Chapter 4 4

After the stunning revelation of her Identity. Alexandra sat in silence, trying to process the impossible.

"My father... an Alpha. A king of werewolves? And my mother, a vampire?" She stared at the wall, disbelief fogging her thoughts. XI used to dream of writing fantasy stories about werewolves and vampires-now I'm one of them?" The idea felt like a cruel joke.

When she'd asked about her father, the response had been no less unsettling.

"We don't know if he's alive or dead. No one's seen him since the failed proclamation-eighteen years ago."

Eighteen years. Her entire life had been built on a lie.

She was trying her best to digest the newly found info about her family, She scoffed quietly, unsure whether to laugh or scream. "Am I supposed to believe any of this?" she muttered under her breath.

Lost in thought, Alexandra wandered around the room. Her little finger slammed into the corner of the bed. "Ow!" she yelped, rubbing it furiously. That's when she noticed the pile of gifts by the bedside. One caught her eye. She picked it up and unwrapped it carefully.

A dreamcatcher.

Attached was a small note in Blite's handwriting: "For your bad dreams."

Tears welled up. "Great," she muttered, "just what I needed, more reminders of this nightmare."

She looked up to the thud sound from the door, finding her friends landing on the floor.

A sudden thud at the door made her look up-her friends had stumbled into the room in a chaotic pile.

"Hey! I told you not to move too much!" Blite scolded Scott.

"You pushed me!" Scott accused, pointing at Walter.

Walter glared. "Why'd you pinch me, man?"

Samantha crossed her arms. "It's Samantha," thank you very much."

"Oh come on, not again," Harry sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Alexandra raised an eyebrow. "Guys?"

"Me first!" Scott bolted forward.

"No way-me!" Samantha yanked him back by the collar.

"Ugh, you're choking me!"

"You deserve it moron" she snapped.

"Step aside." Harry walked past them.

"Not so fast," Blite grabbed his hair and dragged him back.

Then, all at once, they shouted, "Happy Birthday!"

Alexandra blinked. "Uhm... thanks?" she replied, unsure.

Blite pulled her into a hug that crushed the air out of her lungs. "Look, we know it's been a lot-like, a lot-but it's still your birthday."

Harry joined the hug with a warm smile. The others hovered nearby, guilt clouding their expressions.

Samantha stepped forward, holding out a gift. "Happy birthday, Alex."

Alexandra turned her head, avoiding her gaze. Samantha-her best friend since middle school-now felt like a stranger.

"You don't have to open it now," Samantha said softly, placing the gift beside the others. She hesitated, then quickly exited the room.

Walter smiled awkwardly. "Happy birthday." But all Alexandra could think about was the image of him feeding on another vampire. She looked away, her stomach churning.

Scott followed. "I know you didn't see me earlier, but I owe you the truth. I'm Scott-and yeah, I'm a werewolf too."

He flashed a bright, almost sheepish smile. "And before you kick me out, I'll save you the trouble. Come on, Walter." He dragged Walter out with him.

After the door closed, Harry stepped closer. "Are you okay, Alexandra?"

She buried her face in her hands. "No," she whispered. "No, I'm not okay with any of this."

Her voice cracked as she looked up, eyes sharp. "How are you guys okay with it?"

"I mean... it's crazy," Blite admitted. "But can you believe it? Two of my friends are werewolves and one's a vampire. It's like something straight out of a book!"

Alexandra frowned. "Do you even *get* how serious this is?"

Harry clapped excitedly. "Come on! You're like, royalty. Luna! That's so cool!"

"Cool?" Alexandra's voice rose. "I don't believe any of that! Luna, queen, or whatever it is-I'm none of that. I'm just Alexandra, and I prefer to be just that. If what they say is true, and if I really had a family like this all along, why didn't Mom ever talk about them? Why did we live a normal life until they showed up? If I had the powers they claim I possess, I would have known, right? But I'm absolutely normal. I don't feel any of those powers. Maybe I'm adopted. That's why they assumed I'm Luna."

"Are you saying you don't believe it?" Harry asked.

"I don't deny the fact that my mother is a Vampire because I witness how her body changed and part of their story may be true but more than that .. until I hear it from my mom herself, I can't."

"I get that," Harry said gently. "But they're still our friends."

"Are they?" she snapped. "They've been lying to us this whole time. One's a blood-drinker, and the others-wolves. And now they just expect me to trust them?"

"They're not beasts, Alex," Blite corrected softly. "They're wolves."

Alexandra turned away. "I just... I can't trust them. Not yet."

"We've always had each other's backs. That hasn't changed," Blite said. "You can't deny they saved us. We owe them our lives."

Alexandra fell silent.

"Fine," she said at last. "I'll accept it. But I'm not going to trust anyone blindly. I won't."

"Then what now?" Harry asked.

"I need to find my mom. I want answers-real ones. Call your parents. Ask them to get us out of here."

Harry and Blite both nodded.

"Good," Alexandra said. "Because when I get home, I'm going to find my mom-and proof that I really am a wolf with vampire blood."