Chapter 76 - What family?!

“That’s not possible,” I whispered, my thoughts shattered. Multiple different emotions bubbled through me.

It felt like the world had stopped moving as I stared at the man before me. Ever since I had found out about my heritage, all I had dreamt about was meeting my mother’s family. Knowing I had relatives I could finally call mine filled me with euphoria. But my excitement was short-lived as I remembered that I was the illegitimate child of the woman that disgraced a very respected family. A family’s foundation that was built on the rules and regulations surrounding the werewolf world. There was no accepting someone like me. Hell, I wouldn’t accept myself.

However, now, as I stared into the eyes of my alleged grandfather, all I could feel was anger and betrayal. Until today, I assumed that my parents were the only ones who had lied to me, but now given the information at hand, was I right to believe that my mother’s entire family knew about me?

Michael had also known about my existence. He had pretended to be my wolf friend and extracted information from me. He would have surely told others that my mother had produced a child to fulfill the Moon Goddess’s ultimatum. Were Max and Amon the only ones that could feel the unrest between the spirits and magic?! Surely not.

My mind couldn’t comprehend the fact that people who were related to me by blood had known about my existence. They had witnessed my misery by being part of my life, yet no one tried to save me from the hell my mother put me through. What the fuck was the big secret that made my mother ruin her life by getting rid of her werewolf and family but then go back to tell her father and lover about the offspring she didn’t want? There must be something more to her story.

I could feel my heart pounding in my ears as the anger rose inside me like lava rising in a volcano, waiting to erupt.

Michael strode toward Josh, power, and anger radiating off him. Josh struggled against Rocky’s vice grip. You could see the anger in Josh’s eyes amplifying the closer Michael got.

Michael towered over the pair, malice visible on his face. “Quite a mess you’ve made, boy. You are told what would happen if you ever showed your face again.” Michael boomed.

Josh’s nose flared as he gawked at Michael, struggling against Rocky’s vice grip. From behind me, a series of chanting filled the air. I turned to find The Coven members holding hands, chanting in succession.

“What are you going to do, old man? Throw me out? You’ve done that before. Maybe if you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have all this happening.” Josh growled, his voice a little deeper than before.

That’s your excuse for everything you’ve done? If I had hugged you and called you my son, you wouldn’t have retaliated. Rosalie got nothing. You don’t see her trying to wipe out her family.

*Family…*

“You have some balls to compare me to her. She has more of a purpose in her life than I do. I’m just an urchin in my father’s life. A father that didn’t even think twice about me. At least her father played some part in her life, unlike mine.” Josh barked.

They were talking about me like I wasn’t standing next to them listening.

“Urchin? I would say you’re more like a tumor. At least an urchin you can pull out and throw away. You just won’t go away no matter how many times I pluck you out of my life,” Michael growled, taking a step closer to Josh. He was so close; their noses were touching.

Right then, a loud menacing growl rippled through the building. We all turned to find a big black wolf storming in through a damaged window at the back of the building. The wolf let out another loud growl once it got to the middle of the room. I watched it shake its silky black fur, trying to get rid of the debris and wetness.

I didn’t even get to blink when the wolf started to morph, and soon, Blake stood before us in all his naked glory. He quickly cupped his jewels with one hand while running the other through his messy hair.

Kiki yelped and shook her tail in excitement, trying to get Blake’s attention. It was the first time Kiki was physically in front of her mate. Blake’s eyes immediately snapped up and ran across Kiki’s body. His eyes sparkled with admiration as they trailed from her tail all the way to her face. A slight grin formed on his lips.

“Angel, you shifted?!” Blake exclaimed. You can hear the affection in his voice.

“Wow, Angel. Your wolf is just as gorgeous as you are.” He gushed, taking a step toward us.

Suddenly, a towel flew across the air and hit Blake in the face.

“Please cover yourself up. The last time I saw your willy, I was 16, and I still have nightmares about it.” Max grumbled.

Zach rolled his eyes and quickly wrapped the towel around his waist.

“King Cooper, glad you could join us. It’s been a while.” Michael cleared his throat and flashed a tight smile at Blake.

“King Whitlock, nice to see you too. However, with all due respect, may I ask what you are doing here? Last time I checked, you needed to get permission before entering someone else’s land,” Blake asked.

Michael’s eyebrows knit together, a little taken back by Blake’s comment.

“I thought our relationship was a little more on the friendly side; especially now then we are going to be family. I don’t understand the hostility.”

“Family?!” Blake snorted. “No offense Michael, but just because your blood runs through her veins doesn’t make you family. To be family, you have to have a stable, loving, caring relationship with someone first. You gotta show them they can trust you. Depend on you and, most importantly, respect you.”

My heart filled with pride listening to Blake stand up for me. He was right; even though Michael’s blood ran through my veins, he wasn’t my family. I had no relationship with him.

“See, no one wants a relationship with an asshole like you,” Josh sneered.

There were so many things I wanted to say right now but being trapped inside a wolf was restricting that.

*“Kiki, would you please let me be human again?”* I asked.

*“Shifting back is going to hurt, sweetheart. Besides, I need to stay in this form in case I need to attack.”*

“Joshua, shut it. No one asked for your opinion,” Michael growled.

“And this is why Bethany is no longer among us. You never valued her opinion. As a matter of fact, you just didn’t value her. Maybe if you had shown some love and valued her as a person, you wouldn’t be so screwed today.” Josh barked.

Bethany?! Did Josh really know my mother that well?!

“You know nothing about the relationship my daughter and I had.” Michael hissed.

“On the contrary, actually. I think I knew Beth better than you ever did.” Josh smirked. He struggled hard against Rocky’s grasp, but there was no way he was going to get away.

“What?!” Michael snapped.

“She was my half-sister. I was interested to know what she was like. It’s not a crime to get to know your siblings, is it?!” Josh snickered.

The Covens chatting in the background got louder, and I could feel the air getting thicker.

*“They are suppressing the magic Josh is trying to channel. Amon’s dark magic is very strong, so The Coven is struggling to contain it”* Kiki explained.

Their deeply focused, pinched faces were evidence of how much they were struggling. A little drop of blood dripped out of Kendyl’s nose and trickled down her moving lips. She just let the blood smudge across her lips, not wanting to stop to wipe it off. This carnage needed to stop before innocent people got hurt.

*“Kiki, do something.”* I demanded.

*“The only thing I can do is kill him.”*

*“Well, then do it! If his death solves all our problems, then fucking do it,”* I hissed.

*“Yes, ma’am,”* Kiki chuckled and started to stride toward Josh. Her teeth barred as a low growl vibrated through her throat.

Michael must have noticed Kiki getting closer because he quickly stepped in between Josh and her, blocking Kiki’s way.

“Stop right there. You will do nothing to Josh until I get my answers.” Michael snapped.

Answers for what?!

Kiki barked and growled menacingly, snapping her teeth at Michael. You could see the confusion and a flicker of fear in Michael’s eyes as he flinched and took a big step back.

*“I really hope you aren’t going to hate me if I kill this old man too. He may be a King and all, but I will kill anyone that comes in my path. Our Goddess has given the orders, and I will obey.”* Kiki growled.

Did I really care if Michael lived or died? I knew he was my grandfather, but like Blake had said earlier, just because you had someone’s blood running through your veins, it didn’t mean they were family.

*“Do what you need to,”* I murmured, my heart pinching a little at the thought of Michael dying. I still wanted to know things about my family, but I also wanted to live my life without a constant threat hanging over my head.

“Rosalie, I know what I’m saying is stupid, but both my daughters were murdered in cold blood. Just like Lena, what happened to Richard and Bethany wasn’t an accident but a well-thought-out murder. And if anyone knows what happened to your mother, it’s this boy. I would like to see my daughter’s killer be brought to justice, and I think I’m right to assume you do too.” Michael protested.

Vince and Evelyn’s words echoed in my head.

*“I know what happened to your mother and her boyfriend”.....*

*“If Bethany is dead, it’s because someone wanted her dead”.....*

So I was right to assume that Vince knew about this.

Justice?..

Did I really care about that woman getting justice?! She packed her bags and ran the first chance she got leaving me behind to deal with all the drama. She could have at least warned me and informed me that I had a family I could go to for help, but now, she just ran. Her death had upset me, but the more I found out about her, the more I hated her. She purposely made mine and her life hell. But my heart wasn’t longing for justice; it was more wanting to know why mum had done what she did.

“Why did Beth have her wolf stripped and run?” Blake asked out loud as if he heard my thoughts.

“If I knew the answer to that, don’t you think I would have prevented it from happening? All I know is that whatever it was, this boy here is involved.” Michael turned toward Josh and clenched his fist and jaw.

“What did you do, Joshua?! What really happened to Bethany?” Michael demanded.

Josh’s lips curled into a sinister smirk as his eyes started to glow the same silvery glow as before.

“Why should we tell you what happened?! What’s in it for us?” Josh asked. His voice sounded almost computerized.

“I’ll let you live if you tell me,” Michael replied.

Behind me, The Coven’s chanting got louder, and the air got thicker. Like before, clouds started forming above us, and the wind picked up.

The Coven members were fighting harder to suppress Amon’s magic. With how strong everyone was saying Amon is, I wasn’t surprised that The Coven members were struggling.

*“I don’t care what Michael wants. Amon and Josh don’t get to see another day. My orders are clear, and I have to honor them.”* Kiki growled.

There was no way the guy out for my blood would walk out of here.

“Promises from a man like you mean nothing to me.” Josh spat, his eyes glowing brighter.

The wind picked up as thunder started to rattle the building again. A thud from behind me made Kiki turn around, only to find Mia unconscious on the ground.

*“NO!”* I yelled.

The rest of The Coven members didn’t stop chanting. Their voices got louder, and the bright spark of lightning flashed across the room. It still shocked me that magic could be so omnipotent.

“Stop testing my patience, boy. Tell me what happened with Bethany! I want to know what happened to my daughters,” Michael roared over the noisy storm thundering around us.

Josh’s lips curled into an obnoxious smile before he tipped his head back and let out a sinister laugh.

His laugh sent a shiver through my soul, making me cringe.

“Your daughter was so much fun to play with. I am so glad I could have a taste of her before I stepped into Josh’s body. Although, I don’t think it would have stopped me regardless,” the computerized raspy voice resonated from Josh’s mouth.

“What the fuck did you do to my daughter?!” Michael yelled, grabbing Josh by his collar.