Ezra's POV
The rest of my day went by in a complete haze. The Magic Kingdom seemed extremely big until you were actively trying to avoid someone. I only caught her scent one other time during the day and it took less strength than before to stay away. That was a good sign. I just wandered aimlessly. Trying to focus on anything but Cassandra Miller. Fuck I wish I hadn't heard her stupid fucking name. I can't believe I let her touch me! I can't believe she felt the mate sparks! I can't believe she's human! I wanted to scream! Rage and frustration came over me in waves.
I finally spotted my parents and their group of werewolf youth all wearing their matching Best Day Ever Disney shirts. I waved as they spotted me and walked up to join the group. Still lost in thought. My mother pulled me from my internal rampage, "Ezra, honey. Are you okay? Did you have fun being a loner at Disney?" I looked into her hazel eyes. I could see love and concern. My mother always could read me like a book. This chapter was off limits though. No one could ever know about my mate. "Yeah mom I'm peachy! The stink of sweaty human is getting to me." That's the best thing I could come up with. It wasn't entirely a lie though.
"Oh don't be such a party pooper Ez!" my sweet Blair said elbowing me in the side. "Yes Ezra. Let's not be a party pooper, and use this opportunity to bond with the future of your pack." Of couse my dad was going to nag me about ditching the pack today. I understood what he was saying. I'm going to be taking over the pack duties at eighteen. It's time to get my shit together and be serious.
Knowing I'll never have a mate makes me a future Alpha with very little weakness. No mate. No weakness. Of course that also means no heir. Alphas can only produce pups with their mates. I could feel a slight pressure in my chest building up. No mate. No pups. No family of my own. Fuck. It'll be fine. I'll be fine. I needed to wipe her from my memory. Forget her beautiful ocean blue eyes, and her sexy potty mouth. I need to get laid. A distraction is definitely what I need.
I knew that since I had rejected the bond's calling that once I was away from her long enough it would fade. Right. It was time to focus on becoming the greatest Alpha the world had ever seen.
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Cassandra's POV
My chest hurt. I felt dizzy. It must be the heat. That's the only explaination for why I was feeling so shitty.
Find him. Go to him.
Those words were plaguing my thoughts. His sculpted face, and his intense gaze was burned into my brain. It's all I could see. He was all I could think about. I was going crazy. I wanted to cry. None of this made sense. I don't even know his name for god's sake. So, why did every ounce of my being tell me that I needed to be with him. To touch him again. Hell, I was even having a hard time keeping my lady bits from throbbing, and let me tell you that that is very new. I've only ever kissed a boy before. I never knew what they meant by being truly turned on until today. I needed a distraction but nothing would help. I just followed my parents around. Smiling when prompted. Joinging in conversation when required.At one point my mom asked if I was starting my period. Jesus.
I didn't eat the rest of the day. My stomach was fighting me. Every time I would think about food, a wave of nasuea would hit me.
I needed to find him. To know his name. Damn. Ive been over this, but it's all I can do. I just needed to go to bed.
And that's exactly what I did once we reached the resort. I showered, went to bed and let sleep consume me.
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6 Months Later
Cass's POV
Fire. That's what it felt like. It started in my chest, and spread all over my body. I liked to think I had a high pain tolerance but this was seriously painful. My heart rate went through the roof, I broke into a sweat, and I did my best not to scream. It was the middle of the night, and I didn't want to wake my parents. My attempt was futile. A blood curtling scream ripped through me, and it wasn't very long before my parents burst into my room.
"What's wrong Cass?" I knew it was my father, but I couldn't focus enough to give him an answer. At least not one that would make any sense. "Fire!" I screamed. "I'm burning!" It felt like hours passed, but I knew in reality it was only minutes. How many I wasn't sure.
Then suddenly it started to fade. It couldn't have lasted more than a few minutes, but it felt like hours. I was covered in sweat. I realized that none of my bed sheets were on me anymore. I must have been thrashing around more than I thought. I was suddenly freezing. The intensity of the heat leaving my body made the contrast insanely uncomfortable. I felt my dad grab my shoulder as he said, "Cass. You need to tell us what is happening." I hadn't realized until this moment that I hadn't opened my eyes yet.
As I slowly opened them, I let my dad come into focus. "I'm okay now. I think. I don't know what that was Dad. I felt like my body was on fire. Like, my entire body!" I paused to take a breath. "Then it just stopped. Now I'm freezing."
"We need to take her to the hospital David!" I heard my mother whisper yell behind my dad.
"She seems fine now." He said. He grabbed my wrist, to check my pulse I assumed. While in the navy he had some medical training for field op emergencies. "Her pulse is a litte high but not out of control." He said looking at me. He placed his hand on my forehead. "She doesn't have fever either." He looked at me for a second. Probably trying to decide what to do. He seemed deep in thought, so I decided to speak up. "I'm fine now guys. I really don't want to go to the hospital. I'm cool with the doctor's office tomorrow. Although, I have no idea what to even say happened. 'I woke up from sleep and my body felt like it was on fire, but then it wasn't.' Sounds a little crazy don't you think?"
"Fine. I'm making you an appointment first thing in the morning though." my mom said not seeming to be convinced that I was okay. She wouldn't argue with my dad though. She always trusted him to take the lead. I guess he kind of had a bit of an alpha male presence, but it didn't phase me. I could never be that way. Just submitting to a man. Yikes. It's probably why I would get in so much trouble growing up. I was always so bullheaded.
I got up to change my pj's and that was the cue to my parents to go back to bed. After getting a fresh top and sleep shorts on, I tucked myself back into bed. I would need a shower in the morning to keep my hair from being disgusting tomorrow at school. I was exhausted though. So, the second my head hit the pillow, sleep consumed me.
Cass's POVTwo Years Later...It was my eighteenth birthday. I laid in bed that morning staring at the ceiling, not thinking about anything in particular. I got up and dressed in my favorite pair of skinny jeans, white fitted short sleeved v necked t-shirt, a black blazer, and a pair of red converse. I went with curling my hair, and natural makeup. Comfy yet stylish - That was my jam. I grabbed my backpack and jogged down the stairs. I could smell the food my mother had been cooking since I first woke up. I've got a good sniffer, what can I say? From the smell of it, I knew she'd made bacon, eggs, and french toast. Half of the way down the stairs I heard my dad call my name. I knew based on where his voice came from, he must be in his office. I walked the short distance past the kitchen to his office and walked in without knocking."Hey Sweetheart. Happy Birthday!" My dad was eyeballing me with concern and added, "
Cass's POVDad turned to walk back in the direction of his truck, the tear long gone from his face. I, however, was rooted in place. I couldn't move. Shock had taken over me. The ringing of my dad's cell phone inerupted my mind's sea of nothingness."Janine! Hey, I was just about to call you."....."No I hadn't had a chance to text you back. I'm sorry."....."Yes. She's fine. It was another one of her spells, just quite a bit worse."...."I know dear I want answers too. They don't have any though."...."No! She's not staying. We are about to be released. See you soon." Dad said cutting mom off and ending the call before she could say anything else. We must have been here longer than I thought.I could hear my dad's heart beat and it was still pumping a little higher than it should. He was still a little uneasy about what had happened. How could he not be? His daughter had just. Fuck. I don't even want to say it. Mainly because I still didn't have a
5 YEARS LATER... CASS'S POV I walked into the lecture hall about thirty minutes before class would start. I wanted to get a feel for the room. This was my second semester as an Assistant Professor. I was so excited to get the job. I enjoyed it, plus it helped me pay for my masters degree. Thank god I was going to be done after I take my comps in a few months. I never went to UCONN to play basketball. After my first shift, my dad and I decided it would be best to lay low. Mom was pretty disappointed, but my dad worked his magic and convinced her it was for the best. So, I gave up my basketball scholarship and took an academic one at UCLA. I had completed several hours of college credit in high school, so I with some determination I was able to complete my undergraduate degree in English Literature ahead of schedule. I'm now persuing a masters degree in Folklore. I know it sounds like an odd thing specialty, but folklore ha
Ezra's POVI was out for a run along the south side of our pack border. It was a beautiful day for January. The sun was shining. The trees were still convinced it was winter, but it was weather I couldn't pass up the chance to enjoy. I like to run in wolf form when I can. It helps relieve some of my daily stress. As a wolf, I am quite large. Larger than my father, and certainly larger than any other wolf in my pack. My fur is jet black. Only alphas are capable of having jet black fur, but not all have it. My father's was not. His was dark dark brown, and almost black but not quite. I was secretly proud of my black fur but a good leader doesn't brag."Alpha, I'm going to put all the files on the newest warrior trainees on your desk." Jax, my lead warrior said via mindlink. We were starting warriors younger than any pack ever has. They still recieve proper education either by private school or some even choose to go to public school. That's completely up
Cass's POV I was done a little earlier than I anticipated and decided to just relax the rest of the evening. I loaded up in my good ole Jeep, and went by and got mine and Alex's favorite Chinese takeout. I then headed to my home. I live on the outskirts of the city. It was my attempt at being as secluded as possible in the event that I had a melt down or something. It also allowed me to shift whenever I wanted to. I had very few neighbors way out here. Alex lived closer to the university, but stayed over a couple nights a week. I stayed with him occasionally, but I always claimed that I slept better in my own bed. It probably sounded extremely upity, but Alex never complained. I think if I was happy, he was happy. We both knew eventually we would need to sort out where we would live after we got married. If I am being honest I don't know how I would live in the city and keep my sanity. There are always so many noises and smells. It wears me out.
Cass's POVWith unnatural speed I raced over and grabbed the phone from Alex. I made sure he hadn't pressed SEND yet before putting the phone down on the table. Seeing that he hadn't, I breathed a temporary sigh of relief."What are you doing babe? There's something not right about those men." There was worry laced in every word.I sighed and closed my eyes. I had been in denial. I really thought I could keep this day from ever coming. I thought if I laid low and minded my own business that the werewolves would stay away.Dragging Alex into this world was the last thing I ever wanted to do. Hell, this world was a mystery to even me. I wasn't a part of it. There was knowledge available in writings throughout history that anyone could dig up. The little details about lycans and werewovles is where my lack of knowledge were going to eventually put me and my loved ones in danger. Unfortunately it seemed that eventually had come.
Cass's POV"Show Me."I should have expected this, but I wasn't going to budge. He couldn't force me to shift even with all the power he was subtly sending at me in waves. I stood my ground, and held his gaze. Even with his exuding power, I felt no malice. I stayed calm and kept my heart rate steady. I saw no reason to fly off the handle.After only a few more seconds, Alpha Marcus smiled a big toothy grin and began to chuckle. "I'm sorry my dear, Cassandra. I had to try!"I couldn't help but smile back, and let out a small laugh myself. It suddenly occurred to me that I was choosing to let this man and his friends into my life. I was choosing to trust him. "Alpha Marcus, I would like to learn more about the Were community and hopefully in turn learn some more about myself -"Before I could finish my sentence, the all too familiar feeling of burning from the inside out hit me. Without meaning to I let out a hiss in pain
Cass's POVAfter Alex had gone home to finish paperwork and to prep for his Tuesday classes, I called my dad. I talked to him for an hour about what had transpired. Of course he was cautious and worried about the fact that other knew a little about what I was now, but I assured him that I felt nothing off about the situation. If anything it all felt right.Alpha Marcus contacted me the next morning and asked if I would be willing to meet him for dinner after I completed my lectures for the day. There were some things he wanted to discuss with me. For some reason I trusted this man. He reminded me of my father a little bit I suppose. It was also a bit refreshing to not feel like he was out to get anything from me. I stayed to myself so it's not like I'd ever really been used, but to say that I wasn't paranoid about what would happen once my secret was out would be a lie._______________________________________________Walking into th