The weight of truth

Chapter 4

Amber’s POV

My heart felt like it would beat out of my chest.

I hated this. Meeting Raymond’s mother should’ve been a lovely, human moment. But I wasn’t human, and nothing about my life could be called simple.

As we stepped out of the car, I tried to calm myself. I was dressed nicely, makeup done, hair curled—everything about me looked human. But deep down, I knew I was one emotional twitch away from disaster.

Raymond took my hand. “She’s going to love you. Just be yourself.”

If only he knew how dangerous that advice was.

The door opened, and there she was: Grandma Rose. Warm, funny, a little chaotic—and definitely not ready to learn that her future daughter-in-law howled at the moon once a month.

She was kind, talkative, and clearly excited to meet me. I did my best to keep my lies straight. “Australia. Perth. Librarian.” The same lines I’d rehearsed a hundred times.

But the moment I sat down, my stomach twisted. Not from nerves. From change. From the fire inside me that signaled something was wrong.

I tried to hold it in. Smile. Laugh at the burnt lasagna. But my body betrayed me.

“I need the restroom,” I gasped and ran. I barely made it before the transformation started.

Claws. Heat. Vomiting. No no no—please, not now!

I heard Raymond’s voice. Then hers. “Are you okay?” she asked sweetly from the hallway.

No. I was definitely not okay.

I shifted halfway, body torn between forms, instincts screaming to protect and attack at once. I knew what this meant. I’d suspected it for a few days now, but the shift confirmed it.

I was pregnant.

My body was reacting because of the baby. Because something inside me had changed, and my wolf—my cursed, sacred second self—was reacting violently.

When I finally emerged from the bathroom, I saw it in their eyes.

She knew.

Raymond’s mother wasn’t afraid of burnt food or awkward conversation—but this? This was too much.

“You’re not human,” she whispered.

No. I wasn’t.

But I was still me.

And I had to tell the truth.

I looked at Raymond and said, “I think I’m pregnant.”

The room spun as silence crashed down on us. Raymond looked stunned. Grandma Rose looked like she might pass out—or grab a holy water bottle and chase me with it.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to run. I wanted to be normal.

But I couldn’t change what I was.

And now, I had to find out if they could still love me anyway.

“Pregnant?” Grandma Rose said, shivering.

““What… even are you?” Grandma Rose asked, her voice shaking, disbelief in her eyes as she searched my face like she was trapped in a nightmare.

“I can explain,” I said quickly, my voice barely steady. “Please… just let me talk.”

I turned to Raymond, my heart pounding. I looked straight into his eyes, searching—hoping—for something, anything. Safety. Trust. Love. I needed him to see me, not the creature I had just become.

I regretted everything. Regretted not telling him sooner. Regretted thinking I could keep this hidden. This—this hallway, this moment—was the worst possible place to unravel the truth. But it was too late now.

Grandma Rose stepped back, her hand shaking as she pointed toward the door. “Get out,” she whispered. Then louder—panicked, furious—“Get out! Now!”

She was unraveling, her voice rising with every breath. Her fear filled the air like smoke—thick, choking, wild. I held up my hands, trying to calm her, but it only seemed to make her more frightened. The shouting, the confusion, the heartbreak—it was all closing in.

Then, finally, Raymond spoke.

“Mum.” His voice cut through the noise—quiet but firm. “Let her speak. Please.”

I turned to him, stunned. I could still see the fear in his eyes, but he didn't move away from me or turn his back. He was still here, still choosing to stand between me and the chaos. Did he still love me, even now?

Could he… still love me after I told him everything?

Grandma Rose looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “What? Didn’t you see what just happened?” Her voice cracked, raw with fear. “Aren’t you terrified? I can’t believe you still have the guts to let her speak!”

She turned her eyes to me, voice rising again. “She needs to leave this house. Or we do. Because whatever this is—it’s not safe. And I will not let you stay in this madness.”

The silence that followed was suffocating. All I could do was breathe—and hope. Hope that, somehow, the truth wouldn’t destroy everything we had left.

As the room became silent for a second, standing in that very bathroom doorway.

“I’m a werewolf,” I said.

The words hung in the air like thunder after lightning. Neither Raymond nor his mother moved. Their silence was louder than any scream.

“I know what this looks like,” I continued, my voice trembling. “But I need you to hear me. Please. I’m not here to hurt you.”

Grandma Rose stared at me as if I'd confessed to being a monster. Her hand pressed to her chest, breath shaky. Raymond was silent, eyes wide, frozen in shock.

“I’m not just any werewolf,” I added, swallowing the fear. “I’m what we call a Luna. That means I’m a leader—a protector—of my kind. My pack looks to me for guidance, for peace. I was raised to serve, not to destroy.”

Still no words. Just a room full of disbelief.

“Werewolves aren’t what you think,” I said softly. “We don’t hunt people. We’re not cursed. We’re born like this, from generations before us. We live in packs, like families. We protect each other, and we protect the humans around us. That’s our law. The true law of the pack.”

Grandma Rose’s lips parted slightly. “You expect me to believe that?”

“No,” I said honestly. “I don’t expect anything from you. But I want you to know the truth.”

I looked at Raymond. His expression was unreadable. “I should’ve told you earlier,” I said, my voice catching. “You didn’t deserve to find out like this. I just… I was scared. I didn’t want you to see me as something dangerous. I wanted you to see me as me. The girl who fell in love with you.”

He blinked, the first sign of life since I spoke. I stepped a little closer, cautiously.

“I’ve spent every day since we met worrying that this would be the moment you walk away. That you’d look at me and only see a creature.” I took a breath, fighting to hold myself together. “But I’m still me, Raymond. Still the woman who laughs at your jokes. Who can’t stand pineapple on pizza. Who holds your hand tighter in crowded rooms. I didn’t lie because I wanted to—I lied because I loved you.”

His jaw tensed, but his eyes flickered with something softer. Maybe confusion. Maybe conflict. But not hate.

I turned to Grandma Rose, whose body was still braced with tension. “I would never harm your son. Or you. I swear that on the blood of my ancestors and my title as Luna. My kind has laws, order, discipline. There are wild ones, yes—but we don’t stand with them. We hunt them. Because protecting people like you is what we do.”

She didn’t reply, but I saw the smallest change in her eyes. Less fear. 

I placed a hand gently over my stomach. “And now, I’m carrying something sacred. A child. A child who is part of me… and part of Raymond.”

Raymond finally stepped forward, his voice low. “Will they be like you?

“Maybe,” I whispered. “Maybe not. But if they are, I’ll raise them to be kind— to protect, not to harm. To love, like I love you.”

“I think you should leave,” Raymond said.

I wanted to persuade him again, but I realized it was time for me to go. He needed to think about it.