We sit at a table in the corner of the café, the warmth of the place a stark contrast to the cold, anxious twist in my stomach—writhing like thousands of angry, hissing snakes. A steaming cup of coffee sits in front of me, untouched, while I tap my fingers restlessly on the lip of the mug.
This moment feels unreal—like I’m caught between two different realities, one where I’m just Izzy, a girl struggling to survive, and the other where I’m meeting my paranormal biological fathers for the first time.
This is so much more than a family reunion. No, this may be my way to receive answers—answers I so desperately need.
Jake catches my eye from where he sits at a table next to ours, slightly out of the way. He offers me a single encouraging nod before returning his attention to his latte.
Travan sits across from me, wild-eyed and manic, like he’s barely tethered to reality. His smile is just a little too wide, a little too eager. I don’t know what to make of him, but I can tell my mates are cautious. Reid’s hand hasn’t left my thigh since we sat down, and both Ethan and Emery are as stiff as bowstrings.
Beside him, Silas almost looks too calm, at least comparatively. The silence between us is heavy, fraught with tension and history. He was my boss for weeks. He knew who I was—what I am to him—and he never said a word. Not once.
How could he look me in the eye every day and pretend we were nothing more than two random people thrown together by circumstance? I don’t understand it, and it stings worse than I care to admit, a wound that has been slathered in lemon juice and salt.
Then there’s Kyle, sitting to my left, his hands wrapped around his own coffee cup and his gaze lingering somewhere to the side.
My…teacher. Or at least, my substitute teacher.
But like Silas, he kept the truth from me, and now that damning truth is unraveling in front of us all, revealing how deep the lies go.
I don’t know what to feel right now. Betrayal, confusion, and anger all mix up in my chest.
None of them told me the truth.
None of them looked for me after my biological mother… My heart clenches painfully.
I’m not sure I’m ready for this. I don’t know how to even begin processing the idea that my whole life has been a lie. And I definitely don’t know what to do with the three men sitting in front of me, the men who are supposed to be my fathers but feel more like strangers.
Ever since I learned the truth about my parentage, I’ve been desperate to receive answers, but now that I have the chance, I don’t know what to ask. I’m afraid to know the truth.
Reid gives my thigh a reassuring squeeze, and the twisting sensation in my stomach alleviates, just slightly. I don’t know what the fuck has come over my giant of a mate. He wasn’t this…touchy-feely before I got taken.
“Izzy.” Kyle’s the one who breaks the silence, his voice low, a husky murmur that ripples across me. “I know this is a lot to take in, especially after what you just went through, both with the witches and the Hunters.”
A lot? That’s a goddamn understatement. I want to snap at him, ask why he thought it was a good idea to lie to me, but the words catch in my throat. I feel like I’ve been choking for so damn long that I can’t remember how to take a full breath.
And I don’t even know what to focus on first. The attack that literally just happened? The witches? My mother? Delaney? The fact that they knew who I was and lied to me? Fuck. My head is spinning, and tension rushes through my muscles, making them taut.
“I don’t even know where to start,” Kyle continues, tapping his fingers against the side of his mug. “The past? The present? The future? I just want you?—”
“You should’ve told me,” I interrupt, my voice shaking. I instinctively lower my hand to Reid’s on top of my thigh, squeezing his fingers tightly, hoping the touch will ground me. “You were my teacher. Myteacher. How could you keep something like this from me?”
Kyle looks down, his expression pained, but I don’t allow my defenses to crumble. Not just yet. Not in front of them, these three virtual strangers.
“I’m sorry, Izzy,” he mutters, and I don’t know if it’s sincere or just a half-hearted apology. I would like to believe it’s the former, but a part of me wonders if they ever would’ve told me the truth if they hadn’t been caught. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Didn’t want to hurt me?” My voice rises despite myself. “You think lying to me is better than telling the truth? The truth about who I am?WhatI am?”
My chest heaves, and a tingling sensation unfurls from the tips of my fingers to my toes.
Travan suddenly leans forward, his wild eyes locking onto mine. “I would just like to point out that I never lied. I actually didn’t know you existed. So…yay! Brownie points for me!” To emphasize his point, he rips off a piece of the brownie he purchased and waves it in the air before popping it into his mouth. “What a delicious brownie point.”
“He can’t be real,” Emery murmurs, his voice too low for anyone but me to hear.
I can’t help but snort.
Travan tilts his head to the side, and a strange gentleness emanates from his eyes—eyes that look so eerily similar to my own. “You look just like her, you know. Your mother, I mean. It’s crazy.”
The mention of my birth mother sends a sharp pang reverberating through my chest. I close my eyes for a moment, trying to fight back the lump in my throat. I can’t help but wonder what things would’ve been like if she were still alive, if she hadn’t chosen to kill herself and leave me alone. Would I have grown up here, with all of them? I certainly would’ve known the three men sitting before me.
