Chapter Twenty-Nine

Eric

"Are you even listening to anything I'm saying, brother?"

I turn away from the object of my fascination for a moment and face Jeremiah, who's staring at me with a raised brow.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?"

The grin on my face widens as I return to staring at her. Her white hair falls down her shoulders in expertly styled waves, far different from the lifelessness of her messy bun back when she was still sick, and her hair was brown.

She's wearing a fancy dress. It's black, figure-hugging, and floor-length with a high slit that exposes one sexy leg. She looks like she was born into glitz and glamor. I love it for her.

"Certainly not listening," Jeremiah confirms. "Why do I bother?"

He is right, of course. I haven't heard a word he said since the sound of our mate's laughter filled my ears moments ago. Her laughter is a sound that I can pinpoint even in a crowd as large as this one. It's a sound I can listen to for the rest of my life and never grow tired of it.

"Perhaps you should go to her instead of merely staring from a distance," he says. "She is your mate, after all. I'm sure she will be happy to see one or all of us."

I nod and smile. Yes, it is one of the many things I love about her. Her face always lights up each time we are in a room with her, and her eyes shine bright, bringing an even brighter glow to her already glowing face.

"I should, but I am content to merely watch. Can't you see how much she fits in here?" I remark, wrapping my arm around Jeremiah's shoulder.

"Yes, she appears to be in her element. Who would have thought that things would turn out this way."

The two of us continue to watch as Leila whispers something in her ear, and she throws her head back and laughs heartily. The two have grown to be thick as thieves, fostering an even closer relationship than they had only two weeks ago. One would think they were soul mates.

It's been two weeks since we found out about the pregnancy, and it has only made all of us more protective of her and made us want to be closer to her, including Leila.

When we are not with her, catering to her every whim, Leila makes sure that she has whatever she wants and doesn't strain herself. Although Cassie complains about the treatment she's getting and how she wishes we would not treat her differently, it's nearly impossible not to do so.

So much has changed in the past two weeks, and being with her is the only time it feels like everything is the way it has always been. I am still as in love with her as I was all those years ago, but only now there is more of her to love.

Following the news of her pregnancy, Mr. Kaye quickly revealed to everyone that she was his daughter, and for a while, that was the only thing anyone was willing to talk about, especially with all the drama it brought with it.

Much like we had expected, everyone accepted her easily. After all, she was now recognized as part of one of the most powerful families. However, there were questions that needed to be answered about why her father had waited this long to claim her as his daughter and why she was only just now being brought into the limelight despite being born into such a family.

Mrs. Kaye's role in her hidden identity was revealed, and when the bigger picture was aired for everyone, and her arrest was made, the news of Cassie's identity quickly took the backseat. It was difficult to watch her beat herself up when Mrs. Kaye's arrest was made. Thankfully, we were all able to make her feel better.

Since then, no one has heard from Mrs. Kaye, not even Leila, who absolutely refuses to visit or have anything to do with her. It's sad how things turned out, but it is for the best.

The first week was the hardest for Leila and Cassie, with people constantly trying to tear them apart with their words and pushing as much blame on Leila as they did her mother. Thankfully, Cassie always had Leila's and her father's back, and the support soon won out over the gossip, especially after everything else had been revealed.

"Ah, there are the Jacksons."

I look up in confusion and sigh when I see the man heading toward me. Percy is from the Dumont family, one of the powerful families. He has never spoken to Jeremiah and I, other than one time when we were children when he reminded us that we were no longer considered important in the werewolf family hierarchy.

Yet, here he is, heading toward us with a smile on his face. I force my lips to smile. I have nothing against the man since we were all children when it happened. However, a part of me still isn't used to the attention we have been getting since Ares announced that we are a part of his family unit, and we became publicly known as mates of the revered White Wolf.

This was right after Mrs. Kaye was exposed and arrested. Cassie had hoped revealing it then would help take attention off of Leila, who was the subject of gossip after her mother's arrest. It sort of worked. Most of our news outlets were now buzzing with this new big thing.

I cannot say it's a terrible thing to regain status but sometimes I miss when I was simply able to hold Cassie's hand in mine without anyone looking at me. Now, it seems everyone wants to be related to us in some way.

"Percy, we hope you are enjoying yourself," Jeremiah says.

Percy looks around the Kaye family hall appreciatively and nods. "I most certainly am."

This gala is part of the plan to get everyone to forget about the scandal that was brought upon the Kaye family following the arrest of Mrs. Kaye. However, it is also Cassie's welcome into her new life and a way for everyone to see her in her element as the White Wolf, Ares' Omega, and our mates.

It is a lot to carry on her shoulders but she's doing it with so much grace and doesn't appear to be burdened at all.

"Well, some of us are planning on going on a hunt sometime next week. You should join us if you have the time," Percy says, glancing around the room.

I look at Jeremiah, prepared to say no if he doesn't want to, but he nods.

"Thank you for the offer, Percy. My brother and I will be pleased to join you guys."

My lips turn down in a slight frown, and my smile wobbles ever so slightly, but I refrain from saying anything to the contrary. I had hoped that he would be averse to the idea.

"Splendid. My secretary will send the details," Percy says, clapping Jeremiah on the back and offering me a nod before walking off.

"I know that caught you off guard," Jeremiah murmurs when Percy is out of earshot.

"Well, I cannot say that I'm not surprised by your decision to hang out with them, but I had thought you would wish to keep things as they were."

He nods. "Yes. I must admit, things were much easier when it was just us. We did not have to deal with the politics of things and could concern ourselves more with merely protecting Cassie, but things are different now."

He places his hands on my shoulders and stares me straight in the eyes.

"Cassie is no longer the person she was mere months ago. She is the most important person to our kind and we must prove worthy of her. We can no longer protect her by worrying about her and keeping her in the bookstore, away from the outside world. So, we must find other ways to protect her and be deserving of her, which means reclaiming our position among the important families and interacting with those we would rather avoid."

I sigh. While I do not like it, I can see what he means. Cassie has grown into this radiant woman that commands the attention of everyone around her and we must evolve with her.

Because of the fact that our family lost our fame and power before we were even born, I've never had to be in the limelight like this before. The only time I used to be mentioned was when someone scrunched their nose at me or stared at me with disgust or pity as a result of my being a Beta.

Now, when my family is mentioned, it is no longer to bring up past slights or to mock my inability to perceive pheromones. It feels so strange. I know for a fact that if Ares were not a part of our family unit, stronger Alphas would have fought us to take her as their mate.

Since Cassie rose to power, there have been a lot of people trying to get in her good graces and reaching out to her, including those who would have mocked her before.

Resigned, I nod. "Certainly, brother. I understand what you mean."

Jeremiah claps me on the shoulder and smiles approvingly. "Don't you worry. One day, these things will come easier to you. Now, why don't you go around and mingle instead of standing to the side and fawning over our lady."

I take a sip of my drink that I had completely forgotten about as I watch Cassie dance with Ares after separating from Leila, who's dancing with Cassie's mom.

As the music comes to an end, I walk across the polished floor and approach my lady and Ares. Ares grins when he sees me and whispers something in her ear that makes her smile. Then he places a kiss on her cheek and nods at me before walking off in the opposite direction.

"So, my lady, how are you feeling?" I ask when I reach her, taking her hand in mine and pressing a kiss to her fingertips.

I sigh in relief, happy now to be in such close proximity with her. My body craves her touch every time I'm not near her.

"Well, I am rather tired of the conversations and having to dance in front of everyone while they watch me like I'm a work of art, but I must admit, it turned out better than I hoped for."

"Yes, your mom put in a lot of effort to make sure that everything would run smoothly and everyone loves you," I smile. "I do, however, understand why you would want to be done with the conversation and the constant stares. I myself am quite done with all of it."

She smiles appreciatively. "I'm glad you understand me."

"Always."

"Why don't we make a little escape for a while? I'm sure they can function without seeing your beautiful face for a bit."

Cassie giggles, and her eyes light up, burning a path through me, straight to my heart. It's wonderful to see her so happy.

"I am not averse to that idea, dear mate of mine."

My heart thumps happily in my chest. I don't think I will ever get tired of her calling me that. It's so wonderful to have her refer to me as her mate and look at me with eyes filled with so much love and happiness.

We stand in front of the fountain, away from the main hall, although not so far that we cannot hear the music.

"I never got to dance with you tonight."

"Yes. I was hoping you would join me instead of watching me dance," she jests, and I laugh.

"Ah, but you are a sight for sore eyes, especially in this beautiful gold dress you're wearing." I offer her my hand. "Will you dance with me, my love?"

She smiles wider. "I thought you would never ask."

I take her into my hands and sway with her to the beat of the music, swirling her around and dipping her occasionally to hear the surprised giggle that escapes her.

"I would never have imagined that our lives would turn out his way. Can you imagine that only three months ago, we were meeting at the college fountain instead? Then, everything just seemed so bleak. Life seems so different now from how it used to be."

"Oh crap," she says suddenly, and I panic, pulling away from her and looking her over.

"What is it? Are you okay? Is it the baby?" I ask, placing my hand on her forehead while she laughs.

"Relax, Eric. I'm all right. Everything is all right," she says to me, placing her hands on my face as she stares at me affectionately before pressing a gentle kiss to my lips.

"I just remembered that I haven't been to school since all this started, and I need to go back," she explains finally.

I let out a relieved laugh and nod. "We both need to go back to school."

We laugh once again, and I relax. "This is how I prefer things. Just us, your mates, and you, happy and laughing all the time."

"There you guys are," I hear Ares' voice just in time. Speak of the devil.

Jeremiah is following beside him.

"So, what do you say we ditch the gala and head on home? I believe our lady has had enough of this function," Ares says.

"Oh yes. I was hoping we could do that. I'm quite tired," she says, ending her sentence with a groan.

"All you had to do was say the word, and we would've been out of here," Jeremiah says.

"Well, then. Let's go home. I want to be with my mates alone."