Plot Twist

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

"Hold on, man. We don't go anywhere with 'scary', 'spooky', 'haunted' or 'forbidden' in the title."

Shaggy, Scooby Doo

"Sweetie? Cal? It's time to wake up."

The soft voice of fake-mom was what woke me up the next morning. Leaning over me, her eyes were bloodshot, and her face seemed to tremble. "It's time to get up for school, Cal," she said softly, "Your breakfast is downstairs." It took me a few blinks to remember all that had taken place in the past twenty-four hours.

"Oh, uh, thanks," I mumbled sleepily, rubbing my eyes. I was usually grumpy most mornings--at least until I got a little coffee in my system--but looking at fake-mom's heartbroken expression was like being doused with ice cold water. It was a reminder that, despite my jokes about this being some cringy Wattpad novel, this situation was real. This woman was real, and her kid had been taken from her.

She was perched on the end of my bed--probably to make sure I didn't just roll over and fall back asleep--and I wanted to say something to her. I wasn't sure what exactly--it wasn't like I was Dr. Phil. I had very little experience in comforting people, and I didn't want to see her revert back to the hysterical mess she was the day before.

"Uh, mom," I finally said, drawing her attention, "Look, I know you're scared, but it's going to be okay. We're going to find Skylar, and when we do, we're going to bring her back home. Sky is going to make it through this--she's strong. I mean, she's a white wolf."

That comes with some sort of special abilities, right?

Fake-mom seemed to toss and turn my words in her head, and I prayed that I didn't say anything to make the situation worse. After a moment, she turned to me with a watery smile, "You know, when your father and I discovered Skylar's uniqueness, we were so proud, but we were also worried. We knew, with that much power, she would have...difficulties along the way. I just didn't imagine it would be this, or that it would happen so soon."

I nodded my head. After all, this was a cringy werewolf novel, and the plot had to pick up some time.

"The truth is," she continued, "Your sister is beautiful, compassionate and intelligent...but she's not strong."

Wait, what?

"I don't mean to sound harsh," she explained, "But your sister has lived an easy life. She has never wanted for anything. Your father and I wanted to protect her from the world, but the past few days, I've begun to have doubts about that decision. We didn't prepare her for any of this--even after we discovered her abilities--and we should have. We knew she would eventually face obstacles, but we didn't prepare her for them. We gave her anything she wanted, and we failed her."

I wasn't sure how to respond other than to awkwardly pat Fake-mom's shoulder as she wiped away her tears. It's not like I could dispute what she was saying. Skylar had grown up privileged. Not only was she an Alpha's daughter, but she looked like a supermodel. Honestly, her hardest obstacle up to this point had probably been Ryder's rejection.

Could Skylar survive whatever was happening to her?

I mean, what if they've locked her in a dark room somewhere and are torturing her?

Or brainwashing her?

God, I should not have watched all the Saw movies.

The thought of someone torturing Skylar made my stomach churn.

"Look, honey, why don't you come downstairs and eat some breakfast?" Fake-mom said, "I really didn't mean to get carried away. I'm sure you're right, your sister will be fine." Yet, even as she said it, I could tell she didn't really believe it.