Chapter 20

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A/n: hey for those of you who don't know a lot of 'publishers' on here are scammers. If you've ever spontaneously gotten a message from someone like ByeNovel, Nightmaree, StoryKitten, or the like they are scamming you. These companies are parasites that will steal your work and give you nothing in return. I know they sound cool and seem very official but, they're the small-time writer's equivalent of an MCN. If you want to publish your work in this day and age you need to either self publish or find a well-credited publisher (a lot of publishing houses will try to scam you by making you pay them a lot of money to "publish" and never follow through with whatever they promised you). Please do extensive research into whoever it is you're talking to. I almost lost the rights to this series when I first started writing it at sixteen years old. That was back in the first week of its completion when I was losing my mind over eight thousand reads. If I had, this series would have ended after book one and I doubt I'd be telling any other stories today.

Aurora's Pov:

  I'm not too sure what's going on. I don't understand all these politics. All the weird wolf junk and pack dynamics make no sense to me. I'm just happy I'm not the one dealing with it all. It all seems too dramatic and stressful.

  I feel bad for Eros having to spend all his time away in meetings. Apex is still refusing to leave Diana so he and the other "Alphas" have been strategizing there.

  I've been managing their grandmother's care completely on my own for the last two weeks. I wanted to schedule her a checkup with Hope but, she's not answering her phone. I don't know what other doctor I could call and I have no idea when she'll be available again.

  The doorbell rings loudly filling the house with its chime. I understand that this is a big house and all but, I swear that thing could split eardrums. I sigh and get up from my spot next to Grandma Panganiban to go answer the door. Luckily, Eros took the locks off everything recently.

  I swing open the door and the man named Grimm is standing on the other side.

  "Hey, Apex and Eros aren't here", I tell him.

  "I know I came to speak with you", he says, "may I come in?". I step aside to allow him in. I don't like the idea of being alone with a strange man. He closes the door behind him. I take a couple of steps back to put some distance between us.

  "I already told you guys everything I know about this Breuer guy", I tell him.

  "Yeah, I know", he says, "that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about". I quirk an eyebrow at him.

  "It's about how he told you he knew your parents", he shuffles on his feet.

  "What about it?", I ask. I watch as he takes his wallet from his pocket. He takes a square of paper from it and hands it to me. I look down at it confused as ever.

  "Why do you have this?", I ask him feeling creeped out, "are you stalking me?".

"What? No", he says.

  "Then why do you have a picture of me in your wallet?", I ask wishing I hadn't let him in.

  "It's not you", he says, "look closer". I do as he says and realize he's right whoever this is looks a little different from me. Her cheeks are a little softer, her brows are a tad thinner, her lips a little fuller, and her brown eyes don't have the golden hue in my amber ones. Still, if you didn't know any better you'd think us one in the same.

  "I don't understand", I say, "who is this?".

  "She's my mate", he says. I look up at him and for the first time really see him. I see his sharp cheeks, thick brows, thin lips, and golden eyes.

  "No no no", I chant to myself, "you're wolves and I'm-". Am I? How would I know? That day in my apartment, Eros never did tell me why I couldn't feel the bond. He told me that things were a lot already, is this what he was hiding from me?

  "Aurora?".

  "No, this isn't, it can't", I reach for the words that won't come.

  "Where is she?", I ask.

  "She couldn't be here", he says, "she's not in a good place".

  I laugh but, it holds no humor, "she's not in a good place?".

  "She loves you so much and I'm sure if she'd known you were here she'd have come", he takes a cautious step towards me.

  "No", I scream, "I needed her, I needed both of you, and she gave me up".

  "I know this is a lot-", he starts.

  "You don't know", I'm damn near hysterical at this point and badly wishing for Eros to come home.

  "You have no idea the shit I had to go through and the things I had to do", I shout, "I destroyed myself for a semblance of control". He stares down ashamedly.

  "You had a choice in that you know", he says.

  "Yeah", I say, "I had the choice to stay in foster placements and be abused for nothing or sell myself for scraps".

  "Now I'm finally kind of okay for the first time in my life and you decide to show up", my voice cracks under the weight of my sorrow.

  I take a deep breath, "where were you?".

  "I didn't know".

  I laugh in his face, "didn't know what? That you fucked some addict whore and she gave birth to another addict whore?".

  "This is my fault", he shouts, "she loves you so much and she did this to protect you".

  "She gave me to a system fraught with abuse because to protect me?", I ask, "from what?".

  "From me", he says. I glare at him waiting for him to explain himself.

  "I did something awful to your mother and she knew she needed to spare you", he says.

  "Why couldn't she just leave with me?", I ask.

  "She did", he sighs, "but, I couldn't give her up".

  The door opens behind him and Eros steps through. I've never felt such a combination of anger and relief.

  "What's going on?", he asks.

  "Did you know about all this?", I ask him.

  "Know about what?".

  "That this asshole is my father", my voice is low to hide how badly I want to scream and cry until all the world knows my anguish. His eyes widen and his lips part to release a sudden puff of breath.

  "He's your-", he turns to look at my apparent father and searches for the similarities between us.

  "Aurora", he says coming to my side, "I had no idea".

  "Did you know I was a wolf?", I ask. He stares down to his feet in shame.

  His shame confirms all my suspicions, "you did".

  "I did it to protect you", he says.

  "Protect me from what?", I ask, "I don't need you to protect me all the time I was getting by on my own before we met". He reaches out for me but, I step away.

  "I love you", the words come out as a plea.

  "Yeah", I say, "I love you too, and right now I don't even want to look at you".

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