4: Lily

 Erica burst into laughter. "I'm sorry. This is a joke, right?" She asked them.

 Once everyone settled in, Willow explained the situation to her. As expected of Erica, she laughed at the hilarity of it. Jayce sat out for a moment to get the children settled and to take care of a few things in the Pack House. Their sudden arrival back home with no notice set off an alarm to his security, and it was safest if he handled it away from the house. Lily didn't object, though she wished he was with her to go through this ordeal a second time. Thankfully, Damion, her other moral of support alongside Erica had arrived shortly before Jayce had left and filled him in on the unexpected guests. To say the least, Damion was equally not as welcoming to the bunch as Jayce originally was. She knew he smelt it in each of them. Their distinct differences. Especially Zalakai.

 Lily set down a small tray on the coffee table with cookies and pasties. "I have tea, coffee and water if anyone would like any." She offered to the group.

 "Oh, tea sounds lovely." Willow chipped in.

 Zalakai leaned over and took up a cookie. He examined it closely. "Mortals sure have a strange thing with delicacies."

 "It's just a cookie. Shut up and eat it." Rayleigh scolded him gently, yet the Demon only smiled at her. What a peculiar pair.

 "I'll brew up a pot of tea and coffee and bring out a pitcher of water." Lily said with a kind smile before she turned and left the living room. She continued to hear Erica bombard them with questions, but mostly pinpointing how ridiculous the assumption was. Yet, the more the idea lingered, the more some things made sense to her. The way she adapted to his Pack as a whole. Though it came with hardships in the beginning, his people relied on her for years afterward. She took charge of charity cases. Visited homeless shelters to help create facilities for Werewolves that can live alongside Humans safely. She spent time with troubles kids and teens after school hours. Either at the library or the local bookstore. She observed their behaviors, learned the new trends so she could properly make conversation with them. If there was any sort of trouble at home, she offered them a haven at the house, with Jayce's consent. Though she kept her lips sealed on the private matters, she encouraged the kids to seek help and if they ever needed to, she was there for them. She understood trauma just as well as anyone. She kept herself from being saved for months. Lily refused to let anyone else suffer what she had.

 "Hey." Damion's voice startled her. She glanced over her shoulder at him, seeing him standing at the entrance to the kitchen.

 "Sorry, I was lost in thought." She smiled at him before she turned back to setting up the two pots. "I'll come back once I have everything."

 "Lily." Damion said her name softly. She heard him approach and stand just behind her shoulder. "You know you can talk to me."

 "I know." She sighed as she faced him. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea."

 He inclined his head. His dark hair had grown shaggy since they left on vacation. "It's a pretty crazy idea, huh?" He asked her. Lily avoided his gaze. "Do you believe them?" He asked her.

 "No." she said firmly. He raised a brow at her quick response. Lily sighed as she moved past him to the fridge. "I don't know." She pulled out several water bottles. "Being a mix of an Angel, a Werewolf, and some sort of Witch, maybe? Sounds like someone threw the idea of me into a pot and said 'here you go, have at it.'"

 "What if they're right?" He asked her. That's what scared her most. Of them being right about her heritage. About who she truly was. She tensed up her shoulders and closed her eyes.

 Nox... Jayce... I could use the reassurance...

Hands turned her around to face Damion head on. He took one look at her before he hugged her. She smelled the cologne on his black t-shirt. His warmth dulled the anxiety in her a little as she hugged him in return.

 "Everything will be okay." He whispered to her. "You have Jayce, Erica and myself. We will always have your back." He pulled back slightly to look down at her. "Even if you are some Angel, Werewolf and Witch hybrid." He gave his casual, goofy grin. "Sounds like some off brand Powerpuff Girl, if you ask me."

 "Hey!" She punched his chest playfully.

He chuckled at her. "Better?" He asked.

 Lily rested a hand on her chest, feeling her heart a little more at ease now. She smiled up at him. "Yes, thank you so much, Damion."

 "Anything for you, Luna." He bowed jokingly. Lily giggled at him. "Come on, we have guests to entertain. I'll help carry everything." He grabbed up the water bottles just as the tea pot went off the coffee maker dinged. "Perfect timing."

 Lily pulled down another tray with mugs before she stopped herself. "Damion?"

 "Hm?" He asked as he pulled aside sweetener, sugar, creamer and the other necessities for the coffee.

 "Alpha Aiden." She said his name. She noticed from the corner of her eye of Damion tensing up. "He looks... strangely similar to Jayce. Does he... smell like him?"

 Damion's brows furrowed together when he looked at her. "Yeah. It's not a lot, but there is the similarity in their scents. I am going to assume that they could be related in some way, whatever way that is. I don't know for sure." He set everything on the tray with the mugs. "We won't know unless we ask, but first..." He picked up the tray. "Let's get your mess figured out first before we uncover any mysteries about your husband."

 He was right; she knew that. Yet, when they re-entered the living room, she couldn't help meeting Aiden's gaze. He looked uncomfortable being there. As a Rogue, she couldn't blame him, but was it also something more than that as well? He held her gaze silently for a moment, almost conveying with his eyes.

 Not now.

 Did he hear their conversation? That wouldn't be surprising considering his Supernatural race.

 "Sorry for the delay." Lily apologized as she and Damion set everything down on the table. "Erica, are the kids okay?"

 "Oh, yeah." She raised a thumbs up to her. "Myra and Logan are upstairs playing video games. The twins are outside in the garden with Nigel and a few other security guards."

 Lily sighed with relief when the sound of the front door opened and the lovely scent of rain filled her senses. She immediately left her guests, barely hearing Erica behind her.

 "Oh, she does that when he comes home. You get used to it." She mentioned to them until her voice faded away when Lily entered the foyer, but stopped when she found not only Jayce standing by the door.

 "Oh, dear!" Penelope smiled warmly at her. "I hope you had a lovely trip." She walked past Jayce until she halted immediately. Her nose flared and took her past Lily to the entrance of the living room. Lily looked at Jayce, confusingly who only shrugged.

 "I found her at the Pack House. Informed her of our guests. You know how she is." He kissed her hair. "Sorry for leaving you like that."

 "No worries. I know the King's work is never done." She smiled at him until they heard a gasp from the living room. "What now?"

 Lily and Jayce walked over to the living room to find Penelope hugging Aiden. This was a definite surprise, yet it seemed to confirm the suspicions Lily had felt.

 Penelope pulled back from the hug and brushed Aiden's black hair away from his green eyes. "Oh sweet Aiden, how are you? How is Lymeria?"

 "Hey Aunt Penelope." He smiled at her. The sight was offputting because of his stern demeanor.

 "Aunt?" Jayce growled questioningly.

 Penelope looked over at Jayce, as if this wasn't news at all. "My sister's son. Your cousin. Keep up, Jayce." Penelope turned back to Aiden. "I swear you were not this tall the last time I saw you. How are things in the community?" She then turned her gaze to Amira, who stood up beside Aiden. "Oh, my dear Amira. Welcome." She hugged the white-haired woman happily.

 "Hello Penelope." Amira greeted her. "It's good to see you as well. Everything is fine back home. Winston is running things while we..." She gestured to the rest of the group involved.

 "Can we pause for a moment?" Jayce asked, interrupting their reunion. "You never told me you had a sister."

 "How could I?" Penelope asked him. "She's a Rogue." She looked at the unfamiliar faces until she settled on Dante's. "Ah, Dante. It's been a while as well." She extended her hand out to him.

 Dante smiled and took it. "It has." He kissed the back of her hand. "And you still look as beautiful as the first day I met you."

 "There is so much to unpack." Jayce grumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "That aside for now. Lily." He turned to his Mate. "How do you want to begin this?" He asked her.

 "I guess from the beginning." She said as she poured herself a cup of tea. The delicate and sweet aroma of honey and lavender settled her nerves. The warmth of the cup seeped into her skin as she sat down at the head of the group. Jayce took a chair and sat beside her while Damion took her other side. Her protectors. Penelope slipped into a spot between Aiden and Dante.

 "Right." Willow cleared her throat. She leaned forward in her chair and met Lily's gaze. "As I said before, you are the descendant of the Moon Goddesses. However, it's much deeper than that."

 "You know, popcorn would be sufficient right now." Erica mentioned as she grabbed her mug of coffee and a cookie. Jayce glared at her. "What? It makes the best snack in times like this."

 "Okay." Lily let out a breath slowly. "By being a descendant, that means what, exactly?"

 "It means you have a blood tie to Hecate, the Goddess of Magic and Witchcraft; Selene, Goddess of the Moon and Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt." Willow told her.

 "Oh, that popcorn definitely sounds like a good idea, Erica." Penelope chipped in. Erica nodded and hopped to her feet. Before Jayce could scold her, she had already disappeared into the kitchen.

 "This would mean that I have some sort of Magic in me, right? But I have felt nothing remotely close to that." Lily informed her.

 "It may not be something you feel until your true self awakens." Willow told her. Amira reached into her jacket and pulled out that leather book again. Lily stared at it as the women passed it over to one another. There was an eerie, hypnotic voice that lured her.

 Lily...

 The voice called to her. Beckoned her. Tempted her. Her hand lifted, but Jayce's large hand cupped hers and placed it on her knee. She looked over at him, and the pure concern in his eyes alarmed her. She was not herself with that book around.

 Dante took the book from Willow and placed it inside his pocket. "You're making the Queen uncomfortable." He noted.

 "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean..!" Willow panicked.

 "It's okay." Lily reassured her. "But can you please keep it out of sight while around me?" She shook her head slowly. "I can't handle the voice."

 "Voice?" Rayleigh asked her.

 "Yeah. It called my name." Lily mentioned.

 "Then the next part confirms it." Zalakai said, as Erica walked in with two bowls of steaming popcorn. "Oh, may I?" He asked. Erica passed over a bowl. "I've always been curious about popcorn."

 "You've never eaten popcorn before?" Erica asked as she scooped a handful and passed the bowl to Penelope.

 "He's a Demon." Penelope stated casually. "I doubt he's tried Human food before."

 "On topic, please." Jayce said through gritted teeth. "Confirms what?"

 "Your Queen is a descendant of the Angel Ariel." Zalakai said with a slight shrug. "She feels the power of Ariel drawing her to the book. Only someone of her bloodline can access the information within it."

 "And how well do you know this?" Jayce asked.

 "I was there when she was writing it." Zalakai told him as he popped a few popcorn into his mouth. "Oh, buttery and salty. I like it."

 "You were with Ariel when she wrote the book?" Lily asked him.

 "Wrote it. Infused her power into it. The whole nine yards." He said. He rolled his tongue over his teeth. "Is it supposed to get stuck in your teeth?"

 "A downside, but you'll get over it." Erica said as she took the bowl back from Penelope.

 "Anyway." Zalakai continued. "She called for me. When I met her, she was in an odd state."

 "How odd?" Lily asked again.

 "Well, she was pregnant." Zalakai stroked his chin. "Angels are forbidden in lusting after Humans, or other Supernatural creatures." His eyes darkened. "Michael must have found out about it and banished her from returning to Heaven."

 "So, she was pregnant, and this baby started my bloodline?" Lily asked for confirmation. "Where does the Werewolf come into play in all of this?"

 "Oh, that's easy enough. Her spouse, or Mate in your terms, was a Werewolf." Zalakai leaned back in his seat and popped another piece of popcorn into his mouth. "If I recall, his name was Horace, and he was a Beta to the Werewolf King."

 "How am I only knowing about this now?" Jayce asked, his gaze fixated on Penelope. "They passed all knowledge down from King to King."

 "Why are you asking me?" Penelope asked. "I was not there."

 "If they forbid it with Angels, who knows what other restrictions and boundaries were in place at the time?" Lily stated. "Horace must have kept it secret from the Werewolf King, maybe to protect the infant or Ariel or both."

 "So, that explains the possibility of Lily being a Werewolf." Erica said. "However, she should have been able to shift by now. What gives?"

 "Her spirit must be locked away still." Willow said. "From what Dante shared with me, the bloodline does not normally carry the spirits, but more so as chosen hosts."

 "So." Lily looked to Willow. "An Angel. A Werewolf and a Witch. How come I hit the trifecta?"

 "All of our ancestors were present at the time of Karmina's death." Willow stated. She gestured to Zalakai. "Zalakai escorted her soul to the Underworld, where he imprisoned her for centuries." Willow frowned. "Over the past ten years, we all have become targets of Karmina's wrath. Though, indirectly, we have lost loved ones because of this. Because of what our ancestors have done." Dante rested a hand on hers and gave it a squeeze. She smiled lightly at him. "I don't know how you feel about Fate, Lily, but we're all together for a reason. You are who you are for a reason. Whether it's to help save Humanity, or even watch it crumble." She reached into Dante's pocket and rested the book on the table near Lily. The hum of the voice grew louder the closer it was. "This is your decision. What will you decide?"