Betrayal & Redemption

Daddy's Little Girl

******I know that I was doing a narrator type "POV" for characters, but I am going with a traditional POV using first person descriptions. Sorry if it gets confusing- I keep naturally using first person and it's going to save me time by not having to fight my own warped little brain****

I dropped to my knees and began shaking Mama. 

"Lay her on the bed and get a cold washcloth. She will be okay- you can smell that she isn't bleeding," Rae encouraged me. I inhaled deeply through my nose. I could smell my mother's scent but no blood. She was fine, just in shock. I scooped her up with ease, my wolf giving me the strength to do so. Then I hurried to the bathroom and ran a washcloth under the faucet, wringing the excess water out of it. I went back into my bedroom, surprised to see my mother sitting up in my bed rubbing the back of her head. 

"I fainted, didn't I?" She asked me, a smile playing on her lips. 

"You did but not for long. And Rae assured me that you aren't hurt- we can't smell any blood. I guess daddy's eyes just shocked  you," I told her, joining her on the bed. She took my face in both her hands and stared deeply into my eyes. 

"It's so strange seeing those eyes again. I'm amazed. Your wolf did this?" She asked me. I actually hadn't really asked. As far as I knew, our wolves only made subtle changes to our human forms- increased muscle mass, thicker hair/eyelashes, annoyingly fast growing body hair- most shewolves had to shave 4+ times a week! I realized I was frowning and lost in thought while she was still awaiting an answer.

"I hadn't asked- I didn't think that they could," I told her. 

"Very few of us have the ability, love. It is something we will discuss together when the time comes," Rae said cryptically. My own wolf is keeping secrets from me now, too, I thought to myself. 

"She said not many wolves have the ability to do so and we will discuss it at a later time," I let my mother know what was going on in my head. She chuckled. 

"My wolf was cryptic as well. The most unhelpful creature I had ever had the misfortune of dealing with," she told me, still giggling. "Shall we get some breakfast in that stomach? You know you have to meet at the pack house here soon, for the birthday ceremony," she reminded me. 

"UGH! I have to go to that? It's so BORING!" The birthday meetings in the pack happened 2-3 times a month depending on the dates of the birthdays. They often paired us up with a mentor to help us transition into dealing with our wolf counterparts. In reality, it was an excuse to party and pawn off shewolves to neighboring packs, increase the chances of mating, and get drunk on top shelf alcohol. Our pack, Three Woods, was part of an American Indian Reservation. We had a steady income from the casinos we had on our land, and our Alphas were not conservative when it came to drinking, partying, and building their massive mansions filled with the finest things they could get their hands on. 

"Yes, my little sunflower," my mother teased, "you have to go to that. But you don't need to stay after getting your mentor. In fact, I would prefer that you didn't. They are inviting more packs this month- and you know how those unmated dickheads get." My mother's colorful language referred to the unmated wolf attacks on unmated females. They would take them and knot them against their will. All from the same pack- BloodMoon. Legend has it, a long long time ago, an Alpha's mate was human and rejected him. He was so angry that he forced her to stay with him, raping her time and time again until she conceived. The Moon Goddess herself was displeased that she left a curse on that pack. None of the males born into the BloodMoon pack were mated. Ever. They were to live their lives unmated and unhappy. 

A shiver ran up my spine, and I shook the thought away. I went to my closet and picked out my dress that had been gifted to me by our Luna. It was tradition that the Luna would give a gift to the shewolves for their 18th birthday, and this was mine. I secretly treasured the gift, running the fabric through my fingers whenever I could, and keeping it in a special spot as not to wrinkle it. I laid it on the bed next to my mother and pulled her hand. 

"You promised me breakfast. I'm cashing in," I told her, leading her out of my room. She laughed and walked out into the kitchen. I took my usual seat at our weathered kitchen table. Our cottage was sparsely furnished and small, but well built and well maintained because of how independent my mother is. We didn't have a car or any other luxuries like that, but the reservation offered transport to school and she walked to work anyways. 

My mother dropped a big plate of chocolate strawberry pancakes in front of me and I inhaled deeply. She went to the fridge and returned with chocolate syrup. I slathered my pancakes in the syrup and dug in, while my wolf made a sound of disgust. I rolled my eyes. 

"'That's too much chocolate' said no one ever," I said aloud, and Rae scoffed. 

After breakfast, I took a shower, taking my time to shave my legs and underarms, and leaving my conditioner in my hair long enough to make sure it was silky smooth when I rinsed it out. I towel dried myself off and threw on a robe. My mother was waiting on my bed for me, a chair was next to my dresser, and my dresser was filled with all different products and name brand makeup. 

"Mom?" I asked taking it all in- these were luxuries we couldn't afford, "What's all this?"

"Our Luna decided you needed quality products if you were going to be a woman," she said with a tight smile. My mother and the Luna didn't get along too well. Our Luna had made advances on my father many times, even after he mated my mother, and the Alpha was none the wiser. I sighed and sat down in the chair. 

My mother started the hair dryer and went through my hair with a round brush, until it fell in silky waves around my face. She picked up a curling iron and began to curl my hair into large, thick waves that hung down my back. After spraying my curls into submission, she began on my makeup. 

"Subtle makeup is key. You don't want to go around making the wrong impression," my mother said, smirking. It was a long running joke between us- we always said the same thing to each other based on clothes, perfume, makeup, and even more ridiculous things like foods we ate. I giggled as she turned around and studied my reflection in the mirror. She found what she was looking for and honed in on her target. I got foundation, concealer, eyeliner, smoky eyes, and mascara. No blush was needed as I was already flushed. Being a new werewolf, my body ran at a higher temp than it did just yesterday. She stood behind me, sprayed a little more hairspray in my hair which made us cough, and smiled at me in the mirror. 

"Who are you and what have you done with my baby girl?" She asked, her eyes welling up with tears. 

"You can't cry mom, or else I'll cry and then we will have to do this all over again," I teased her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, checking her watch as if seeing if we had the time. I already knew we didn't. 

"You're right. Okay. Get dressed and meet me out front. It's time," she winked at me and closed the door.