My father let out a small chuckle as he patted my mother on the shoulder, “Don’t worry. I’m here long enough that if she decides to marry, she won’t have to go anywhere.

My mother looked at him hopeful, “Don’t tease me, Maverick. We all know the laws.”

“The law only states that the child has to leave with the father if the parents are from different regions. Luna is only considered a child until she is married,” my father mentioned, “Why else do you think most children with parents from different regions marry so young?”

It surprised me that my father would know something like that. I didn’t think my father would be the type of person to focus on the laws. But I didn’t know anything about him. My mother made sure of that. It was still a little weird to see him in front of me right now. He was nothing but a stranger to me.

My father then stood up off the ground. He stumbled a little bit, making my mother grab hold of him to help him stand. She must have touched a bruise or a sore spot because he winced a little bit. But my mother didn’t apologize, instead she used that opportunity to cause him more pain. It was also at this point that Trent decided to take his leave. Making me think he wanted our family to have a moment alone together.

“Luna, I guess we can use this time to finally get to know each other,” my father suddenly said, catching my attention, “I waited until you turned twenty-five to come to this region, hoping that you would be married by now. Or, at least engaged.”

The memory of Trent asking for my hand in marriage flashed through my mind. I haven’t given him an answer yet because my mind still had to process that he had actually asked me. It’s not that I didn’t think I would get married. I was just starting to accept the fact that I was going to be arranged to marry Luke because he was so determined to marry me. I’m pretty sure he has even already asked for my mother’s permission.

I saw the storm and forest fire as a blessing in disguise. If the selection process did take place, I already knew who was going to pick me. But if Trent was also going to pick me, I wasn’t sure how that would have been settled. Rumors were that they would have to fight it out until one couldn’t fight anymore. Just the thought of that made me shudder.

Another rumor was that the parents had to accept the most suitable shifter for their daughter. It was more believable since most shifters talked to the parents ahead of time to get blessings. That way, marriage could take place as soon as possible and women could start trying to have children. I also had a feeling that if my father never showed up, my mother would have chosen Luke. Only because he had been chasing me around since I was a kid.

“Luna,” my mother suddenly said, snapping me out of my thoughts, “Let’s head home. That way it is a little more private to get to know your father.”

In other words, my mother didn’t want people to learn that the wolf shifter she was caring for was my father. If no one knew the truth, then just maybe I could stay. But by the looks we were getting from those around us, it was clear that they were putting two and two together. No one needed to tell them who the man in my mother’s care was. Her actions were speaking clearly for themselves.

Following my parents, I could feel Em running up next to me. Her arm suddenly wrapped around mine as we walked closely behind my parents. She didn’t say anything to me. Probably decided it was best since my mind still needed to process all that was going on. So much has happened today and I learned many things today. The biggest thing I learned about was being held up by my mother as we headed home.

My parents were also quite a pair. They looked like complete opposites. My mother's tanned skin against my father’s fair white skin. My mother's dark auburn hair contrasted against my father’s bright blond hair. Even their clothes showed the different regions they had come from. It still amazed me that these two complete opposites were able to make anything like me.

But the closer we got home, the more I didn’t want to be there. You could say that I was starting to get cold feet about meeting my father formally. All my life I had accepted that I would never meet him and now here he was right in front of me. It was like my mind refused to accept the fact that I had a father now. And, he wasn’t just an ordinary person, he was a wolf shifter on top of that.

“Mom?” I suddenly said, getting her attention. She and my father stopped to look at me, “I’m going to see if I can find any herbs that we could use. A few of them got destroyed when I was trapped in the fire.”

Understanding shined in my mother’s eyes. She knew that this was a lot to take in and told Em to stay with me. It was just in case I needed help with anything. Including talking about what I have just learned today.

As they continued on to the house, I quickly dragged Em to a spot where we always went to talk about serious things. It was a small little cave just outside of the city. Inside this little cave they had some herbs that were hard to find but they always grew in this small cave. My mother never asked where it was, she was just grateful that I could get them for her.

Em knew enough to not say anything until we got to the cave. But once we were inside, she couldn’t shut up, “You’re dad is a wolf shifter? No wonder why you are an only child.”

I gathered some of the herbs in the cave as I responded, “I’m sure the reason why I’m an only child is because my mother didn’t stay where my father was. She didn’t even marry him.”

“I always wondered why your mother didn’t settle down with a husband,” Em said rather to herself than to me, “So what did Trent have to talk to you about?”

The mention of Trent made me freeze. My actions didn’t get past Em and she knew there was something that she knew I wasn’t going to tell her. Not unless she really pushed it. And, if there was one thing about Em, she was persistent.

She came to sit next to me and literally put her face in mine, “What did you two talk about? Were you so grateful to him for saving you that you begged him to marry you?”

“It’s not like that, Em. He was just telling me about my father,” I told her. It wasn’t a complete lie, but it also wasn’t the complete truth. Also, by how warm my face was, Em was going to know that there was more to the story.

“But you did talk about marriage,” Em stated. My cheeks felt even warmer as I turned my face away from her so she wouldn’t see. But she nearly squealed, “You DID talk about marriage.”

“It’s not a big deal,” I said. Trying to brush off the conversation.

Em looked at me like I had just told her that I wasn’t her best friend anymore, “What do you mean it isn’t a big deal? Trent the lone wolf talked to you about marriage. That is a big deal, Luna.”

I rolled my eyes, “So what if he asked for my hand in marriage. My mother isn’t going to approve because she always had this thought I’d marry Luke.”

“He asked?” Em said in shock, “I thought he didn’t find anyone attractive enough for marriage after his wife died.”

“I thought so too,” I agreed.