I began pacing my room and pulling on my hair. This can't be real. This is crazy. I can't be a werewolf, better yet a Queen. And the way my mom spoke... it was like the war wasn't over. Now that I think about it, Lara's entire family was tense when speaking about problems back home. And Lexi tensed when mentioning another enemy. Were they speaking about werewolves? Are they going to kill me when they find out I'm a hybrid?!

I sank to the floor and began hyperventilating. It was difficult for me to breathe. I felt like I was about to suffocate. In a flash, the door opened and closed. Lara was kneeled next to me and holding my hands.

"Breath, ma amour." She began to simulate the necessary breathing techniques. "Breathe, douce." I began to calm down. "Excellent, ma chérie." She kissed my brow.

"Sorry." I mumbled and looked down, but she used two fingers to lift my chin so that my eyes connected with hers.

"Never apologize for your emotional distress." She paused. "Would you like to speak about it? You're very tense and I think it'll help." I weakly nodded. She gave me a soft smile and effortlessly lifted me onto my bed.

"I'm in shock." She chuckled at that. "Did you know I was a hybrid?"

"Hybrid?" She thought aloud. "I suspected, but had no idea it involved the werewolf gene." She peered at me. "Is that what's making you frantic? You're worried you're a werewolf and I'm a-"

"Vampire? Yes!" I shouted. "Your family is going to hate me when they find out." She sighed, so I'm guessing it's true. "And this war..." Her eyes snapped to mine. "It's against our species and is clearly still going on." I waved my arms around.

"Yes, it is." She clenched her jaw. "And it's all because the vampire king is a homicidal maniac who enjoys war. It's a blood sport to him. A game to claim the lives of others." She spat. "True evil is that man." She glared in anger.

"And my friends and boss are apart of the guards sent to protect me. Were they even my friends or was it out of some duty?" I complained. "Actually, how are they my guards when they're around my age?" Lara actually laughed at that.

"Love, you must become aware that looks and age can be deceiving when dealing with supernaturals. I can assure you that your friends are much older than you think." She rested on her forearms. "Think about it... you met them when you were old enough not to question their youthful looks." She shrugged.

"How old are you?" I blurted out.

"Ancient." She smirked. "I'm afraid revealing it will make this whole 'talking phase' a tad awkward, Mia." I groaned at her.

"My real name is Amelia, but my family and friends call me Mia." She hummed at that.

"Well, I don't subscribe to the popular opinion or status quo." She sat up. "Apart from my endearing nicknames..." I rolled my eyes at her. "May I call you Mila?" I actually like that one. I think that's my favorite deviation of my name.

"Yes, Allura." She groaned and flopped onto the bed. "Such an alluring name I teased."

"It's actually French for alluring." She chuckled. "Much rather Lara. That way I won't be compared to another dead person." She cavalierly stated. "Well, it's late. You should probably rest up to see your siblings tomorrow." She pulled back the covers and positioned me under them.

"What about your family?" I worriedly asked her.

"Don't stress about it. They don't need to know at the moment." She pulled me into her arms and snuggled me to sleep.

The next day was so much fun. I got to spend time with my siblings and we were able to catch up on each other's lives. My sister had two semesters left and couldn't wait to graduate. I was so proud of her. I knew I couldn't deal with memorizing the anatomy of a person.

My brother was ecstatic I had returned and forced us all to go to a rodeo. He wanted to give me a proper welcome back. It was fun and all except for him shamelessly flirting with Lara. She would politely answer him back, but he wouldn't get the hint. My sister saw and teased me about my crush on the girl. I hit her back and asked how she knew, but she said it was soooooo obvious. I asked if our parents knew and she nodded. Ugh! Can my life get anymore complicated?!

"Can you believe them?! First, my brother flirts with you and then my sister sides with him! Like what the hell?! There's no loyalty!" I paced the room as Lara let out a melodic laugh.

"You're going to wear away the floorboards with your pacing, princess." She grabbed me to sit in her lap. "Your brother's intentions were futile. Not only am I a lesbian, but I'm undoubtedly yours." She nestled her face into my neck.

"Wait a second!" I jumped up, startling her. "My brother is older than me." She nodded. "But then how- he's not my full brother."

"And neither is your sister. Your brother I believe is from your stepfather's previous relations while your sister is the product of your mother and stepfather."

"It feels weird to call him my step-dad." I sat back in her lap. "I've known him all my life as dad." I sighed.

"There's no reason you should change the way you see him. Think of it as an adoption. The adopted parents are still the parents. They may not be blood, but they love the child all the same." Her arms tightened around me. "Though, I am curious if your real family tree will be revealed to your siblings. I'm assuming not, but still curious." She stated.

"Well, curiosity killed the cat." I flicked her forehead.

"Sorry, are we interrupting something?" I stiffened from my parents' entry. Well, this is awkward.

"Uhhh..." I glanced down at a mischievous Lara. "We-"

"We figured." My dad laughed, but then turned serious. "We wanted to ask if you'd like to disclose anything to your siblings or keep it private. It's up to you, of course." He kindly smiled.

"I want to tell them." I breathed out. "No more secrets." My parents smiled and repeated it. "So... who's gonna tell them?"

We waited until the next day to invite my siblings over. They were excited to have the family all together again, but their happiness began to fade the moment we opened our mouths. My brother was in denial and refused to believe anything while my sister cried.

I mean I wasn't much help since I couldn't shift or anything. My brother demanded I show him some werewolf tricks, but even I was struggling to believe it. My mother cried stating that I had a magical dampening spell placed over me. Lara asked how to lift it and what spell it was, but my mother had no idea. She said she was taken to a witch who performed the spell and also erased her memory. My mother wanted the memory of my father erased so the pain could stop, but the witch refused and stated that the child will one day have to be told the truth.

My brother's resolve softened when he saw the agonizing pain our mother was enduring. He was confused because this was the woman he knew all his life. He questioned if she had cheated on our dad. My dad quickly dispelled that misconception. He then told us something that made us all nearly fall out the chair.

When Brandon, my brother, was 2 his mother got in a fatal accident. It was a stormy night and a drunkard crashed into them, killing his mother upon impact. Brandon was in the car and declared brain dead as well. My father refused to pull the plug because he knew his kid was a fighter. A few days later, Brandon showed signs of life, but he wasn't walking up. Brandon was in a coma for 5 years.

During that time, my father and mother came into contact. She was three months pregnant when they met. They bonded over the loss of their loved ones. They eventually married and looked after me and Brandon. When Brandon woke up, he had a serious case of amnesia as well as being too young to remember his birth mom. He saw my mother and assumed it was his. He also reacted well to his new baby sister and the one growing in our mother's stomach. My parents debated telling him, but a psychiatrist recommended withholding the truth from his already shattered mind.

Everyday, my parents claimed they had guilt over lying to us for years. Brandon had tears streaming down his face as well. He then calmed himself down and embraced my parents. He reiterated how she was his mom and that he loved her with all his heart. I did the same thing to my dad and then Hannah, my baby sister, joined in the family hug.

I saw Lara watching with love at the sight. I motioned her over. She hesitated, but I grabbed her arm. She smiled as she hugged us. She then muttered something about wishing she had such a loving father as me.