☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆

☆ It's always the small pieces 
that make the big picture.☆

☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆

♪  Hands, put your empty hands in mine
And scars, show me all the scars you hide  ♪

♪ And hey, if your wings are broken
Please take mine so yours can open too  
'Cause I'm gonna stand by you  ♪

♪ Oh, tears make kaleidoscopes in your eyes
And hurt, I know you're hurting, but so am I  ♪

♪ And love, if your wings are broken
Borrow mine so yours can open too'
Cause I'm gonna stand by you ♪

♪ I'll be your eyes when yours can't shine
I'll be your arms, I'll be your steady satellite  ♪
♪ And when you can't rise, well, 
I'll cry with you on hands and knees 
'Cause I  (I'm gonna stand by you)  ♪

☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆

Anton:

"What's it like? To be completely mated?" Cass questioned me while she cuddling against my chest sitting on my lap. 

She had stolen a pair of sweats and a hoodie from my cupboard. I loved how her raven black hair splayed across my chest and the way her fingers cutely curled out of the sleeve of my hoodie that was extremely huge on her. My ears caught on her steady heartbeat and her comfortable breathing as if she's almost asleep. 

She tutted, "I asked you a question, An... Stop day-dreaming... or night-dreaming. Whatever!"  She giggled and pinched my taut cheek. 

I chuckled, "To be completely mated, huh?"

"Yeah... What's it like?" She shifted and cuddled closer as if listening to a bedtime story.

"I've heard that it's a beautiful experience, almost magical. When a male and a female mate with each other, they connect their souls most intimately. The same goes for the marking process. But, mating seals the bond. It brings the two halves together and makes them whole. They say that we get an insight into each other's souls. It makes us feel like one and think like one."

She blushed a rosy red, "I... I want to do this."

My heartbeat picked up hearing her say that and so did hers, "What?"

She drew away from me and sat up straight. She looked determined, "Yeah... I wanna do this. Do you wanna do this?"

I laughed, "Tell me... When did I ever not want to mate with you?"

She blushed and smiled, "Okay... We should do this... Now. I want to do this now."

I smirked, "Do what, Little Cass?"

She blushed a deep red, "Be the bigger person! Stop being such a tease..." 

She then shyly placed her lips against mine. That was all that I needed to rip her hoodie and sweats... gently. 

I could hear my blood racing in my ears. Nothing had ever excited me this much before. Mating is a common thing that I've heard and seen all around. But the thought of mating with Cass is like a dream come true. 

The thought that I'm going connect with Cass in the most intimate way sent butterflies fluttering in my stomach. The old me would have grimaced at the thought. But now, things were so different. 

"I love you," Cass whispered shyly. "Is this going to hurt?"

As an answer, I kissed her deeply leaving both of us breathless and heaving for oxygen. I whispered back, "It's going to be alright..." 

I probably turned a light tinge of red as I said, "You're my first too."

She giggled and cooed, "Awww..." She kissed my nose and I chuckled. 

As I explored her body, I saw a beautiful tattoo on her thigh. It said, "Trust your struggles because everything happens for a reason." I smiled and placed a kiss on it making her squirm and gasp lightly.

We connected in the most intimate way possible. It caused her pain making her shed tears. I kissed her face and neck constantly trying to soothe her pain. Soon, she was able to get used to it and urged me to move. 

We felt our souls connect. It was the most beautiful feeling I've ever felt and I knew that she felt the same too. Our feelings and thoughts clashed together making us think and feel as one. 

At this point, I knew that there was no way that I could ever truly be separated from Cass. No distance can ever affect us because she was always right there in my heart, connected so perfectly. I felt the beauty of her soul making me learn and know every little detail of hers... Her likes, dislikes, fears, insecurities, strengths, dreams, and visions. 

I knew that she saw my soul too... the darkness, the light, my fears, strengths... She smiled widely and teared up.

But most importantly, we both felt love like never before. 

☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆

Cassandra:

"An... I gotta sort things out for Mom. It's important."

"But, for a whole week?!" He growled and turned away folding his arms and behaving like a stubborn kid.

I looked at him sternly, "Yes... I need a week. My school's starting tomorrow and I want to stay with Mom for a while..."

"How about you stay the nights here? I'll drive you every day! Matt will take care of things in my absence." 

I sighed, "An..."

"Look, I know that you're fed up with my behavior but I just can't help it. Even my poor wolf agrees," He frowned.

I laughed. He's been very clingy the past week ever since we mated. So clingy that I've yelled at him several times and he just wouldn't give me space to breathe. It's not like I'd become pregnant or anything because I consumed the contraceptive potion that Drishti prepared specifically for my purpose.

He spoke again, "But-" 

"An-"

"I'll try to behave myself, Okay? Just stay..." He pleaded, making me sigh again. 

"Hey, consider this a bargain. I'll let you pee and poop in peace without listening out for you." He said it so confidently that my eyes almost bulged out.

"You what?!" I screeched. "You've been listening to my poop?!"

He took a breath and put his finger up, "I can explain. I-"

I stomped my feet, "What do you find so attractive in my pooping?!"

He looked like he was going to give me a serious explanation, "You know? If you got hurt..."

"The biggest action I do while pooping is fart... which doesn't hurt," I deadpanned at him and sighed. 

"Believe me. We both need this, An. It's just a week. If you miss my poop so much, my window will always be open back at home," I told him seriously and patted his shoulder.

He sighed defeated, "Let me drive you at least."

And I let him drive me.

☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆

"Welcome home, Officer." I smiled at John White. 

He smiled back warmly, "Call my John, Cassandra." 

"Same goes to you! Call me Cass," I told him as I meddled with the clean, unused cutlery before me. 

Mom wanted me to get to know John. She knew how strong my intuition is. So, she wanted to check this man thoroughly. So, we now sat at the table trying to start a conversation while mom fetched the dishes and the food for a fine dinner. 

"I'm so sorry for what you went through..." He let out a humorless laugh, "I've failed as a father. I failed to check what he was up to behind my back... Would you ever forgive me, Cass? For my negligence?"

I sighed as I felt pity for a father who thinks himself as a failure, "I forgive you, John. I'm sorry that you had to lose him because of me."

He wiped a tear, "I worked so hard for him. He never had the gratitude. It isn't your fault. An arrogant child becomes an evil human at some point. What he did was evil! So, fate decided to give him his end... His horrible end as a punishment."

"I'm so sorry, John. Just know that you're a good man and I'm sure that you did your best. You were never a failure," I told him kindly.

Mom placed the food on the table one after another. What caught my attention was the cheesecake in the beautiful glass case. I grinned at mom. She smiled back, "I'll let you guys talk... I'll be in the living room if you need me."

She loaded her plate with the rice and curry and walked away. I filled both our plates with the food and we began eating. We spoke about random things. He made me laugh telling me about the funny incidents that his department handled around the town.

Soon, we were talking about the important stuff. "I know that I can't ever take the place of your dad. You guys love him with all your heart and he was a great man. I'm just the father of the guy who betrayed you for some money. But, believe me. If I ever had the chance to rectify his deed, I would do so by sacrificing even my life. I feel so ashamed," He spoke with a heavy heart. He looked like he lost his appetite. He looked so broken and lonely. He kept shuffling the food on his plate.

"Hey, John... It's time you put the past behind. Start fresh. You have to let yourself heal. You can't keep hanging on to the past... We forgave you already!" I told him. I could hear the television running in the living room.

He nodded, "Thank you. I wanted to ask if... Well, it's only if you agree. Clara's been there when I lost my son. She was there when I had no one. I want to be there with her now... I want to spend whatever time I have with her. I would only do so if you gave me permission. Again, I know that I can't ever replace Gregory." 

Mom came back and discarded her plate. She grabbed a small plate for the cheesecake. John and I did the same. 

"Mom, please sit here." She nodded and sat down with us on the table. 

"Mom, do you like John?" I asked her bluntly as I scrapped of the cheesecake from the fork into my mouth. 

She laughed nervously, "Yeah." I smiled not only because she said yes but also because of the beautiful texture of the cheesecake in my mouth.

"That's amazing then! You guys should totally hook up if you aren't doing that already," I shrugged and told them. They both turned a deep red. 

I cleared my throat. "John, my mom's been through hell and back! If you hurt her," I looked at him very seriously. "I will have your head on a stick and that is a promise."

When I thought that he would sprint out the door in fear, he smiled with adoration and respect, "Aye aye, Luna Cass."

I smiled, "Welcome to my family, Officer John!"

☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆

"Have a great day, my little badass Luna! If any male tries something funny, make sure you smash his jewels," Anton told me cheerfully and kissed me on my lips. I wanted to protest that 'Little' and 'badass' don't go together. But instead, I grinned at him and stepped out of the car.

"Hey, finish your sandwich!" Anton stepped out and called after me.

I walked back and opened my mouth. He stuffed the last piece of the sandwich in my mouth. I chewed my load with puffed cheeks and he kissed my cheeks. 

All while everyone on the parking lot stared with their jaws open. Yeah, Anton can draw that kind of attention... His towering height and the perfect physique with handsome facial features (Just like every other werewolf... But, An is the most handsome wolf I know.) can draw a lot of attention.

I hugged him around his waist and waved at him. He stayed until I walked inside the campus. I was still chewing the load in my mouth and pulled out my phone to call Nat. Just then...

 "Cassandra!!!" She harshly grabbed my shoulders from behind me and squealed loudly. I almost choked on my sandwich. I quickly swallowed my load.

I hugged her tightly. Feeling the connection I had with her through pack bond, I realized that she had mated with Olive. I looked at the mark on her neck and she blushed. I laughed and teased her. I demanded the details.

"I'll give them to you later. But guess what? I sent Olive to check for your evil late stepdad's daughter. We're thinking of adopting her," She told me with a frown.

I looked at her astonished, "That's... amazing!"

"You think?" She looked at me unsure. 

I nodded my head, "Yeah!  That's amazing, Nat!"

She let out a breath of relief and smiled with an emotion in her eyes, "I love you so much... Thank you!" 

I nodded with a smile. We made our way to the reception to fetch our schedules. As we received our schedules, a new girl approached the reception. I frowned wondering why she looked so familiar.

"Name please?"

"Mary Ann Relish," she said with a smile. My eyes widened. She was my best friend in the other school when I still had my dad and Brian didn't disturb us yet. After I moved out of that school, she loved out too. She seemed to have disappeared off the town after that. 

"Mary?" I whispered.

She turned and looked at me. It took a moment but she recognized me, "Cassandra? Oh my gosh!!" She threw her arms around me. I laughed lightly and hugged her back. She felt muscular like she spends a lot of her time working out and she's slightly taller than me.

"Where the hell have you been?" I asked her.

"Where the hell have you been, Miss Cass?" She asked me sternly. "I tried searching for you and didn't find you at all! My dad got a transfer after that... Now, he's been put back here... after six years..."

We attended our classes and sat down at the cafeteria for lunch. Nat had a few classes with Mary Ann. They managed to bond and get to know each other during the time. So, I didn't have to worry about things being awkward between them. Mary was telling us what her hobbies and activities were. I was chewing on the apple while she spoke. 

"... reading and sketching. But, I'm not an artist. I just sketch but it doesn't come out perfect. I'm good at martial arts tho... Ya know? The usual defense techniques... I'm quite good at them! I'm the most agile fighter in my class!" She laughed and faltered as she saw Nat and I freeze. 

She looked confused, "Is... something wrong?"

Nat and I looked at each other and shook our heads, "No... Not at all! Tell us more."

She nodded still looking confused, "I... I got a lot of medals. I participated in a lot of tournaments and won a good number of them..."

I smiled widely, "Mary Ann... I want to ask you for a favor. It's okay if you don't wanna do it..."

"What is it?" She looked concerned.

"Would you wanna take free defense classes for the town kids and women? It's just that there used this friend of mine who did that job... Now, we have no one to do that..." I asked her looking for some hope.

She thought over it for a while. We ate in silence. 

"I'd love to do that!" She smiled enthusiastically. "I'm gonna be here for a long time too! I'mma apply for an online college. Don't wanna travel." She shrugged.

Nat grinned, "We'll take you to her training center! The town has made it public. Whoever wants to train people there, can take it!"

Soon, a voice began to speak in my head. Looking at Nat, I realized that she heard it too.

"Guys!! Alpha Andrew and Luna Alina is awake!" I heard Bernard's voice in my head.

I mind-linked Anton, "An..?"

"Cass, do you want to meet them now?"

"Yes!!"

"Great! I'll pick you up in five."

I gave Nat one look and she nodded. So, I took out my phone and rung up Nat's number secretly. Nat's phone rang and she picked it to put on a show for Mary to excuse us.

She spoke on the empty line for a while and we informed Mary that we had to go. Mary just smiled and made us promise to take her to the training center the next day. We nodded and walked out.

I guess this was the last puzzle piece to bring back normalcy from this whole disaster... Maybe, you can't call this completely normal. But, it's as normal as it can be!  I thought with a smile.

☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆

One year and three months later...

"The distance from your pack and to another pack is almost a hundred miles. If there were a threat to your pack, it will be very difficult to reach you. Yours is the smallest one and hence didn't pose a very big threat to the world. But, from what happened a year back, it's difficult to say the same now," I spoke to the concerned General, pointing at the map.

"You are very much right, Luna. What am I to do now?"

"Move places," I said simply and shrugged. "We'll find a place closer to the rest of the empire. Let us know when you're ready to move. Each pack will contribute some men to help them re-build their pack in a new location. The Alpha will fund the whole thing!"

The Generals murmured amongst themselves and nodded in agreement. 

Anton smiled at me proudly while he said, "Any questions, Generals?"

They all stayed quiet for a while, waiting for someone to speak up.

Old Alpha Andrew let out a laugh, "There seem to be no questions at all, Luna! We all trust your judgment. She sure is a gem, An. How did your unlucky ass get so lucky?"

Anton laughed, "I don't know, Dad."

Luna Alina gave me a warm smile. I grinned back and announced, "Meeting adjourned, Generals!"

 After they left, she came to me and pecked my cheek in a motherly gesture. She did the same with An. An looked embarrassed and complained saying that he wasn't a small kid anymore.

"An, you'll always be my baby boy no matter how old you get! Where are the rest of the kids?" She questioned, "What's so important that they refused to attend the Gernerals'meeting?"

Andrew shrugged and smirked, "Why don't you see for yourself, Sweetheart?"

Anton walked toward the shelf and picked up a graduation cap that I earned. He dusted it and placed it back beside an old graduation cap that belonged to him. He seemed to look at them proudly before following Andrew out the door along with me.

We walked out of the packhouse. I saw Andrew pat An on his back and then wrap his arms around Alina. An wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I just snuggled closer to his warmth as we made our way to the training grounds.

A ring was made in the sand. Walter and Gaby were circling each other in a fight stance while the crowd cheered for them. An was called for something and he pecked my lips before he walked away.

"Tali- Cass-Cass!!" A voice called out for me. I turned around only to be picked off the ground into a pair of boulder-like arms... But this time, a mop of raven black hair covered my face. I giggled, "You really need a hair cut, Noah!" 

Yup! Noah decided to stay in the pack and take care of his company from time to time. Matt decided to handle the company half the time to let him spend time with Imogen and their kids. It happened when Imogen and Noah had an argument about moving her and the kids out of the pack to his luxurious lifestyle. But, Imogen being Imogen, won the argument and made Noah decide to stay in the pack with the kids.

Presently, he swung around like a little kid with me in his arms, "Yeah... I know. I'm just too lazy and Imogen likes my hair this way! She says that she can hold onto it while-"

"Whoa, stop!! I don't wanna know about your sex life, Bro!!"

He chuckled.

"Ever plan on letting me down?" I asked him with a sigh.

"Nah..." He trailed off, stroking my hair, making me worriedly wonder if I looked more like a doll than a human. 

Just then, I heard An growl loudly. He wasn't liking the fact that I was in Noah's arms so long. Soon, I was grabbed away from his arms and I felt the familiar sparks shoot up my side.

"Aw, man! That girl in your arms is my sister. She's my family first, waaayy before you!" Noah argued and pointed at An. An just rolled his eyes and turned away with me in his arms. I laughed.

Noah gave up with a pout. 

We watched Gaby and Walter fight for so long. Gaby tried to reach his nerves to knock him out but Caramel was quick and did not let her do so. Walter tried trapping her but Gaby knew how to slip out of it. It kept going for almost twenty minutes. We decided to end their match knowing that it would go on forever. There were other mates who wanted to fight each other.

Bernard and Drishti were next. Blue looked nervous while Drishti smirked. I wondered why...

.

I laughed. This is bad. We realized that Drishti didn't always need her wand to work her magic. Magic was in her blood! That's why she was called the gifted witch. She was literally toying with Blue. An gaped at the sight, "This is not a fair match at all!" He called Drishti and ordered her not to use her powers. This was a physical match. She sighed and angrily pouted. She was taken down within a second. She was instructed to attend the training sessions after that.

Matt and Aurora walked inside the ring next. It was a fun sight. Mathew was strong and fast. Aurora was strong too but not as strong as Matt. She was quick on her feet though. They fought furiously for about thirty minutes not willing to back down. Matt seemed to let her fight him as if to see what she's got. He could've taken her down if he wanted to and it only frustrated Aura. Soon, they were stopped by An. Matt grinned like he achieved something... 

Imogen and Noah fought next. Noah, who was a newbie to fighting, fought quite well. It was probably because his wolf was a warrior one. But, Imogen was gaining the upper hand. She knew the most cunning tricks of all time! In the end, with a clever twist, she pinned Noah down.

Surprisingly, Andrew and Alina went in next. They fought quite ferociously, even drawing blood. Andrew was strong but Alina was quick. At this point, I understood what they meant when they spoke proudly of Alina's intellect. She used the most effective and ancient moves that I  found in an old library book. Most people have forgotten about it or rather decided not to learn them because they were tough. By the end, she infuriated the Alpha wolf to the point where he charged at her mindlessly. With a swift move, she managed to move him out of the ring winning the duel.

Next was Anton and I. Gaby handed me my weapons. I strapped them down and stepped into the ring. An just walked in with a relaxed stance. I relaxed my muscles and rolled my shoulders. I knew that he would heal quickly even if I pierced him with the sword. We circled each other slowly. I could hear my heart racing in my ears. This was the first time that I'm going to fight An.

I made my first move. He dodged my advances with an inhuman speed but did not make an effort to pin me down. There's a reason why he's the Alpha. Alpha Andrew maybe stronger than An but Anton is smart and fast. It's going to take a lot more than regular sword fighting to bring him down. As I gave my swift blows at him, I decided to try to use feints since my sword was a small and thin one.

I slowed my blows knowing that he was just defending himself. It took a minute but I built a strong barrier between our minds knowing that he reads my moves from my mind itself. He rose an eyebrow suspiciously. I puffed my chest and said, "You can't have that advantage." He smirked.

I kept my moves slow and kept aiming for him. I tried to maintain my stamina as I kept throwing my blows. Twenty minutes passed and he didn't have a single cut on him. He's an Alpha. It's difficult to tire him out like this. I glared at him, "Fight me, Anton!" He laughed and shook his head. 

I growled and stopped, "Fight me! If you don't, I'm stopping right here."

He sighed, "Go ahead! Believe me. If I fight, it's going to turn out bad."

I sighed, "I've fought wolves before. You may be an Alpha with extra strength and speed. But, you're still a wolf. Fight me. Fight me with all your might for just five minutes. I'm only asking for five minutes."

He gave in and nodded. I nodded too, "Fight with all your might. Wounds will heal."

I took a deep breath and summoned my intuition to guide me. It told me what his move would be and I just went with the flow. He seemed surprised when he couldn't pin me down. We danced... dodging, piercing, and charging. This was when I decided to use feints to trick him. I attacked in a particular pattern continuously making him counter those moves. I then attacked in an unexpected way...

And he caught my move and proceeded to pin me onto the ground. I heard cheers from all around as An pulled me up onto my feet. I was sweating a puddle while An didn't break a sweat at all.

I sighed. What was I thinking? To beat an all-powerful Alpha who ruled a huge werewolf empire? I felt disappointed that I'll always be second to him in terms of power. 

An looked at me intensely and the pack probably felt my mood because the cheering died down. I put up a smile to try and ease the mood but who was I fooling?

I felt several pack members try and mind-link me. I opened my link to know what they had to tell me. I felt surprised to find several wolves assuring that I did great and they were so happy to have such a strong luna. A lot of them loved me just the way I was. Some of them listed all the things changed ever since I took up my post as a Luna. 

Anton bent down and whispered in my ear, "Did you forget that you're the Luna of this huge werewolf empire? Did you forget that you're my equal?" 

I looked at him trying to tell him the point that I'm not even close to being as strong as him.

He just stopped me, "We're two halves. Both of us cover each other's weaknesses. You cover my weaknesses just as I cover yours! That's how we make a strong pair."

A smile took over my face as I felt our pack agreeing to what he said. I realized that he was right. Lovers and mates are always the ones who support each other and cover each other's weaknesses. They love each other despite their flaws and imperfections.

Life isn't about what you achieved or how brilliant you are or how strong you are.
Life is truly about is how much love you gave to people around you.
How far did you go, to try and make this world a better place?
To make a change in the world, you must start by changing yourself.
The world learns and believes a standing example than a theoretical explanation. 
It may be a fantastical world or the real one.
But, what matters is that you tried your part to make life easier for a few people around you.
You don't have to be rich or gorgeous or super intelligent to take these steps.
You only need to have a kind heart and an open mind. 

☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆

♪ THE END  ♪

☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆☆*: .｡. .｡.:*☆

A/N: (4766 words)

Yayyy!!! I finally finished the book, Guys!! I'm so happy right now! Thank you for sticking with Cass, Anton, and me until the end. 

I love you all!!

Please don't ever hesitate to message or talk to me! :')

I will make another chapter to dedicate the book to all those lovely ones who stuck with me and my book through this journey! :) I'm so grateful to have friends like you around... I don't even read your books! I promise that I will read yours... Especially, Cassie, Glazy, Vani, Ace, and even Aurora who actually tried to read my book. But, it was too mature for her :) Seriously, guys, I love you guys and I didn't even read your books properly! :( I promise to read them in the future! 

Last Acknowledgements:
NateMorgan760, Sakshi_kujur, Aserranoaldana... Thank you, Guys!!!

Lots of Love,
Jahnavi...♡
3:41 PM
26-09-2020