Lycan King’s Nemesis

**GWEN**

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” my mother asked the minute she saw me walking into the living room. From her outward appearance and the manner she was gawking at Mousy, I could tell if I hadn’t arrived at this point, something drastic would have taken place.

Mousy at seeing me, sighed in relief and stalked out of the room while sending me a secret gratitude smile.

“I’m fine, Mom,” I tentatively touched her palm placed on my left cheek. My eyes sweet around the room at everyone, still trying to agree that this was happening.

“Baby, come here.” My mom hugged me once more. “I don’t care whatever it was that made you leave, I am thoroughly, in fact overly happy to see you again.”

“Me too, mother.” I forced myself to live in the moment and forget about Ashton even though for now. I pushed away from her and pressed my hand down my gown in a wiping gesture. I was nervous. “Have you been seen to your rooms?”

“That cunt of a man won’t even let us leave the room!” My sister thundered from the couch, still encumbered in the arms of Julian. He only stared at me, possibly finding me looking this good, unbelievable.

“Words, Theresa!” My mother chided. “That’s your sister’s husband!”

“It’s fine, Mother.” I giggled lightly, with a dismissive wave of my hand. “I’m delighted to see y’all and I promise it’s going to be a wonderful time here. Ashton is a little tense due to recent happening around here but trust me, he’s happy you are here.” That was a blatant lie and I knew they knew, but I had to say something to keep them at peace.

My father stepped forward, his hands apart to take my shoulders. “You look amazing, baby. I-I never envisioned you to be like this…” Tears shimmered in his eyes. “I thought we would never see you again. Things never remained the same.”

“How did you find me?” I asked the one question racing in my head.

“Someone came to us to tell us you were here.” My mother said behind me.

I shifted to stand between them. “Someone? Who?”

“A young man. He told us everything and left us with this…” He reached into his pocket and produced a green paper card which he showed to me. I took it, my eyes narrowed in confusion. Who was he?

“I don’t understand. I have never seen this card before.” I singed.

My father shrugged. “Who cares? We found you.”

“Yea,” I whispered, thinking. Who could have gone to the Werewolf Kingdom to disclose to my parents I was here? Hmm, this was very mysterious. All the same, as my father said, who cares? We found each other.

“Alright, let me get Mousy to get the maids to help you to your rooms to relax until it is time for dinner. Which is…” I checked my wristwatch. “Soon.”

“Baby, I don’t want to be apart from you even for a minute anymore.” My mother cooed, itching closer.

I smiled. “Mom, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. You need to rest from the long trip and when you are done, just tell the maids and they will find me or bring you to me. I can’t wait to catch up on everything I’ve missed too.” I clapped my hands exuberantly, letting out a happy squeak.

I went to get Mousy and he took them himself to their rooms, after which he assigned them, maids and valets.

.

.

.

“What!” My mother cried sometime later when we were converged at the Queen’s parlour, sipping tea. My sister went to tour the palace with Julian. “You shifted?”

“Mom, I think this is my month because it happened a few days ago and now here you guys are.”

“Honey, I am very excited to hear that. It is indeed great news.” She stood from her seat to join me in mine and took my warm hands in her cold ones. Werewolves are usually like that as a result of our region.

My body was beginning to adjust to my new surroundings which was why these days I had noticed I was usually hot. “Thanks, Mother.”Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

“So, how has it been here?” Father asked and took the glass on the table to sip from it, his eyes not leaving me.

I sighed as my shoulders lifted and slumped back vulnerablely. “I have been good as you can see,” I placed my hands on top of my laps and looked down at the tray of refreshments in front of us. “It was not easy at first, owing to my identity and the circumstances that surrounded my marriage to Ashton, but… with time, fate decided to be kind to me,” I concluded with a charming beam.

My mother’s face was soon a mask of worry as she leaned closer. I knew what she was going to ask even before she did. “Sweetheart, we love you so much, and all my life I used to pride myself in thinking that I did myself as a mother to you and your sister. However, when you left, all that changed. I felt disappointed in myself and thought perhaps, I made a mistake somewhere.

“Thanks to the goddess for leading us here now to see you. I don’t know what it was that made you leave except for the fact that you couldn’t shift that night and then finding out about Julian and your sister might have… devastated you. But, you should have never left, baby. You had us, wolf or not, we were your parents and would never have disrespected you.”

“I know, Mom,” I purred, a tear falling down my face. “I’m so sorry.” I entwined my fingers, deliberating whether to ask them about that night. If they knew my real parents. How they found me. So many questions.

“Look,” My father began from the other side. I glanced up. He was at the edge of the couch, tilting towards us with his fingers entwined like mine. “I am your father and I know when you are hiding something. I felt it the moment I saw you. It was not about the shift, nor about your sister and Julian. Tell us what it is, Gwen. We could never live with ourselves knowing we didn’t do right by you. I am had you found your love here with these people. Still, we remain your true family and no matter what happens, you will always have us.”

With a deep breath, I nodded my head. “So, that night,” My eyes rode downward. “I heard everything. You and Mom talking about picking me up from the border. I heard it. I couldn’t believe that you lied to me all my life. I was incensed by all the misfortune that chose that night to betide me, but that one, was the biggest blow. That was… that was why I left.”

I heard Mother huff beside me as silence engulfed the room for a long time. I didn’t mind. We all deserved this.

“Darling,” My teary orbs found Mom’s. Her hands were on mine sooner. “Everything you heard that night was true.” The tears fell. “We failed you. We lied to you. But all because we loved you too much we couldn’t break such news to you and risk your love for us.”

“I could never stop loving you.” I cried, my body shaking. “D-do you know how much I told myself over the months that I hated y’all.” I looked between them, tears clouding my eyes. “Do you know what knowing that I was rejected by true parents meant to me? What it did to me? I have been through a lot I can’t begin to narrate to you. I have walked through fire, struck, and humiliated all for what? Because I felt alone, without a place in this world.”

“Baby…”

“No, Dad, if only you told me, I wouldn’t have gone through these things because I wouldn’t have left in the first place. In fact, I shouldn’t have neared that packhouse that very day knowing I might not even be a werewolf.”

“But you are…”

“It is different, Mother. I was called a freak!”

“You could never be a freak even though you disguised as one, my love.” My Mom took my shoulders and tugged me into her arms. “You mean the world to me. I love you far too much I thought I was going to die if I never saw you again.

“I was your mother before anyone else. I fed you, I held you in my arms and watched you open your eyes for the first time, take your first step, and say your first words, why do you ever think I would not die for you?”

My body shook the more she spoke. My father left his seat and was beside me. “I-I suffered so much, Mother.”

“It’s okay. We are here now. No one, absolutely no one would dare come between you and us ever again. We are your parents. You do not need another one when you already have us.”

My arms went about both of them, not agreeing less. I was the stupid one. I should have stayed and heard their own side of the story. I didn’t know who my biological parents were, but for them to throw me away, perhaps, it was the goddess doing. Who knows? They might not have done close to what my parents did for me.

So, yeah, this was what I have, and wholly what I deserved.

…