The Bond

33

W. A. S.
PART ONE

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I think everyone knows that we all have two families; the one we are born into without a choice and the one we choose.

I am the exception because I got to have three families; the one I was born into without a choice, the one I was given to and the one I chose. I never got to know my biological family, my mom was an only child whose parents died right before she met my dad, and my dad's family, well I'm glad I got to get to meet my grandparents, but I still don't know them. When my mother died, I was given to Melissa and Don King who were my legal guardians, the two people my mother trusted the most with her only remaining family, me. I loved the Kings and if anybody asked me then, I'd say they loved me too. Melissa was practically my mom, she did all the things I was afraid I wouldn't get to do with my mother now that she was gone, but Melissa erased that fear and easily took the role of my mother. When I got older and people started wondering if she was my mother, I always said yes. Don... he was everything and more than I could ever want for a father. He took me to all the Father/Daughter dances and even did the cliche scary, protective dad act when I started dating. I loved them and I think, in some way, despite all the hurt they've cost me, I still love them.

Sebastian and the lycans, they're the best people that I could have ever chosen as a family. They all have their own roles in our abnormal family, each role that I completely cherish and adore. Even Killian, who freaks me out sometimes and annoys the hell out of me, I still care deeply for him and cannot imagine this family without him.

And Vanessa, my hilarious, confident and beautiful Vanessa... She was and is the best and only family I could ever have ever asked for.

I'm a little nervous about bringing a child into this family, because well, it's not the normal family that most kids have and I know how wanting that can hurt a child. I hope my child accepts this family just like I have, because they're honestly the best people I've ever known and the although the lengths they're willing to go to protect him and I are scary, I know it's all coming out of love. And that's all I've ever wanted, not just for me, but for the baby. I want him to feel loved and wanted.

As you can see, family is very important to me. And I take family seriously.

It's why when my phone rang this afternoon and Melissa spoke out, obviously crying and rambling on about being attacked and something that may or may not have translated into "Vanessa was taken by a bunch werewolves," I got in my car and sped off to her apartment. It's why I didn't bother calling Sebastian or any of the other lycans, even when I got into the car with Melissa and let her take me to a safe house a few miles uptown. It's also why I believed her when she said that the werewolves were going to come after me. It's why I didn't freak out when she locked me inside a room and claimed it was for my protection. Family.

They say love makes you do crazy, stupid things but I disagree. Family makes you do crazy stupid things even when the warnings were right in front of you, practically glowing in neon colors and blaring loud, ear piercing sirens. Family is a powerful and dangerous thing. And not everyone deserves a role in one.

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It took me a while to finally grasp what was going on, but when I did it was already too late. And I didn't figure it out by myself, Vanessa helped me.

How?

Well after about twenty minutes of sitting in an empty, cold room, I got curious, so I walked over to the closet where I found my best friend sitting on the floor with duct tape covering her mouth and ropes tied around her hands and legs. My poor best friend wasn't even conscious. It took a lot of yelling and slapping to finally get her to open her eyes. But she was still pretty out of it so she couldn't verbally communicate with me.