And Then There Were Four (Lilith Carrie)

Chapter 170: Reunion of Tears
I had dreamed of this day. The day I would end up returning home, and the moment I stepped through the door, the chaos that
was my siblings came rushing towards me. They hugged both me and Pollux and even welcomed Trixie with open arms. My
mother had grayed over the last two years and was paler than I had remembered her being.
I wasn’t sure what had happened while I was gone, but it was clear that whatever had happened, had taken a toll on all of our
parents. I was shocked to see how grown my siblings had become. No longer were my little brothers, Zach, Dillon, and Tatum
the little boys I had left. Zach was now 16, Dylan was fourteen, and little Tatum, no longer looking sick, was now 11.
The moment my eyes locked with my little brother Tatum, they began to fill with tears.
“You look so much better,” I whispered as I quickly wrapped my arms around him and gave him a hug.
He chuckled softly as he pulled away from me and shrugged In’s shoulders. It’s weird. One day, I just woke up and it was gone.”
Glancing over at my brother and Trixie, they gave me a knowing look, knowing full well what had happened and how my brother
had gotten better. However, I quickly shook my head, telling them not to say anything because it wasn’t something I wanted my
parents or my family to know.
What I had done for my little brother was out of the goodness of my heart, and perhaps one day, I would tell him. But for now, I
didn’t want it to be known.
“Are you guys hungry? Shall I cook some food?” James said as he came from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. “l could
grill some steaks on the stove just like you guys used to like.”
“It’s okay, Dad,” Pollux chuckled, not wanting our father to go out of his way. “We ate before we came, but I do look forward to
having one of your famous breakfast in the morning.’
At first, James looked slightly disappointed, but with my brother proclaiming he wanted his famous breakfasts, he easily became
happy and pointed at my brother before turning and running into the kitchen.
Knowing him, he was going to be going in there to defrost the meat for the morning because these breakfasts happened to
contain a lot of meat.
For a few hours, we talked through old memories, laughing, sitting with each other in the living room, talking about everything
that had happened. And eventually, my siblings were told that they had to go to bed and they could continue to spend time with
us tomorrow.
Even hough I would be away for a good part of the day, and then I’d disappear come nighttime.
“Cassie, are you okay?” Mom asked, pulling me from my thoughts. My eyes cast toward her to take in the aged expression upon
her face that showed all the trouble she had been through over the years.

“Yeah, I’m fine. But there is something I really do need to talk to you guys about. My father’s James, Talon, Damian, and Hale all
sat around my mother Ivy, watching me with much intent as I cast my glance toward Pollux, who nodded his head for me to
continue. I had dreaded having to have this conversation with them to tell them I wasn’t going to be staying permanently as my
brother was. I knew it was going to be hard on them, and I was trying to come to terms with what my future had in store for me. It
still wasn’t easy to say goodbye. “What’s wrong? Why does it feel like you’re going to tell me something I’m not going to like?”
My mother’s question caught me off guard. I tried to push back the emotions that threatened to fall down my face, I knew I had to
do this. “There were some issues in Asgard, some things happened, and because of it, I had to change...” I replied, trailing off as
I tried to find the words to express what had happened. “You are not a Lycan anymore, are you?” Talon said, catching both
Hale’s and Damian’s attention. They furrowed their brows in confusion as they glanced back at me, and my mother quickly
gripped James’s hand as she held her breath for what I was about to tell her. “No, I’m not,” I replied softly. “There was a battle in
Asgard,.and I got hurt. When the battle was going on, Pollux and Trixie, as well as a few others, were in danger. In order to
protect them, I sacrificed myself and touched a part of my power I had never tapped into before.”
saying. I left out the part where Lucas had caused a lot of the issues. The last thing I wanted was for him to ever come back
here, and for some reason, my father’s take out their aggression over losing me. He was my mate, and at the end of the day, I
would do what I needed to do to protect him. I didn’t regret my choice to save them all, I sometimes wish that things could have
gone differently. ‘This can’t be right. How could Odin have allowed this to happen?” Damian exclaimed as his face contorted into
an angry expression, and he clenched his fists at his side as if preparing to punch somebody.
Don’t blame him. It wasn’t his fault that this happened. Just like it wasn’t any of your faults what happened with Loki... I don’t
hold any grudges, and I don’t regret what I did. My brother and my friends are safe, and that’s all that matters.’
Shaking her head, my mother refused to listen to what I was saying, and as she stood to her feet, I knew that it was going to be
an emotional mess by the time we got done with this conversation.
“So what? You’re different now. What does that mean for your life here—”
She seemed to realize what exactly it meant as I opened and closed my mouth, frowning in sadness as I tried to find a way to tell
her that I wasn’t staying. “Mom, it’s not that easy.’
“You’re not staying, are you?” Hale asked as he stepped around from where he had been silently listening and made his way
toward me. Hale was the diplomatic one. Once, he just Fipnply wanted to be amongst his books, go to school, better-
ing himself. But then, when Damian fell from his grace, Hale stepped in to be the alpha of this pack needed. He had changed so
much from how I had remembered him, and as he made his way in front of me, I couldn’t help but sigh, shaking my head.
“Unfortunately, I can’t stay. I’m only here for a few hours to spend time with you all to say my goodbyes. I don’t know if I’ll be able
to come back in the future. But one day, when you go to Asgard yourself, we’ll be reunited again.’ “No!” my mother shouted as
she jumped to her feet, “l refuse to lose you again. You are not leaving me. I will not have my children leave me. You didn’t die.

You’re right here in front of me.” No longer able to hold back the tears that had filled my eyes, they fell down my cheeks in
silence. I couldn’t do this, and as Trixie slid over in the seat next to me, wrapping her arms around me, and she laid her head
upon my shoulder, I could feel her sorrow in it as well. She and I had talked so much about all of this. And it was hard for me to
say goodbye to my family. Once upon a time, I thought the idea of being an only child or moving away was great. However, now
that I’m an adult, the only thing I wish I could do was to spend more time with my family.
“1’0 sorry. Mama, I’m so sorry.”
My soft sobs of sorrow were enough to cause my mother to quickly be across the room in front of me, pulling me tight against
her chest as we both cried. My mother’s oldest daughter, the one who had pulled her from her coma. Once upon a time, the
power that radiated through her was mine.
We were closer than most people would realize. And even though we had our differences, I would forever be grateful for the
person she made me be.
After the small conversation over everything that had happened and coming to the conclusion that I would not be able to stay
with them, my parents drifted off to bed, and I was left in silence. The room that had once been mine was now my younger
sister’s.
It was the largest of the rooms next to my parent’s room, and it was no surprise to me she would want it for herself. So instead of
arguing, I took up the guest room. It was small, but it was cozy, and as I lay there in the bed, staring at the ceiling, I couldn’t help
but wonder why it was that I had wanted to come home in the first place.
The only thing coming home did was bring me pain and hurt, and maybe this is what I needed to help get over what it was that I
had. But in order for me to move forward, I had to come to terms with what my life was going to be like.
The crack of the door caught my attention, and as I glanced over, I saw my mother enter the room. A smile upon her face as she
made her way towards the bed, she climbed upon it, wrapping her arms around me as she pulled me to her chest.
“l’np sorry that I wasn’t there to protect you,” she whispered in my ear, causing the tears to brim my eyes once more. It should
have been me protecting you all.”
“Don’t say that. Your job is to stay here and protect everybody. Trixie’s a good girl, and she loves Pollux very much. Help her get
used to this place, and show her the ropes. I
know she won’t replace me in your heart, but she understands more about everything than you think, and she and I are very
good friends.”
My mother sighed at my response. “l will help her.”
As she ran her hand through my hair, I couldn’t help but remember how she did this when I was younger. The scent of her
perfume wrapped around me, lulling me into a deep sleep.

I don’t want to go to sleep, mom,” I whispered, not wanting the moment to end.
Hushing me, she pulled me closer. “It’s okay... I ‘ ll be here when you wake up.’
Even though she said this, I had a feeling deep inside me that told me that wouldn’t be accurate. However, I looked forward to
the morning, so I could spend more time with my family. It was the only time I would have to say everything I needed to say
before I was forced to leave them again.
Letting the darkness of sleep wash over me, I dreamed of a reunion with my family that didn’t end in tears and looked forward to
conquering a future I was made for.