Chapter 47

**ARIA**

I push open the door and am overwhelmed by the silence in this usually loud place. I walk slowly forward and make out the silhouette of Cassius, sitting in one of the corners of the main ring. Lifting the top rope, I reach underneath and sit next to him. Without saying anything, I rest my head on his shoulder. After a few seconds, he sighs.

"So all the crap in your books is true?"

"How do you know what I read?"

"You're my little sister, of course I'm interested in what you read." He clears his throat. "I can't believe it. We had a fucking normal life, with a fucking father, and then overnight everything is fucking turned upside down."

"I know. I'm still here and that's not going to change. I'm still the same and if you want to talk or need answers. I'm still here. If you want to be left alone, that's fine too."

"Damn. Fucking werewolves and fucking vampires." He shakes his head. "I'm going to need some time. She's hot, I feel close to her like I've never felt close to anyone outside of our family but... this is too much. Too many things at once." He stands up suddenly and knocks me out of balance. He paces in front of me, running his hands through his hair. "So Leila and Adam are hybrids...half vampire, half werewolf right?"

"Yes."

"And Austin is a werewolf."

I nod.

"And Rosalie?"

"A witch." I answer and purse my lips.

"A witch. A fucking witch. That's exactly what was missing from this crazy story."

"I know it's a lot to take in all at once me when Riley..."

"Riley too?!" He cuts me off.

"Werewolf, yeah. It came as a shock to me too."

"You were living with a fucking werewolf!" He pulls his hair with both hands and screams.

Okay he's totally freaking out. I've never seen him in such a state.

"What exactly is a fucking mate?"

I explain everything to him, I think the more information he gets the clearer it will become, well I hope so. His eyes were close to popping out of their sockets when I told him about the mating process but otherwise he was relatively calm for someone who didn't know anything about it. And for once, he remains silent, terribly silent, too silent. So quiet that I start to freak out. Cass always has an opinion as a rule and nothing comes out of his mouth.

"Do you want me to leave you alone for a while?" I ask her as I stand up.

"Yes please." He pauses. "You can all stay at Dad's, I'll go back to my place later.”

I nod before walking out the door I came in through. Austin is waiting for me leaning on his car and offers me a sad smile when he sees me. "Give him time." He pulls me into a hug. "You really only jumped up and down when you found out about me, if I remember correctly."

I hide my face on him, stifling a laugh. "Stop it. When I think back to the fact that I told you about Christian Grey and you'd heard everything."

He laughs. "That was funny." And I slap him gently on the arm.

***

The next morning, we are all in the kitchen having breakfast, when we hear the front door open and close. Two seconds later, Cassius walks into the kitchen and drops a duffel bag on the floor. I look at the bag and then at him, raising an eyebrow.

He walks over to the coffee pot and pours himself a coffee without a word.
I clear my throat and he looks at me. "What?"

"What?" I look at him in shock. "You come back here like a flower with a bag." I wave in the direction of the bag on the floor. "And you don't say anything. Why do you have a fucking duffel bag?!" I ask him, frowning.

He shrugs his shoulders. "Because I'm going with you." He answers me as if it's obvious.

"Really?" Leila asks him softly, her eyes filled with hope.

He nods, "Honestly my life has been turned upside down and I need a break. And... and I want to know more before I make a decision. It's all... it's... crazy!"

Leila looks at him with a huge smile and he ghosts a smile on his lips as he looks at her. Okay, he's totally going to do this . They are totally going to finalize the mating process. I don't even give them a week. Cassisus is already thinking with his dick most of the time and this is his mate so he'll go for it.

"Well let's get going then." Adam announces.

Adam, Austin, Rosalie and I get into one car and Cassius and Leila into another. They'll have time to get to know each other that way.

"So you finished the papers?" Rosalie asks me.

"Yeah, but I've got a lot of unanswered questions. I would love to meet them so much."

"Sasha warned me that my mom was back we can ask her what she knows and especially why she never told us." Adam tells me.

The boys' phones beep and as Adam drives he doesn't look at it. Austin reads the message and runs his hand over his face.

"Bad news?" I ask him and he sighs. He exchanges a look with Adam and the latter nods.

"It was Riley who sent you the message to come to the palace."

"Damn it Austin. You tell her like that?" Adam yells at him.

He shrugs his shoulders. "What? How do you want me to tell her?" He pauses as he turns to look at me. "She used another phone, Alex managed to trace it and identify it as her owner. We found out just before you came to tell us your father was on the phone." He sighs. "Adam placed a listening device on her jacket at the funeral."

"And?" I ask him.

"And Alex just told us that he heard him talking on the phone with David's father. She told him to do whatever he could to keep his son in Alpha's place."

"Holy shit! What a stupid cunt! What a stupid cunt!" I tap Austin's seat. "And I believed her. I believed everything she told me. I feel so stupid."

"You're not stupid for believing your friend." Rosalie reassures me by stroking my thigh.

"We have to find a way to get her." Adam tells us.