Chapter 45 Snap Goes the Tree Branch
Chapter 45 Snap Goes the Tree Branch
The room felt too small. Too tight. I couldn’t breathe.
Phil’s voice dropped lower, rougher. “We cut our palms. Mixed blood. Spoke the binding words under the full moon.” His eyes flicked to Luka briefly before settling back on me. “It’s an old ritual. Older than most laws. It doesn’t just make someone ‘family’… it ties them to the pack’s magic.”
A cold weight settled in my stomach.
“What does that mean?” I asked quietly.
“It means,” Luka said, his voice controlled but edged with something sharp, “you attempted to bind a human to a supernatural system that was never meant to hold them.”
Phil didn’t deny it.
“I was trying to save him,” he said simply.
“And you might have done more than that,” Joel added, his head still bowed.
I looked between them, my pulse starting to race. “More how?”
Phil hesitated.
That was worse than any answer.
“It could have altered things,” he admitted. “Changed how magic recognized him. Changed what he… passed on.”
The air left my lungs in a sharp, shaky breath.
“Passed on?” I echoed.
Mary finally lifted her head, her eyes soft but filled with something heavy. “Danni… if your father was bound to pack magic, even partially… it could have affected you.”
My fingers curled into the fabric of my clothes.
“No,” I whispered. “You said Lunas only come from shifters.”
“That’s the rule,” Luka said.
“But rules can break, if the moon goddess wants it to.” Joel muttered.
Silence fell again.
“So what are you saying?” I asked, my voice trembling despite me trying to hold it steady. “That my dad… made me this?”
“No,” Phil said quickly. “Not made. But maybe… allowed it.”
“Or hid it,” Luka added.
My head snapped toward him.
“What?”
Luka’s gaze locked onto mine, intense and unyielding. “If your mother was something more—something powerful—and your father became magically bound to a pack… it could have masked your scent. Buried what you were. Until something triggered it.”
My heart stuttered.
“That’s why no one knew,” Mary whispered.
“That’s why we didn’t know,” Joel added.
“And why,” Luka said slowly, “now that your father is gone…”
“It’s gone too,” I finished, the realization hitting like ice water.
The room seemed to tilt.
Everything was spinning too fast.
“That’s why Chad found me,” I breathed. No one corrected me. “That’s why Monica tried to kill me,” I added, panic creeping in.
“And it’s not just them,” Luka said, his voice dropping into something darker.
My stomach twisted. “What do you mean?”
He didn’t answer right away. Of course he didn’t. Because it was bad.
“Vampires have been moving closer to pack lands,” Joel said instead. “Closer than they ever should.”
“They don’t do that without a reason,” Phil added.
“And I’m the reason,” I said again, but this time it didn’t sound like a question.
“No,” Luka said firmly.
I looked at him, desperate for that to be true.
“You’re the prize,” he corrected. That was worse. A lot worse.
“White wolf blood…” Mary said softly. “It’s not just power to us. To them… it could change everything.”
“Enhance strength. Speed. Control,” Joel added grimly. “Maybe even remove some of their limitations.”
A chill crawled down my spine.
“So they want me alive,” I whispered.
“Yes,” Luka said.
“And Chad?” I asked, fear twisting into anger. “What does he want?”
“Control,” Luka answered instantly. “If he controls you, he controls the packs.”
“And if he’s working with vampires…” Phil trailed off.
“No,” I said quickly, shaking my head. “No, that’s insane.”
No one spoke. No one argued. Because they all thought it was possible. Maybe even likely. My chest tightened, breath coming faster.
“This is too much,” I muttered, dragging a hand through my hair. “My mom might not be human, my dad might have accidentally turned himself into some magical loophole, I’m apparently a walking power source, and now I’ve got a psychotic Alpha and vampires hunting me?”
“Danni—” Luka started.
“And you all knew something was off and didn’t tell me?” I snapped, the hurt finally breaking through.
That one landed.
Hard.
“I didn’t know,” Joel said immediately.
“Neither did I,” Mary added, her voice breaking slightly.
Phil looked at me, guilt written all over his face. “I only recently suspected something… but not this. Never this.”
I wanted to be angry. I was angry. But underneath it… Fear curled tighter. Because this wasn’t just about secrets anymore. This was about survival.
“What happens now?” I asked, my voice quieter.
Luka stepped closer, his presence solid, grounding. “Now,” he said, his eyes burning into mine, “we protect you.” A pause. “And we figure out exactly what you are… before they do.”
“I need a minute.” Push away from Luka and step back from everyone. The hurt that flashed on Luka’s face hurt. I knew he cared. I knew they all cared. But this was a lot.
“I need fresh air.” I tell no one in particular. No one stopped me either when I began to walk out of the room.
As I approached the door frame. Luka called out to me
“Please don’t leave the back deck area… and come back if something feels wrong.”
I don’t say anything as I walked out of the room. Then out of the house. Once out on the back deck I feel to the ground sobbing. I’m not even sure why. Was I grieving. Was I sad? Was I scared? I knew I was overwhelmed and confused. And that was about it. My dads death had triggered this. Whatever this was.
There was so much I did not know. And so much to learn. Was there a library? Or a book called learning to be a shifter for dummies. Maybe I needed to look for something like that.
I hoped my mom woke up soon. She might be the best place to start asking questions. I wondered if she knew what my dad was when they met. Did he know what she was? I feel like he would have told Phil. Unless he thought it would put her and us at danger. There was so much I needed to learn.
I looked at the moon and appreciated it’s beauty. And there was a Moon Goddess? I guess that was something else I needed to learn about. A cold breeze brushed against my exposed skin causing me to shiver. I guess I should go in.
SNAP
The sound of snapping branches caused me to turn my head. I started moving towards it without thinking.
What the—-
Was that…? Oh my god!