Beauty and the She-Beast (girlxgirl)

Chapter 16

A/N: Looking for a good paranormal read? Check out “The Survivors” by Amanda Harvard. It’s completed and AMAZING!!!!! I loved every second of it and absolutely HATED putting it down. Dedication to her because of the AWESOMENESS of the aforementioned novel <3

Chapter 16

Iliana’s POV

I sat there in complete shock. All my life I had grown up an only child, the only notice I received was from my Aunt, Uncle, and cousin, with the occasional remembrance of my birthday by my parents and one or two gifts on Christmas. Suddenly there’s these two guys standing in front of me claiming they have been looking for me for twelve years and ONE OF THEM IS MY BROTHER!!! How is this possible? I mean, I know how it’s possible, obviously I was adopted. He had said as much, right? My father…. I mean, OUR father gave me up because he didn’t think he could raise me. But he was able to raise Marcus. What’s the difference?

“Ana? Are you alright? You look a little pale.”

I looked over to Cassidy who was sitting on the edge of the couch eyeing me with concern. It seemed I was unable to find my voice just yet so I simply nodded. Trinton sat on my other side attempting to comfort me but obviously worried about Cassidy’s reaction to someone other than her comforting her mate. I smiled at him and turned back to Marcus and Gerald.

“So, if you’ve been searching for me for all these years, why are you just now finding me? I mean, I was there, in New Jersey. Actually I only lived a few miles from the Tribal Grounds. How could you not find me then?” I asked, a bit of annoyance in my voice.

Gerald had the decency to blush, but Markus just kept a blank look. “I’ll be honest, Iliana, we knew exactly where you were, but the timing wasn’t right. By the time we were ready to reveal ourselves, you had disappeared and we had to search for you yet again.”

This just annoyed me more. I seriously wanted to slap him right then and there. Apparently Cassidy had the same idea because she beat me to it. We all looked on in shock as her hand connected loudly with his cheek, leaving a red handprint in its wake. Alpha Grayson appeared at her side and pulled her back away from the men.

“Well, to be honest, I expected that from you, Iliana. But I suppose, seeing as she’s the one you chose, she would feel the same. After all, it’s not every day you find out that you’ve been ‘stalked’ practically your entire life. You must understand, though. We kept a distance for your safety. You weren’t ready yet.”

“I wasn’t ready? How do you know I’m ready now? Wouldn’t all of this been easier if I had known at an earlier age?” I asked him.

He just looked at me sadly. “We were to inform you on the night of your sixteenth birthday. Each Shaman has their first shift thirty-five days after their sixteenth birthday. That would have been plenty of time to explain everything and give you the necessary training for your first shift. No doubt you were confused during that time.”

“Confused? I thought I was dreaming. It never once dawned on me that I wasn’t asleep.” I confessed. “And would you please stop calling me Iliana. I prefer Ana.”

“Actually, your name is Dawn, as per your birth certificate. Your adoptive parents wanted to pick a name for you, but father insisted on your name being what mother had chosen. It seems as if they got their way after all.”

“Dawn,” Cassidy and Trinton voiced at the same time.

“I like Ana. It suits her much better,” Trinton exclaimed which earned him a small growl from Cassidy. “Chill, Cass. She’s into you. I wouldn’t dream of stealing my Beta’s mate, especially since I know I have one of my own out there somewhere. I was simply saying that the name her adoptive parents gave her fits her personality better than Dawn does.” This brought a smile to Cassidy’s face and she gave Trinton a quick hug before we all turned back to Marcus and Gerald.