7. CONCEALED PARTS

ATHENA POV

"Please, everyone calm down. We all know the essence of our ancestors do not make mistakes. I understand we are confused by the essence color surrounding the girls, but it could be as simple as the girls marrying another coven's upcoming high priest. So please, let's not panic. We will figure this out, there is no need to worry."

I had to say something to calm the members of my coven.

 Even though I knew what I was saying was logical and it seemed to comfort people, I know there was a far more complicated meaning behind my girl's essence color.

"MOM, DAD, NANA!" Margot screamed hysterically.

I turned towards her and when my eyes finally reached her, my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach.

I immediately shimmered to my girls.

"Melia honey, what's wrong?"

"She passed out and I couldn't get her to wake back up, she was mind-thinking to someone about her wolf," Maisie said frantically.

"Her what?" Baine questioned Maisie. 

"That's what I heard her say. I only heard the end of the conversation when I bent down and touched her arm, she looked terrified, " Maisie said through tears.

I sternly grabbed her by the arms so she could read my mind.

"Enough! I need you to be brave. Did you hear anything else, maybe from the person Melia was talking to?"

Immediately, Maisie squared her shoulders and her tears dried up.

"Yes, she said her name was Ember and that she was Melia's other half, her wolf."

"Good, girl." 

"Mother, please address the coven." I looked over at my mother, then back up at Baine "Hold on to them". 

He reached down and grabbed hold of Melia and Margot's arms. I reached out and grabbed his arm, shimmering us all into the Coven house.

"What the hell is going on, Athena?" Baine looked at me, clearly upset.

I raised my hand up to him.

"Maisie, please take Margot upstairs," I said to my girls.

Once they disappear up the stairs, I turn my attention back to my husband.

"It sounds like the binding spell burnt off a lot faster than we thought it was going to. They are too powerful to keep any part of them concealed, especially without Rosalie here to help me." I said to Baine as my mind wandered back to my late sister.

Rosalie was my baby sister and my best friend. She raised my girls like they were her own when I was unable to do so myself. If I'm being honest, the girls were more hers than mine because she was the one that was there for them. She's the one that kissed them goodnight, kissed their boo-boos, taught them all they needed to know, and loved them unconditionally for the first twelve years of their lives.

 That was until she and the kid's godmother, Kiada, were murdered trying to keep our children safe from the cold ones. To this day, no one knows how the old ones found them or how the kids survived such a brutal attack. We were just lucky that August could sense his children were in danger. He fought off the cold ones, bringing Rosalie, Kiada, and the children home to the coven house. He crossed right over into the coven territory without a second thought and man was my mother mad, but she got over it. 

That was the day, I knew she would protect August and our children, no matter what the cost. 

“Athena”

My husband wiped the single tear that escaped down my face, pulling me from the past.

“We are going to have to tell them, Baine, they need to know.”

“We knew this day would come. We couldn’t keep this part of them hidden forever, my love.” Baine whispered and squeezed my hand trying to comfort me.

“I know, I just didn’t think it would come so soon.” 

“Eighteen years have flown by. We should never have listened to my mother, six years just hasn’t been enough time.”

“She was only trying to keep us all safe, plus the girls loved living with your sister and we loved going there to be with them. We were there every possible minute.”

“Everything was so much simpler then. Now the coven is even more uptight, the strictest it has ever been.” 

I sighed as I moved Melia’s hair out of her face.

She is so beautiful, my baby.

As Melia was quietly snoring, I laid my hand on her chest so I could feel her heartbeat.

We couldn’t take her to the coven doctor, not that we needed to.

I knew she was just overwhelmed and exhausted.

She has had one hell of a night.

“Maybe we should make a trip up to the lake. We have always loved it there.” Baine interrupted my thoughts.

“We didn’t really have a choice. That was the only place we could all be together as a family for the first twelve years of our girls' lives.” I countered.

“Your sister said you both loved it there as kids” Baine crossed his eyes at me, causing me to smile.

“What if she doesn’t want to come home after she knows about her . .

“Knows about my what?” Melia cut me off.

She stretched, yawned, and rubbed her sleepy eyes.

“Baby, you’re a wake.” I wrapped my whole body around hers.

“I’m fine mama.” Melia chuckled and hugged me back.

“Do you remember what happened?” Baine smiled down at her.

I removed my body from hers so I could study her face.

“Sort of, I remember someone mind-linking me but I didn’t know who it was. I had a really bad headache and I know I fell over my own gosh darn feet but then everything went black.”

“Do you remember anything the voice had to say?”

“She said her name was Ember and that she was a wolf.” 

Melia had her nose all scrunched, looking utterly confused.  

“Why are there wolves on the coven grounds and why can one of them mind-link me? I don’t understand mom, what is going on?”

I rubbed my temples and closed my eyes tight.

“We have a lot to talk about baby girl but it can wait until tomorrow. Let me help you upstairs to your room so you can get some much-needed rest.” Baine jumped in and saved me.

I took my daughter's hand and kissed it, “I’ll explain everything tomorrow darling, after breakfast. For now, you need to rest.”

Baine scooped her up in his arms like a baby and made his way toward the steps before she could protest.

 Right before he disappears up the stairs, I see Melia snuggle into her father's chest. 

 I swiped a tear from my cheek and opened my mind-link.

“Mrs. Wilson, will you please bring me a cup of tea? I’m in the family room.”

I closed my mindlink.

How am I going to explain this to my girls without them hating me? We have concealed parts of them their whole lives. Parts that make them whole.

I know it needed to be done for our coven and my mother wouldn't have had it any other way, but what about my girls and I? When am I going to start doing what is best for us?

I hated myself from the day I gave my girls up. I knew our lives were never going to be what I dreamed them to be.

I missed their first steps, their first words, and their first day of school. So many firsts I missed, and not because I chose to, but because I was forced to.

How could I have been so weak?

How did I let it get this far?

MELIA POV

I was so exhausted that I could barely keep my eyes open, but as soon as my dad laid me on my bed and closed the door behind him, my sisters attacked me with questions.

"What happened, Mia? "

"Are you all right?"

"What did mom say?"

"Enough with the questions, I don't have any answers." I snapped at them.

Maisie and Margot climbed into bed with me, squishing me in-between them.

Maisie laid her head on my shoulder and Margot stroked my hair. 

We opened our mindlink:

"I honestly don't know what happened and mom wouldn't tell me anything. There is something going on though, something they have been keeping a secret. Mom was really anxious and upset but she refused to give me any answers until tomorrow. It has something to do with Alpha August and his pack being here tonight. How could a wolf mind-link me? Why were any of them even allowed on the coven grounds and why had they been allowed to stay? If I had a wolf, why didn't she come and introduce herself in person instead of scaring the bejesus out of me? Is she like my bodyguard? I doubt a werewolf can be somebody's pet, she is a person with an alter ego. Like a superhero! Well, kind of .  . "

"That's enough, Mia, worrying to death isn't going to help. We will just see what mom has to say tomorrow. What else can we do?" Maisie said, cutting my rambling short.

Maisie cut off her mindlink and rolled onto her back.

I turned on my side, wrapped my arms around her, and rested my head on her shoulder. 

Margot nuzzled up against my back and we all fell asleep.