A Stranger To Yourself (Previously I Curse You All, To Hell And Back)

Family pt.2

Katia's P.O.V

We walked through the the doors and what sat inside hit me hard. In front of me sat a man that looked just like me. All my life id been with a family that looked and acted nothing like me. A family that looked at me like i was the worst part of their daily life. A family that looked at me like i wasn't supposed to be here. By this man was smiling at me. A smile i had hoped for every day from the man i thought was my father and from the woman who was my mother but who thought of me as a mistake. The two people i tried to please. And this man, my father, just looking at me and fro the very first time he gave me the smile that i envied my sisters for. The smile that was never directed to me. And i couldn't help the tears that came down and the way my knees buckled.

Alexander being behind me caught me before i could fall as i broke down in his arms. Id never been good with emotions and every time i experienced too much of one i cried and right now i had no idea what i was experiencing.

The man, my father got up came to my side, taking me into his arms i cried there.

*^*

I finished crying and wiped them away s i looked up to see my father with some unshed tears of his own in his eyes as he looked down at me. Hw let me go as we both chuckled and wiped our tears away.

I sa down and as did the others. I looked at my dad, he looked exactly like me minus the eyes that were where Zeke got his from. He was tall maybe taller or the same height as me, he had the same hair color as me and he had the darker than the usual Zangara color like mine.

We all served ourselves some food and there was a small awkward silence before i saw my father looking at Alex and Alexander and them doing the same, i laughed nervously, "Uh... This is Alec." I said, gesturing to him to which he gave a small wave and my father did the same. "This is Alexander," I started scared of his reaction and then continued, "my mate."

The whole room went silent and someone dropped a plate. A fucking plate. My father and Alexander both stood up and that's when i felt i was in deep shit. I had no idea what either of them were thinking or how the felt. They looked at each other for what felt like forever as there was a defining silence and finally stuck their hands out and i flinched until i saw them... shaking hands? Yup shaking hands.

Alexander's P.O.V

Katias father looked a lot like her and at this moment i could see every inch of him. I had once seen somewhere that a Zangara could tell everything that happened in the last year by reading your memories. I stood there and let him while thinking of all the pain i'd caused Katia and how much i regretted it. I saw anger flash in his eyes but it calmed when he saw the rest. He stuck his hand out and i saw Katia flinch but calm when i stuck mine out oo and we shook hands.

She looked a little dumbfounded and it was adorable. But then she smiled at the both of us and continued to eat.

I knew that at that moment he could've beaten the crap out of me and i would've taken it all without fighting back but he didn't. I'm sure for only Katie's sake though because who wants their daughter who they have just met to think of them like that?

Katia's P.O.V

After the... interaction between my father and Alexander we discussed what we were going to do while we were here. My father talked about how hed planned for us to hike to a place that he liked to go to every once in awhile. You had to hike there and it took a long time and he asked if we could stay for longer than the 4 days wed paneed and we all said that we had packed enough for a week and so he explained that i would take the 4 days wed planned to stay here to get there and then the rest of the days wed stay there and then we'd hike back down by a short cut.

I heard most of the boys groan do to the hiking and exercise and i made sure to swat them in back of their heads as i nodded and agreed that it sounded like a fun thing to do. Id asked what the place was like but my father had explained that it is extremely beautiful but he didn't want to give anything else away.

He explained that there were only 4 rooms in the house there so 3 pairs of people would have to share a room. He explained that his... mate was going to join us and that she and him would share then me and Sylvia volunteered to share and then Alec and Alexander would share and then Zeke would get his own room.

We were told to pack anything we unpacked since we'd be leaving the following day in the morning. I had yet to meet my father's mate and somehow already felt hatred toward her. I knew that my mother hadn't ever treated me like her daughter but i still felt hurt for her knowing that he moved on so quickly after he had to say goodbye to my mother. And also had a child so quickly afterwards.

But the hatred went away a little when i remembered how my mother had also found her mate and mated after they had said goodbye and before my father had too. But i couldn't help but feel like they had betrayed each other.

I went to sleep thinking about my mom, my new found dad, the trek ahead and how now i had 3 siblings instead of 2. And lastly about how Alexander accepted that i was half Zangara. Oh! and also wondering if the boys had fallen asleep on the couch again. More like giggling at that thought.