The Colour of Love ✔️

Chapter 8

I sat back and watched as Gabriel entered our sanctuary. He was naked as we all were but I couldn't help but stare at his sculpted body, toned to perfection as though the Goddess herself had sat down and put the extra work into making him.

"Aren't you handsome." My mother smiled as she regarded him from beside me. Everything here wasn't real. It was a simple living room setting allowing us the comfort to sit and talk as we wished. I realised then that he was staring at me. As though he was looking at me in a new light and I assumed he was. Here, I looked how I did before I died and very few people knew that look.

Tattoos on both arms and a piercing above my eyebrow. Blonde almost gold hair with red highlights but my golden eyes rimmed by dark kohl. It was how my parents remembered me and it was how I always wanted them to see me; as their little girl. When my body had resurrected all markings had been erased as though they were never there to begin with.

"Does he not understand us Amber?" I glanced at my mother. It was possible he didn't. Our pack was in Europe, somewhere close to Romania so we spoke Romanian but I didn't know what language we were speaking now.

My mother, a tall woman with hair lighter than mine held herself proudly as she stood beside my father. He was dark, with light hair and hazel eyes. High cheekbones and big oval eyes that always stared at my mother lovingly.

"Gabriel?" He blinked as I called his name and he began approaching us slowly.

"I'm sorry, I got lost in…" He trailed off unsure what to say. "I'm Gabriel, Alpha of the Mountain Valley Pack." They stared at him.

"That's a new pack?" My father asked but his tone was accusatory.

"Fairly new. Sixty-five years in existence." He pursed his lips and I stifled my laugh.

"A baby pack. Where did it originate from?" He blinked, clearly with no answer for my father.

"Stop it Ivan, that is so rude." She shook her head. "We're Amber's parents." He was staring at her oddly before blinking and nodding.

"Amber is such a beautiful name." My mother smiled.

"I agree." She laughed. "I wish I could tell you I got it from my mother or something but that isn't the case. I named her Amber after her beautiful eye colour." I rolled my eyes.

"I told you mom, I got my eye colour from you guys." She dismissed me with a wave of her hand and a gentle smile on her face.

"No it isn't quite there but we love you deeply still." I smiled at her before turning to glance at Gabriel who continued to stare at me.

"Is something wrong with my Amber." My father snarled and Gabriel turned to look at him.

"No, I just feel as though I'm looking at her through a new light." He blinked.

"How long have you two known each other?" My mother was craning her head to see my neck.

"A week." I answered.

"A week!" She gasped. "And he hasn't marked you yet?" She turned to glare at him and he visibly swallowed. "Is something wrong with my Amber? Is there a reason you haven't marked her? I know shifting is an important part of wolf culture but just because she can't shift doesn't mean she's any less of a wolf." She was frantic.

"Mom!" I hissed the same time he asked, "She can't shift?"

"You haven't told him?" She blinked.

"No." I held my head up and she blinked and wiped her eyes that had begun to water.

"I'm sorry. We failed you as-" I cut her off.

"Stop that. I didn't tell him because I don't know if I could accept the bond or not. You guys have to understand that I'm not ashamed of who I am. I am very proud to be your daughter." I looked at them and my mother came forward and hugged me tightly.

"Why haven't you accepted it?" She whispered and I knew she knew my answer I could see it in the way she was looking at me.

"Because... ." She wrapped her hands back around me and squeezed tightly.

"You have nothing to fear…"

"...but fear itself." My father finished for her. I pulled away from them and looked down at my arms and took a sigh before allowing the façade to fall away. My mother stared at me with shock before running her hands through my amber hair then down my bare hands.

"What happened?" The tattoos we did were done with silver to thoroughly burn the skin and never fade. Unless the skin was cut off and allowed to heal.

"My skin doesn't mark, it can't be marked. I tried numerous times but the skin replenishes and the marks go." She frowned and ran her hand through my hair.

"Have you found out?" I shook my head.

"The latest theory by the Greeks is that I'm the daughter of Apollo." She blinked shocked.

"I… I think I would remember if I slept with a God." A rose an eyebrow at her and she stared at me with eyes so much like my own but still so different.

"Not in that sense mom." She blushed lightly and waved a hand.

"I figured." I chewed on my lip. "That sounds very believable. Daughter of the Sun and we children of the Moon." She gestured to herself and my father and I nodded.

"It is plausible and the only explanation I found that makes some sense."

"What are you talking about?" Gabriel asked bewildered. "I'm still on the fact that you can't shift." He looked at my parents. "Are you a vampire?" His eyebrows were scrunched together in confusion. I found it odd since he was the one who pointed out werewolves and vampires couldn't mate.

"Goddess no." My mother snorted. "I'm the daughter of an Alpha male and female and Ivan is the son of a gamma male and female. We are wolves through and through."

"Then why can't she shift?" He was raising his voice and my chest squeezed.

"Don't raise your voice at my mother." I snarled and he looked at me and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry Beta female." She gave him a sad smile and stroked my cheek.

"We don't know and we never figured it out. The closest we got was her being a daughter of the Sun, as she just told us." My mother frowned and I frowned as I clenched unto her hand.

"It isn't time yet." I whispered.

"I think it is." My father said as he placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed.

"I…" I didn't know what else to say and I felt the tears prick at my eyes as they both hugged me.

"We love you." And our bodies sank to the ground as I held unto them tighter wishing that they would stay longer.

"Thank you."