The Lost Wolf

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

    I pulled up to my house around 10pm and braced myself. Both my parents SUVs were in the drive and all the lights were on. I knew they were angry, this behavior isn’t like me. I’m not the type to storm out of the house and not call anyone or let them know I’m safe. I’m not the type to disappear. But they have some explaining to do, too and I couldn’t allow myself to back down. 

I took a deep breath and stepped out the car and into the house. My mom was sitting on the couch and relief washed over her face and was quickly replaced by anger. 

 “Jude!” She yelled to my dad, “she’s home.” My dad came out of his bedroom and let his eyes roam over my body. No doubt looking for cuts or bruises, any type of indication that I was harmed or attacked. He lingered a moment and when he was satisfied that I was okay, his face softened. My dad was going to be my ally in this fight. He always was. I didn’t want to yell and argue but I did want them to know that I knew everything. I wanted to stand my ground. 

    Without saying another word I marched up the stairs and grabbed the hidden paperwork from underneath my pillows, took a deep breath and went back down stairs. My mom and dad just stared at me in awe as I put the paperwork on the coffee table in front of them. I sat in the chair on the other side and waited as they picked up the papers. Recognition, and then surprise, took over both their faces. 

    “Kenzie..” my mom began. 

    “Is this what it looks like?” I asked pointing at the documents, “did you have a child that passed away and then give me her name so that I would fill some sick void for you? Who even am I?” I tried to keep my calm but I failed. My voice shook with desperation and the tears that threatened to fall. 

    “You are who you’ve always been, Mackenzie. You are smart, and independent and fun.” My mom sounded pleading. 

    “Do you love me for me? Or for who you wanted me to be?” I pressed, tears streaming down my face. 

    “It was not like that at all.” My father spoke up, “sit down and I will explain everything.” 

     I hadn’t even realized I was standing until that moment. I sat back in the chair and wiped the tears away from my cheeks. I tried to still the water works to keep from covering my face but I couldn’t. I needed to hear whatever it was. 

    “Mackenzie Tatum, our child, she died. She lived 13 minutes after her birth.” He grasped my mother’s hands as tears also streamed down her face. She was overcame with sadness and for a second I pitied her.

    “She had a disorder called Osteogenesis Imperfecta, do you know what that is?” I shook my head and he continued, “her bones were extremely soft. It made them so easy to break that she couldn’t be a normal child, even inside the safety of the womb they could break. Your mother decided to carry the baby to term but she only lived thirteen minutes after the birth. The disorder is a death sentence.” 

    “Did you know? Before she was born, did you know that she would die?” I asked. The words sounded cruel coming out of my mouth. 

    “Yes.” Mom barely spoke, “but she was my baby and I had to try.”

    “No one else knew though,” dad explained, “your mother didn’t want anyone to look at her pregnancy with pity, only with joy. So no one knew.”

    “And me? When did you adopt me?” 

    “The same night that MacKenzie was born and died you were born. Your mother was brought to the hospital only hours after we lost our baby. I was called out of the maternity ward to preform an emergency c section on a pregnant woman who was losing too much blood.” He was lost in the memory of my mother, his eyes distant. “I preformed the initial examination and I knew that no matter what we did, the woman was going to die. She was too far gone but she begged me to save her baby. Little Lindsey. She said that you were incredibly important and begged me to keep you safe at all costs. She begged me to give you a new name, a new life. I was so struck by her bravery and her love for you that I could not let her down. She didn’t make it out of the c section.” 

    “We took you. We kept you safe. We gave you a new name.” My mom finished the story for him, “and in return our pregnancy was never pitied. We came home with the most beautiful baby girl.” 

    “All you cared about was your image?” I was hurt. I couldn’t hide it. 

    “No.” My dad said. “I cared about the brave woman who begged me to save her child and I cared about my grieving wife who had one dream in life and that was to become a mother. Look, Kenzie. I don’t know who she wanted to keep you from but she made it clear that you were precious. With the help of the hospital staff we made it look like Lindsey had died with her mother that night from birth complications and our MacKenzie made it safely out and into our arms.” 

    “We did everything legally,” my mom read my mind, “we adopted you legally through the system but to keep you safe the hospital records say you died and the gravestone for our baby has your given name.” 

    “Can I see it?” I asked. “Can I go visit her?”

    “Yes,” mom answered, “we can go tomorrow. I was going to tell you, Kenzie. I didn’t want you to find out this way. Your birth mom, she asked that you know the truth a few weeks before you turned eighteen. She said you would find out eventually and she wanted you to know before it happened. I wanted to tell you, but you had cheer practice.” 

    It all made sense now. My heart softened with her explanation. She did try to tell me but I had bolted out of the house. This wasn’t her fault, after all, she lost her daughter, too. But who was I? Carter said wolves turn for the first time on their 18th birthday. Is that why she wanted my mom to tel me before I turned eighteen, before IT happened. Did I belong to a people? To a pack? Who was she trying to protect me from and how do I find my biological family. I did not WANT to find them exactly. I needed to. They are the only ones who could possibly know anything about my mother or me. Where did I come from? I needed to talk to Carter. I knew that he didn’t have the answers I was looking for but maybe he could help me find them. 

    “Kenzie?” My mom said cautiously, bringing me out of my thoughts. 

    “What was her name?” 

    “We only got her last name. Burke. The rest is unknown to us. She didn’t even have medical insurance.” Dad replied. 

    My head was thundering at me. This was all too much, I had so many questions that my parents couldn’t answer about where I came from and so many more about becoming a wolf. Could I live here, still? Is it controllable? Would I hurt my family? The tugging and the pounding were consuming me. Getting worse by the second. 

    “I need to go think.” I told them, “this is a lot to take in and I’m not sure my head can take it.” 

    “Please don’t run off anymore, Kenzie. I know you’re hurting but we have the answers.” My dad walked over and kissed my forehead and my mom smiled at me through her tears. I offered her a weak smile and a nod and I headed up stairs sending Carter a short text on the way. 

K: 

Are you busy?

C:

Never too busy for you. Be there in five.