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Dad came straight over to us and embraced Mam and me for a long time while Dorian greeted his guardians.
Finally, we separated, and Dorian and I reached each other for a hug. I sank into his embrace, filling my nostrils with his scent. “You were gone forever,” I complained. “You missed everything.”
“We’ve so much to catch up on,” he breathed against my ear. “I missed you so bad.”
I allowed myself another moment of comfort before pulling away. “Tell me the bad news.”
He glanced at my dad then nodded. “Take a seat first.”
I sat back down next to my parents while Dorian sat in between his guardians who held his hands tightly. They looked so relieved to have him home that it warmed my heart.
“Margo,” Dad said, but he looked directly at Mam. “We found your birth mother. She’s a harbinger, and she came back with us.”
I froze. I had imagined so many scenarios, but his words didn’t seem real. The woman who had given birth to me, the woman who had abandoned me, the woman who had made me anything but normal was nearby, had come all that way. For me?
“Where is she?”
“She’s with Byron, in his house, waiting for you to be ready,” Dorian said. “Take your time. I know it’s a lot.”
I blinked, looked from my father back to my mother. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Be prepared for anything,” Dad said, squeezing my hand. “As I said, she’s a harbinger. She snuck away from the compound to come here to try to help you.”
“What’s she like?” Mam asked.
“Terrified, mostly,” Dad said, but there was a tightness to his voice that made me feel like he wasn’t telling us everything.
“Why did she have to sneak away?” I asked. “What goes on where she lives?”
“We’re not sure,” Dad said. “She doesn’t want to talk about her people much and what she does say is confusing.”
“We found the compound,” Dorian explained. “They sent Byron and Ryan away, acted like they knew about werewolves. We hung around the nearest village, waiting for them to leave the compound. We managed to briefly talk to some women, but they practically ran away.”
“Vira, your biological mother, came to us herself,” Dad said.
“And the biological father?” Mam said. “What about him?”
Dad shook his head, hesitating.
“What is it?” I demanded. “Tell me, Dad.”
“She had you very young,” Dad said gently, “with a young man who wasn’t a harbinger. They ran away together, but she went back to her people after leaving you at the orphanage.”
Still, that hesitation.
“What is it?” I said. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“He died. I’m sorry.”
My chest felt itchy. Was I supposed to mourn? Grieve? Feel anything for a complete stranger? Mostly, I felt empty.
He rested a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “Vira told us that he was happy to be a father, that he loved you. She hid from him, sent you to the orphanage without his permission. I’m sure he was devastated when he realised you were gone.”
It was a lot. A whole lot. My biological father had cared about me, had wanted me. How different would my life have been with him? I hugged my dad. “Thank you,” I whispered.
Mam rubbed my back. “You were loved. I knew you had to be.”
I couldn’t help making a face. “So she’s the one who didn’t want me. Her and her people.”
