Coming of Age

Author's note:

All characters and companies mentioned in this story have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone or anything bearing the same name or names. Events portrayed in this story are pure invention and have not been based on any events that have happen in real life. All the characters involved in any sexual acts if their ages are not mentioned beforehand; are over 18 years of age. Enjoy

Hi Everyone

I hope you enjoy this chapter as it is the second last one of Coming of age. As normal thanks goes to my editor and to you the reader for following this story. I apologise to anyone who sent me an email and who I didn't get back to it hasn't been an easy month.

Have fun and all feedback is welcome.

Chapter 8

While the triplets showed their friends around the manor, Amy sat in the small sitting room attached her bedroom; Shannon, Becky and Cass were with her. The four close friends were catching up but it wasn't the same, they weren't the bubbly group they normally were, they couldn't be, not in the presence of Cass's great loss.

Almost a year ago she lost Grey-hawk in a tragic accident on a mountain that they were camping on with several of their younger members. Cass still blamed herself for Grey-hawk's death even though it hadn't been her fault, how were they to know that the mountain side was unstable, that a light shower would turn into a landslide. The pack had taken the loss of their Alpha hard but they still had Cass although they didn't know how to help her through her pain. Amy's solution to Cass's depression was to send Ghost, the one person who truly knew what Cass was feeling. Slowly Cass had come back to herself but she wasn't the same person the pack knew and loved so when this came up they all but shoved her in a plane to get her here. They hoped that being with her family might bring her back and if that failed they hoped that Serenity could do for Cass what she did for Ghost.

Amy stood and squeezed into the chair beside Cass; she wrapped her arms around her friend and waited. Cass closed her eyes and rested her head against Amy's shoulder, Shannon and Becky wished they could join the hug and offer their friend what she needed, comfort.

Amy sensing their intentions willed them to her bed and she and Cass onto the middle of it. Shannon and Becky joined them, hugging Cass from all sides.

"I miss him," Cass suddenly confessed.

"You feel as if someone has taken a razor to your soul and hacked you to pieces." Amy supplied, she knew the feeling, knew it and had vowed that she never wanted to feel it again.

Cass nodded, "I know he will return... but I need him now." She pulled away from Amy a little, "will... can... Serenity do what she did for Ghost for me?"

Amy sighed,

I hope so,

she thought to herself, "I don't know, I asked her about it and she said that she didn't know how she did it at the time. She might be able to."

"Regardless of whether she can or not we are here for you," Shannon told her.

"When was the last time you really slept?" Becky asked.

"I don't remember." Cass answered honestly already her eye lids were feeling heavy.

"Sleep, dinner isn't for quite a while." Amy prompted and Cass nodded as she closed her eyes.

****

A few hours later the large group of young adults and teenagers walked into the media room which was empty, most of the adults were off catching up in the great library. Serenity flopped into a chair, "You shouldn't have made yourself comfortable." Thais told her.

"Why not?" Serenity asked just as Ghost walked into the room. He hadn't physically changed much since he first stepped into the manor, his hair was still quite long and if you pictured him in furs you would see a Viking quite easily. The noticeable difference was in his green eyes, the shadow of grief had long since faded from their depths and although he still remembered Katie's death he had the promise of their future together to keep him strong.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ghost asked his strange accent was still very much present, "Cass needs you."

"I still don't know what I did," She told him. "I don't know how I made any of that happen."

Ghost dug his hands into his pockets, "Maybe you aren't meant to know how to do it; you just do it." He said. "There are many things out there which are unexplainable, don't try to understand it."

"But what if I can't do it again, Katie hadn't even been dead for an hour before I helped you. It's been almost a year..." She told him.

Sky went to ask what was going on but Thais held up his hand, stalling her.

"She understands that you might fail, but she isn't coping at the moment, she doesn't have children to pull her through and although her pack love and need her they aren't her family. Something needs to happen to help her through this or her mind will break and we'll lose her." Ghost explained.

Serenity nodded and stood, "I'll go and find her." She walked to the door then stood aside as Keira waddled in.

"Thais move, that's my chair." Keira snapped then glanced back, "go away I am perfectly fine with all these people here." She told her mate who had been following.

Ghost wrapped an arm around Ghan, "let's go for a run." He said as he turned Ghan and they left the room. They had become firm friends since meeting.

Serenity chuckled and followed them out.

Thais helped Keira into the chair he had just vacated, Keira sighed and smiled as Thais propped her feet up on a stool with a pillow underneath. "Sorry about snapping," she apologised.

"You're..." Thais paused, "in labour." He finished startled.

"No, it's just some back pain." Keira complained then winced.

"Nope labour." He said and helped her out of the chair. Glancing off as he called Maddie, Susan, Sienna and his mother.

Susan appeared out of thin air and walked over to Keira, "how long have you been in labour?" She asked as she rested her hands on Keira's stomach.

Keira shrugged, she honestly didn't know.

"How long has she been in labour?" Susan asked Thais.

"Four hours," Thais answered just as Sienna raced in.

"I thought it was back pain." Keira complained as her mother wrapped an arm around her to support her. Maddie ran in with a big black bag and waited, she had got her medical degree seven years after Electra and Mayhem adopted her. Being the youngest in her class had set her apart from her class mates but she hadn't cared, when Amy gave her; her first medical book she had been hooked. When she learnt Ghan knew herb medicine she had started to pester him to teach her, he had explained it wasn't something he could teach, as it was his ability to know plants and instinctively knew how they could be used to heal, but she hadn't taken no for an answer. Once she had her medical degree she went straight to Nathanael to complete her Were Healer qualifications.

Amy was the last to arrive; she yawned and stretched then turned to Thais, "how long?"

"Very quick..." Thais answered but seeing his mother's unimpressed look he expanded his answer. "Seriously, the first cub will start crowing in like five minutes and her first water will break in like three minutes."

Amy, Keira, Sienna, Susan and Maddie vanished.

"Never a dull moment," Sky said into the silent room.

"Ghan's going to be pissed, the cubs will be born before he and Ghost get back." Thais said and got chuckles from those who knew Ghan.

"It is probably for the best, you know how he is; he would be pacing at the door growling at every sound she makes." Mathew replied and got more chuckles. His Scottish accent was thick and he had a roguish smile, he took after both of his mother's; with the shape of Becky' face but with Terri's colouration. Because the succession of Fletcher pack was the way it was an adopted child, even if they had alpha influence, would never be able to take their place, thankfully for everyone Terri had two cousins who had agreed to donate sperm and relinquish claim to their child. Using some of Becky's eggs he had been conceived with a twin but his twin had sadly not made it.

"So will you explain now about what happened before Keira came in, I am confused?" Sky asked.

Thais nodded, "you know that we all have special powers and abilities, well Serenity has a very special power."

Sky frowned, "I didn't think being an empath was very special."

Nicky snorted, "Serenity isn't a mere empath, she doesn't just feel emotions, your emotions become hers, she can also control them."

Thais nodded, "Nicky is right... but this is a special extra power. See when Ghost had just lost Katie he went into a rage, nothing could calm him down. So ma allowed great grand ma to bring Serenity in hoping that she could calm Ghost down, she did, she went into his mind and removed his rage, but his grief pained her so while in his mind she took him to the point of power not far from here. She didn't go with him as we were forbidden to go near it but while he was there he spoke with Katie, he got to see what she would next look like so that he would know her and she told him to live for her."

"I don't understand," Sky said needing more.

"The point of power is a real place," Gwynt said taking over, "see when Serenity entered Ghost's mind she used a memory of her own and overlaid it on his mind."

Thais nodded and stepped in as he knew more than Gwynt did. "She overlaid a memory of a clearing not too far from the place of power, physically she didn't take him to the place of power, it all happened inside his mind, but it was real. The tattoos on his forearms happened while she was in his mind."

"Okay... and..." Sky prompted.

"Aunt Cass lost her mate, Cass is immortal, she can't just kill herself to follow him; depression is making her give up on life. Everyone hopes that what Serenity did for Ghost she can do again for Cass." Lee-Anna finished.

*

Serenity found Cass still curled up around Shannon and Becky. Becky was awake wondering where Amy had gone.

Where is your mother?

Keira has gone into labour.

Serenity explained, Shannon's eyes snapped open and both women started to move knowing the real reason Serenity was here was for Cass. They left silently and closed the door behind them. Serenity took her shoes off and sat cross legged on the bed beside her Aunt.

She waited for Cass to wake on her own and didn't have to wait long. Cass mumbled and reached for someone to cuddle and when she couldn't find someone she opened her eyes and glanced around. Her eyes landed on her niece and she stared for a moment.

"I heard you hacked all your hair off." Cass said as she sat up.

"At least you can tell us apart at a glance now." Serenity replied; Cass moved until she was sitting across from Serenity. "I don't know if this will work." She told her aunt hoping to not build her hopes up.

"All I ask is that you try."

Serenity nodded, "let go of your emotions, let them all out, grief, anger, rage... let them fill your mind."

"I can't." Cass told her.

Serenity nodded, "Close your eyes, I want you to remember that day."

"I can't..." Cass told her again, it was just too painful, too dangerous, when the fire had started everything in Cass's mind came crashing down. She hadn't coped with the pain, her beast took her over and she ran, she ran and ran and ran until she couldn't run and collapsed in a heap. After that she had a big blank spot in her memory, she had lost a week when her mind finally came back; one of her Beta's had finally caught up with her with Ghost on their heels. It wasn't for another week that she had finally returned to the central den with Ghost, her constant shadow, and the one person in the world who she knew shared her pain.

"I can't help you unless you let out everything you've been holding in." Serenity explained, "I work with emotions, I can't help you unless you let all of that out."

"Do you know I have a blank spot in my memory, that I lost a week of my life, I don't want that to happen again?" Cass explained.

"What makes you think ma will let that happen again? That any of us will let you go off like that." Serenity shot back, if Cass lost her mind again this time at least she was with family who would be after her in minutes, refusing to leave her alone to deal with her pain.

"Thinking of that day is painful."

Serenity took a deep breath, "When I helped Ghost his emotions were raw, painful, I gave him peace. You haven't... you haven't truly grieved for him yet. You haven't mourned, you pretend in front pack but inside you are slowly killing yourself, not physically, you can't do that, but spiritually and mentally you can." She reached across and took Cass's hand. "Everyone is seeing it; they love you and are slowly watching you lose yourself."

Cass started to glance around; her eyes couldn't meet Serenity's as she knew her words were true. She pulled her knees up and hugged them as she rested her face on her knees.

"Uncle Grey-Hawk loved you, would he want you do this, or would he have wanted you to come to terms with his death and remember that he will return to you." Serenity said playing her trump card.

Cass said nothing.

"You want me to try but you are unwilling to." Serenity went to move but Cass stopped her.

"I've blocked those memories and I don't think I can unblock them." Cass told her honestly.

"Well lucky for you we have Thais." Serenity told her aunt as she gestured to the place her brother suddenly appeared in.

Thais joined them on the bed. He reached for Cass's hand and took it. "I can make you relive your past." He explained to his aunt, "close your eyes," he prompted as he knew it wouldn't nearly as effective if her eyes were open.

It didn't take long, three minutes to be a fact, three minutes to relive that day, a day she considered worse than august the third. When it was over she couldn't stop the tears from running down her cheeks. Serenity and Thais hugged her tightly, and as if a dam had broken every emotion she had been holding back flowed out.

Tears streamed down Serenity's face but she let those emotions consume her aunt until the wounds on Cass's soul were all uncovered. Her hand touched her Aunt's pocket where she knew her Aunt was keeping her Uncle's old identity band. The band appeared in her hand, she closed her eyes and focused, entering Cass's mind. She overlaid the memory of that clearing, recreating it entirely even down to the early morning dew and to hold it in place she focused on the etched linked chain pattern that surrounded Grey-hawk's name, using those chains to firmly implant that memory into Cass's mind.

Cass opened her eyes to the clearing. Even though she knew of this clearing in particular she had never seen it like this, had never seen it so magical before. Her wolf stood beside her, glancing around at the place, she took a deep breath, grass, dew and forest smells filled her nose, and the soft noises of birds filled the air. Cass turned slowly and eventually spotted Serenity, with her wolf close beside her they joined Serenity.

"I know this place but... it has never looked like this before." Cass told Serenity.

"That's because this is the way I saw it, actually I still see it this way, see the ley-line radiates energy, in a small way all ancients see it, this is a memory of mine, of the first time I saw it and didn't understand that the ley-line would make it look different to an Ancient child." Serenity explained. "Come let's see if Fate will allow you the gift she allowed Ghost."

Cass nodded and walked alongside Serenity. They came to the small clearing with the four compass points; Serenity stopped Cass and put Grey-hawk's identity band in her hand. "When people hear that we can time travel they ask why we didn't go back and save Katie. Can you see why we couldn't?"

Cass nodded, without Katie's death Ghost would not have been able to help Cass with her grief, and if Katie hadn't died Serenity wouldn't have known she could do this and be able to help her Aunt. "Everything happens for a reason, even his death."

Serenity nodded, "this is where I leave you, only you can walk into the ring or it won't work... I think."

"You'll be here when I get back though?" Cass asked.

Serenity nodded and watched as her aunt walked towards the stones.

**

Vlha walked into the media room where all the young adults were, "just out of curiosity why does your mother insist on having a thanksgiving dinner instead of a lunch, I'm starving." Vlha asked Thais, who had returned to the others the moment he knew Serenity had control of Cass.

"Because having a dinner gives everyone a chance to get their arses back here." Thais said as if that was the most reasonable answer in the world.

Vlha thought about it a moment then sat near Rayven who was staring wide eyed at him. Vlha returned her stare with an amused grin and waited. Over the last fourteen years he had lost his wildness and slowly become accustomed to how the world had changed. He had decided after long consideration to tame his long silvery blond hair by getting it cut to his shoulders, his skin which had once been so pale now had a slight hint of a tan. No one quite understood how Ghan and Vlha could be brothers as their colouration was so different, but if you looked pass the colour of their hair and focused on their line of their jaws and noses you could see the family resemblance. When he had realised that there wasn't any real clothing conventions he had filled his wardrobe with brightly coloured skinny leg jeans and lots of printed shirts. Today he was wearing aqua skinny jeans, bright red converse all stars and an Iron Maiden shirt.

"Rayven you're staring." Sky said while giving Rayven a nudge.

"He is Vlha..." Rayven said as if that explained everything.

Sky frowned; she remembered that name, "the source?" She said suddenly as she remembered where she had heard that name.

Rayven nodded. "I was sent out nine times to find you and never came close."

Vlha nodded, "Judas knew how to cover his tracks. No one would have found me, excluding Ancients."

Rayven nodded but still couldn't take her eyes off of him.

"You know if you keep staring you're going to give me a complex." Vlha remarked.

"It's just... you look so young." Rayven replied.

Vlha nodded, "Yeah, unlike my brother who stopped aging after he reached his physical peak I stopped aging once I reached my full height and had some definition."

"Oh yeah... Keira's gone into labour." Thais stated.

Vlha grinned, "About time I became an uncle." He tilted his head and frowned, "but where is Ghan, he isn't pacing outside his room."

"Yeah he doesn't know yet." Nicky answered. "Ghost talked him into a run before we found out Keira was in labour. Thais says they'll be born before dinner and before Ghan and Ghost get back."

Vlha chuckled as he could imagine the fury his brother would feel when he got back to hear that his mate had given birth without him; even if he would not have been in the room with her while she whelped. "I wonder what they'll be..." Vlha wondered aloud before turning to Thais. "Cats or wolves?" He asked.

"I'll only answer that question when the parents are present." Thais said firmly as he knew that Keira was going to ask the same question as soon as she became curious.

Vlha shrugged and went to settle back but stopped as Thais stood. "Come on... or we'll miss the declaration." He told the room and everyone raced to follow to the main hall. Slowly everyone started to gather as the word spread. Ghan and Ghost were the last to enter the hall, Thais handed them sweat pants as they shifted back into their human forms.

"Hey what's going on?" Ghost asked as he pulled his pants on, Ghan copying him.