Chapter 13

“I can’t believe this. This is impossible. I would have known if I had a sister. No, no, no. We must be missing something.” Layla paced the floor, repeatedly chanting ‘not possible.’

Kiara looked stunned at the revelation as well, and her expression kept changing as if she were trying to come up with every possible explanation for this fiasco.

However, Kian started to rake his brain though he couldn't wrap his head around this yet. He began to analyze everything that had happened since he reached this house. He looked at Kiara and Layla keenly and realized they did have some resemblance in their features.

“What if they didn’t know Moira had twins?” he blurted out.

"What do you mean?" Layla asked first, and Kian realized he said that aloud. Instead of replying to Layla, he turned to Kiara. "Do you trust me, Kiara?"

Kiara gave him a small smile with a nod of her head. “I believe you, Kian. But can you please explain what you are thinking?”

"It's just…" He sighed. "Listen, it might not make sense, but it's written clearly. Moira had two babies. What if Konrad didn't know there were two babies? What if they just took one which was you?"

Kiara frowned. “Still doesn’t explain that I’m human and she is a werewolf.” Suddenly her eyes widened. “Oh, God! What if I’m not my father’s daughter at all?”

Layla scoffed. “I think we already established that you don’t belong to whoever this werewolf is. Clearly, your mother had you with a guy she met in that village.”

"Our mother," Kiara growled, and Layla rolled her eyes. "And how come you're a wolf, and I'm human?" She turned to Kian. "She doesn't even look anything like me. There must be some mistake, Kian. I'm sure we are missing something." She went back to the journal.

At this, Layla huffed. "Haven't you heard of fraternal twins?" She cocked a brow.

“Fraternal?” Kian frowned.

“Yeah.” Layla shrugged. “That’s what happens when two eggs are fertilized at the same time by two different sperms. Basic biology.” She went to plop on the floor beside the trunk with an exhausted sigh.

Kiara still looked confused. "So let's say we are fraternal twins. How do you explain the fact that you shifted into a werewolf, but I didn't?"

Layla glanced at her. "DNA, duh! It's obvious whoever wrote this journal is a human. If Moira's dad is a human, then there are human genes in her DNA. Then according to this last sentence, theoretically, our biological father is a human as well, no? Werewolf genes might have skipped you."

Kiara shut the journal with a hiss. “Why aren’t you freaking out? Why are you so calm?”

"Oh, I'm freaking out a lot. Trust me." Layla scoffed again and stared at the far end of the wall. "First, I turned into this stupid wolf—" Kian's warning growl cut her off. "Sorry, no offense, but it's the truth. Where was I? Right. This stupid wolf and running in the woods for days. Then I sneaked into my home for food and to get help, only for my parents—are they even my parents?" She chuckled without humor. "Then you two showed up." She pointed at them with a scowl. "You." She jabbed a finger toward Kian. "You're an asshole. You shoved me and tried to kill me at every chance you got. Then the fucking wolves tried to bite my head off. I’ve never even killed a mosquito in my life, but I killed a man yesterday. Do you even know how that feels?" she yelled, and Kian noticed the first crack in her otherwise calm composure. "I'm not okay. I don't think I'll ever be okay. Thanks to you. I'm just…I'm just trying to process all this shit, so cut me some slack, okay?"

“I’m sorry,” Kiara’s voice was barely above a whisper.

"It's okay." Layla wiped her tears with the back of her hands. "Whatever crap this is…." She waved a hand over the contents in the trunk. "Let's just get this over with."

The silence that fell over them was heavy, Kiara diverted her attention to the journal, and Kian's thoughts raced. It was too much to process. Though Layla's words didn't make complete sense to him, he understood the crux of it. What she said was possible.

“Konrad isn’t your father,” he said.

Kiara glanced up at him but said nothing.

“We aren’t even related,” he repeated. “My brother isn’t your father.”

Layla perked up, looking between them. "Huh? This Konrad guy is your brother?" She glanced at Kiara. "So he isn't your boyfriend?"

Kian snarled at her.

Layla didn't even flinch but lifted both her hands in the air. "Chill, dude. With all that posturing you did around her and the way she was mopping over you last night, I thought you were lovers or something."

His lips peeled back, flashing his fangs, and another growl rumbled out.

"Fine!" Layla climbed to her feet. "Food, anyone? I'm starving." She turned to Kiara. "I could order take-out, but I think it's better if you can cook like last night. I don't want anyone else coming here until we sort this shit out."

Kiara swallowed but stood.

“We need to talk to the humans,” Kian said.

“Well, good luck with that,” Layla said. “They haven’t opened their eyes since last night. I don’t even understand how you’re up on your feet.”

Kian wanted to snap at the girl but remembered she was allegedly Kiara’s sister. So he took a deep breath. “We heal faster,” he answered instead.

"Figured as much." Layla folded her arms across her chest. "I always healed faster, and it makes sense now. I don't even feel the pain as much as I did last night." She glanced at Kiara. "Whatever that bitter poison you fed me last night worked like magic. But I'm still hungry, and this thing feels suffocating. Let's go."

Kiara nodded and followed her, leaving Kian to ponder over everything alone.

***

Kian felt much better after having proper food in his system. The humans had stored a lot of meat, and Kiara cooked a lot. He ate his fill, feeling refreshed. Though his body was aching all over, he could feel he was already on the path to full recovery. The hunters failed to inflict major damage, and he suffered only flesh wounds though he lost a lot of blood that caused him to faint.

After eating, they once again sat around the trunk, going through the items and reading anything they felt was important. They took a short nap at some point in time, and Kiara woke them up for tea sometime in the evening.

The doctor came sometime in the afternoon to check on the humans, but Kian said he was fine and didn't allow him to touch his bandages. Kiara already changed it earlier. His skin has already closed. There was no need. Besides, he was fine.

It was around dinner they came to some sort of conclusion. "I think when they killed Moira, they didn't know she had twins. Layla's parents said they found her here and along with the dead bodies of your mother and grandfather," Kian said, starting to make a list of facts. "Konrad only knew Moira was carrying his baby. Not that she’s carrying twins. They must have seen the baby with Moira that night and assumed it was the only one. Also, I think your grandfather must have masked their scents somehow. However, after this, only humans can answer us now. I hate waiting."

"It makes sense," Layla agreed as Kiara stirred the stew she was making for dinner. They were in the kitchen, which had dining table big enough to accommodate six people. "But what were my parents doing there that day? Did they come there for Moira?"

“Maybe someone from the town tipped them off,” Kiara piped in. “Lune Hunters hunt werewolves. They must have known something.”

“That’s right.” A fourth voice joined them in the room.

Kian was up on his feet in an instant, a growl lodged in his throat.

“Dad!”

Layla ran to them as soon as she saw them enter the room. They flinched a little, causing her to pause, but he apologized and stroked her hair with a small smile. The woman hugged her.

Layla relaxed in her embrace. “I was so worried about you.”

They both looked terrible, covered in bandages, but they would live. The woman supported her husband with Layla's help and brought him to the dining table.

“I’m sorry for hurting you last night, sweetheart. I didn’t know it was you,” he apologized, his eyes closing briefly. “And sorry for flinching earlier. Guess…I have to get used to it now.”

A tear slipped from Layla's eyes, and Kiara moved to console her.

Kian expected them to charge at Layla at some point. It still didn't make sense that they aided them in the fight against the hunters last night. Well, their lives were in danger, too, but they hadn't harmed him or Kiara yet. And now this man was apologizing to Layla. He was looking at this whole interaction in a new light.

Aren’t Lune Hunters supposed to be evil? Why are they calm about Layla?”

He cleared his throat. There was no time for pleasantries. They had more pressing matters to attend to. Moreover, they had to leave this place as soon as possible. With each second they delayed, Kian’s wolf was growing anxious.

"Sorry to interrupt, but can you please start by telling us exactly what happened that night you found Layla?" he asked.

The man jumped at the sound of his voice but relaxed once he realized it was him. Kian realized his voice came out harsher than he intended.

“It’s okay, Dad.” Layla rubbed his arm. “He saved us from the wolves last night.”

Kiara glared at him, and he deflated. "Sorry. I'm not used to talking to humans. So yeah…but we really don't have time to waste."

"No problem. We understand," the woman said. "I'm Lana Miller, by the way. This is my husband, Ronald Miller. We moved to this house eighteen years ago."

The man nodded with a tight smile. “We were in Vancouver dealing with a feral werewolf that was killing humans when we got a call from a friend who used to live here. He told us about spotting a werewolf in the forest.” He sighed and clutched the side of his ribs, adjusting to sit more comfortably. “He later tracked the werewolf to this home. When we heard a wolf was living in this community, we decided to visit.”

Kian shared a look with Kiara. “Should I assume it’s the doctor who treated you last night?” A growl laced his voice.

Ronald nodded. “Yes.” His tongue darted out to wet his lips. “When we came to investigate, we only found two bodies. The man Stephen Ellot was well known in this town. The neighbors said the woman was his daughter.” He exhaled. “We found Layla sleeping in a crib in one of the rooms upstairs. The doctor… he was waiting for us that night outside. He saw a few people coming out of the house carrying something.”

Kian perked up, his gaze flicking to Kiara.

"From the journals, we figured the woman, Moira, gave birth to twins, and the man was hiding her from other werewolves," Lana added. "We realized they must have left Layla behind since she was human and took the other with them. Looks like we were wrong."

"So, how did you know Moira was a werewolf?" Kian questioned.

“We…ah, um…Lune Hunters are trained to identify werewolves.” Ronald looked uncomfortable, squirming in his seat. “If you’re in your wolf form, we can identify you by looking at your stature. You’re bigger than wild wolves—broader.”

“We also have lockets blessed with holy water. It heats up when we are near a werewolf,” Lana explained.

“Would you have killed Layla if you had figured out she was a wolf too?” he shot at them.

“What?” The man’s eyes widened. “No. Never. Lune Hunters don't harm innocent children.”

“Yeah?” Kian growled. “Why can’t I agree with you?”

Kiara closed the distance between them immediately, putting a hand over his chest. “Don’t,” she whispered.

"Our lockets didn't heat up, and she showed no signs of being a wolf," Lana said with a defeated sigh and looked down at her lap at the joined hands of her husband and Layla. "I don't know about the others. But we never hurt a werewolf who wasn't feral or threatening to humans. We were married without a child for years, and when we saw Layla, we couldn't help it."

"We also feared that one day the werewolves would realize they left her behind and come back for the baby, so we decided to stay here," Ronald added. "We were ready to protect her at any cost."

“But they never showed up until yesterday,” Lana said. “When we saw Layla’s wolf in her room, we assumed the worst. We thought she was one of them and was here to harm our daughter.” Her voice cracked. She reached for Layla’s hand, squeezing it gently. “We’re sorry.”

Kian watched them cry together and Layla comforting them, but he still couldn't bring himself to trust them fully. "Now you know that Layla is one of us, what do you think? Is she evil? Are you going to tell others and kill her too?"

“What? No!” The woman looked genuinely horrified, her grip on Layla tightening. “She is our daughter.” Her chest heaved. “She could never be evil.”

Kiara put a hand on Kian’s shoulder. “We aren’t evil either,” she said softly. “My name is Kiara. I’m that baby they took away that night.” Her gaze flicked to Layla. “Layla is my sister.”

Ronald and Lana shared a look between them before they glanced at Layla. “Is that true?” Lana asked Layla.

The young werewolf nodded. “We figured it out earlier. I’m still processing everything.” She chuckled without humor. “Still can’t believe you aren’t my parents.”

The man's features softened and turned pained. "We are, and we will always be." He cupped the side of her face. "If you will allow us. Please…"

Layla sniffled. “Of course. I love you guys.”

They hugged each other, and Kian saw Kiara brushing her tears away. "Guess they aren't all evil, huh?" she commented off-handedly. "Looks like we were all misled and perceived everything wrong." She turned to him.

He wanted to argue she was wrong, but he knew her words were true. Konrad was a werewolf, but he was the worst example of a leader and pure evil. Not all werewolves were the same. He realized the same went for other species as well.

“Yeah,” he agreed, his eyes glued to the small family huddled together. “I guess so.”