LOGINChristina
A few moments of silence later, we reach a small house in the middle of a forest. Once Becca parks I leave the car and stare at the house but that’s the least of my worries. I look behind me and see Becca and Melissa talking so I walk up to dad who's looking at the house inquisitively. “Are you sure we can trust those two…” I look at them smiling at each other before I turn back to my dad and continue whispering. “They are a bit weird.” I say. “They’re your sisters' love.” He places his hand on his brown hair and scratches it. He’s really taller than me so I don’t get to see the exact spot he’s scratching. Or maybe I’m the short one that makes him look tall. He’s about 5 '11 whilst I’m 5' 6 so I won’t call myself short but I’m not tall either. Coincidentally my so-called sisters look to be about the same height as me but Becca looks a few inches taller…perhaps 5 '7. They both have brown hair and brown eyes just like me but I have white strands on mine. I tend to dye it once in a while, but right now it’s dyed completely brown. “Who's the older one?” I ask whilst looking at them. “Becca.” He says whilst looking at them before looking back at me. “Why did you not tell me about any of this?” I turn my head and glare at him. “What part exactly?” He starts walking towards the house after saying this so I walk with him. “Maybe the fact that you had two other kids without informing me?” I fold my hands as we enter the house. Becca and Melissa had opened it and entered before us. It’s a bungalow with couches and a tv by the left side and a dining table by the right side. Behind that is the kitchen and I’m assuming the door that’s next to it leads to the rooms In the house. everything’s all grayish in color, it looks very old. “They're not my children.” Dad says whilst looking at the place. “What do you mean?” I ask but he ignores me and walks up to Melissa and Becca who are still chattering about something. “How did you find us?” Dad asks them. I lean against the wall and observe what is going on whilst trying to ignore the fact that my mother is dead. I think the shock still hasn’t settled in because I seem to be more focused on what is going on rather than mourning. “Dad told us about you two.” Becca says and points at me for emphasis. They had said I’m their half sister, so is whoever Becca just called dad my real dad or are we half sisters from my moms side. I don’t know what is going on but whatever is the truth, I truly hope my dad Peter is my real dad and not some man that abandoned me. “Where’s this place?” I ask and place my hands on my hips. Obviously I’m the only one that doesn’t know about this old house we’re in. “Dad told us about it. He said he knew something like this would happen one day. It’s just a safe house” Melissa says as if I’m meant to understand. “I didn’t expect John to tell you two about Christina let alone the plan B house.” Dad says then looks at me and so do my two sisters. “About me?” I ask with confusion prominent on my face. How does this John guy know who I am and what the hell does dad mean by plan B house? And is John Becca and Melissa’s dad? “I know you have a lot of questions, and I promise I’ll answer them all when I know we’re safe enough to discuss it all.” He says. “Hold on, I’ll be back.” Melissa says and walks outside the door. I peek and see that she’s going to the car's trunk. I look back at Becca and my dad and they seem to be having their own conversation. I realize that I’m slowly going insane. “-trust me, dad only told us about you guys because he found out that Sandra and her witches located the girl with the white strands of hair descriptions. He only told us because we’re the only gammas he could trust to find her without talking to anyone about it.” Becca says and shrugs. I didn’t hear the beginning of the conversation because I was focused on what Melissa was doing. “You do realize if anyone finds out that you are not following through with the plan of taking Christina to the Alpha king and instead protecting her, you’d be dead, and so will Melissa.” Dad raises a brow at her and she smiles and raises both brows twice, quickly. My apparent sisters are actually gorgeous and insane. Gamma? Sandra..? AlphaKing? What is all this? “What’s life without a little bit of fun?” She says and dad chuckles. The stuff they're saying only confuses me more and I don’t know whether to be frustrated or annoyed that no one is explaining anything to me. “Can somebody please tell me what’s going on! My mother just died!” I scream and Melissa rushes back inside holding an opened bag full of clothes and what I believe to be food. “For crying out loud…talk to me.” I say so quietly I don’t even hear myself. “I’m really sorry about your mom but you need to stay quiet-” Melissa starts to talk but I tune her out and lean back against the wall. I drag my back against it hoping to feel some kind of friction of pain but it’s so smooth that I end up sitting on the floor. I pull my knees to my chest and don’t even notice the fresh tears that have been pouring since the former ones had dried. I start to sob and slowly place my head on my knees. I feel a hand on my back and I already know it’s dad. I pull my head up a bit and notice that he’s now sitting beside me. I look to my left and so is Melissa. Becca is right in front of me. They’ve circled me. “I'm so sorry about Mary. You know I loved her as much as you did. She was the best mother to you and the best wife to me. But I need you to be strong right now.” Dad says with a small smile on his lips yet I can still see how broken he looks in his eyes. “Ask and we’ll tell you.” Becca says assuringly. I ignore her and look at my father who I’ve known for my entire 17 years of living—well— soon to be 18 years. “Are you my dad?” I ask a question I never knew I’d ever ask in my life. Dad blinks like he never expected to hear this out of my mouth and looks at Melissa and Becca as if he’s waiting for some kind of signal to respond but before he gets to say anything, I recall what he had turned into whilst my mother was dead on the floor. I stand up, making them move away from me, and walk slowly away from them. I look at the three of them. “Are you guys even human?” I ask whilst shaking my head and continue walking backwards. “Christina, relax. We’d never hurt you.” Becca says calmly like she knew this would happen. I laugh. “You didn’t answer the question.” Just as I say this, the windows glass breaks and spreads in all directions. And that’s all it takes before we start to hear gunshots. “We need to leave now!” Melissa yells and grabs my arm. They’ve found us.CHAPTER 80CHRISTINA"Can I have a moment alone with her?"Mera paused at the door and looked back at Esmeralda, then at me, she didn't ask why, shejust nodded and slipped out, pulling the door quietly behind her.The room settled into stillness.I found a chair near the wall and dragged it to the side of the bed, sat down, and looked ather.Without the bangles, without the easy laughter she'd carried so naturally, Esmeralda lookedsmaller and softer.Her hands were resting over the blanket and her breathing was slow and even, the kind ofdeep that isn't quite sleep and isn't quite anything else.I sat with the quiet for a moment, then I felt too alone in it, so I started talking."I know you probably can't hear me," I said softly.to right now, so.""But I don't really have anyone else to talkI folded my hands in my lap."Why did you want to know who my parents are?" I asked her.held my hand?""What did you feel when youShe didn't answer, the curtain near the window shifted fa
CHAPTER 79CHRISTINAThe door opened and Maxwell stepped out.He looked terrible.His jaw was tight, there were shadows under his eyes and the easy confidence he usuallywore like a second skin was completely gone.I stood up from where I'd been sitting in the hallway."How is she?"He looked at me with a slight crease on his forehead."What did you do to her?"The words hit me like a slap.For a second I just stood there, too stunned to respond, then the shock burned off andsomething hot replaced it."Why," I said, my voice coming out sharper than I intended,"is it always me? Every singletime something happens, why am I always the one who did something wrong?"Maxwell's face changed immediately."Christina….""No." I took a step back."I'm getting really tired of that.""I'm sorry." He moved toward me and pulled me into a hug before I could stop him, his armswrapping around me, his chin dropping toward my head."I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just scared for her
CHAPTER 78CHRISTINAThe loud sound made me jump in terror, the water from my glass spilling over my hand.A sharp crack followed by something rolling across the counter and hitting the floor, and Ispun around so fast I knocked my elbow against the cabinet behind me."Who's there?"For a second, nothing.Then a woman stepped out from the far side of the kitchen, near the pantry shelves, onehand pressed to her chest and the other still hovering in the air in front of her like she'd beencaught reaching for something.Middle-aged, brown-skinned, with the kind of face that looked like it had laughed often anddeeply over the years, she was wearing a loose wrap dress, her hair pinned up unevenly,and bangles on each wrist."I'm so sorry," she said immediately, her voice warm and a little flustered."I didn't mean to frighten you. Are you alright?""I'm fine," I said, pressing a hand to my chest where my heart was still hammering."You just startled me."She looked at me then, properl
CHAPTER 77MARCELWhen I stepped back into the living room, Davina and Bryan were talking quietly at the table,heads close together, sharing something that made Davina's shoulders shake with softlaughter.Bryan was smiling too, the tight guardedness he'd worn all morning loosened just slightly.I stood at the edge of the room for a moment, not wanting to interrupt.Davina looked up first and her smile stayed."Done?" she asked."Yes." I moved to the empty chair and sat."Thank you for the food and letting me use your bathroom"She waved it off."Don't thank me for feeding you. It's the least anyone could do."The lightness of the moment settled and then quietly faded, and Davina seemed to know it.She shifted in her seat, adjusting her position with the careful deliberateness of latepregnancy, and her expression became something more measured.She exhaled slowly."I can't tell you much," she said."I want to be honest about that before we start, they drugged me not long after th
CHAPTER 76 MARCEL The drive to Silvercrest pack took longer than Gabriel had estimated, a whole day had passed and we had yet to reach. We pushed hard, stopping only when we absolutely had to, and even then, I was back in the vehicle before the others had properly stretched their legs. Nobody complained, which was good cause right now I didn't need any from them. They could already feel it coming off me, the restlessness, and the urgency that wouldn't let me sit still or think straight. We arrived at the edge of Silvercrest territory sometime past midnight. The pack was quiet, houses dark, the whole place wrapped in that deep still silence that only happens in the hours when even the night animals had gone to sleep. Gabriel pulled up at the street Davis was giving towards Bryan's place and we drove through the empty streets until we found it. A modest house near the pack's eastern boundary, I was out of the car before it had fully stopped. "Marcel. " G
CHAPTER 75MARCELI opened my eyes to find myself back in my bedroom.For a moment, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to piece together what hadhappened.The transformation, the chains, the full moon.And then nothing.Blank darkness until now.I turned my head slowly, scanning the room.It was oddly empty.I'd spent years in this room alone, slept in this bed alone, lived my life alone before Christinacame into it.But now the emptiness felt wrong, more oppressive like something vital was missing, like itwas the wrong colour.Because she was missing.Christina.A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts."Come in," I called out, my voice rough.The door opened and Gabriel stepped inside, relief washing over his face when he saw meawake."You're okay," he said."I'm fine," I replied, sitting up slowly though my body ached but nothing felt broken ordamaged."What happened?""The transformation," Gabriel said."You shifted completely and we kept you contained







