The anger inside me at hearing all of this was bubbling like hot lava in a volcano, just waiting to explode. My mother had simply realised that unity was greater than division and fighting, and they'd killed her for that. I might not have known her, but her beliefs still somehow lived in me, as I felt strongly about helping each other and working together. It drove me crazy how close-minded people often were and how they did not see that only when you cooperate you can achieve greater things.

I let Lucien continue. Our coffees were long finished, but I was so enthralled by everything that he was telling me now that I feared making any sound in case he stopped.

"It's better now- in this day and age we have to cooperate more than before, but it's still pretty difficult. It would take an enormous threat to get some alphas to overcome their judgemental thinking. Although I have a feeling that this might happen sooner than anyone would expect- I believe there are people out there that are hunting shifters. Maybe they have been doing it for years, and I think they have a connection to our parents' deaths."

I gasped. Was there something even bigger behind their death? "What do you mean?"

"Well, I am still gathering information, so I don't have concrete proof yet. You already know what happened during the car crash. The Boswells were correct when they said that my wolf took over and forced me to run away. Your wolf would rarely take control, but I was a five-year-old who had never shifted up to that point. We only start learning how to shift in our teenage years, so the whole thing was a shock to me. But my wolf knew we were in danger and it did what it thought was best."

He paused, clear that he was struggling with whatever he was going to say next.

"I wanted to go back for you. I could hear your distressed cries as my wolf carried me away from the car." His voice was starting to shake, so he took a deep breath before he continued. "It broke my heart not to be able to help my baby sister. I have loved and protected you since the day you were born, and the moment that mum and dad let me hold you in my arms. That day — that day I failed you, Aurelie, and I'll never forgive myself for that."

As I listened to him, I felt my heart ache unbearably from all the pain and suffering I could see in Lucien's eyes. They were full of tears, but this Alpha was doing his best to hold them back. I had been so overwhelmed by all the truth that had been kept from me I never stopped to think about what he or my adoptive parents must have gone through all these years. So I did what both my body and mind were telling me to do- I moved towards Lucien and wrapped my arms around him, pulling his head towards my chest. For a second, I imagined that it's what my mum and dad would have done if they were with us. Lucien would not let himself relax- I guess alphas would never show vulnerability- but I could feel it in my heart that my embrace soothed him and our sibling bond was growing stronger.

"Lucien, you were just a boy! There is nothing that you could have done to save me or our parents. You heard what my dad... erm, what Victor said- the people who did this came to look for us after the car came to a stop. I would have never wanted you to suffer as well, just to be together. Please don't blame yourself- I know I don't blame you! I am happy that your wolf protected you and that you found me now. To be honest with you, it will take us time to make up for the lost years, but I am willing to let my big brother into my life if you wish to be a part of it!" I didn't even think about what I was saying. Everything I said, everything I felt in that moment, came straight from the heart, from a part of it that had been buried for years. He straightened up and cleared his throat.

"Thank you, sis! You have no idea how much it means for me to hear you say this. But I will still make it up to you and I will find those who did to us- they will pay!" The sheer determination about this was clear in his tone and the fire in his eyes. And I wanted nothing more than to join him in this. As if he read my mind, Lucien spoke again.

"I have been looking for you since the moment I turned eighteen, Riley. I wasn't the Alpha of the pack yet- our grandfather, the previous Alpha, took over until I was ready. So I dedicated my time to looking for any clue that I could find. I was so relieved when I found out that the paramedics had rescued you from the car. Then I heard they put you for adoption and it wasn't long before I found your adoption centre. I tried to get information out of them but it wasn't easy- the Boswells had used their magic to cover their tracks, but I am happy they did so, for your safety. It was at that point that I realised you must be with warlocks. But the Boswells had retired from their warlock lives the moment they adopted you, so it was pretty difficult to find them. I had to slow down my search when I became alpha, but eventually, I got some leads and I found them. The rest, you know."

I was speechless. My brother had been looking for me for over 10 years and I yet was a proper brat about things the previous day. Christ, I mocked him and my parents when they were trying to explain everything to me. The guilt of how harsh I had been with him left a bitter taste in my mouth. I wanted to apologise, but he didn't stop even for a second.

"In my search though, I came across various stories of unexplained disappearances or deaths of shifters, and I think that there was magic involved in all those cases. I believe that there are people that are going after shifters, Riley. Their actions have been pretty stealthy and low-scale over the decades, but if my gut is right, they are getting stronger and bolder. My scouts have been getting reports of similar cases in the US even. Whatever is going on, it is only getting bigger and I need my little sister to help me get to the bottom of this." He looked up at me with those pleading eyes again. Damn it, my brother was such a manipulator- thank God we grew up apart or he would have made me give him all of my favourite toys as a kid with these looks!

"What do you mean, Lucien? I have a life here and I know nothing about your world. I don't know if I can help, and I don't want to be a hindrance."

"Riley, you could never be a hindrance. You might have lost your wolf, but I saw you at that event- you still have those killer instincts. You are a brilliant fighter, and from the intel I gathered, you are an outstanding strategist as well. MI5 doesn't go around trying to recruit average people." How the hell did he know about that? That was highly confidential info. Actually, I didn't want to know- I had enough revelations to last me for a while. "Come back to the pack with me, Riley. We can figure this out together and once we do, you can come back here if you want to. You will always have a place in the Blackwood pack, but if you decide that it's not the place for you, I will respect your decision, even if it will pain me to be separated again."

"But I am not a wolf! The pack will probably not want me there to begin with. Do humans even know of your existence?"

"No, they don't. We interact with them, of course, but we keep our animal side hidden. You are not just human, even without your wolf. And you are the daughter of their beloved Alpha Margot Moreau. I am sure they will welcome you with open arms. Plus, you are the sister of their Alpha, so they will not question my decision. I can't wait for you to meet Anna as well- I think you will love her."

I thought about my brother's mate- she seemed lovely from what he had said so far. Then it hit me that, by the sounds of it, she was actually my sister-in-law, so we were family. I never had a big family- it was always my parents and me. I wondered if there were other relatives in the pack. He mentioned my grandfather- were my grandparents still alive? And what would it be like to live with my brother around? 

What about living as a shifter, what was that like? 

I found myself pondering on all these questions and curiosities that I never expected to have. After all, I knew nothing about this world until yesterday. But the pull towards it was undeniable - I needed to find out more about my origins and my family. If along the way I also bonded with my brother and found the people who destroyed my family and caused us so much pain, even better. 

My mind was made up.

"Okay!"

Lucien jumped out of his seat with joy and surprise- a stark contrast to the pained man that was sitting next to me minutes ago. "Okay? Really? You will come with me? Are you serious about it?"

"You want me to change my mind or what?"

"No, no, no, no. Not at all! I am just thrilled that I will get to spend time with you and that we will bring down the people behind our parents' murder together. The Moreau siblings as a team, like it always should have been!" 

I had to admit that his excitement about this was contagious. I saw the big bad alpha presence that he had at my parents' house and at the event, but this other side- the goofy older brother who was excited to be with his sister- was melting my heart, little by little.

"I need to let my parents know first and sort out things with work, although I have such a backlog of holidays to take that my boss can't say a thing. He also knows not to cross me. Give me a day or so to get my business in order and we can go."

"Perfect, we leave tomorrow night."