Dungeon Raider System
Chapter 723 - 723: Mother Part 3

"Oh! Hey! I didn't know we had visitors." Cassandra showed up wearing a cutesy apron and a ladle on her hand.

"Sword?" Uriel asked dumbfounded, failing to reconcile the mental image she had of the heavenly rank huntress.

"I'm not Sword anymore, just Cassie. Lunch will be ready in a minute, why don't you take a seat?" Cassandra chuckled and retreated back to the kitchen. She looked happier and healthier than ever, though neither Uriel nor Nika missed the oddity of her behavior.

"I'm not liking the vibe of this place. Give me a shout if you need me, I'll be at the clinic." Nika said then exited the place, which didn't seem to bother Elara. Uriel shared Nika's concerns, but he wanted to get answers more than anything and decided to stay despite the awkward circumstances.

Lunch was of course a home cooked meal, though it was much better than Uriel expected from Cassandra who used to be a colonel in the army and as far as he knew she never had the time to do any cooking. Neither she nor her mom stopped smiling the entire meal, though they also remained eerily silent until Uriel had his fill of both food and awkwardness.

"Why did you lie to us?" Uriel asked.

"I did no such thing, you assumed I was Luna and I just went with it. Being mixed up with my daughter was the best compliment you could have given me." She giggled.

"Hey, Cassandra, care to explain what is going on here?" Uriel turned to the former colonel who now couldn't be told apart from a housemaker.

"I... well... I'm here with my family," She replied. Just when Uriel thought things couldn't be any more confusing, she blushed up and continued with a meek tone of voice. "are you here for me?"

"Why are you acting all shy now?" Uriel furrowed his brows, but Elara placed a hand on his forearm and pressed it softly. It was a warm gesture he didn't feel like rejecting as he felt no hostile intentions coming from her, but he still slowly retracted his arm.

"We've lived in this community for a long time and things were fine even after the arrival. We were happy and safe, but things changed when my husband passed away. You see, he was the pack's alpha and without him, infighting almost tore us apart. I was forced to take a step forward and things became hectic in my life which is why I couldn't search for my cubs.

But now things are fine once more and I went to fetch them both. That pretty much sums up everything." Elara said.

"And Luna just came along? Without even letting me know?"

"I'm sorry if I caused you any pain with my actions and I know it won't be enough, but you're free to remain here as long as you want and I'll try to make up for it." Elara's smile enthralled Uriel and he found himself torn between his duty and what he wanted to do.

On the one hand, he knew that every passing day meant Soundrel's suffering would be prolonged, while on the other there was nothing he could do until the zeppelins returned. He also needed to wait for Bella's recovery from whatever the cryptid did to her that left her incapacitated.

"And how do you intend to make it up for me?" Uriel lifted an eye brow prompting the woman to stand from her seat and walk over to Uriel, hugging him from behind in the most seductive fashion and whispering in his ear words that would leave him stunned.

"What do you say? Would that be enough?" Elara asked amidst giggles.

"That... would be a nice start." Uriel said, not a hint of his excitement showing in the outside as the woman led him to her room where they would spend the night together.

The next morning Uriel woke up after the best night of sleep he had in months and he walked down the stairs with Elara carrying a wide smile. He joined at the table where Luna, Nika, Bella and Cassandra waited to start their hearty breakfast.

"You look happy, some night you must have had." Bella scoffed.

"Look at his face, he's so happy he's almost shining. Come on, Luna, say something." Nika said with scorn.

"I don't care." Luna said as she wolfed down her breakfast in the most literal sense of the word.

"Just mind your own business," Uriel directed a cold glare at Nika, then turned to Elara who became flustered by the comments. "don't mind them. We did nothing wrong." He said with a wink.

"Oh, dear!" She blushed up in a bright red color, prompting Luna to stand up dragging her chair as loudly as possible.

"Your treatment isn't over, come." Luna dragged Bella away before she could eat half her pancakes.

Nika remained in the house the entire day watching as Elara pined all over Uriel, making sure he was comfortable at all times and had enough food or snacks. She let him read their library which was filled with folklore tales of all sorts which he did with a smile basking in the attention of the mature beauty that rivaled with Nika's.

"What does she have that I dont?" Nika grumbled to Cassandra expecting her to join with a rant of her own, though Cassandra shook her head.

"She's stronger, more beautiful and she treats him well."

"I've been his assistant for the longest time and he's never thanked me for anything!"

"Quit whining and make yourself useful," Uriel grunted while getting a back rub from Elara's soft hands. "Huh, that's the spot." He said as he melted.

"Make myself useful!? I helped Luna at the clinic all day yesterday so she could treat Bella, while you've been doing the dirty behind our backs." Nika exclaimed offended.

"You're free to join us tonight if you want." Elara said with a seductive smile.

"I don't even know how to respond to that." Nika said unblinking.

"Then shut up and just go do something somewhere else, I can't relax while you're here and I'll need a lot of stamina for tonight." Uriel let out in annoyance.

"Stop it, you're not so bad yourself." Elara let out a chuckle that annoyed Nika even further prompting her to storm off.

She didn't like Elara before even meeting her, but now she absolutely hated her which actually worked against Nika. Everything was suspicious in her eyes, but she wondered if it came from her dislike for Elara rather than facts which is why she attempted to cool her head while taking a stroll.

The town breathed an air of peace that brought memories to Nika of her old town in Mexico. She wondered if the neighbors were close to each other like in her old neighborhood and what would her life become if Uriel decided to stay.