Midnight Moons

A Chance to Explain

POV: Hope

"Just to be clear...you're telling me that I'm some kind of hybrid werewolf fairy and all of you are werewolves. And just for sh*ts and grins, Moon Lake and Moon Valley aren't picturesque neighborhood towns, but really havens for other werewolves? Oh!" I sputtered. "And lest I forget, EVERYONE I know has lied to me my whole entire f**king life?"

"Hope!" Admonishes my mom.

"No! You don't get to chastise me Mom. If that's even your status? How do I know you're even my mom?" I looked around at the people in my living room.

"If this is a joke, you guys have a sick sense of humor! Suddenly exhausted, I dropped to the sofa. Tim scooted over as if to hold me.

"No! Get away from me. I don't want you to touch me!" Screaming at him like this seemed wrong but I couldn't help myself.

"He's our mate. What hurts him will also hurt you." The voice in my head sounded strained, even to my ears.

"Shut up. Who listens to a stupid voice anyway?" Realizing that I was near hysteria, I wrapped my arms around my body. The voice in my head began humming. Oddly, I felt comforted by its presence.

Jumping up from my seat, I paced nervously back and forth. I bit my lip, shook my head and straightened my shoulders.

"We've been over this a dozen times. If I accept what you're saying about the whole fairy wolf or wolf fairy thing, then I need to know one thing."

"What is it?" My dad asked quietly.

"Why did you guys lie to me? It can't be because of my age because all of my classmates and Tim are wolves too, right?" Scanning the room, I noticed that no one met my gaze.

My mom stood up. "Hope, it's my fault. I made the decision not to tell you." She wrung her hands, pleading with her eyes.

"Why is that, Dana? Who gave you the right to tell me lies?"

"Hope!" My dad's strong voice cut through my sarcastic sneer. "I realize that you're angry and you feel betrayed. But what you're not going to do is be disrespectful to your mother. What she did was at great cost to herself. Now sit down and listen."

"Sorry Mom." Abruptly, tears streamed down my face. I walked over to my mom and hugged her. Her familiar scent and soothing voice calmed my frazzled nerves. "I'm so sorry! I know that whatever you did, you did it for me. I'm ready to listen."

Releasing me. my mom guided us back to the sofa. "Hold Tim's hand, Hope. It will help calm you." As she said that, her eyes found my father. He rushed to her side. He quickly laced his fingers with hers. Tim duplicated his actions. I immediately felt a calm come over me

"How...?" I gulped and looked at our intertwined fingers. "How did you do that, Tim?"

"Baby....Hope, you're my mate." Tim lifted our hands to his lips and gently kissed my hand. "As in nature, werewolves mate for life. Unlike natural wolves, we are paired by...well let's just say fate pairs us together. Once a wolf finds his or her fated mate, they feel complete. Like two halves becoming a whole." Tim kissed my hand again. "When I turned eighteen, my wolf revealed himself to me. After the coming of age ceremony, I shifted into my wolf for the first time. The next day, I was irresistibly drawn to you. Both my wolf and I knew that you were ours."

Shyly, I smiled at him and looked over at my parents. "Are you guys fated...wait Mom, you said you're not a wolf, but a fairy. So how can you be with Dad?"

Dad squeezed my mom's hand and looked at her. "Sometimes fate gives us a mate unlike ourselves for a purpose. Our purpose was you. Hope, I don't want to overwhelm you, but fate created you to save our world and others like it.

"Whoa...what?"

"Honey, werewolves, faeries, and other supernatural beings have existed with humans for ages." Dad shifted his weight and pulled Mom into his lap. "Pretty much every story or fairytale you've ever read is based on some sort of mystical creature. What's the common thread in all those stories? There's always some evil being who wants someone or something for their own purposes."

Tim took over where Dad left off. " Hope, there are other realms where our kind and other creatures exist. Different time periods, alternate realities..." His voice faltered. His eyes flashed opaque then black before reverting back to his vibrant green.

",What the hell was that? Your eyes..." I jumped up and ran to another chair. Drawing my knees against my chest, I rocked back and forth. "I can't do this. Wake up Hope, wake up!"

"Give our mate a chance to explain."

Suddenly cold, I nodded and moved back to Tim's welcoming embrace. As soon as his fingers touched mine, I felt comforted. Moments before, I felt as if I hit my breaking point. Now I felt oddly relaxed.

"Baby girl, wolves can communicate telepathically with other wolves in the pack. What you just saw was Tim receiving a message. His wolf peeked out for just a moment." Dad hurriedly explained.

"Can I do that too?" I whispered. "Wait...what message?"

"It was my dad. Hope. He's the Alpha of our pack. Our leader if you will. Your dad is our Beta, the second in command." Tim ran his fingers through his hair. "Normally pups learn all of this as they grow up. Dad wants us back at the pack house. The pups....your siblings are already there.We have to give you a crash course before midnight."

Pups? Alpha? Beta? Suddenly I couldn't take anymore. I didn't want this life. Jumping to my feet, I grabbed my jacket and ran out of the house. " DON'T FOLLOW ME!" I screamed.

Tim sighed. "She's my mate. I will track her." Tim quickly slipped off his clothes and shifted into his wolf. Dana rummaged through his clothes and deftly tied a pair of gym shorts around his neck. The huge wolf nodded and bounded out into the dusk.

"Find our mate Tim!"