A Young Mate

The Truth Will Set You Free

Miranda's POV

"Her heat ended yesterday, she should have woken up already." I heard Flora say. It sounds far away, but it's the only thing that tells me I'm not dead. 

"Her other animal has been making appearances, based on what you told me, so it probably amped up the effects of heat." a familiar voice says. 

I try to wiggle my fingers, but they're too numb for me to tell if they're moving or not. Shuffling of feet and the decreasing of the light buzzing makes me open my eyes. My senses are twice as heightened as before, so I could even hear Flora's high heart rates. 

"Relax Flora, I feel much better now." her small chuckles ring through my ears. 

"Glad to see you're still yourself. You gave me quite a fright," she says while taking off the IV.

"Why are you here, Flora?" I ask.

"Well, who else was going to nurse you back to help? I'm the only healthcare person within a 5-mile radius."

"No, I mean, why are you working for him?" I clarify. She hesitates but continues to clean up.

"We crossed paths in unfortunate circumstances. He was looking for my best friend, but I hadn't talked to her in... many years. I was running away from some... bad people, and he thought of me as an asset, but it didn't matter what he wanted me for, it was better than living on the run. So, here I am."

"What are you?" I ask her.

"I'm a hybrid, a witch, and a wolf. I was running from a 'despised' when I ran into him. A despised is a rogue in witch terms."

"Well, what about your family?" 

"My father was a warrior. He was good friends with the Alpha and Beta, but the Beta's son was a horrible person. He tried things, things I would rather not repeat. I tried telling my parents, but they wouldn't listen to me. The day he tried to mark me as his was the day I left. I wonder what happened to my sister, though. If I remember correctly, she had a mighty crush on him." 

She smiles and stares off into the distance. Suddenly remembering where she was, she snaps out of her daze and gives me a playful scowl.

"That's enough questions from you," she says before a pool of tears form around her eyes. She clears her throat before she speaks.

"A man will come in after I leave and hold you down. You'll finally get your wish; to meet the man who kidnapped you. But, whatever you do, don't make him angry. Please, Miranda, hold your tongue."

Her words sent different emotions through me. Fear, curiosity, nervousness, worry. I'm finally going to meet him? Do I know him?

She leaves, and the man who tried to inject me again comes in and ties me to a surprisingly comfortable chair. When another man comes, Jade automatically growls, and hate grows inside me. 

My own father.

He took me away from my family, my friends, my mate.

"How could you?! You took me away from my family! You kidnapped me!" Jade growled at him before taking full control.

"I didn't kidnap you. You rightfully belong to me, you are my daughter." He says with a sick smile on his face. Miranda shivers through the bond.

"I'm not your daughter." I spit out. His face goes from a smile to a small frown.

"I see. Well, we'll just wait for your other animal," he glances at his watch.

"Shouldn't be too long now."

"Other animal?" I ask, finally gathering enough courage to take back control from Jade. 

He's lucky we're bound to a chair right now.

I didn't have enough time to answer her, as his former frown turned into a smirk.

"Oh, my sweet Miranda, how deep in the dark you are. It's time someone told you the truth, the whole truth."

"My mate, your mother, was the Gamma of the Golden Moon Pack, the pack of the Alpha king and Luna Queen. She was going for a walk after patrol when she stumbled upon a witch. She tricked her into drinking some tea and cursed our children. The first one normal, the second-born human, and the third-born with two souls instead of one." 

His eyes went darker, filling with anger. I didn't dare say a word, and thankfully, neither did Jade.

"The pack abandoned her. They shunned us and threw us out. I wanted revenge, but she had no part of it, so I had to leave. I sent money and visited whenever I could, and I had a trusted rogue to look out for you all. My thirst for vengeance deprived me of spending the last few years with my mate, and blinded me from the pain she was feeling. When I finally noticed, she was gone. I could feel it. In anger and grief, I gathered rogues from all over the world, and attacked the pack, wiping it out completely." He ended his story with his head hung low. 

If I weren't tied up, in an unknown place, and knew that the people I cared about were safe, I might have felt some sympathy, and call it a stretch, but maybe some forgiveness too. But I am tied up, in an unknown place with no contact with the outside world. So, instead of sympathy, I felt enraged, and with Jade, it was doubled.

"Don't give me that sh*t!" I yell, his face suddenly angrier than it was before.

"You abandoned your mate! You left in her time of sorrow! Both of you know she was going to have children, and you left your unborn kids. It doesn't matter whether you visited as much as you thought you could, you could've stayed! You had a choice! And don't get me started on when she died! You're not the only one who lost her! I was eight years old, for Christ's sake! And what did you do? You disappeared! Just li-"

The second his hand came in contact with my face, I felt broken. Jade blocked our link, both of our confidence and anger gone. Only numbness, and the slight throbbing of my cheek.

He slapped me. My own father slapped me.

"I am still your father, Miranda. Don't disrespect me."

I can't move, can't breathe like I'm on lidocaine, but it only lasts for a second before the pain comes.

At first, it was just a dull ache in my wrist, so my initial thought was the rope they tied me in. But then, it bent, by itself, in an abnormal position. Then, a scream was heard, until I realized I was the one screaming. 

"Flora! Jack! It's happening! She's shifting!" my father shouted in the halls. I was in too much pain to be angry at his cheerful tone and joyful laugh.

I'm shifting? 

That was my last thought before a blacked-out, for the second time since I've been here.

Author's Note:

Sorry for the long wait, everyone! School has taken up my day, my free time, and my energy. Can't wait for winter break! I promise to update soon, though. I can't just leave you on a cliffhanger!

Or can I?