The story

Isabella

“Daughter?” I ask her, and she nods while looking down. A simple tear slides down her cheek. She wipes it furiously, not wanting me to see - but I did. 

“What do you mean by daughter?” I ask her, and she looks me in the eyes. There. I feel the same feeling as when I was a child, and I was in her arms - safety, warmth and love. 

“How?” I whisper for the third time. 

Luna Michelle takes a deep breath; 

“When I was young I found my mate, but he rejected me at first. He already had a chosen mate, and she was the jealous type. She watched our interaction and instantly knew what was going on. She taddled to her parents, who were high ranking in my pack. They went to the alpha, who had just taken over and was mateless, and lied to him about me. They told him I was trying to ruin their daughter's mate bond because of jealousy.” She starts. 

“He demanded to see me and hear my side of the story, much to their dismay because they knew they had lied. I told him the truth, and he gave me an out - become his Luna and forget about my true mate. I jumped at the opportunity to become the Luna of the pack, because I wanted to do better. Just before my announcement, my mate, your father, came back to me and rescinded his rejection. He accepted me as his mate, but I was about to be announced as the mate and Luna to his alpha. He was heartbroken, but nonetheless we kept seeing each other. The mate bond intact, we weren’t able to stay away from each other.” She continues. I have an inkling of where this is going, but I can’t be sure before she says the words. 

“You need to understand, my parents and I joined our pack when I was 16, because our old pack was destroyed. They were the alpha and Luna, but no one in the new pack knew that. We were away on business when the attack happened.” Tears are streaming down her cheeks as the story comes along.

“When we came back, the pack had been destroyed. The few survivors told us how a big group of rogues had attacked during the night, and how the Beta had surrendered without fighting. It was like he knew this would happen, and had a plan to make the rogues spare him and his family. He wanted to be Alpha, but my father, your grandfather, was too strong. He knew he had to do something else, so he talked my father into going on this business trip, taking me and my mother with him. He arranged for the rogues to attack, and kill all who would oppose him to take over. It didn’t work, as the rogues did their own bidding, and they killed him and his family.” I nod. 

“What does this have to do with me and my father?” 

“Your father was not from the same pack as his chosen mate. He was an Alpha of a smaller pack near ours. The girl, however, was from our pack. She wanted the prestige and power of becoming Luna.” 

“So, you are saying I am an Alpha twice over?” Michelle nods. Emerald purrs in my mind, her tail wagging from side to side. 

‘I told you we are special.’ She says, a smug tone to her voice. 

“But I still don’t understand what this has to do with you disappearing? Why didn’t you take me with you? Why did I have to suffer? You were my protector, my guardian angel.” Tears stream down my cheeks by now, again. I’m getting really tired of crying, but I can’t help feeling cheated somehow by all of this. Cheated of a normal childhood, love and affection.  

“As I said, my mate rescinded his rejection and we became lovers. Hidden in the night, hoping someday to be together. I fell pregnant with him - with twins. You and Alex. The Alpha knew you weren’t his, and he ordered our Beta’s to take you in as their own when you were born. They couldn’t have children of their own, so this was the perfect opportunity. Afterwards I became pregnant again, and Jeff and  Janelle were born not long after another. We kept everything a secret, so in the eye of the pack, you and Alex were the future Beta and sister, and Jeff was the future Alpha.” 

“How can Jeff and I be mates, if he is my half brother?” 

“Because only Janelle is my biological offspring from the Alpha. Jeff is adopted, because we needed an heir, and I refused to get any more children than her.” 

“Where did Jeff come from?” 

“He was found at the border as an infant. We took him in and never told a soul. The pack knew he wasn’t ours by blood, but they accepted him to be the next Alpha in line when he got older and showed a lot of potential.” My head is spinning from all this information, and the night has gone darker, the moon being the only source of light.

“I know it’s a lot to take in, but I planned to disappear when my mate’s Luna died in childbirth. We had pack members pose as rogues, and ‘attack’ that day at the picnic. I had in mind to take you and Alex with me, but we agreed to wait and come get you when you were older and would understand what happened. I never planned to wait so long, or how much I would miss you!” 

“So, you’ve been living in another pack just dandy all these years, while the pack tortured me and treated me as a leper. You don’t know what I’ve been through because you decided to leave and let me take the brunt of it, instead of fucking owning you didn’t want to be with Alpha anymore.” 

“I know you are angry.” 

“Oh I am far beyond angry at this point, Luna! I am fucking livid. What did you think would happen? They had to blame someone, and HE KNEW I WASN’T HIS! HE KNEW! AND HE BLAMED ME. HE TURNED THE WHOLE PACK AGAINST ME.” Heaving for air, I stand to walk to my car. 

“Isabella, please. Come to my pack with me. They’ll welcome you as one of their own.” 

“Will they also welcome me when they know that Alpha will do everything in his power, including wage war, to drag me back for rejecting Jeff and walking away?” She sighs. 

“Didn’t think so.” I yank my hand out of hers, not caring if I hurt her. She was my idol growing up, and I so badly wanted to be like her when I grew up. Now? Not so much. 

“If you change your mind, we are the Grey Lake pack, and our borders start just beyond those treelines.” Michelle says, and I look back to see where she is pointing. I nod once, before getting to my car and driving off. 

‘Where are we going, doll?’

‘Somewhere far away from this hellhole and these crazy people.’ I answer, and drive off.