The Longer I Live

Chapter 8: No Heh. Not the Boring Ones

"Spirit Wolf or raging man-eating beast!" Stiles spat. He flipped his legs over the side of the bed. "Just stay the hell away from me!"

"Stiles, I know you're in shock but let us explain," pleaded Laura. "The town is in danger."

"In danger?" Stiles cocked an eyebrow. "It seems that I'm in danger of being eaten by werewolves and they're standing in front of me!"

Laura raised her hands, placed both hands to his shoulders to comfort him. "Please listen. No one will harm you, I promise. All that I ask is that you here us out."

Hazel eyes lifted toward the woman's face that exuded a presence of kindness and sympathy. He could not explain the feeling, but he felt safe. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he folded his hands and heard what the two of them out.

"Thank you, Stiles," replied the older woman putting a hand to her heart. "It's very brave of you especially under the circumstances. All I ask is that you keep an open mind."

"I'm listening," he answered. Still, his mind remained skeptical.

"Remember when I told you of the Aeiwa's myth of the great Creator the Coyote Man?" She repeated.

Stiles nodded.

"Well, there is some truth to these myths. Like other cultures, we worship deities that represent the sun and the moon. As you know the sun god, Wi, and the moon goddess, Hanwi, took on animal spirit shapes to which our people honor them with artwork and sculptures dedicated to their animal forms. Wi is representative of the fox and Hanwi is of the wolf."

"And Kalona is the Ravenmocker," added Stiles. "Yeah, I got all that."

"If you recall," Laura continued. "I mentioned the violation of Hanwi at the hands of Kalona, which forced her to bear the monsters known as skin-walkers. In turn, Hanwii, and her husband, Wi, had children of their own. Spirit wolves called aningans, who would serve as guardians and protect humanity from the skin-walkers."

Stiles turned his attention to Derek. "So, you're related to a sun god and moon goddess?"

Derek smiled. "They were my grandparents. Being an aningan meant a great responsibility to my family. It was our job to ensure that the yee naald looshii, or skin-walkers, did not spread their disease to the children of the great Creator."

Stiles raised his eyebrows. "Grandparents? But according to the story, the gods existed during the beginning of time. That would mean..."

"That I'm thousands and thousands of years old," grinned handsome, the green-eyed man. "Yes, Stiles I'm immortal. It's part of my legacy of being a spirit wolf."

"And if you're his sister?" Stiles focused on Laura. "Then you're immortal too! No offense but you're close to pulling a Driving Miss Daisy look."

Laura laughed. "Since we're being honest, Stiles. I'm not really Derek's sister. I'm his daughter?"

"WHAT?" The teenager's mouth dropped. "But...but..."

"It's true, Stiles," Derek explained. "Laura is my daughter and part human which accounts for her aging. When a spirit wolf reaches full maturity, they choose the age they wish to accept their immortality. I was twenty-eight at the time when I felt ready to bear the responsibility. Being a spirit wolf also means a lonely existence. That is why we seek human companionship. Laura's mother was my mate before she passed away and Laura has since taken over the responsibility of overseeing the Aeiwa tribe."

"Sadly, spirit wolves who bear children with humans do not inherit their parent's immortality," she added. "We die of old age like everyone else."

"I'm sorry," Stiles responded sadly.