POV Kiara
Walking through our front door feels strange after everything that happened in the forest. My body still hums with energy from whatever Aleron did to me. The taste of his blood lingers in my mouth.
Thomen is already moving around our kitchen. His hands shake as he pulls out my favorite mug and starts making tea.
The sight of his trembling fingers makes guilt twist in my stomach.
"You weren't responding to me through our mind link," he said quietly, not looking at me as he filled the kettle. "For three hours, Kiara. Three hours of complete silence when you should have been back from training after one."
The guilt twisted deeper in my chest as I watched him.
This man who'd spent years healing the scars Aleron had left on my heart, who'd never given me reason to doubt his love or loyalty. And here I was, sitting at our dining table with the taste of another man still lingering on my tongue.
"When you didn't return, I gathered a search party."
His voice cracked slightly as he set the steaming mug before me, and I could see the genuine terror he'd experienced written in the tight lines around his eyes.
"I was terrified something had happened to you. That we'd lost you like we lost your father…"
The comparison made my throat close with emotion.
Thomen had no idea how close to the truth he was. That I had encountered my father's killer. That everything was changing in ways that would shatter our carefully constructed life.
He settled across from me at our small dining table, reaching for my hands with that gentle strength that had always grounded me.
"Something's changing in you, Kiara. I can feel it through our bond—your anxiety, your confusion, your fear… You're carrying burdens you're not sharing with me."
His brown eyes searched my face with patient love, but I could hear the strain beneath his calm exterior. The way his voice caught slightly on the words, the tension in his shoulders that betrayed how much my silence was costing him.
The mate bond between us runs deep, and Thomen can sense when I'm upset even when I try to hide it.
"I can feel your walls going up," he continued softly. "The way you're pulling away from me when all I want is to help you carry whatever you're going through."
My throat tightened with unshed tears as I met his loving gaze.
How could I tell him that everything he thought he knew about me was built on lies? That I wasn't the pure werewolf he'd fallen in love with, but some hybrid monstrosity bound to his greatest enemy?
"I need time, Thomen," I whispered.
The words crack as they leave my mouth, with the weight of secrets that felt like they were suffocating me. I hate lying to him.
But how can I tell him that I drank vampire blood? That I liked it?
"There are things I'm trying to understand about myself, about our world. Please, just… give me some time to process everything before I can explain."
The words felt pathetic even as I spoke them, but Thomen immediately pulled me into his arms, offering wordless comfort and support. His warmth surrounded me, familiar and safe, and for a moment I let myself pretend that everything could stay this simple.
I want to tell him everything about Aleron and the strange hunger and my sharper senses. But some instinct tells me it's not time yet.
"Always," he murmured against my hair. "Whatever you're going through, I'm here. You know that, right?"
I nodded against his chest. But even as I absorbed his comfort, questions burned in my mind. Questions that might finally give me answers about the revelations that were tearing my world apart.
"Tell me what you remember about my father," I said suddenly, pulling back to look at him. "What your mother, his Gamma, might have told you about him when you were younger."
Thomen's expression grew thoughtful, though confusion flickered in his eyes at the abrupt change of subject.
"I was still young when he died, love. About the same age you were. Why are you asking now?"
"I need to understand what kind of man he really was,” I pressed, desperation creeping into my voice. "As a leader, as a person. Any stories, any details you might know."
Thomen was quiet for a long moment, his thumb tracing circles over my knuckles as he considered my request.
"Your father was respected by everyone. Strong but fair. He never made decisions without thinking about our people. But most of what I know came from pack stories and my mother's memories."
My heart sank, but he continued.
"Marcus would be the one to ask about your father's deeper... complexities. He was your father's Beta for over a decade, after all. If anyone knew his secrets, his real thoughts about pack politics and leadership decisions, it would be him."
Marcus. Of course.
My father's most trusted advisor, the man who'd helped shape pack policy for years. If there was truth to be found about my father's relationship with vampires, about peace treaties and hidden alliances, Marcus would know.
"But whatever you're going through," Thomen added, squeezing my hands, "remember that I'm here for you. Always."
I kiss him softly. "I love you."
"I love you too."
* * *
Two hours later, I stood on Marcus's doorstep as evening shadows stretched across the pack territory.
My heart pounded with nervous anticipation as I raised my hand to knock, knowing that whatever I learned tonight would change everything. When he opened the door, surprise flickered across his weathered features for just a moment before something knowing settled in his gray eyes.
As if he'd been expecting this conversation for years.
"Kiara," he said quietly, stepping aside to welcome me into his warm, simply furnished home. "Join me for dinner."
Marcus lives alone since his mate died in a vampire raid. His house is simple but comfortable. The smell of homemade stew fills the air.
We sit at his kitchen table. He serves me stew without asking if I'm hungry.
"How has the pack been adjusting to the increased patrols?" Marcus asks as we eat.
"Everyone's been cooperative. Marcus, I need to ask you something."
"I figured you didn't come here just for my cooking."
My hands tighten on my spoon as I gather my courage. "Tell me about the peace treaty with the vampires," I said, my voice steady despite my racing heart. "Tell me about my mother."
Marcus went completely still, his fork halfway to his mouth. The silence stretched between us like a held breath.
"Was she a vampire, Marcus?"
His expression crumbled, and I saw the answer in his eyes before he spoke. The confirmation of my worst fears, written across the face of the man who'd been my father's closest friend and confidant.
"Yes," he said simply.
And with that single word, the last remnants of my old life shattered completely.
Even though I suspected it, hearing the confirmation hits like a hit in guts. My werewolf mother was actually a vampire. The enemy of our species.
"Tell me everything."
Marcus sighs deeply. "Your father met Jacqueline during early negotiations for the peace treaty. She was beautiful, intelligent, and genuinely wanted to end the bloodshed between our species. They fell in love despite everything that should have kept them apart."
My hands shake as I set down my spoon. "What happened to her?"
"The treaty failed. Both sides had extremists who couldn't accept peace. When the fighting started again, Jacqueline had to choose between her vampire clan and her werewolf family. She chose her people."
"She left us."
"She left to protect you. A hybrid child would have been killed by both species back then. Your father told everyone she died in battle to keep you safe."
The room spins around me. Everything I thought I knew about my family has been a lie.
I'm not a pure werewolf. I'm half vampire.
"Others in the pack are starting to notice changes in you," Marcus says quietly. "Your scent is changing. Your strength has increased. Your senses are sharper. How much longer do you think you can hide what you are?"
I meet his eyes. "What am I, Marcus?"
"You're something new. Something that could either unite our species or destroy them both."