I'm so sorry it's taken so long my lovelies! But writers block has been a pain in the ass. I hope you can forgive me! 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
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Astrea

I stare at him in absolute shock, my thoughts still reeling at the sight of him.

Danté...

My baby brother...

"Oh Goddess...it's been so long ReRe!"

I barely have time to process his words before I'm being pulled into a hug, my once tiny brother now dwarfing me in height. I can hear Thane's soft growl as he stiffens in response, but I'm too preoccupied to really do anything outside of embrace my brother, returning his hug fiercely with my one good arm.

"I've missed you too, little brother..." I murmur into his chest, his shirt absorbing the tears welling in my eyes.

The silence that echoes in the room is deafening, and after a moment of hugging him as if my life depended on it, we finally pull away.

"It's been so long sis! I thought I'd never see you again!" Danté says with teary eyes, his smile just as bright as I remember. He's changed so much since the last time I saw him, so it's good to see that hasn't changed in that way.

"Me neither...what are you doing here?"

"I live here with my Beloved and our two kids! She works as a nurse in the hospital on the territory, and I help train the warriors here on how to fight vampires." He explains, and my eyes widen.

"You have a beloved? And kids?" I murmur.

"Yeah! Oh Goddess, you've got to meet them! They'd be happy to have Auntie Astrea dote on them! And you'll definitely love my mate Nina, she's amazing!"

I chuckle at his enthusiasm, that bubbling energy still the same too.

"I'd...I'd love too..."

"Awesome! Oh right, what have you been up to since the last time we saw each other?"

I hesitate, running a hand over the back of my neck, noticing that my hair is starting to grow out a little.

"I...I joined the cadet program for ICE, and became a tracker."

He pauses, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Just like Dad..." He whispers.

"Yeah..."

"Your father's a tracker Astrea?" Thane's mother asks, and I freeze at the question, my chest clenching painfully.

"He...he was...he died in the line of duty when I was a baby and Astrea was a toddler." Danté answers, and I can feel the room shrink around me a little...my body temperature dropping.

"Snowdrop...are you okay?" I hear Thane whisper, his large hand resting on my shoulder, and I mentally grasp the offered comfort, not wanting to sink back down that abyss again.

"I'm...fine...." I answer quietly.

"Sorry ReRe...you remember it more than I do..." Danté murmurs, and I shake my head.

"It's okay..." I reply, it sounding weak to my own ears. He quickly shakes his head.

"I'm so happy see you again! When mom told me how you went missing, and couldn't find you, we assumed the worst."

His words screech all my thoughts to a halt, the cold filling my chest now replaced with burning pricks of anger.

"Is that....is that what she told you?" I ask, my body trembling with growing rage.

"Yeah...wait, what's wrong?"

"She said I went missing?"

It grows deathly quiet in the room again, and not even the feeling of my mates hands on both of my shoulders can't calm the boiling of my blood.

"ReRe..." He murmurs, confusion and concern swirling in his eyes. I stare at the floor with enough intensity that I would've burned holes through it if I had the ability.

The sound of a door opening catches my attention, and when the familiar scent I haven't smelled in over a decade hits my nose, my gaze snaps up to meet a pair of startled gray eyes. And I can feel the sting of tears prick the corner of my eyes as I narrow them.

"Astrea...." Her voice is soft, startled...and has enough impact on me that I suddenly feel nauseous.

I clench my jaw, my fingernails digging painfully into my palm as it shakes. I hiss through my gritted teeth as she begins to back up in slight fear.

"Mother."

Thane

I'm not sure what's going on, but this unexpected family reunion has gone from sweet and touching, to cold and hostile within a matter of seconds. My mate now bristling with barely contained rage as I discreetly hold on to her for dear life, not wanting to risk her attacking the terrified woman in front of her.

A woman she called mother....

The hurt and anguish filling her thoughts nearly overwhelms me, as does the anger burning in her gaze. I'm not sure what happened between them, but whatever it is has gotten Snowdrop really pissed.

"You told Danté I went missing?" Her voice comes out biting cold, her mother's eyes widening more.

"Dar-Darling, I can explain!" She stumbles, her face paling.

"You told my baby brother I just disappeared? And that you couldn't find me?!" She growls, and I tighten my grip on her.

"I...I didn't..."

"You didn't what? Think you would see me again? So you figured you could lie to Danté about it?! Tell him anything other than the truth?! That you abandoned your 8 year old, grieving daughter when she needed you the most?!" She yells, and my heart wrenchs at the words...remembering what she said after her nightmare...

"Who hasn't left me..."

"That you just left me completely alone, without any hesitation...like I was nothing to you..." The tears start escaping her eyes now, her body shaking from the suppressed sobs. The room is completely silent, leaving me struggling to keep myself in control, the fact that this woman hurt my mate so badly making me furious.

"I'm...I'm sorry...I-"

"Sorry you got caught lying?"

She stays silent, knowing that she can't lie to her...and Astrea's thoughts flicker so fast through her head that I can't keep up.

"Why did you leave me like that? Why?" She asks after a moment, and the woman looks up at her with hardened eyes.

"You know why...that ability of yours was too dangerous to keep Danté anywhere near you."

I narrow my eyes, not sure how her ability to see people's lies can be dangerous to her brother...but the feeling of Astrea tensing tells me her mother's words struck a nerve.

"It only happened once, and it was an accident...I was a child for Goddesses sake! I couldn't control it!"

"You still traumatized your brother!"

"I was singing him a lullaby! How was I supposed to know it would happen?"

"You still hurt him! I couldn't risk it!"

"Risk what? After it happened you told me to never speak again unless it was absolutely necessary! There wasn't any risk!"

Her body shakes with the emotions swirling inside, not even the feeling of me wrapping my arms around her can quell it. And as my mind mulls over the conversation, the pieces start clicking into place.

Her reluctance to speak, her fear of being a monster...

"My own mother was afraid of me..."

"If you knew what I've done, you wouldn't want anything to do with me..."

"I was singing him a lullaby...!"

"Siren of the Snow..."

My mind suddenly remembers enough about Greek myths to remember that Sirens are creatures of the sea who lured sailors to there death...with their hauntingly beautiful voices...

By singing...

Astrea flinches at my discovery, and without a word she confirms, and I can't help but feel hurt as she braces for my rejection and disgust. I just hold her tighter, letting my love filter through our link to reassure her.

"You were still dangerous...what else was I supposed to do?" Her mother says, and I look up to her with a harsh growl.

"How about be her mother? Help her control it instead of teaching her to never speak and be afraid of herself? Make sure she knows that you still love her and that she's not some kind of abomination? Anything instead of treating her like a monster and abandoning her when she needed you the most!" I spit out, my fury boiling as I realize that this woman is the reason my mate feels like an unlovable monster. How could a mother do this to her own child?

"And who are you exactly?" She bites out, and I bare my canines angrily.

"I'm her mate." I answer, and her shock would be comical if I wasn't so pissed.

"You actually want to be with her?"

Now I'm the one in danger of hurting this woman.

"Of course I do. She's beautiful, kind, stronger than anyone I've ever met, and has the most amazing soul I've ever encountered. I'd be dead if not for her...I love her."

"Thane..." Snowdrop murmurs, a bit startled by my words.

"Just because you refuse to see her the way I do, doesn't mean it's not true."

The woman glares at me in disbelief, and I hold her gaze fiercely.

"Mother...I think it's time you leave." I turn to see Danté standing beside us, a stern expression on his face, and I almost laugh at the startled look on her face as her son stands against her.

"Darling, you can't be serious, she hurt you-"

"I don't even remember that, all I remember is that ReRe loved me, and that's what matters. You're the one who lied to me and neglected my sister, so if you expect me to side with you, then you're delusional."

"Are you serious?!"

"Dead serious, unlike you, I don't lie."

"Honestly, what did you expect to happen?" Red says from the other side of us, a scowl on her face.

"You too Nesryn?"

"You may have been like a mother to me at one point, but my loyalty has always been with Star before anyone else." She answers tersely, "You stopped being my mother the day you stopped being Star's."

"You can't be serious!"

"I believe they are Ms. Zima, so I suggest you get out of our home and off our territory before I have the Warriors force you out." My father says from behind my, his authoritative voice telling me he's speaking as Chief.

"And don't bother coming back, for you are no longer welcome here." My mother continues, her voice just as authoritative.

"Then how am I supposed to see my two grandchildren?!" She screeches, turning to Danté.

"As far as I'm concerned, you don't deserve to see them, much less be their grandmother." He answers coldly.

"What?! How could you? They love me!!"

"They're not even a year old, so they won't even remember you. Which is a luxury me and ReRe don't get to have."

"I suggest you leave now Ms. Zima, my son and his mate have enough to deal with outside of you." My father says, and she glares at all of us in disgust before disappearing out the door like a bat out of hell. Once she's gone, everyone seems to sigh in relief, and I look down at Astrea in concern.

~Baby? You wanna go somewhere quiet?~ I ask through our link, and she nods quietly. Just as I'm about to lead her out back, my mom stops us.

"Honey, I just want you to know that horrible woman is wrong, and that we consider you a part of our family, okay?" She says, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you..."

"Don't mention it sweetie."

Mom smiles at me as I quietly lead Astrea out onto the back porch, and as soon as the door closes behind us she throws herself into my arms, burying her face into my chest as her sobs break loose. I wrap my arms around her protectively, not saying a word as her good arm wraps around me, I just let her cry as I press my face into the top of her head.

~~~~~~

After a while she stopped crying, but still held on to me tightly, allowing the memories she once kept guarded from me flow freely through our link, and the emotions that came with them.

I don't say anything, not needing to, this is her time to unload. I just hold her, allowing her to take whatever she needs from me.

"Did you really mean what you said in there?" She whispers, and smile down at her.

"Every word Snowdrop, I swear to Goddess."

She stays silent for a moment.

~I...I love you too...~

My heart soars in my chest at those words, and I press a kiss to the top of her head.

~I love you Snowdrop, don't ever doubt that.~

~What am I? Chopped liver?~ Kion growls, and I chuckle along with Astrea, which is a pleasant sound to bear witness to. No pun intended, heh.

~Someone's moody...~

Just as we start to relax, Astrea stiffens in my arms, her head shooting up to sniff the air.

"What is it?"

"We have a visitor."

We both turn to see someone walking up the house, and just as I recognize who it is, Astrea hisses and flits towards him, slamming him against the ground before I can say a word.

"Snowdrop! What are you doing?!" I exclaim as I run to her, her hand holding tightly onto his throat.

"What the hell?! Let me go you crazy vampire!"

"Snowdrop, what's going on?" I ask, reaching to take her off of him.

"He's a traitor Thane! He's the one who set you up for murder!" She answers, and I freeze as I look down at the guys fearful eyes.

No...no way...

"Tripp?"