Five - Spilled Secrets

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Is there something I’m not meant to know?”

“What?” I plop off from the bed, avoiding her intense gaze. “Why would you even say that?”

“Because every time I ask mom and dad, they change the conversation. Now, I’m asking you, and you’re doing the same thing.”

How do I say, “I did something bad, injured you, and made you lose that part of your memory,” in a pleasant way that makes me not experience her anger?

Another pressing issue on my mind was why ask now? For over 10 years, she never bothered to ask me or bring up the story of how we left the pack, so what must have triggered her to ask me directly?

“I’m beginning to sense there’s a story behind it that no one wants me to find out,” she said dejectedly. No angry tone to her words, just disappointment and tiredness.

I felt bad, but couldn’t fault our parents for keeping the truth from her. If anything, I wanted to be honest and tell her everything, but the only thing holding me back was the reaction I might get. Would she hate me for not telling her and keeping it a secret all these years? Or would she forgive me?

“You did the same thing on my 10th birthday. You knew mom and dad weren’t planning a surprise birthday party, but made me believe so and ended up looking like a fool to all my classmates.”

“Oh come on, that’s different.” 

“Judging by your expression, it seems like I’m the only one out of the loop in this family.” Kayla swung her legs off the bed and shoved her feet into her flip-flops, already halfway to the door. 

“Don’t speak like that.” I rushed out of bed and pressed my shoulder against the doorframe to stop her hand already on the doorknob. 

“You’re not out of the loop. If something important was going on, we’d involve you. Not like you’d even allow us rest with your nosy personality.”

Her eyes were sucked out of energy, not believing a word that came out of my mouth. Both of her hands were folded, looking tired of my bullshit, and frankly, I was tired of hiding things from her. So I did what I knew how to do best. Being honest. No matter the harm, it was best to tell her the truth.

“Okay, fine. There is something we’ve withheld from you, but I swear, it was for your benefit.”

Her body perked up with full attention. “Well?”

“So around the time we moved away, something happened the week before,” I began. “We were on our way back from school one evening, after a swimming lesson, when Caroline…” I stopped, my throat closing up as the name slipped from my lips.

She looked at me confusingly, her eyes urging me to continue and get to the point.

Shuffling on my feet, I asked, “Do you remember Caroline?” 

Kayla’s brows furrowed for a moment, trying to recall the name, and when it seemed to click, she snapped her fingers like the bulb in her head came on.

“Yes, she was your best friend in middle school!”

I nod, confirming her answer.

“Wait..” Kayla muttered. She unfolded her hands and took a few steps back towards the bed and asked, “Now that the name Caroline comes to mind, how come you’ve never spoken about her all these years?”

“There’s a reason for that, and that’s one of the reasons why we left,” I replied. Focused on not making eye contact with Kayla, the moon-shaped lamp placed by my reading nook area was a good distraction.

I continued. “That evening, we were playing by the border on the east side when a vampire broke through and attacked us. They got to Caroline first before I could react, and when you tried to shift into your wolf and help Caroline, you got knocked out and hit your head on a thick rock. You were in a coma for about a week, and eventually, when you woke up, you couldn’t remember a thing.”

Before judgment is passed, yes, I did the complete opposite of what I said I was going to do. I was not honest, and I’ve concluded that it is not my forte to share the truth with anybody. Be as it may, I was better suited to take the true story to my grave than have my twin hating me for the rest of her life.

“So I lost my memory of the attack because of my head injury?” She asked for confirmation, and I could sense more questions rolling in her head.

“Mmhmm. The last thing you remembered was us having lunch that day.”

“So why didn’t you guys just tell me?”

“The doctor said your lost memory was nothing too serious that you’d remember in a day or two, but when that didn’t happen, he suspected the trauma your body experienced might not want to recall that event.”

Kayla took a deep sigh. Her wolf paced beneath her skin, fingers threading through her hair the way she always did when her mind was racing. 

The story I served might not be the whole truth, but it was still half-baked to make her angry with me for not saying anything to her.  

“I know I should have at least said something to you, but Mom made me promise not to. She was terrified you might not be able to handle it.”

She looked up at me.  “I’m really mad at you, Kira. For keeping this from me. But, I’m going to just overlook it for mom’s sake.”

Her words don’t immediately comfort me, but I know it’s a start. Compared to the actual story, I knew her reaction would be minimal, but seeing it confirmed my suspicions. My head would be off if she found out the real reason we left.

“Girls! Dinner is ready, hurry on down.” Mom called from downstairs.

“We’re coming!” Kayla screamed back in response.

“Uh, thank you for understanding, Kayla, but can you please not mention anything to mom or dad? You know she’s healing, and it’s not exactly the right time to bring up the conversation.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I know. We’re not done talking about it, though,” she said, pointing at two of us. “I have more questions for you, but for now, I have more pressing questions for mom and dad about another pressing issue.”

She opened the room door, and we headed down with our hands linked together.

In the room adjacent to the open-plan kitchen was the dining area. Big enough for 6 people, on the marble dining table, four places were already set with bowls of grilled beef, salad, white rice, and curry stew that filled the air with sweetness. Laid out along with a jar of water, glass cups, and a fruit wine bottle that Kayla dashed for. 

In the whole house, the dining room was the most lit. A bright bulb was hanging in every corner of the room, and at the center of the dining table was an intrusive brass chandelier that screamed “Main character,” but not enough to kick Kayla from the limelight.

Dad was already seated at the head of the table with mom his right side. Mom’s fiery shoulder-length hair, identical to Kayla’s, shone brightly, her face lit with laugh lines etched on it as she laughed at one of Dad’s jokes. Her eyes were sparkling like emeralds, and the warmth and love vibrating through them was the perfect picture of home. 

Kayla took a seat beside Mom while I sat with Dad.

“You took today’s dinner to the next level, Dad.” Kayla complimented, pouring wine into her glass.

Dad shrugged. “What can I say, my beautiful daughters are back in town, and my lovely wife needs the best meals to recover fast.” He stared adoringly at his wife, her eyes on him too, and they seemed to be lost in one another like newly mated wolves. 

I coughed, shaking up their romantic moment, and Mom looked at me with a fake stank eye.

“That’s enough swooning, folks. I’m famished.”

Dad waved at the table and said, “Help yourself, my darlings.”

I sliced out a piece of beef onto my plate, and at the first bite, I looked at Kayla, then turned to my dad.

“When did you become such a good cook dad?” I blurted out, still chewing the food in my mouth.

I have never known our dad to be a handy person in the kitchen if it involved preparing a meal, but what I was tasting now was saying a different thing. He spent most of his time either at the pack house or the garage, or simply just doing something active. 

“I took up a few cooking classes now that I have more free time on my hands since the new alpha took control.”

“And that brings me to my question of the day,” Kayla piped in. “Who is this new Alpha? Ever since we arrived, I’ve been sensing this strict vibe in the pack. Right, Kira?” She turned her eyes to me, looking for backup, but I just shrugged, keeping my mouth shut and my eyes glued to my plate.

Dad cleared his throat, his eyes flicking toward Mom before he answered. “The new Alpha is quite the breed. Lots of changes have happened since you both left.”

“Is he Alpha Morgan’s son?” Kayla asked.

He shook his head. “No, Alpha Morgan’s son died. The new Alpha is Nick Rhodes. He’s a distant family to the former Alpha, and since the start of his reign, the whole system of the pack has been upturned.”

“In a good way or in a bad way?” I asked. Curious about the enigmatic Alpha that seemed to set a strict and upright energy in the pack. Agreeing with Kayla, it really was different compared to when we left. 

“In a good way,” his hands wiggled back and forth, as if balancing the scale. “But the beginning of his reign was a rough one. Many people in the pack, including me, didn’t want him to rule, but he turned out to be a pretty good sport.”

Mom scoffed, dropping her fork. “Your dad is being polite. They butted heads for months, leaving me constantly worried that I might receive my mate's head at my doorstep.”

The memory seemed to set mom off, as she visibly shook from it. Her protective energy was all out, and I had no doubt she could have taken the Alpha on if Dad was threatened in any way. 

“Is he that brutal?” Kayla asked.

Dad pushed back his salt and pepper hair, a testament to his history with Alpha Nick. His forehead creased with lines. I could really see how much he had aged over the years, and his deep, earthy brown eyes sparked with nostalgia as he leaned forward to defend the Alpha.  

“He has his ups and downs, but I can vouch for him.” 

Mom interjected with an opposing review. Her hands fluttered upwards, dismissing Dad, and she said, “Yes, he was brutal and still is.” 

Her voice was heavy with sharpness. “The total count of wolves who lost a limb reached a historic rate of 70%. I still have no idea how your father was able to withstand such an Alpha with that character. Very questionable character if you ask me, but after 5 years of ruling, he’s improved with his temper. He’d still rip out people’s throats in a heartbeat, but at least he follows pack protocols before doing it. Thank goodness for that.”

“He seems interesting. Now I can’t wait to meet him,” Kayla said, and all her eyes fell on her. 

“Kayla, my dear, the Alpha is not someone to trifle with. Can you please be on good behaviour while you’re here?” Mom pleaded, her eyes searching Kayla’s for a sincere response. 

“I’ll try, but a more important question,” she shuffled in her seat, a mischievous look in her eyes, and I just knew what she was going to ask. 

“Does the Alpha have a mate?”