“Hey, Dad.” I greeted him with a smile, but my arms were crossed over my chest, ready for battle.
“Where’ve you been?” His gaze lingered on Sebastian’s truck as it disappeared down the road.
My heart felt like it was being tugged along with him.
“Dad, Sebastian’s a good guy. I know I haven’t been boy-crazy or anything, but I really like him. I think I’m in love with him.”
Seeing Dad’s reaction to Sebastian hurt.
“Love!” He scoffed, shaking his head.
“Yes, Dad, love. What’s so hard about accepting Sebastian?” I tilted my head, questioning him.
He frowned, let out a heavy sigh, and motioned for me to come inside.
“Alice, you’re only nineteen. He’s a lot older than you. We don’t want you to throw your life away.” He rubbed his face, looking weary.
“You’re a talented artist. You’ve got a bright future at university. I’m worried that when you leave, something might happen. You’ll be two hours away.
“You’re our only daughter. I couldn’t bear it if something bad happened to you.” His eyes welled up with tears.
The front door creaked open and Mom’s voice echoed through the house. “We’re in the living room, sweetheart,” Dad called back. “Just having a chat with Alice,” he added, giving me a small smile.
I loved my dad. He always tried to do what was best for me, and I knew he was just trying to protect me.
Mom walked in, her eyes darting between Dad and me.
“What are you two chatting about?” She settled next to Dad, her eyes flicking to me with a knowing look.
“Just talking about her leaving for school. I don’t want her to throw away her future for some guy.” He leaned back on the couch, draping his arm around Mom’s shoulders.
“Alice is smart. She wouldn’t just jump into bed with the first guy she meets.” Mom’s eyes met mine and my cheeks flamed.
My heart pounded in my chest. I wasn’t sure if it was because I’d been caught, or because my parents were staring at me with such intensity. I felt guilty as hell.
“Alice.” Dad’s voice was heavy with disappointment. “Tell me you didn’t sleep with that…man?” His jaw clenched and the sound of his teeth grinding sent a chill down my spine.
“He’s my boyfriend.”
I was relieved I hadn’t blurted out that he was my mate. I swallowed my pride. “I’m not a little girl anymore, and Sebastian isn’t the first guy I’ve dated.”
Okay, so he was the first guy I’d actually considered my boyfriend. The other guys from school didn’t really count.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Alice.” Dad shot up from the couch.
“He’s clearly taken advantage of you. I don’t want you around him.” He ran his fingers through his hair, a sure sign he was nervous.
“I’m old enough to make my own decisions.” Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Mom bit her lip. “Mom, you can’t let him do this to me.” I looked to her for support.
“Sweetie, you’ve got two years of university ahead of you. Focus on that first.”
Her voice was soft, but her message was clear: I wasn’t allowed to see Sebastian.
I felt like I’d been stabbed in the heart by my own parents. My fists clenched as I fought back tears.
My notebook was within reach, so I grabbed it and stormed off to my room. I needed to distract myself, to channel my pain into something productive. I pulled out my large art pad and started sketching out my family tree: me, Mom, and Dad.
I spent the next few hours engrossed in my project, and neither of my parents came to check on me. I could hear them talking downstairs.
I took a deep breath as I wrote down the last name. I was about to text Sebastian to see if he’d had any luck when a knock at my door interrupted me.
I glanced between my phone and the floor; screw it, they’d been keeping things from me. I called them in. I knew it was Mom; Dad was probably still pissed that I’d slept with Sebastian.
“Oh, what are you doing?” Her eyes scanned the names on my art pad.
“I’m trying to figure out my family tree.” I finished typing my message to Sebastian. “The town hall had a lot of this information. I can’t believe how many generations this covers. All these people.”
Mom studied the names, her eyes moving over the sprawling family tree spread out on my bed.
“This was your great, great grandfather. He was in the navy, I think. And your great-uncle was a craftsman.” She pointed at another name.
“Why are you tracing your family tree?” She rested her hand on my back as we both stared at my creation.
“I want to know where I come from.” I snuck a glance at her.
“But I’m confused. There are a lot of men and not many women.” In fact, almost all the children were boys, with only one or two girls scattered throughout the tree.
“We hit a dead end here.” I pointed to the last name we’d found.
“Conri.” Mom shrugged. “I think your dad’s side of the family is originally from Ireland. Come downstairs and eat something.” She rubbed my arm, trying to comfort me.
“Is Dad still mad at me?” I wasn’t about to face him if he was going to yell at me. I loved Sebastian and I wanted to be with him.
I snapped a picture of the family tree. It would be easier to show Sebastian later.
“Just give him some time to adjust to you being with someone. You’re his little girl and he just wants to keep you safe from the bad guys. That’s all there is to it.” She offered me a smile, but my mind was racing, my heart pounding in my chest.
Safe from the bad guys… There was more to it than that. I could tell by the way Mom quickly took a sip of her drink, as if she’d let something slip that she shouldn’t have.
“Who exactly am I supposed to be safe from? Sebastian and his family are wonderful.” I quickly typed out a message to Sebastian, sharing what I’d just learned. “Do you believe in fate, Mom?”
“Who’s been filling your head with such nonsense?” She ruffled my hair, laughing lightly. “At least you’re not pregnant. Your father would have a heart attack if you were.”
She kissed my cheek and headed for the door. “I’ll save you a plate in case you decide to come down.” She closed the door behind her.
My phone buzzed. It was Sebastian calling. “How’s it going?” he asked, his voice a soothing hum.
“Did you get my messages?” I kept my voice low, not wanting to be overheard.
“That’s why I’m calling.” I could hear the excitement in his voice. “Star looked into the name, Alice…if this is right, you’re a descendant of the great Alpha Aldric Conri.” He could barely contain his excitement.
“So, I have wolf genes in me.” Goosebumps spread across my skin as I tried to process what he’d just told me.
“Star also mentioned something else. When you do change, your wolf could become incredibly powerful.
“Alpha Aldric was the legendary wolf who came back from the dead to destroy the other alpha and claim his mate. Over the years, the Conri name disappeared; we think the family moved away, the guys remarried, and not to she-wolves.
“So, over time, the wolf gene has been diluted.”
“But it’s always there,” I said. “Which means my dad has it.” I couldn’t see my mom as the one carrying the gene.
“That means your dad is keeping secrets and for some reason, he doesn’t want you getting involved with werewolves.” Sebastian sighed on the other end, this must be hard for him too.
“I’m sorry I’ve complicated things,” I murmured.
“Alice, you haven’t done anything wrong. You’re my mate, and this news is exciting because you already have a wolf inside you. If anything, it eases some of my worries.”
“What do you mean?” He’d never shown any signs of worry. I knew he had concerns because I was human.
“I’ve been worried sick about you changing; what would happen if something went wrong. But now, I can breathe, almost as if I’ve been given a second chance with you.
“We bonded quickly as humans and I can’t tell you how excited Tao is now.” The love and happiness in his voice filled me with joy. “I want to see you tonight, to share this news together.”
“Yes, I want to be with you too, Sebastian.” He’d be leaving tomorrow and I wasn’t sure when I’d see him again. “Text me when you’re outside.”
“I’ll see you soon, Alice. There’s a waterfall near where we stopped. I’m going to take a shower so I’m fresh for you later.” He chuckled.
After two rounds of hot sex today, I needed a shower too.
“I’ll be in your arms fresh as a daisy as well. I love you, Sebastian.” My heart was already aching to be near him.
“I’ll turn off my phone to save the battery. I forgot these things need charging and didn’t bring one.” His hearty laugh made me smile.
After a final goodbye, I debated about going downstairs, my stomach growling in protest. “Okay, I need fuel for tonight.” My mind was spinning with everything that was happening.
I was thrilled that I’d be more compatible with Tao when I changed. I reached the bottom of the stairs. Mom and Dad were in the dining room, so I went to heat up my food.
As I passed the closed door, I heard Dad’s voice, thick with frustration.
“I’ve spent my whole life protecting her. I’m not about to let some stranger come in and take her away from us.”
“Nathan, she’s nineteen and can make her own decisions.”
I could have run in and hugged Mom.
“But you’re right. I don’t want her getting involved with wolves either.”
My heart pounded in my chest at my mom’s words.
“If she turns, who knows what will happen.” Dad’s voice was filled with pain. “The sorcerer has kept wolves away from this town for as long as I can remember. How is he able to enter?”
Dad’s words had me frozen in place, gripping the doorframe.
“Nathan, Mrs. Heroux is very old and has been protecting for generations.”
Mom’s words cut through the secrets they were both hiding… Shit, it seemed like the whole town was in on it.
“She has to; there’s no one else to take over from her. Her protection of the vampires here is crucial to their survival.” Dad’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Imagine if the werewolf council found out they were alive.
“Our heritage may come from the Conri line, but that was centuries ago. If Alice gets involved with the wolves, we’ll lose her. They might use her when they find out who she really is.”
“You mean if the legend is true,” my mom added.
Talk about losing my appetite… I was glad I was holding on, but I could barely breathe. What the hell? And what was this legend?
