Chapter 81: Chapter 81

**Cassie’s Pov**

We have no idea, but suddenly I felt chills running down my body as I could sense two werewolves in this building. It is both familiar and unfamiliar. This is odd because I can also feel that they are not a bad person or something, but I think our situation right now does not accept only hunches. I need to ensure the safety of my family, especially my son.

"Dad, please go to the other room; I will see who those unwanted visitors of ours are," I said to them. They look worried, but I just nodded, and they know that I can manage.

I slowly left my apartment room and went silently to Dax’s apartment. Is he safe? Why does this smell so bad? Those werewolves are amateurs if they can’t hide their smell, especially if they are here for the sake of killing us.

I sighed, took a good momentum before kicking the door, and I saw the shocked expressions of Damon, Dax, and Derek. I once again sniffed the air because I thought something was wrong with my senses. Did I just make a mistake, or do Dax and Derek smell like werewolves now?

"I can explain, my Luna," Damon said like I was too afraid that Derek and Dax might see me as a weird person. But from their facial expressions, I can also see that there is no use hiding all of this now, with Damon and his big mouth running again and again.

I sat on the opposite couch, trying to put a mask on my face as a façade for my bursting emotions. I am so confused right now that my head is starting to ache.

"Please tell me what is happening here," I asked them. The two guys look worried, shocked, and filled with a mixture of unpleasant emotions. The smell of fear and confusion is reeling through their bodies.

I was beyond shocked when I heard that these two guys actually had this kind of very rare phenomenon. So, basically, they are no longer humans, but someone like me? I think if I am in their situation, I will also be afraid, and beyond that.

"First, I want to apologize if I made this a secret, and you must understand why. I have no intention of deceiving both of you, and what I showed both of you is the real me, and if you strip away the fact that I am a werewolf, I am still the Cassie you know. But I will also accept if you are going to be mad, especially if you feel that I did something wrong. But aside from that, I am willing to help. I never heard of some converted people turning back into humans, but I will ask my dad about this." I hope I can make them feel less worried.

"I don’t know; I am still confused," Derek said while his hand was on his head, lowering his head like he had the most difficult thing running through his mind. It is really not an easy thing to accept.

"I am not mad at you, Cassie; I know that you are kind, and you have no bad agenda. I will believe in you, so please help us," Dax said, and I can sense the sincerity in his words.

I nodded. "I will, but now, take a sip of this tea; it will calm you and your mind. It has a little bit of an effect, like getting dizzy, but rest assured that this will not cause you any harm." And it pains me that they are hesitating. So, they no longer fully trust me? I mean, I cannot blame them; I hide everything from them.

I started to talk about my past; it is a very painful flashback, and even though I don’t want to speak again, I felt that I needed to. "That is the summary of why we are here. We are hiding from my brother-in-law, who is the new alpha and the one who assassinated my mate," I said while clenching my fist.

"I am so sorry if I say that this is too much; I want to rest," Derek said, and that made me feel pain like something inside of me was hurt, but I understand well. And all I can do is hope that he will not change again and will not see me as a monster.

Before Damon sent Derek to his condominium apartment, I taught them how to hide his scent, and he naturally did it. On the other hand, I was left with Dax. He is trembling, and I made the decision to get close to him and hug him. I put his head on my chest.

"Are you scared of me now? Please, believe me, I did not convert you into a werewolf. I am not a monster." Please do not hate me, for I just want to have a normal life, even though it will sound nothing but impossible.

I can feel his head shaking. Does it mean he did not dislike me at all? "I can’t hate you. because you are my salvation, Cassie. How could I hate someone who lifted me out of that dark corner? Cassie, no matter what will happen, you are still that Cassie that I love, the one who makes this heart beat faster; you teach me the other side of hope; and you are the reason why I am so motivated to get better," he said, and that is enough to make me feel better.

"Are you also worried about Derekt and how he feels about this?" he asked. And again, I have no reason to lie.

"I am so worried. There are lots of what-ifs that run through my mind. And if the time comes, I am willing to go far away," I said to him. I am still thinking about whether I should fight Xander and his evil force or once again run away and have a peaceful restart.

"Don’t mind that guy; he loves you, and he will never endure you; trust me," he said to me. I can only wish for that thing to happen.

Danon sent me back to my apartment; he said that I should be safe now since I can hide my scent. I thanked him, but I couldn’t look into his eye. Maybe because I hurt Luna, I am not dumb enough not to see that he felt that I half-rejected her. I was just confused, and I still am, but I did not mean to hurt her. That was the last thing I wanted to happen.

"Derek, I know that we meant for a day, and we are not really close. I am indebted to you because you gave me a shelter for now, but I promise that I will not be a burden. All I ask is that you don’t hurt Luna with your gestures, which she can see as your way of rejecting her. She has been through a lot of pain; don’t add something that she will think of as something." And he left me with those words that rang in my head.

"What did I do? I have nintentionns of hurting her! I just want to have a little time to think, but maybe I made a mistake," I said to myself.

I went to my personal bar here in my unit. I took a bottle of hard liquor, but no matter how many times I finish a bottle, I can still get drunk.

"Right, I am now a werewolf, and I have this superpower," I said to myself, sighing. I am still in denial.

"Too bad, right?" A familiar voice, and I saw Dale on a corner.

"How did you manage to come inside? Why are you here, and what is that smelly thing you are drinking?" I hissed. Did I just smell blood on his wine glass?

"Oh, my bastard friend has this strong nose. I see, I see, but well, congratulations since you are not a pitiful human anymore, but instead you have a very special gift." How did he know?

My eyes widened. "Are you also a werewolf? also a werewolf?" Wait, does a werewolf need to drink blood to survive? How I wish I had listened to Cassie, but an hour ago, I was so confused that I might die.

"Are you damn retired? I never heard that you are this stupid; have you watched any movies aside from adult films? Dude! "Vampires drink blood, duh," he said, causing me to become aware and growl involuntarily.

"Hey, don’t use that tone on me. I am not here to fight, but to give a little bit of advice," he said to me with his hands up and his fucking blood in a champagne glass floating in the air like some sort of telekinesis.

I can smell that he is not lying. Damn, I really have a good nose now, huh? "I will listen, but don’t come near me," I warned him. He said that I am not a fragile human; if he did something wrong or made a wrong move, I would easily manage to break a limb on his body.

"Stop giving me those annoying stares; I said I am not here to start a fight. Cassie knows that I am a vampire too—well, a half vampire, half werewolf to be exact; I am an outcast, in short, a hybrid," he said like he was introducing his new self.

"What is really happening now? Am I dreaming? Is this some sort of weird book?" I said it in a very confused tone.

"Huh! What nonsense is that? Do you really think that this is just a dream? Dude, wake up. Maybe it is not a situation that you can easily understand, but in this reality now, you are part of a society that not all humans know." Maybe he is right; what is the point of resisting again when, in fact, I will be going to live this way from now on?

"Fine, but since you are here now, I wanted to ask for some advice. You know, Cassie hides the fact that she is a werewolf, and I kind of make her feel bad; that is why," I said to him, and he tossed the glass. I was almost hurt by that!

"Hey! Don’t fuck around throwing some glass!" I protested!

"Don’t fret; it would not kill you. Werewolf has super regeneration; you can break some of your bones and they will be healed in less than an hour. It depends on your stamina, but your body is quite sturdy. Also, I throw that glass because you said something very annoying. You make Cassie feel bad because she hides the fact that she is not a human. Dude, where is your peanut-sized brain? Maybe I have mistaken you for smart!" He insulted me, but I will accept it since I felt that he was just repeating some facts.

"I know I made a mistake; I was wrong, and I am planning to make up and apologize to her. She doesn’t deserve the way I treated her," I said, full of regret.

"I see, it is good that you admit your mistake, because if not, it is good to make your blood spill and be my sauce for tonight’s dinner," he said, trying to joke, but I do not see it funny at all.

"You psycho," I said to him, showing my middle finger.

"Ha! I wanted to ask why you are planning to apologize tomorrow if you can do it now. Like, really? You are planning to make Cassie sleep with a burden on her heart that was caused by you? Are you some sort of fucker now?" he said. I am so annoyed, but she is just saying the truth.

"I will send you there," he said. And with his snap, I suddenly saw myself warped, and now I am in front of Cassie, who looks like she is crying. Fuck, Dale is right. I am nothing but a fucker that is good at making Cassie cry like this.

I went to her side and wiped her tears. I am so damn guilty right now because I know that I am the one who made her cry. But am I mad now because I am also happy that these tears are evidence of my importance to her?

"Sh, don’t cry; I am so sorry; I did not mean to make you feel this way. I have no valid reason for doing that, and I am simply foolish, so I hope you will forgive me, because I will never do that again, and I will never doubt you again," I promise to her. I will thank that fucker, Dale, for bringing me here.

"Thank you; you don’t know how much it means to me that you did not change the way you look at me," she said to me. Fuck, I want to eat her right now. Does she have any idea how cute she is right now? I want to embrace her so tightly. I will never stop falling in love with this woman, no matter what.

So what if we are now somehow unusual? We can manage to make it work. There is no doubt that all I need in my life is her.

"I will thank Dale for doing that trick and bringing me here," I said to her. She looks surprised by what I said.

"Do you mean that you know that Dale is a vampire?" she asked me.

"Of course, no. I just learned it a few minutes ago as she showed up and nagged me; he made me realize that what I did to you was wrong," I said to her.

"He is surely an annoying vampire, but he is kind-hearted and helps too much, so don’t bully my boss too much; I will do the bullying instead." I would love to see that.

"Yeah, I owe him for the first time." And suddenly we heard my stomach protesting because I had not eaten anything up until this time.

"Looks like someone is fasting; come, there is still food in the kitchen, and I will just reheat it. You also smell liquor; you will not be drunken," she reminded me. I suddenly felt sad. If I just knew, maybe I would start drinking nonstop for one month, knowing that I would soon forget how to get drunk.

"I can see that flinch. Don’t worry, there is still a way to work the liquor effect on our body. We only need some wolfbane to put on our beer; it will make our immunity weak, making us drunk." And that is the only thing that I want to clarify again.

I went to the kitchen with Cassie, and you have no idea how happy I am to see her serving me like she is now my wife. If ever I turn into a stubborn guy and refuse to accept this, will I ever experience this kind of thing? I bet now, for I will forever regret such a thing if I make that greatest mistake. I should learn my lesson, and I don’t think losing Cassie in my life is a choice.

"I will just check Charlie to see if he is sleeping now. Eat as much as you can because I do not want you to starve. I will be back in a second," she said, waving her hand and giving me that smile that can melt anyone so easily. Fuck! No one is allowed to see that smile, not even a single man.

I felt someone knock my head, and I saw Dax give me that death glare. Huh, I will accept that violence since I owe them this one.

"You fool, why do you have to make Cassie cry like that? We promise to make her happy!" Art said, like another set of nagging again.

"Fine! Fine! I am so sorry. I already apologized to Cassie, and I regret it. I am not someone who takes changes so lightly, but I realize what I could miss if I made that mistake," I said to him.

"Right, because if you don’t apologize to Cassie, I will make her mine alone, and I will not let you have her too again," he said with that threatening tone.

"That is why we should make her happy and safe. Now that we know that there is a threat to her life, we should do something. I was trained in the military; maybe I am not as capable as before, but I can protect her as well as I can protect them," he said. I am too! I will protect them too!

"I don’t care if I spend all of my fortune just to spoil them and protect them; I swear it," I said to him.

"Then let us continue planning our surprise for her. I already talk to my sister and her brother. You should also talk to her boss to give her a birthday leave," he instructed me.

"Done, I can handle it. By the way, how did you manage to accept it so easily? I saw that you are as surprised as I am, but I am also surprised that you accept the fact that we are no longer together now," I said to him.

"It is simply that I am more afraid of losing Cassie in my life than being someone like a human. I saw a couple of times how monster humans are, and I can’t see anything that will change just because I am no longer a human." He has a point. Maybe if I had such a way of thinking, I might avoid hurting Cassie.

"If you are still guilty, just do your best not to repeat the same mistake again. We are werewolves, but humans too."

What do you mean I have a birthday vacation? And how did you know that now is my birthday?" I asked my boss, who looks calm and cool right now. He looks suspicious, rather!

"Well, you work hard and you have little task right now, so I can't see anything wrong with taking some break; geez, just go, and of course, I know your birthday since I have your resume," he said so naturally, as he knows well his script.

I gave him a weirder look. "You are not firing me for this job, right?" I said, glaring at this cheeky vampire-wolf boy.

"Of course not! I will not let Derek have his early Christ gift." Well, I never imagined hearing the word Christmas from a vampire, but well, I will let him go this time. Besides, I think I deserve a well-paid free day.

"Fine, but it should be a paid vacation," I said to him.

"Hah, money again. Fine, you know you do not need money if Derek is head over heels for you. That guy can be your sugar daddy," he muttered like he was intentionally teasing me.

"It is my birthday, so stop pissing me off, or I will just drag you through meetings today and not take your suspicious vacation leave," I warned him.

"Fine! Just go, don't you want to spend this day with your son? Geez, you should stop;vI'drthinking too much, when I am just the typical kind boss trying to give back to your efforts." Wow, it sounds so fake, I rather puke and die.

So, as usual, I just go with the flow. I'd rather spend this day stress-free. I also ask Angel if she is just fine with my schedule. She is working too much, and I don't want to give her such a burden.

"You sure? Are you alright with this? You know, I can take back the work. Lately, you have been working too much," I said to her, a little bit worried. But she is the type of woman who is more independent and brave.

"Cassie, I am more than fine. Healthy and kicking, it is just, do you know that friend of my brother with brown hair, this kind of tall, around 6 feet, with a very nice smile and lovely brown eyes? I have never seen such a handsome and gentle-looking guy for a while." Oh, oh, it looks like love is in the air for real!

"Are you talking about Damon?" I asked, giving her that, 'I know you like him; don't you look? Angel is blushing, and I never thought that a workaholic, very independent, and stoic woman like Angel could be this way because of Damon.

"So you know him?! Oh, gosh! I am so sorry if I am talking this way, but you know, I never believe in love at first sight, but he is different, and I want to know Damon. Wow, even his name sounds so handsome," she muttered, quite excited.

"Yes, he came from my hometown, and he is planning to stay here for good. Dale gave him work here in the company, so you will often go to see him," I said. And I was beyond surprised when I heard her squealing.

"For real?" She faked a cough. "I mean, that is good! Dale is the best boss," she added.

"Derek also gave him a place to stay," I added to the limelight.

"Are you talking again to that guy?" she asked, and Angel looked not pleased with what I said.

"Derek is a changed man, and I believe it is in a better way," I said to her. As much as I can, I want to make people realize that Derek is no longer the type of guy we knew in the past.

"I hope so, but anyway, I want to greet you with a happy birthday! I will send my gift later," she said with a big smile.

"Oh, you don't have to, but many thanks! You know how grateful I am for all the help that I received from you," I said to her with sincerity. Angel is truly an angel in my life.

"No, rather, I should be the one thanking you. I thought my brother's case was hopeless. He is barely getting better; if not for his sweet job, he might be traumatized that badly, but because of you, you gave him a better tomorrow. I am not pressuring you to like Art, but please don't reject him because I love my brother." I know, and as long as I can and my past will not bring harm to Dax, I decided not to walk away.

I bid goodbye and rode in a taxi. I went home, and I saw my son watching TV while he was alone.

"Where is everybody?" I asked Charlie. He walked toward me and gave me a cheeky kiss on the cheek.

"Happy birthday, Mom," he said with both hands on his back. Why is my son growing too fast? I just noticed that he is this kind of tall.

"Thank you, son. Look at you; you are so tall and handsome. You look like exactly the carbon copy of your father," I said, and I just felt that I missed him again. Every day, not a single day did I not miss the love of my life.

"Don't be sad, Mom; if Dad is here, he will be happy for you," my son said while wiping my tears. Right, I still have Charlie.

"Give me a hug," I said to him with a smile, and he was more than glad to embrace me like this.

I went to the kitchen and started to whip something up. I have a high-paying job, so I can manage to cook something fancy today. It will be a small family dinner, but I am hoping that they will appreciate it.

I am in the middle of cooking when someone is not right. A handkerchief blocked my nose, and the familiar scent of wolfbane went straight to my senses, knocking me out.