Blood Burden

« Chapter Twenty-Nine »

She was captured within his gaze. 

Her chest constricted with tension and only after a moment did she realize it was because she wasn't breathing. When she finally inhaled, it was like a gasp, and it broke them from the timeless trance they found themselves in. He blinked, bewilderment filling his eyes, and yet there was an underlying emotion. An emotion of longing that had suddenly been found. A raw kind of pain that had found its soothing remedy. Unspoken heartache that could be mended. 

The world did not exist around them. Despite how people noticed the weird interaction happening, they could not hear beyond their own heartbeats. It was as if the world slowed, just for that moment, just for them. A moment that they never thought would happen, a moment they accepted might never, and yet this moment was entirely real. They were in more shock than anything. 

She didn't think she would find her mate. He didn't believe he had one. In a place where everything had been taken from them without their permission, they were given a chance. This chance. Something that could only be explained as a miracle. A gift from the moon goddess. 

Finally, his lips parted, "I'm Cassius." His breathless tone sent chills down her spine. 

"Valencia." She softly answered without a thought. 

Her voice seemed to draw him closer. He hesitantly stepped closer, their eyes still connected, and she was entranced by the beauty of his eyes. They were a beautiful shade of green and they reminded her of the forest, a place where she could run to find shelter. The closer he came, the more detail she could memorize. She realized his eyes were glossy with unshed tears. 

He was crying. 

She couldn't quite figure out why and it made her heartache as she watched little crystal trails run down his cheeks. She had feelings flowing through her that she never experienced before. Surely he felt them, too. She knew it was the mate bond sizzling beneath her skin and it would only grow stronger the moment their skin touched. Her wolf surely wasn't helping by fueling their bond with instant affection for their mate. 

However, when he stepped closer, his hand suddenly moved to touch her cheek, and she snapped back to reality with a flinch.

Her breath hitched and she instinctually stepped back a small distance. Cassius immediately dropped his hand. His eyes reflected his hurt at her actions but there was also a flash of understanding. Somehow, that let her know that he knew. She couldn't think a clear thought, her instincts just reacted in the way she had been taught, and she felt a weird surge of guilt. 

"I'm sorry," Cassius apologized and he seemed like he wanted to say something else but he didn't. He seemed utterly speechless as if words could not begin to explain the powerful emotions at this moment. 

And she suddenly became aware of the intense gazes that burned across her skin. She finally broke eye contact with her mate and glanced at the people who had surrounded them. There were so many emotions that registered on their faces. She imagined they were all for Cassius. They didn't know her, she was an outsider, and she knew how packs treated those. She fought to keep her gaze from gluing to the ground. 

Just like that, she closed off again. 

"Val is your mate?!" Deikota was the first to break the silence, as usual, and she glanced at the pregnant woman in search of answers. She had so many questions now. Thoughts swarming her mind. She couldn't leave now, the mate bond would kill her, and things just got a lot more complicated. 

"Yeah," Cassius rubbed the back of his head as if he couldn't believe it himself. He had never been at loss with words. Still, his brow furrowed as he watched her. He saw the signs, the responses that signaled she had gone through something traumatizing. Her flinch made his heart sink because that meant someone had hit her before. Abuse, he hated to think his mate suffered. 

It only took another second before the people around her broke into cheers. She was skitterish with so much noise, so many people, and she unconsciously shrunk back into Deikota. She realized, listening to the praise and support, and watching men clap Cassius on the back, that these people were his family. A loving family that took care of their own, even if they weren't blood. It must be nice, she figured, but she realized she wouldn't belong. She was overthinking everything in that moment. 

"It's very nice to meet you, Valencia," A man with golden hair approached her, "I'm Leroy." He extended his hand for her to shake. She instantly straightened at his name, this was the Alpha King? Had he been present the entire time and she never noticed? God, she was an idiot. 

She firmly shook his hand, "Alpha Leroy, the pleasure is mine. Thank you for your hospitality. I would like for my pack members to find a home here." 

Leroy raised an eyebrow, "Please, there's no need for formalities among friends. You are all welcome to join, this is a home for everyone." 

She wasn't expecting him to be so chill and down to earth, so the only thing she could think to say was a firm "Thank you." 

Leroy smiled, it was full of joy and warmth, and then he went to tackle Cassius in a half-tussling bro-hug. She was bewildered. In all her experience with the Alpha males, they were nothing like Leroy. Not even Alpha Jasper. Leroy didn't even act like he controlled half the country, he was utterly different and she had no idea how to react. 

She had prepared for judgment and the treatment of an outcast but she hadn't prepared for acceptance. Just pure acceptance, as if she was part of the whole family and she hadn't even known them for more than three seconds. Of course, she wasn't but these were definitely people of a different kind. People with kind hearts and warm souls and they accepted all the misfits of the world with open arms. 

Deikota nudged her, "Come on, let me introduce you to some of the family." 

She could only nod. She cast a glance towards her mate, he was still busy being tackled by different males, and they were all smiling and joking with each other. Their eyes connected for a fraction of a second and he shot her the biggest grin in the entire world. God, he could replace the sun with that blinding joy. 

Her lips twitched, she almost wanted to smile back at him. Almost and yet her face remained expressionless as it portrayed a flicker of what truly lurked within. She hadn't forgotten the pain that wanted to surge forward and she needed to be careful that it never made an appearance. She couldn't get lost in the feelings of the mate bond, she needed to maintain control, it was the only way to deal with her pain, but something told her that would be difficult. 

Something told her that he would break down her walls. 

♦                ♦                ♦                ♦                ♦                 ♦

I'm actually crying. 

From the moment Cassius teared up, I realize how long this has been. He's been my child ever since book one and everyone else always got their happy endings.... but now he has his own. Someone to love. I'm just so emotional. 

And don't worry, everything is definitely not okay with Val. This is just a portrayal of being caught up in the moment, she'll fall from this high and that's when the reality comes crashing in. There will especially be emotional turmoil as she fights with her past and the mate bond.