Wolf-blood

Duchess?

I was in parlor with Mother and Father, but they looked younger. Mother's curly hair was longer and she had less wrinkles. Father wasn't as pudgy and wasn't wearing glasses. They were having a conversation, and by the looks of it, it was important.

"...died last night," my mother spoke.

"What? How? They had twelve royal guards on them!" my father said, clearly upset.

"People are saying it was a freak shooting. A man in the park lost it and started shooting at passers-by. They say it was a human, but it doesn't make any sense. How did it get past the guards? No. My guess is rogues."

"Rogues? How many? They would've had to be trained."

"My thoughts exactly. I think it was the LWT. We've been waiting for something like this ever since the incident in Portland, but no one thought they'd attack in public. I'm guessing the guards memory wiped witnesses into seeing a freak shooting."

"But memory wiping hasn't been done for years, for all we know it was never used!"

"Look, I don't know all the details, but I know that the little Dutchess survived," my mother continued, "and they are putting her in hiding."

"How would you know that? If it was secret they wouldn't tell anyone, except-" Father cut off and his eyes went wide.

"Except the family they are giving her to," my mother concluded quietly.

My father looked dumbstruck. "You mean...?"

"Yes. They said we were far enough away to not be suspicious and the Duke always trusted our opinions, so," my mother tried to explain.

"So because you and I have trustworthy opinions, they trust us with a life? And not just a life, but a royal life?"

"Well apparently he trusted very little people and the ones he did, except us, are dead. But they said she was special, the little Duchess, that nobody like her has ever been born."

"How so?" my father said, voice quiet.

"Well, they don't know, her wolf hasn't showed itself yet. But they were adamant that when she turns thirteen, we'll know. And then at sixteen, she'll receive the royal marks, and they will guarantee that she is special."

"So, this is set? We can't refuse or turn down the offer?" my father asked, more for the sake of asking than wanting to know the answer.

My mother smiled, "Sorry. But we get to be her parents. We must give her a completely new and normal-"

"Indigo." my father whispered.

"What?" my mother asked, confused.

"We'll name her Indigo. You can choose the middle name."

My mother smiled, "So you agree?"

"Well, there isn't much choice, is there? And I've always wanted a daughter."

"I choose Calypso. But her name will be Calypso Indigo, not Indigo Calypso."

My father smiled slyly and whispered, "We'll see."

I woke up to someone gently nudging me. I looked over and saw my father smiling at me. "Hey," I said sleepily.

"Hey. I just wanted to give you a heads up. We're home, but the Gordon's are inside," Father stated.

Involuntarily, a growl escaped me. Immediately, I felt bad and shouted VIR! VOX! in my head. I covered my mouth. Father was looking at me funny so I put down my hand, smiled, and said, "Go on."