xvii

tell me this is true,

tell me it's a lie.

M A D D I E ♛

My head was spiralling. Down and downer I went, but I stood still. Cassian's eyes reminded me of mine, the same deep green that reminded me of the forests I loved to roam.

"H-how? Y-you've been alive all this time?" he asks, the words barely coming out of his mouth. He was trying to piece the puzzle and so was I.

There was no doubt about it, the boy I've been seeing in my dreams since I was a child was him. He looked the same, just taller and leaner.

"You look so much like mom." he says, reaching a hand over to my cheek and instead of fighting it off, I smiled and let him touch my face.

I was a dam trying to hold the water off and it was foolish because it didn't work and the water flowed.

"Alone... I thought I was all alone." I sobbed the words out.

♛

The meeting was much to surreal. I felt like I was still dreaming and I needed to pinch myself real hard to the point that my skin bled only to know that I wasn't dreaming. This was reality and I need to face it.

I was currently standing in front of Cassian at the back of the pack house as I started walking away with him towards nowhere in particular. I was thankful when Hannah and Hazel led everyone away and gave us the time and space we needed.

Cassian was still overwhelmed just as I was. Silence reigned for a few moments, the tension was still there, but we didn't say anything.

I was still thinking about what he said, about me looking like... mom.

I stopped on my tracks and observed him as he walked forward. He stopped when he noticed that I stopped walking with him. He looked back at me and the sight of me must've hurt because he immediately looked away, looking towards the dancing trees at the palm of the wind and then the ground became his next object of interest.

"We... we looked for you for years. You just turned three years old when we were travelling as a family towards the Council for the yearly Council meeting because mom was part of the Elders then. We were ambushed and the next thing we knew... you were gone." he explained slowly, finding the right words to say, stringing the phrases together so I would understand what happened.

He wanted to say more, but the shock of the sudden turn of events must not have sank in yet because no words came out anymore.

I nodded and walked beside him again. Understanding the turmoil he must be feeling right now.

I also had a lot of things to say and I wanted to tell it all to him right now. So I started from the very beginning.

"I was found by a rogue, her name was Sherry." I smiled at the remembrance of Sherry, the one who tried so hard to shelter me from hurt, "she found a handkerchief with my name sewed on it, Madeline."

He listened intently, not letting a word slip by.

"Wh-which pack took you in? We must thank them greatly. It couldn't have been here right, I've been in this pack many times and I've never seen you." he spoke rapidly, he was getting anxious of what to do next.

I smiled at him and shook my head. "No. I lived as a rogue." I tell him. His eyebrows meet and I can tell that he is confused.

"A-all these years? H-how are you here then? How did you meet Chase?"

I chuckled, he interrogated me, eager for answers and although normally it would've annoyed me, it didn't. I found myself wanting to tell him what I've been through.

"Yes, I've been a rogue all this time... and meeting Chase was purely an accident. Th-there are a lot of things to tell you, but I'm afraid I don't know where to start."

Cassian smiled at me.

"I understand, Maddie. We have 19 years to catch up. Goodness, mom would be so happy. And dad. Dad would be thrilled."

My eyes met his, what he said picked my curiosity. What did he say?

Light lit up in his green eyes and the smile he was wearing became wider. "Would you come home with me?"

Home?

Home...

'Did you hear what he said? He said we have a home...' I whisper to my wolf who responded with a happy purr.

That's when a tear broke out and I couldn't help the next ones that came down. Cassian took slow steps towards me, but I turned my back to him and hurriedly wiped my tears, but he spun me around and embraced me.

"I'm so sorry for ever thinking that you were gone, I'm so sorry. But it's alright now." he comforted.

♛

I was sitting at the back of pack house, on the ground where I could feel the earth. It helped bring some sense of reality with everything that was going on.

Packs, mates, families and now, home and my supposed parents.

Cassian told me that he wasn't going to say anything to our parents yet, he said he will bring me home as a surprise.

I learned that he was two years older than I was and that he has been an Alpha ever since he turned twenty. Pretty young, if you ask me.

He told me so many things about our supposed home and I happily listened and tried to imagine all that he said.

I tried to picture a bedroom full of my baby pictures, what kind of clothes were bought for me.

The meeting didn't end up happening because of the sudden turn of events, but the Alphas will have to meet tomorrow because Ian and Hannah has to be back at their pack.

Thinking about the Strays and all that is going on, Finn appears in my memories again. It's him, it must be.

There was too many things happening all at once and I'm having a hard time taking it all in, but I had to. There was no way I was going to give up.

I have to face this head on.

Speaking of troubles, from behind me, I smell Chase's scent in the air. I turn and there he is. My biggest trouble.

He had gave me a sad smile. "Need a friend?"

I smile and shook my head. "You're not a friend."

He sat beside me, on the ground.

"You're right, lover then?"

I turn to him again, my jaw dropped and I couldn't help but hit him.

"I'm kidding!" he surrenders as he laughed.

I chuckled too as I looked back at the sky where the moon hang.

Chase fell silent beside me and didn't speak for a long time. As the night went on, it was getting cold. Right when I felt cold, I feel him put him arms around me and leaned me towards him.

I squint my eyes as I looked up to him. I still wasn't used to skinship, but his touches made me feel so comfortable, so safe, just what I needed at the moment and I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Cassian told me I had a home." I started, lowly, unbelief still lacing my words. I smirked and kept my eyes on the moon, the light around it was enthralling and kept me looking. "He said I had a mom and a dad, he said that the pack loved me. But it's all hard to believe. I feel like I'm dreaming, is this a dream?"

As I spoke, I found that I was muttering questions that bombarded my mind more than me asking Chase.

However, he just listened, giving me the space that I needed to rant. Somehow... this felt nice.

When I was done, Chase pulled me closer to him and kissed the top of my head.

That made me jump slightly, the electric shock that it sent still took me by surprise.

"What's meant to be is meant to be, it will always find its way back where it should be." he says. "Like we found our way to each other, just as it should be."