Heart Of A Jaguar.

{Betrayal.}

Aunt Hala walked over to me with excitement on her face, "Look at you. So grown up and beautiful." she said. "Well come here and give me a hug." she said, holding her arms open for me and I hesitated but hugged her. "Eight years, it's been so long."

I pulled away, "What are you doing here though? It has been eight years and all of a sudden. . ."

She frowned, "I know, Thalia. I was told to never come back." she said. My parents breathed heavily out their noses and Aunt Hala rolled her eyes. She placed a big smile on her face again, "But nothing was gonna stop me. I was trying to make it as quick as I could but running through the woods from Chicago is not easy. Then I had to hitch hike allot when the woods weren't big enough."

"Oh." I said, brushing my hair back behind my ears. "Well, how have you been?"

"Fine. A much nicer welcome coming from you than from my brother." she said sarcastically. She placed her fingers under my chin as she tilt my head back a little, "Now let me see those beautiful sliver eyes of yours." she said.

"I. . .I don't know how to make it happen." I said, pulling my chin away.

Aunt Hala scoffed as she turned to face my dad, "You never taught her? Shame on you Aron, daddy would be disappointed for not teaching your children for what to come."

"Dad left when you were thirteen. I raised you when I was I was only seventeen." he said coldly. "I took care of you. I got you food and clothes. Made sure you were going to school and I even found a man for you! And how do you repay me? By being rebellious and thinking you new everything in the world."

"I never ask you to do that for me though." she coldly said back and my dad breathed out heavily. "You didn't even ask me!"

"I had to! You were going to pick some low life, some dirty Jaguar from the city. You new where he ended up? Dead!" he shouted at her. "At least Callum had his own home, some money, and you have a good peaceful life. But no, you didn't want that."

"I was sixteen, Aron! Callum was twenty-two. Yes, Callum had everything a Jaguar girl dreamt of but when I realized what I was—my true nature—I knew I would never need a man to take care of me." she coldly said. She held her hand back towards me, "I'm sure your doing the same with Thalia, aren't you?"

My dad bared his teeth, "Thalia is my daughter though, it's different."

"She is a Silver Jaguar, you can't stop it Aron." she said. She turned to face me and walked over, "What is the boy name? Is it him?" she asked, pointing at Ander who was in the corner of the kitchen with his back against the wall and one of his foot propped up. Aunt Hala knew my answer without me even speaking, "Thalia, as handsome as he is you know in your heart you don't need a man to take care of you."

"Hala!" my dad said. My mom growled behind him, her eyes flashing reddish-yellow, and even Ander bared his teeth.

I turned to face Aunt Hala, "I. . .this is my family. Yes dad arranged it but. . .but Ander isn't bad. He's sweet and it is a good thing for my family. I'll grow use to it."

"No." she said, grabbing ahold of my shoulders and made me face her. I turned to look at my dad but she grabbed my chin and made me face her, "You are strong, stronger than any of them. You know why? Because in your blood you are a true Jaguar. In our blood—our ancestors were real Jaguars who were given the ability to turn into human skin. Every generation only one of us can be born but fate wanted you to be born. I knew the moment you were born and I held you in my arms. I felt so much energy coming off of you. And they're afraid of it!" she said, holding her arm out towards my parents. "They know you can take care of yourself. You're not something just to be given as if you were a cow or something. They knew, Thalia. They knew for sixteen years and they never told you. Because they don't want you to leave and be yourself."