Ben's eyes widen, and he looks to me for confirmation. He grins, looking like he's waiting for someone to laugh and say "Gotcha!" When no one says anything, the grin falls and he asks, "Why would she do that?"

"Because of what I am," I say, rubbing a hand across my forehead. My head is starting to hurt.

"What do you mean 'what you are'?"

"Lacey isn't my birth mom. Dad had a mate before her, and she died giving birth to me because her body couldn't handle carrying a hybrid. Dad's a werewolf, and she was a vampire. Dad never told Lacey, because Lacey hates vampires. She kicked me out when she found out," I explain.

Ben is speechless as he processes all of this. I close my eyes and lean into Max, resting my head on his shoulder. Being near him is enough to calm the nerves building up inside of me. Besides knowing that my dad would never choose Lacey over me, Max is the only thing keeping my together right now.

"She can't do this," Hayden bursts out, anger dropping from his tone. "This isn't fair. Just because you're different from the rest of us doesn't mean you're not part of our family anymore!"

"None of us care if you're half vampire. You're still our sister," Violet follows.

"Nothings going to stop you from being out sister. Not even mom," Lexi says defiantly, a glint of mischief in her dark eyes.

Tears well in my eyes. I don't think they realize how much their words mean to me. The support of my siblings and knowing they love me no matter what gives me a little boost of strength. "I know, you guys, but it was me or Lacey. I wasn't going to make dad choose, and you guys all need your mom."

It's weird to refer to Lacey by her name after calling her mom for eighteen years, but even the thought of calling her mom now is enough to make my stomach turn over. I can tell my siblings are in a similar boat.

"I don't want her here if she's making you leave!" Lexi protests.

"Lexi's right," Ben says, finally speaking up after finding out what's going on. "If she's making dad choose, the automatic choice is you. Mom shouldn't be doing this to you. To any of us!"

"She doesn't realize that we're all on your side," Violet says quietly, wiping away a mixture of snot and tears. "Things aren't going to be the same if you leave."

"I don't have any other choice. The younger ones don't know what's going on. They need Lacey. You guys are old enough to know about all of this, but they're not," I sigh. I lean forward with my elbows on my knees, shoving my face into the palms of my hands.

I hate this. I hate what Lacey is doing to all of us. She's not tearing apart our family; she's unknowingly casting herself out. I don't think she had any idea that over half her children would side against her.

"I love you guys. You're my brothers and sisters, and nothing will ever change that. If I don't leave and Lacey does, though, I won't be able to stop feeling guilty."

My bedroom door swings open, and Ryder struts in. "What the fuck is going on? Hayden texted me and said mom kicked you out," he says, shutting the door behind him harder than necessary. "And who's the new guy?" He leans against the door and gets comfortable, waiting for my answer.

"She did. He's Max, my mate," I say, my voice sounding exhausted. Part of me wants this night to be over so I can curl up in Max's bed with him beside me, but leaving means saying good bye to my family. I know I'll see them again, but it's a bigger deal because I got kicked out.

"Okay. Why did she kick you out?" Ryder asks.

"Here we go again," Levi mutters.

I explain everything to Ryder, and when I get to the part about Lacey telling me to leave, Max grabs my hand in is. I stare at our conjoined hands as I finish the story, not wanting to see what Ryder's face looks like right now. When I finish talking, I close my eyes and rest my head on Max's shoulder again.

"So Lacey isn't even your real mom?" Ryder asks.

"Technically, no, but up until tonight, I always thought of her as my mom. I can't. . . I can't after tonight, though." I open my eyes but don't take my head Max's shoulder.

"What's the big deal about you being half vampire, anyways?" he says. "So what. It's not like you're going to murder us in our sleep. It's kind of cool, actually."

I laugh. My brother thinks me being half vampire is cool. If only everyone thought that.

"Lacey was attacked by a vampire, apparently. She's hated them ever since," I explain.

"Well, you're not that vampire, and you've never shown any sign that you're going to attack any of us. She's a bitch for letting her fear of vampires overpower her love for her daughter."

I'm more grateful for his abruptness tonight than I've ever been before. My eyes widen when he calls Lacey a bitch, but I don't say anything. I don't defend her like I would have done an hour ago.

"Ryder's right. She is a bitch."

Now I gasp. Violet never speaks poorly of anyone. Calling her own mother a bitch is definitely something to be surprised about.

"Damn, Vi," Ryder grins, eyeing her. She gives him a pointed look through her tears.

"I'm not messing around, Ryder. I'm serious. I hate mom for doing this."

"Vi, don't say that," I say softly.

"It's the truth."

I sigh, but I don't fight it.

"Well, I'm done packing."

Everyone turns their eyes to Mara, who's smiling on the floor in front of my zipped up, overstuffed backpack.

"Thank you for packing," I smile.

My smile doesn't last more than a few seconds. Mara's done packing, which means it's time to officially say goodbye. Violet realizes this, and a fresh wave of tears break through. Hayden's glaring at nothing in particular, Levi has a sour look on his face, Ryder looks pissed, Ben's staring at the ground, and Lexi's trying to hide her sniffles.

"So you're just going to leave?" Ryder asks, his emotions clear in the tone of his voice. "You're just going to let mom win? Let her kick you out like you don't mean anything?"

"Ryder, there's nothing I can do. At least not right now. The younger ones need Lacey," I beg. "Please don't make this harder than it already is."

"Whatever. I'm not letting her get away with this," he growls. He swings my door open and storms out of my room. I swallow the urge to yell his name. I remind myself of two things: it's in everyone's best interest to leave him alone when he gets like this, and this isn't the last time I'll see him.

I get up from my spot on the bed, the absence of Max's body right beside me sending an unpleasant shiver up and down my body. I go to Ben first, silently wrapping my arms around him. His body starts trembling as he hugs me back, and I start crying again. "I'll miss you," he says, his voice muffled.

"I'll miss you too," I reply. I let him go, and he leaves my room without looking at me. I don't blame him.

I hug Hayden next. "I'll talk to her for you. She can't hate you forever," he says, ruffling my hair.

"Do your best, little bro," I say, ruffling his hair right back. I smile through my tears, and I watch as a single, lone tear falls down his cheek. He doesn't make any move to hide it.

Levi pushes himself up from the wall and wraps his arms around me. Lexi remains, her eyes closed so she doesn't have to watch. "Lexi and I will get her back. I promise," he tells me.

"Hey," I warn, "Revenge is never the answer."

"Just harmless pranks. I came up with some new ones that I've needed an opportunity to try out," he says, unwrapping his arms to hold them up in a surrender stance.

"Then I approve," I say. He offers me a grin, and then walks out.

Violet stands up from the chair, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck. Her crying makes me cry harder, and I hold onto her tightly. "I'm sorry she did this to you," she mumble.

"Don't be," I whisper. I let her go and wipe her tears away. "It's gonna be okay. I'll see you soon." She nods, and I can tell she doesn't trust her voice anymore.

Lexi is still sitting against the wall, her sniffles now silent cries. Hayden meets Violet's eyes, and he motions towards the doors. The two of them leave as I squat down in front of Lexi.

"Hey," I say softly, grabbing her hands. "Come here."

I push myself and pull her with me. She doesn't look at me; she just throws her arms around me. A big, ugly sob escapes her mouth, and it breaks my heart. "Please don't go," she begs. "I don't want you to leave."

"Lexi," I sigh quietly, leaving it at that. I hold her close to me, rubbing my hand up and down her back.

I hold her until she calms down. I've never seen Lexi this upset before, and I couldn't just leave her. She's not one to cry often, and her crying this much and this uncontrollably means this is more than a big deal for her.

"I'm going to miss you. Please come back soon," she whispers, pulling away from me.

"I promise. I'll be back before you know it. Who knows. Maybe you can even visit me," I smile, nudging her shoulder with mine.

"Maybe," she smiles. "I promise I'll help Levi. We're not letting her get away with this."

I know I should discourage them from getting revenge on Lacey for kicking me out, but something inside stops the words from coming out.

"Work your magic," I smile. She nods. She walks out of my room, giving me one last glance before closing the door. Now it's just Mara, Max, and I.

"I hated that," Mara shutters as I go to stand between Max's legs. He wraps his arms around my back and I hang mine loosely around his neck, resting my cheek on the top of his head.

"Me too."