discoveries, I might reach my grave early.

I might reach my grave early if you don't stop being emotional. Seriously Cass...

Is this not strange to you?

What if it is? Is babbling like an idiot going to make it less surprising?

Okay, tiger, sheehs..sass not appreciated. I could feel her rolling her eyes at me. This wolf of mine...

"Yes, Cass."

"Wow. Why didn't you say anything when you found out?"

"I did. I told Uncle and Aunt. And Leo too." He said.

"No, I meant Val. Why isn't she aware?"

"I was eighteen." He said looking at me blankly.

"So?"

"How old would Little Val be then?" He asked, looking at me like I was the most stupid person he had ever met.

"What? She should be...Ohhh, I see your point now." I said sheepishly. Jasper was currently twenty-seven. The same age as Leo. Val was eight when he found out they were mates. It must have been pretty hard for him to watch his mate but couldn't have her.

"Oh Jasper, it must have been hard on you," I said lightly. He only shrugged with a smile.

"I get to see and talk to her almost every day. That's a good thing."

"Yeah, but you've been waiting for her for nine years..." I trailed off with a frown.

"It will be worth it. I'm sure of it." He grinned making his dimple pop out. His blue eyes were shining with a kindness I'd never seen in them before.

"You love her don't you?"

"More than you can imagine." He answered without missing a beat.

"That's awesome Jasper. I'm so happy for you guys. You have my blessings." I grinned making him laugh.

"Not that it matters but I appreciate the gesture nonetheless." he laughed making me laugh. Just then, a thought struck me.

"Why is your dad so hell-bent on us getting together?" I frowned. If he knew that Jasper found his mate, why was he pushing us together?

"Probably 'cause he doesn't know I've found my mate."

"What? Really? Why?"

"Yes really. I've noticed how desperate he wants us to get together, It's unsettling. Goddess knows what he will do when he knows I've found my mate. Look at what he ordered that fucker to do to you." He growled."Oh," I replied as we continued on our way to my rooms. That made sense. I was a little worried by his drive. Goddess knew what he wanted to achieve.

The house was split into four parts. The east, west, north and south. Obviously. We used to stay in the east wing before. It had ten bedrooms with four guest rooms for when family members visited, a sunroom, a library, a kitchen, an indoor pool, and five sitting rooms.

Our family members only consisted of my dad's younger sister, Matilda, and our cousin Atlas. My mom had two twin adult brothers; Uncle Nathan and Ethan and that was about it. My grandparents from both sides of the family passed away a long time ago.

The north wing was the leisure wing. It was where the indoor theater was along with the hall.

The west wing was filled with guest rooms for when the Alphas of the packs under the empire visited during meetings, parties, and stuff. It was also equipped with three sitting rooms, an indoor pool, and a home theater.

The south section on the other hand was where the maids, the cooks, and the royal doctors and herbalists stayed. It was also where we were currently staying care of Uncle Dearest.

But I was not whining. Beats the caves anytime. Wouldn't want to be rooming with rats and insects in that damp as fuck place. No, thank you.

"Thanks, Bro," I said as he kept me in front of my room. He raised his brow at the address change but I just winked at him.

"You head on inside. I'll go get Margaret to come look at your thigh injury. It looks bad." He said with wrinkled brows before going down the brightly lit hallway.

Pushing the door open, I limped inside the room while trying not to cry out as I didn't want to alert my brothers.

"Cass? That you?" I heard Leo's voice.

"Yeah." I answered softly, "Come over here for a bit."

"What's wrong? You okay?" He asked worriedly and a second later, the room was basked in the soft light of the chandelier above.

"What the hell?! How did this happen?!" He shouted rushing towards me. I knew seeing the blood on my dress and my feet must be freaking him out.

Usually, the 'surrender to His Majesty' process only consisted of silver shots. But thanks to Uncle Dearest, this happened.

"Uncle Lunatic wanted Jasper to be my knight in shining armor." I simply said, "Help me to the sofa yeah?"

"Fucker. What's with him and matchmaking you guys?" He growled before picking me up and walking me to the living area.

"Devil may know." I shrugged, "Jasper went to get Margaret." I added while leaning on the sofa. Looking down, I noticed the cuts on my feet had already healed along with the bruises on my body.

The wound on my thigh, on the other hand, seemed to be taking its sweet lovely time.

What's the deal with this injury? It's not healing.

Beats me...maybe it's because of the silver in our blood. I just finished making antibodies to fight off the last dose. And that has taken me four days to finish. The only way to remove it all is to get the cure.

The chances of that happening are as good as a leprechaun letting off its pot of gold. I snorted.

You can say that again. Willow rolled her eyes.

"Where are Val and Elo?" I asked, trying to separate my mind from the sharp pain coming from the cut.

"Out on the balcony." He mumbled. I could tell he was pissed off at himself for letting this happen from the way he was sulking.

"It's not your fault Leo." I sighed.

"The hell it isn't! I should be the one protecting you. Not the other way round!" He snapped, staring at the clean floor.

"Now now, stop that. We protect each other. Not letting one person carry all the weight." I said, lightly putting my hands on his shoulder, "Besides, we need a strong and healthy kin-"

"What's the fucking point of being king if I can't even protect you guys?!" He spat while staring at me.

I just leveled him with a calm gaze before gently patting his shoulder.

"So...Jasper and Val huh?" I said, looking towards the deck.

"Yeah. He told you?" He asked after a few seconds, sounding a little shocked.

"Of course he did, you're not the only one he's close to." I winked and he laughed.

"Yeah, he was your little bitch when we were kids." He grinned making me laugh.

"Yeah," I drawl, "I did pester him a lot didn't I?" I laughed.

"Yeah, you did. He was putty in your hands." Leo smiled, shaking his head a little, "But he's a good guy. I feel safe leaving Val in his hands."

"Me too! I gave my blessings."

"Not that it matters but well, it's the gesture that counts." he laughed making me look at him.

"What?" He asked.

"Do you have to rub it in that you're best friends?" I glared.

"Um, what?" He said confused. Just then, the door opened and Jasper entered along with Margaret.

" I said almost the same thing to her when she said that," Jasper said as he walked towards us.

"Ah..." Leo drawled making me roll my eyes.

"Hey Princess, how are you feeling?" Margaret asked.

"My thigh feels like an isolated part of me." I groaned making them laugh.

"It's not funny!" I whined.

"No, of course not Your Highness." Margaret smiled, "Let me just take a look at the wound." she said before raising the hem of my dress and getting to work on the wound.

I tried to ignore the sting and avoided looking at the cut as much as possible.

"Hey man, sorry about earlier," Jasper said, rubbing his neck guiltily.

"Nah it's cool. I'm all healed up." Leo waved in dismissal. I shut out their talk because I knew it was either going to be about cars or bikes. I knew they needed this kind of idle talk about what was happening. Our every day consisted of guarding against our very own family while trying to build stratagems for the future. It was tiring.

What do you think our mate is going to be like?

Eh, who knows? Sweet and gentle?

You're such a prude. Sweet and gentle ain't gonna scratch that itch well. You need dark, hard, and gloomy for that.

Are you for real?

Oh, come on. Imagine this. Tall with broad shoulders, tight and bulging arms, strong chest and abs, lean and narrow hips.

I couldn't help but picture it all as she described and I felt my throat getting dry just by thinking what he could look like.

And that thang between his legs...my oh my...it will be huge! I'm thinking-

Startled by her train of thoughts, I quickly stopped our link, I could feel my cheeks burning from the mental picture in my head.

Damn you Willow!

Thankfully, Leo and Jasper were too busy with their talk to notice my burning cheeks.

"Wow Princess, you didn't even flinch! I'm done." Margaret said, "Just be careful not to let it get infected or touched by water." She added as she packed up her stuff and I nodded, looking at her in thanks.

"Thanks, Margaret," Leo said with a small smile.

"N...no pr...problem!" She said, her voice suddenly going high-pitched.

"I...I should go." She said awkwardly before running to the door.

"What was that about?" Jasper asked with a raised brow.

"Beats me," Leo answered with a shrug making me shake my head at their cluelessness. She liked Leo. But I was not telling him that.

Just then, the door opened once again making us all turn towards it. Seeing the guy standing there, I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite niece and nephew." Uncle crazy said with a goofy smile.

"We're your only niece and nephew." I rolled my eyes.

"There's that attitude that I abhor." He said tightly. I only rolled my eyes at him.

" And Jasper, I see you're here with your fiancée," he added, sounding happy. The maniac must be thinking that his plan was a success.

The fucker must not know that the bastard was dead.

Yeah, probably doesn't know...

"Takes two to tango and in this case, there is no one much less two," I said simply.

"Say what you want dear, but I saw how he took care of the...situation," Lunatic said with a sweet smile that only looked creepy to me.

So he knows...and he's smiling like that? Talk about cruel...

Right?

I just gave him a look that said 'How do you sleep at night?' to which he just smiled making me, you got it, roll my eyes.

"What do you want Declan?" Leo asked coldly, his attitude changing instantly as his power rolled off him in waves.

"I come in peace." he raised his hand in surrender making me snort, "and that's no way to talk to your uncle. I thought Cyp-" he started when a thundering growl stopped him.

"Don't you dare utter his name with your filthy mouth. You lost the right to claim that title when you gave in to your selfish desires and bit the hands that fed you!" Leo growled. The growl that came next was from Uncle Lunatic.

"Watch your tongue mutt!" Lunatic yelled scornfully.

"Make. Me." Leo snapped, looking him down. Lunatic was not the least bit afraid given he also had Alpha King blood.

"I don't have time for this," Lunatic said after a few seconds while pinching the bridge of his nose making me roll my eyes.

You do that a lot when you're in the same room.

It happens, it's my eye's normal response to his annoying presence.

"Cass dear, do you agree to my proposal?"

"What proposal?" I rolled my eyes.

"Don't act smart with me! Do you agree or not?" He snapped.

"Pass," I said disinterestedly, moving my hand.

"Is it so repulsive to marry Jasper? You have gotten along since childhood. What better husband can you get?"

"Hum, gee I don't know...what about...oh, I don't know...my freaking mate?!" I stared at him in annoyance. "My answer is not going to change Declan. Leave me alone."

"It's cute that you think you have a choice." Lunatic laughed darkly. "You forget, I could easily destroy everything you care about."

"Oh? What's new?" I yawned looking at him from under my lashes.

"Valeria and Elowen." He said simply and instantly, he was met with three dangerous growls.

Forgetting about my wound, I sped towards him and fisted his collar.

"You can do whatever the hell you want with me but so help me goddess if you even touch a single strand of hair on either of my sisters' heads, I'll be your fucking worse nightmare," I said lowly. Making sure my eyes were coldly looking deep into his and my power was released to the max.

I saw something flash in his eyes but it was gone as quickly as it came. Reaching up to my hands, he eased my grip on his suit before stepping back.

"Three days." he simply said before turning around, "Jasper, follow me." And then he was gone.

"Sorry bout that guy. Say hi to Elo and little Val for me." And then he also was gone.

A few silent seconds passed before the door to the balcony opening caught our attention.

"Hey Cass, when did you get back? Are you okay?" Val called out as they both ran towards me.

"I just came in. And I'm f-"

"What happened to you?" Elowen gasped and I silently cursed myself for being careless. Reaching out, I quickly tugged Val into my chest not wanting her to see the blood on my clothes.

Val had Hemophobia. When we were little, there was a rogue attack and one of the rogues held her hostage. Long story short, she saw a lot of wolves die that day. Ever since then, she couldn't handle the sight of blood and could faint even at just a glance.

"Nah it's nothing. Val keep your eyes closed and Elo, help her to the sofa." I said while pulling away from her.

"But there's..." Elowen trailed when I gave her a hard glare. I headed towards the bathroom to take a shower after that. I tied a neat cloth around my leg before getting some rubbery material I found in one of the boxes in the bathroom and wrapped it around the cloth.

When I was sure the water wouldn't damage my wound, I took a hot shower. Soaping my body-especially my chest area-clean. After I was done, I put on a blanket before going out.

As soon as I stepped out, their attention snapped toward me.

"So, have you guys eaten?" I asked as I took a place on the couch.

"Yeah, we left some for you in the warmer over there." Leo said, "I'll get you some."

"Thanks," I said. After the events of today, I was drained not to mention hungry. It was funny how before the attack, the only thing I had to think about was getting through training and how to get my favorite burgers and fries from the burger shop in the city.

Now, food was the last thing on my mind.

"Here you go," Leo said stopping my thoughts. I nodded in thanks before I started eating. It was quiet in the room, the only sound being the clattering of my spoon on the plate.

"Soo..." I drawl, the silence was a bit unsettling because it was never quiet with these guys around. "Why so quiet?" I asked, looking from one person to another with a raised frown.

"Oh, I almost forgot, Jasper said hi," I said, specifically looking at Val.

"So? He couldn't say it himself? Or is he too chicken to face us after what he did to Leo?" Val rolled her eyes in what I thought was irritation.

"What did he do exactly?" Leo shrugged.

Val just gave him a flat look while Elowen giggled, "Whatever." She mumbled with another eye roll.

"When are we going to see him? I miss the piggyback rides he always gives me." Elo said with a small grin while Val's head snapped in her direction.

"What? Aren't you too old for that?" Val looked at her. I raised a brow at her reaction before joining my gaze with Leo.

Think she's starting to feel the mate bond? I asked.

Probably, she never responded this way before. Plus she's turning eighteen soon.

Yeah. I guess you're right.

"You're never too old for fun," Elo answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Whatever." Val rolled her eyes again.

What's with you guys and eye-rolValg? I get dizzy just looking at you people. Willow said.

Like you're one to talk.

"Please, you're just jealous." Elo grinned at her.

"What?!?" Val sputtered

"I know you have a crush on cousin Jasper, I saw it in your diary," Elo said smugly.

"You read my diary?!?" Val shrieked making Elo's eyes widen. She must have noticed her slip up but I must admit, that was an interesting piece of information.

She definitely feels the mate bond. I mindlinlked Leo who only grinned in return.

"I...I...you can't prove anything!" Elo stuttered.

"You just said you read my diary!" Val looked at her.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Cass!" They both cried as they turned to look at me making me sigh.

"Elo, you shouldn't have read her diary. It's an invasion of privacy. Apologize to her." I scolded, looking down at her with a frown.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

" And Val, forgive her this one time. It's okay to have a crush." I said, looking over at her. Her face flushed a cute red making me smile.

"Fine. Whatever." She sulked.

"I don't know how you handle them," Leo said, shaking his head. I only smirked before I kept eating.

It went silent again after that. Each of us was lost in thought. My mind was busy with thoughts of my mate.

I couldn't help but wonder what type of guy he was and what he looked like. Whether he had brothers who drove him nuts or if he was an only child.

Hey, do you think our mate is an average dog or has a better rank?

I think he has a high rank. Willow shrugged in a wlofy kinda way, You're a white wolf and there hasn't been one since the past four generations. Our mate cannot be just a regular wolf.

Yeah you're right. A Beta maybe?

Really? She said simply, I think that our mate is either an Alpha king or one of the best Alphas.

Okay miss imagination.

What? You know almost all my guesses are right. She said and I couldn't help but agree. So far, Willow's intuition has always been spot on. That was why Dad made us part of the empire's council when I turned eighteen.

Maybe.

"Cass? We want to tell you something." Leo suddenly said.

"Hum? What is it?"

"It's just that, how sure are we that this year's Alpha Kings' meeting will be held? Even if it does, we don't know if Lunatic is going to let us be within a hundred meters of the gathering." He sighed.

"True. But it's the only thing we've got, so we just have to pray and keep our fingers crossed." I answered with a frown.

"So in other words, we should just become sitting ducks?" Val deadpanned.

"Don't put it that way Val. It sounds like we've given up already." I said, my frown worsening.

"Okay look Cass, the kids and I have been talking and...we want you to escape from here." Leo said before looking into my shocked eyes.

"Wa...what are you saying?" I asked in surprise, "I'm not going anywhere without you guys. We're glued by the hip." I said firmly.

"It's what we decided and we think it's our best bet right now," he said sadly.

"No, it isn't Leo! I can't leave you guys here!" I shook my head with a small glare.

"We know you can't but you just have to," Val said.

"Why are you guys like this? You're asking me to run away and leave you behind!"

"Woah now, who said anything about running away? We want you to escape and look for your mate." Leo said lightly making me puzzled again.

"What mate? And where, pray tell, do you suppose I start looking for him? This is the eastern empire Leo, it's huge!"

"We know. But we'll be more at ease knowing that you're out there looking for your mate who will help you raise an army to fight Lunatic."

"Okay, you guys are missing three things here. One, I've never been outside the royal city before and two, where do I even start looking and lastly, what if my mate is human or worse, dead!"

"We've considered all that Cass. If your mate is dead, which I highly doubt, then the Moon goddess will give you a second chance mate. If he's human, the goddess also must have had her plan." Leo said.

"Yeah. And I also highly doubt that notion. And for the outside-the-city part, that's where Willow comes in. She is pretty smart and has a cool head on her. You guys weren't the empire's strategists for nothing." Val continued.

"I can't leave you guys here," I said as the tears build up in my eyes.

"We know baby. That's where the 3St comes in." Leo said " Pulling me into a hug.

"Huh?" I mumbled, trying to figure out why that sounded familiar.

It's the Spirit Soul Seal Technique.

Oh.

"What about that? I thought Mom said not to use that cause it might be dangerous." I said as I looked up at him.

"Yes. Might. But we don't have much of a choice right now. We've all done the required steps between the three of us. You just have to do the same and we're set." Val responded.

The 3St was an ancient healing technique that our family's ancestors got from the witches when they were our allies. It connected the spirits and souls of four persons so that they could sense the others' presence at all times and would be able to sense whenever one or all of the three were in danger.

The catch was that the stronger your bond was with those people, the higher the chances of your souls blending into one. This might lead to the loss of one's identity, leaving behind an empty shell as the soul has left the person's body.

"You're missing the point here. We grew up together guys. Our link is as strong as it gets. Aren't you afraid we might lose ourselves and our souls disappearing forever?" I asked.

"We know but...we found a loophole." Val answered.

"Loophole?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes. You."

"You lost me," I said simply.

"You see, when the witches gave our ancestors this spell, the last white wolf had already disappeared."

"So?"

"So, they fail to see the probability of another one appearing."

"I will appreciate it if you speak sense." I deadpanned

"The white wolves are believed to be the purest and closest souls to the Moon goddess." She sighed rolling her eyes at me.

"Ah, of course! The mind of a white wolf isn't like an average wolf's." I said.

"Yeah. And you're also royalty. White wolves in general are believed to be straight descendants from the Moon goddess' clan itself. So the soul leaving thing shouldn't be a problem because your soul isn't common. I believe it will be more of a connection to our hearts."

"Wow Val. You're getting smarter the older you grow. Nice work finding that out." I praised her, feeling very proud of her.

"It's nothing." She waved her hand in rejection.

"Nothing or not, you did a good job." Leo said before kissing her forehead making her blush.

"You guys have thought this through haven't you?" I asked quietly.

"Of course. Among the four of us, you're the most likely choice. Leo will stay here to keep an eye on us and how far Uncle's network has spread and keep you up to date by sending out a message falcon to your location." Val responded.

The kingdom had a group of specially trained messenger falcons. They could pick out the location of any palace agent that had been sent out on a mission and could make their way back home. Dad gave each of us a falcon of our own and we sent messages to each other whenever we went on vacation to different places.

My falcon's name was Zephyr. He was a beautiful white bird with grey dusting all over his body. We got along quite well. Especially when he was playing chase with Willow.

"I don't know guys..." I trailed off, unwilling to leave them behind.

You're not leaving them behind. You're making a chance for them. It's like Val said, we'll be sitting ducks when we wait for that meeting to happen.

I know. I'm just not okay with it. I don't want to leave them alone...

Dude, Leo is the best boxer in the land.

Strength doesn't matter when compared to numbers. It will be him against the entire royal army.

Jasper is with him. You know they are unbeatable when they are together...they are brothers both by blood and in body.

Yeah but...

Okay, now you're just going to start making excuses. I'm going. And if I have to push you out of control for that to happen, I will do it.

"Cass, it's okay. Leo and Jasper are here to protect us. You know they are the best." Elowen said, speaking up for the first time since we started this talk.

Looking at her bright blue eyes that were so much like my own, I was even more unwilling to leave. But when I saw the absolute confidence in her eyes, I started to cave.

"Jasper has already cleared one of the underground tunnels under this wing so you can leave quickly. Thankfully, Lunatic's alertness against us was always dropped because he believed we'd never think of something like this, it should be easy to sneak you out unnoticed. It's better to take as little with you as possible as I'm sure Lunatic will order a search for you when he sees your missing." Leo said.

"Yeah. I've prepared energy pills, a change of clothes, water bottles, a guide, and a map for you." Val said as she stood up and went in the direction of the bed. She crouched down and brought a small black bag from under the bed.

"I see you guys have made up your minds about this," I said lowly.

"Of course we have," Elo said with a smile-ever the little ray of positive energy.

"When do I leave?" I sighed out in defeat making all three of them grin.

"Tonight," Leo said quietly making me stare at him blankly for a second.

"Nothing you're going to say will surprise me again." I sighed again making him laugh.

After completing the 3St ritual, which consisted of us writing our names and our wolf's names in some ancient witch language with our blood while Val murmured some enchantments, I nullified my scent and changed into a loose long-sleeved black shirt, black leggings, and comfortable brown ankle boots before putting my flaming red hair in a bun.

"Take care of yourself out there," Leo said after training me on the position of the cave.

"I will." I choked out as tears built up in my eyes. Opening his arms wide for me, I rushed into them as my tears fell down my face.

"I'll miss you guys so much." I cried, only to feel more grief when my sisters joined in the hug.

"You too Sis." Elo and Val both answered. I can feel their tears soaking through my shirt. After a few minutes, we parted.

"Good luck Cass." Leo said while kissing my forehead as he held onto both Elowen and Valeria. Nodding wordlessly, I leaned over and kissed each of their temples and took in their crying faces one last time before running out of the room lest I had a change of heart.

Stepping outside, I ran down the now poorly lit hallway and the stairs towards the main hall of the palace. I was surprised to see that there were no guards in sight as I crossed the hall and went down the corridor leading to the underground tunnels.

Jasper must have taken care of them.

Yeah.

I ran down the corridor and following Leo's directions, I headed right into the tunnel where Jasper cleared out for me. Thanks to my improved sight, I could make out the narrow hallway going outside the palace.

The tunnel, according to Leo, was supposed to take me straight out of the castle and into the woods behind it. I only needed to continue moving north from there to avoid crossing into other packs' territory. The only pack whose territory I ran the risk of breaching was the SilverMoon Pack. The strongest and largest individual pack in the Eastern Empire.

The pack was located right in the heart of the empire along the Middle East. But I don't have to worry because my sense of direction was kick ass.

When I caught the smell of trees, I slowed down into a jog and quickly removed my clothes and stuffed them into the bag to avoid breaking it when I shifted into my wolf. The nightfall meant that I didn't have to worry about being seen, and the chance of a guard at the tunnel's end was small.

I was shocked when I saw light at the end of the tunnel. I grew wary but relaxed when I caught a familiar smell.

The moment I was out of the tunnels, I shifted into Willow and was about to sprint north when Jasper came out from behind one of the trees.

I stopped as he walked towards me. When he was standing in front of me, he ran his hands through my white fur before kissing the middle of my head.

Cass, and Willow, take care of each other and good luck. He said through the thought link.

We will. You take care too. And look after them for me. I answered. Although I could feel them through the 3St, I would still be more at ease knowing that there was another person who was physically watching them.

They're in good hands. He said before stepping back, Good luck.

And then I was flying through the night, mentally preparing myself for this unknown trip I was going on.