Heat

XII.

I wasn't sure if it was me feeling awkward and put of place or if my parents could feel it too but dinner was tense.

"So how was your day today" my mother asks timidly. Maybe she could feel it after all, she was acting awkwardly too.

"I have a question for you both" I say breaking my silence. I wasn't going to continue the act of family when I knew what they weren't telling me. My mothers eyes widen and my dad continues staring at his phone.

"What would that be dear" my mother plays it off and continues to dig around her food.

"Who are you" I ask placing my fork down. And glancing between them. My mother beings the napkin to her mouth as she finishes swallowing and tries to laugh it off.

"What do you mean, we're your parents" she says reaching for my hand but I scoot my chair back from the table.

"I know you didn't give birth to me and you adopted me, who are you" I ask pointing my gaze to my mom.

"Dear looks like it's that time" she sighs and begins getting up. I scoot back a little bit afraid of what she's about to say. She smiles sweetly and grabs my plate. If they wanted to her me they would've already but now I know they aren't who they actually are. My dad put his phone down and grabbed the bridge of his nose with annoyance.

"What do you know" he asks not looking up.

"I know your backgrounds started around the time I was born and you lived here ever since" I state keeping my eyes on them both. My mom had walked into the kitchen with the plates and emerged with her glasses and a towel to wipe her hands.

"Do you even need those glasses?" I ask unsure of what to believe.

"Not as much as I have been using them but I do need them" she says messing with them.

"That's not in the file" I state and continue looking at her.

"No... I guess that was my slip up" she says huffing into the chair she sat in previously.

"So who are you" I ask again and look at my dad who is looking at me for once.

"We do love you like our own but the job comes first" she says giving me a guilty smile. She doesn't answer me though.

"What do you know about the supernatural" my dad asks. His hands are crossed on the table and he leans over more getting comfortable but starting to look intimidating. Maybe I should've had back up.

"Enough" I said shifting in my seat. They had the upper hand now. They were controlling the situation I thought I had.

"So you know that you aren't human then... what did you shift?" He asks sounding annoyed now.

"Oh honey did she?! Do you think she did? It's still later than most would but do you think it happened yet?" My mother sounded giddy but also worried about it. It was like I had started my first period again, only a different kind of change in my body.

"What if I did?" I ask, that answer might've given me away but what other option did I have.

"Then sweetheart we would have to do some not so fun things" my dad said sending chills down my spine. He didn't move towards me just kept his eyes locked onto me waiting for me to say something. I gulped and glanced over at my mother. She didn't have an expression on her face either but just kept looking at me.

"Did you shift" he asks again a little firmer. If I hadn't already given the obvious answer of yes by being a child and answering the way I did he will know for sure this whole conversation I won't be honest with him.

"No" I state as firmly as I can without sounding like a lie. He eyes me but just sighs and lets it go.

"How do you know" he asks locking his eyes into mine.

"What do you mean" I ask, my voice barely leaving my throat.

"Honey we aren't here to harm you, we are here to keep you hidden" my mother answers as if to reassure me that they weren't dangerous. The feeling inside my stomach was telling me otherwise. It felt like at any moment I would have to get up and run.

"Hidden? From what?" I ask. Was I in danger and they saved me? I got the opposite feeling.

"The packs were growing larger on the western side of the continent" my father starts.

"The werewolves" my mother chimes in with a little smile.

"In order to keep the world in balance and the werewolves from growing too much we took you away" my father says casually.

"Took me away?" I ask with anger starting to grow in my chest. I was feeling the heat rise from my heart. Why would they take me away for a silly reason. They lied about everything and kept me in the dark.

"Now dear control your anger or this conversation will take longer" my father said reasoning with me. His hand shifted to his pants like he was ready to grab something to protect himself. My eyes flinched to it and his hands went up in surrender being caught by me. My mother pushes a cup of water towards me to sip. I grab it angrily and gulp down a couple gulps of water. The fire that burned in me settled slightly with a few deep breaths. I needed to hear what they had to say.

"Better than I thought" my father commented taking his own drink of water.

"Anyway dear, we had to take you where you wouldn't be found. Now the power is even across the continent" my mother finishes for my father.

"How are you involved, you're human aren't you?" I asked. I sniffed the air as timidly as I could, I hadn't noticed their slightly unusual scent, it wasn't just perfume and sweat that you would normally smell. Something herbal about them but only if you were looking for something different could you find it. They are humans, the pack would've found out if they weren't but that other world outside the werewolf thing also terrified me. What else was out there and what didn't the pack know.

"We are what you call hunters" my mother said sheepishly. She was rubbing her hands faster and harder with nerves. Her eyes darted between me and my dad.

"Hunters? Like you kill the supernatural?" I ask feeling the adrenaline spike in my fingers. I had to remain as calm as possible in order to get all the information.

"Yes we do that but you gotta understand that just like human's hunt deer and keep populations under control, we do the same with super naturals" he said trying to make it sound not as bad that he was killing people.

"But you're still killing people" I said getting up out of my chair and backing away slowly. I felt even more unsafe in this house.

"They aren't people, they're different and without checking their populations the humans would suffer and the world would be in chaos" he said getting up and walking over to me slowly. How could he compare them to something like wild animals. These were people of a different kind that had their families and communities, sure wild animals have some form of this but on the outside they're still just as human.

"Why am I different, why did you kidnap me" I accuse them and feel more adrenaline entering my body. As soon as I get my answer I'm bolting.

"You were the King Alpha's daughter on the east coast, set to marry the King Alpha in the west's son. Uniting the packs on this continent and dominating the super natural AND the humans. We couldn't allow that honey" he had grabbed a syringe from his pants pocket and was holding it in his hand ready to strike me as soon as I ran.

"Why aren't you letting me be now" I ask worried why he can't just let me go.

"You know too much honey, I'm sorry but now we gotta take care of it" my eyes widen and I turn and run to get out the back door. As my eyes finally face the doorway I run into something solid and feel a prick on the nape of my neck with a searing liquid coursing through my veins. My body grows weak and my eyes fight to stay open but it's no use, my body is limp, in pain and I can no longer see anymore.