Chapter 11 - Connected

Cassidy strolled through the house, trying to feel some kind of connection to the home that belonged to her family. But something was stopping her from creating that connection. She rubbed her face as she continued to walk. She was tired, tired of mourning, tired of crying through the pain, tired of feeling sad and alone. She was just tired. Cassidy was getting frustrated and decided to walk around the property and found herself stepping back into the forest. There was something tranquil as she walked past the trees; it was almost a feeling of being safe as if the forest was watching over her, protecting her. She chuckled to herself; she was beginning to sound like one of those fantasy stories her Pop Pop used to tell her about wolves that could shift and look like an average person, and no one would know the difference. As Cassidy continued walking, she reminisced that when she was younger, she wanted to be the mate of a shifter wolf. Someone who would always protect her and always be there for her; she would have someone in her life who loved her unconditionally and would never leave her. Cassidy laughed at her younger self. That type of wishful thinking was replaced with fear of being mated to someone who was possessive, controlling, and demanding. She would rather spend the rest of her life alone than be coupled to a dominating wolf. Without realizing where she was walking toward, She found herself back at the creek, and looked around but didn’t recognize anything around her. How did she get here? Cassidy shrugged and chalked it up to dump luck. She made her way closer to the rocks, this time making sure she didn’t lose her balance. There was no way she was lucky enough to be saved twice the same weekend. Cassidy sat down on the rock and admired the beautiful scenery around her. She felt a calm flow through her as she watched the water push through the jagged path. She started to ask the creek to take away all the pain and loss she had carried with her over the years. She felt her chest tighten as she continued to beg for the rushing current to release her from the chains that had bound her for the last sixteen years. Cassidy felt the sting in her eyes as the tears streamed down her face. She wished so hard that things would change for her. As the tears faded, Cassidy felt her heart was lighter than before. She smiled as she started to feel better, but her brows furrowed, and her smile fell as a stinging pain radiated through her scar. She didn’t understand why this pain was reoccurring as she got older. Cassidy remembered the pain hadn’t started until her eighteenth birthday and each year around her birthday, the pain would intensify. Cassidy closed her eyes as realization dawned on her. Her birthday was coming up. Cassidy never liked celebrating her birthday or the time around her birthday. It was around the same time that her parents died. She forced the memories to the back of her head, refusing to go down that wretched road. She was out here to heal, not think about the night her parents died, and somehow, she made it out alive. Cassidy took deep breaths and closed her eyes. She started to rock herself back and forth, telling herself, “Everything will be okay.” “Is something wrong?” a familiar husky voice asked her. She froze in her spot and pleaded that the voice wasn’t real, that he wasn’t here, watching her rock herself like a child. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around. Her heart raced, worried about what she would see. At first, she saw nothing until she looked toward the rocks beside her and saw him crouched down upon a large rock. Cassidy wished the earth would open up and swallow her right about now. “No, nothing is wrong.” She said to him snidely. “So you’re back. I thought you didn’t live around here.” Jacob smirked at her attitude. “I guess I wanted to get a look at this beautiful creek again before the start of my work week. What about you? I’m surprised to see you sitting so close to the edge.” Cassidy rolled her eyes and shrugged. “I don’t know. I went for a walk to clear my head, and somehow, I ended up here.” Jacob nodded his head. Alden: The bond is already growing between us and our mate. His wolf explained. “Has it helped?” he asked. She looked at him with confusion, “Helped what?” “Being out here, has it helped clear your head?” Cassidy sat there for a moment, not sure how to answer precisely. “In a way, yes,” she answered. “Do you want to talk about it?” Cassidy shook her head quickly. “That’s okay; I should be heading back to where I’m staying. My friend will be back soon from the store and will be worried about me,” she told him as she started to get up off the rock. Cassidy stood and brushed herself off; when she looked up, she was surprised to see his hand extended to her. Cassidy took a deep breath; she wondered if she would feel that static connection she felt when he caught her yesterday. Slowly, she placed her hand in his and was greeted with the same feeling once again as it traveled through her. She stepped off the rock and stood close to him. “Why does this keep happening?” She whispered as she stared deeply into his eyes. Jacob smiled as he lifted his other hand and tucked a piece of her wavy hair behind her ear. “What’s that?” He questioned, even though he knew exactly what she was talking about. “This feeling I get whenever we touch. I don’t even know your name.” She said with fluster. “It’s Jacob. What’s your name?” he asked in a deep husky voice. She sucked in a breath as a shiver shimmied down her body before she answered, “It’s Cassidy, Cassidy Winters.” And there it was. The confirmation that she was the girl he had rescued all those years ago. His friend’s granddaughter, the one he promised to protect. Cassidy Winters was his mate.