All Chapters of His Fated is the Forbidden Heiress: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The doorbell rings, making me jump. I end the call and press myself against the wall, heart pounding. Another ring, then knocking. "Tiffany?" Nathan's voice carries easily through the door. "I know you're in there. I just want to talk." I creep down the stairs, staying out of sight. The knocking comes again, more insistent. "I'm not leaving until we speak," he calls. "I'm your brother, Tiffany. Your real brother." Something about the way he says "real" makes anger flare in my chest. As if the bonds I share with my adoptive parents aren't real. As if the life I've lived isn't real. "Go away," I call through the door, surprised by the strength in

Clint stands first as we approach, his movements fluid and careful. The others follow suit, and suddenly I'm facing a wall of people who all claim to have some biological or mystical connection to me. "Mom, Dad," I say, my voice surprisingly steady, "these are... the people I mentioned." An elegant woman with greying auburn hair steps forward, her eyes, my eyes, I realise with a shock, bright with unshed tears. "Tiffany," she whispers, and her voice breaks on my name. "My baby girl." The raw emotion in her voice hits me like a physical blow. This woman, Sarah Heart, according to Eric, is looking at me like I'm some miracle she never dared hope for. Behind her, a distinguished man with Eric's amber eyes watches me with an intensity that makes me want to step backward. 

"Elena Heart," the woman says, inclining her head slightly toward my adoptive parents. "Sarah's mother. Which makes me this child's grandmother." Her eyes return to me. "Though I must say, you look nothing like what I expected from someone who was supposed to be dead." The words hit the table like a bomb. I watch Dad's face go pale as he processes what she just said, and see Mom's hand fly to her throat. "Dead?" Dad repeats, his voice barely above a whisper. I close my eyes, knowing that our careful facade of normalcy just crumbled completely. When I open them again, Luna Elena is watching me with something that might be amusement. "Oh dear," she says, not sounding sorry at all. "Did no one tell the human parents about the circumsta

"Are you okay?" Clint asks softly as we walk to the parking lot, his hand still firmly holding mine. "Not even remotely," I answer honestly. "Your girlfriend just found out she's the supernatural equivalent of a political chess piece." His mouth quirks up at one corner. "Girlfriend, huh?" Despite everything, I feel my cheeks warm. "That's what you told my grandmother." "I did," he agrees, his green eyes intense. "Is that... okay with you?" The question hangs between us, weighted with meaning beyond its simple words. Before I can answer, Mom calls my name, gesturing me toward their car. "

"Power," Eric says grimly. "A rogue pack with a dual-bloodline alpha could challenge the established territories. Force the major packs into submission." "Or they could sell you to the highest bidder," Nathan adds. "There are packs in other regions who would pay handsomely for someone with your genetics." The casual way he says it, like I'm livestock at auction, makes rage flare hot in my chest. "I'm not property," I snarl, and something in my voice makes everyone in the room go still. "No," Clint says quietly, his green eyes meeting mine. "You're not. You're mine, and I protect what's mine." The possessiveness in his words should bother me, but instead it sends a thrill through my body that I don't ent