The One

Spill The Beans: Part 2

 The following morning, the Randale family basked in the sun, partaking in a quaint picnic in their backyard with other pack members. She burst forth from her room, exuding energy as she raced towards her parents, who were engrossed in animated conversation with their friends. "Mummy, Daddy, can I have a word?" she exclaimed, her excitement palpable.

The trio stepped inside, settling onto the living room couch to face one another. Her tone shifted, a serious edge slicing through her earlier cheerfulness. "Mummy, Daddy, as you well know, Christian is my mate. But today—maybe it's the full moon or something—I feel utterly drained and inexplicably moody. I can't stop thinking about him. So, what do you think? Should I fly back to Theodulf or stay here?"

Both Anna and William were jolted from their seats, their eyes wide with shock. "What?!" they exclaimed in unison, disbelief etched across their faces. William, struggling to process the revelation, stammered, "You know about werewolves?!"

Anna's shock spiralled further. "How do you know Christian is your mate?!" The questions poured out like an unstoppable flood. "How do you even know about werewolves?!"

"Do you know about The Ethelwulf?" William interjected, his mind racing.

"Do you know about The Aspen?" Anna added breathlessly, their astonishment barely allowing them to keep pace with one another's questioning.

"When did you learn about them?"

"How much do you know?"

"How long have you been aware?"

William shook his head, making the attempt to shift from playful banter with Anna to a serious fatherly tone, fixing Karol with a piercing gaze. "Karol, sweetheart, why didn't you tell us any of this?"

A cascade of questions hung in the air, their bewilderment palpable as they sought answers from their daughter, who sat before them, a soft smile illuminating her face despite their tumultuous inquiries. Anna, with worry lacing her voice, echoed her husband, "Yes, baby girl, why didn't you tell us anything about this?" William rolled his eyes at Anna's reiteration, yet his focus remained steadfast on Karol, eager to hear what she had to say.

"I'll answer your questions one at a time, so don't bombard me with the same ones," she began, the weight of the moment heavy in the air.

"To start, yes, Mummy and Daddy, I know about the werewolf stuff. I've been aware of their existence, probably due to your parent's stories. Grandpa and Grandma often regale me with tales of werewolves as bedtime stories, and during my visits, they show me pictures of wolves, their eyes gleaming with secrets. I've even seen wolf pups a couple of times—though the memory feels hazy, like a dream slipping through my fingers."

"As for Christian being my mate, it's a mix of instinct and a bit of digging I've done into the world of werewolves. I've gathered evidence that solidifies my theories and answers my endless questions."

"And to add weight to my first claim, I accidentally witnessed Beta Ulfred shift before my very eyes. It was purely coincidental, of course, and not his fault—I was hiding in a tree, after all."

"Why were you hiding in a tree?" her mother pressed, a curious frown crossing her face.

"Remember when I missed the dinner at The Ethelwulf BBQ because I claimed I had a bad headache? That was a lie—sorry, Mummy and Daddy. After you left the house, I sprang from my bed, swiftly changing out of my pyjamas into all black. I locked my door with a semi-automatic lock before daring to jump out of the window and sprint through the open field towards the jungle. The moment I stepped into the thick greenery, nostalgia washed over me. It was as if I had lived this before, the path whispering secrets as I wandered deeper.

When I turned around, the scene mirrored my dreams—a wild chase after a werewolf that morphed into a human before my eyes. That revelation shattered the boundaries between dream and reality. Eager to understand more, I made my way back towards the jungle's entrance, climbing a tree using the gear I had brought with me. From this high vantage point, I could see the mansion still alive with the party, but then—a rustling below caught my attention.

There stood a couple of copper-brown werewolves, their noses twitching, sniffing the air as they circled my hiding place with low growls, the primal energy palpable."

She paused, glancing at her parents, who were hanging on her every word, their expressions a mix of fascination and concern.

"I shrunk into myself, holding my breath, trying to remain invisible. Suddenly, one of the copper-brown wolves broke away, bounding into the jungle with such speed that I nearly lost my balance. The other lingered, moving a few trees away, still sniffing the air. Then, in a breathtaking moment, it shifted into a human, donning a t-shirt and shorts before sprinting towards the mansion. I was mortified—overreaction, I know, but utterly speechless. In that instant, my lingering doubts were decisively crushed; I had found my answers."

Both Anna and William stared at each other with wide eyes, before Anna leaned forward, intrigue sparkling in her gaze. "That sounds like something out of a storybook! But tell me, how do you know about being a mate to Christian?"

"After that night, I immediately delved into research and even hacked into their system, uncovering a treasure trove of information about mates and werewolves. I compared Christian's behaviour towards me with mine towards him, and it was a perfect match under the 'mate' column. Our interactions felt undeniably fated. So, I embraced it, convinced that we were destined to be together. Or am I wrong?"

"No, my baby girl, you're not wrong," William exclaimed, his voice slipping out before he could stop it. Realisation dawned on him, and he clasped his hand over his mouth, but it was too late—Anna nudged him playfully.

"Haha! Daddy spilled the beans! I knew you all were trying your hardest to make Christian and me end up together, right, Mummy, Daddy?" Karol smirked, a triumphant glint in her eye as her parents exchanged sheepish smiles.

"Yes, you're right, sweetheart. We just wanted to help that poor bean win over his fated pair," William attempted to lighten the mood, grinning mischievously, only to earn eye rolls from the mother-daughter duo, annoyed yet amused by his antics.