The Winter Solstice: A Cassandra Blake Mystery

Chapter 1.1

Cassandra Blake was exhausted and sick of driving, but she had little choice. She had worked nearly four hours past the end of her shift. She had packed her bag and put it in her vehicle before work, ready for the trip to her hometown. The drive should have taken a little over an hour and a half, but so far, it had been a three-hour trek that was still going due to the snow that had started falling earlier in the day. She sighed, knowing it would be nearly midnight by the time she reached her parents’ house. Her phone rang sharply through the SUV’s speakers, causing her to jump. She hit the screen to accept the call.

“Hello,” she said sharply, not looking to see who had called as she focused on the road in front of her.

“Are you OK?” her mother asked.

“Yeah, Mom. I’m fine. I called you when I started the drive and told you it would take a while for me to get there because of the weather. The snow is nearly whiteout conditions at times.”

“Where are you now?”

Cassie sighed with relief as she saw the Bloodstone city limits sign come into view. “I am just hitting the city limits now, so hopefully, I will be there in less than fifteen minutes.”

“Good. I will have hot chocolate and fresh cookies ready for you. And Malekai wants you to call him as soon as you get here so he can go to bed and quit worrying about you.”

“Thanks, Mom. I will call him as soon as I hang up with you.”

“Well, in that case, I will tell you bye and get everything ready for you.”

“Bye, Mom,” Cassie replied as she disconnected the call and immediately prepared to call Kai. “Call Malekai,” she said and waited as her phone dialed and Kai’s phone rang.

“Hello?” Kai answered his phone with worry and anticipation in his voice.

“Hey, Kia. Sorry if I woke you up. I have just made it into town, and I should be at Mom and Dad's in a few minutes.”

“Thank the Goddess,” Malekai breathed. “I wasn’t asleep. I’ve been worried sick. I’m putting my boots on now and will be right over.”

Cassie laughed, “You don’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I do. I need my hug.”

“Well, in that case, I hope Mom makes enough hot chocolate and cookies for you too.”

“She will,” Kia answered. Cassie could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke. “She knows I will be over as soon as you get there. In fact, I might beat you there. My parents decided it was time for them to downsize. I moved into the old family home two doors down from your parents.”

Cassie laughed, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I wanted it to be a surprise. Where are you now?”

“I just turned onto our street. That feels so weird to say.”

“I see your headlights from my porch. I’ll meet you at your car and grab your bags for you.”

“Bag and you don’t need to do that. I am quite capable of carrying a single bag.”

“Too bad,” Malekai laughed. “I am here waiting for you.”

Cassie shook her head at the sight of the town mayor, their pack Alpha, and her best friend, standing in the snow beside her parents’ driveway, waiting for her. She reached over and hung up her phone without replying to the last thing Kai said. She carefully turned into the driveway and parked, hopping out as soon as she shut off the engine. Before she could close her door, Malekai had already grabbed her and enveloped her in a bear hug so tight it made her ribs pop.

“I missed you,” Malekai whispered as he continued to hug Cassie.

Cassie could feel all her stress from the day beginning to disappear as he hugged her. She took in his ever-present scent of leather and cedar as she returned his embrace. That was one of the main reasons Cassie came home for the festival each year. She needed her best friend to help her ground herself and evaluate things in her life. She felt him kiss the top of her head and loosen his grip. She leaned back and smiled at him.

“I missed you too,” Cassie replied just above a whisper. “Let’s go inside.”

Cassie closed her door and opened the back door of her SUV. Before she could reach for her bag, Malekai already had it in his hand and was smiling down at her, closing the door.

“I told you I would get this for you,” Malekia told her.

He placed his hand on her back and guided her to the door of her parents’ home. As soon as they stepped onto the porch, the door flew open. Cassie’s mom, Angela, stood in the doorway, grinning from ear to ear. Cassie had a sinking feeling that her mother had just witnessed what had occurred between her and Kai. She knew it would only fuel her mom’s persistence in her and Malekai getting together as chosen mates.

“You two get in here before you freeze to death!” Angela exclaimed as she ushered them into her home. She closed the door behind them and began to take their coats as they dusted the snow out of their hair. “You kids need to warm up. Head to the kitchen. I have hot chocolate and cookies ready for you. But first, take off those snowy boots. Both of you.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Cassie and Malekai answered without argument as they pulled off their shoes.

Angela guided the pair toward the kitchen but did not go in with them. Cassie and Kai looked at each other and tried not to laugh as they entered the kitchen. They poured themselves mugs of cocoa and sat down at the island, sharing a plate of cookies still warm from the oven.

Kai took a bite of his cookie before asking, “You know what your mother is doing, right?”

“Oh, I know exactly what she is doing,” Cassie answered as she picked at the plate of cookies in front of them. “She is doing what she always does when I come home. Whether it is you or someone else, she is trying to find me a chosen mate.”

“She’s your mom. She worries about you.”

“I know.”

“So do I.”

“I know you do.” Cassie turned to look into Kai’s eyes. They always made her think of black coffee or hot tea. They were always so warm and comforting. “I thank you for worrying about me. The difference between you and my mom is that her worry usually comes with a side of matchmaking.”

“Yeah, she has been that way since we were little kids. She always told me what a striking couple we made and that she hoped we were mates because of what close friends we are.”

“She is even worse now that I’m over thirty and at the point where if I do not have a mate, my life will get very uncomfortable and complicated,” Cassie said as she sipped from her mug.

Cassie did not have to explain to Malekai what she meant. When unmated female werewolves reached the age of around thirty, there was a good chance they would go into heat. It was a remnant of when their species was driven to reproduce and caused the male werewolves to be attracted to the unmated females. Centuries ago, it ensured their survival as a people. Today it served as a horrific reminder that she is still single and would cause her to be nearly incapacitated for several days.

“Just so you know, I am worried about that for you, too, and if that happens, I will do whatever I need to do to help you.”

“No. That is not an option. You have always wanted to find your destined mate. You have traveled all over the country trying to find her.”

“Yeah, and she still isn’t here, is she?”

Cassie sighed, “No, and neither is mine. Maybe we are destined to grow old alone.”

“That won’t happen. As long as I am alive, you will never be alone. How many times have you called me in the middle of the night after dealing with a bad call or case?”

“About the same number that you have called me in the middle of the night worried about meetings, budgets, and the people of this town and pack,” Cassie smiled.

“True!” Malekai laughed as he grabbed another cookie from the plate. “We should probably finish up and get you to bed.”

“No,” Cassie disagreed. “I am exhausted, but I am also wide awake. If I go to bed now, all I will do is lie there and stare at the ceiling.” She said, smiling at Malekai again. “You, however, need to get some sleep. You have an entire town to entertain tomorrow at the festival.”

“Yeah, we are in the same boat regarding sleep right now. I took a nap early so I could stay up with you when you got here if you wanted to, and now I am wide awake.”

“Well, since I am sure Mom went to bed as soon as I got here, you want to go up to my room, and we can watch movies until we fall asleep?” Cassie asked as she drained her mug of hot chocolate.

“Sure, why not?” Kai replied as he drank the rest of his cocoa and glanced at the stove clock. “And, happy birthday. It is officially after midnight, so I can say that now.”

“Thank you,” Cassie smiled as she slid off the bar stool she was sitting on. “That might be the only one I hear. You know how my birthday always goes. I hate being born on the winter solstice, and this year it will be even worse because of the full moon.”

“I have always and will always wish you a happy birthday,” Malekai told her.

He put his hand on her back and walked with her out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her room. This was something they had done many times over the years. Even as kids, they would be in Cassie’s room together watching movies or TV until they fell asleep on her full-size bed, and her mother woke them up for breakfast. If they were not at Cassie’s house, they were at Malekai’s home doing the same thing. Their constant need to be together had led their parents to joke about having shared custody of them since they were infants.

Cassie opened her bedroom door to find her bag on her bed and a pair of her father’s pajama pants folded neatly beside it. She shook her head and laughed, knowing her mother was expecting Malekai to spend the night in her room as he always did the first night she came home.

Cassie picked up the pajama pants, handed them to Malekai, and sighed, “Looks like Mom was ready for you. I will grab my clothes and change in the bathroom while you change in here.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Malekai answered.

He watched Cassie as she quickly found her pajamas in her bag and headed for the bathroom. It connected her bedroom to the one down the hall, which had been her brother Zach’s. Malekai briefly thought about asking Angela if he could stay in that room while Cassie was home so he could spend as much time as possible with his best friend, but decided against it. He undressed and picked up the pajama pants as Cassie opened the door and entered her room. Their eyes locked as Malekai stood naked in front of her. He watched Cassie’s eyes travel down his hulking 6’6” frame from the top of his head to his toes and back up.

“You haven’t been running very much, have you?” Cassie asked, concerned as she tipped her head to the side.

“I haven’t. I also haven’t been training or going to the gym as often as I should. I also blame part of it on your mom’s bakery and your aunt’s diner,” Malekai replied as he stepped into the pajama pants and pulled them up.

“It shows, and it worries me. To the humans who live here, you are the Mayor. To us, you are the pack Alpha, and you must be ready for any fight that comes your way. That means while I’m here, I have to whip you back into shape,” Cassie told him as a wicked grin spread across her lips.

“A week of being beaten up by a girl. I can think of worse things,” Kai smirked.

Cassie pulled up her shirt to show her well-defined abs and said, “A girl who never misses a day in the gym and has had every man in Seattle refuse to spar with her out of fear.”

“Forget about becoming the town’s police chief. I will hire you right now to be the official pack trainer.”

“Hard pass. You already have one of those. My brother Zach, your Gamma, remember?” Cassie laughed as she made her way to the bed and threw her bag on the floor near the door. “Find something for us to watch while I get comfy.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Malekai laughed as he watched her climb under the covers of her bed and settle in, waiting for him to lay on the bed beside her under the afghan she had at the foot of her bed. “What are you in the mood for?”

“Pick whatever you want to watch,” Cassie yawned. “I will be asleep within minutes, most likely.”

“Are you OK?” Malekai asked as he sat beside her on his side of the bed.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I have only been up for the past twenty-something hours. I’m just tired and relaxing now that I’m here.”

“If you say so,” Malekai said as he got comfortable beside her and pulled the afghan over himself. He put his arm around Cassie’s shoulders as she laid her head on his chest and snuggled into him. “You just look a little worn down. It makes me worry.”

“Don’t,” Cassie said as she tipped her head back to look him in the eyes. “I promise you I am alright.”

“OK,” Malekai answered as he leaned down and kissed her on the head.

Malekai absent-mindedly played with Cassandra’s hair while he searched for something for them to watch. By the time he had found a movie, Cassie was already fast asleep with her head still on his chest. He looked at her and smiled. He felt honored to be one of the few people she allowed to see her with her defenses down. She always had to be the best and the toughest. Cassie never showed any signs of weakness, except with him and a few in her immediate family.

He brushed her long curly hair away from her face to see the gold chain around her neck that carried the pendant he had given her for her eighteenth birthday. He sighed in relief to see she was still wearing it and hoped she never took it off the way he had asked. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight. He inhaled deeply one last time, taking in her scent of fresh rain and wildflowers that her shampoo could not cover as he nodded off.