Chapter 5

I woke up on my birthday feeling quite annoyed. I had to go to school, it was not just that; I had been reading the books I found in the attic and I was pretty sure I was not Ian and Hillary's biological child. They could not be my parents because I was clearly an Amarelo type wolf, named after the colour of our eyes, and they were Novoluní wolves like the rest of our pack. They lied to me. If they had not, why were these books hidden?

After I was done getting ready for school I sat on my bed and pulled out the last book I had been reading before I flipped to the page I was currently on.

'These wolves are the most aggressive of all werewolves. On full moons they may become so aggressive they cannot control their movements, sometimes even harming their own mates.' I stopped. I had ever shifted on a full moon, my parents always said it was best if I did not. I guess I knew what they meant now.

"Izzy, you're going to be la –” I shut the book trying to cover it with my hands when my mother burst into my room but she had already seen it, "What are you reading, Sweetie?" She asked.

"Nothing." I said.

"Izzy –” she began but I spoke.

"So... Amarelo wolf, huh?" She stared at me stunned and I nodded sliding my hands off the cover of the old book as I looked down at it, "You weren't planning on telling me, were you? That's why Sean always said I was a freak. It's why no one wanted to interact with me when I was little, why even the elder members stayed away from me, isn't it?" I asked.

She was quiet and I took that as her answer while I slid the book onto my bed.

"Hillary, where is Izzy? She's going to be... late..." Dad drifted off as he walked in, seemingly immediately reading the room, "What's going on?" He asked looking between his wife and me.

I smiled getting up. "I'll walk." I grabbed my bag.

"Izabella, wait –” Mom began.

"You know, maybe for my birthday present you could spent twelve hours not lying to me. Never mind, that's probably too much to ask for." I said walking by them.

"Izabella, why would you say that to us? Where is this coming from? What's going on with you?" Dad asked following me out of the room but I ignored him as I quickened my pace downstairs. “Hillary?” He sounded confused as he stopped.

"Izabella!" I heard Mom begin to come after me but I was out of the house in less than a second.

-----

I sat on the floor in the hallway, my back leaned against my locker as I read. Sean had not came to school and for that I was grateful. I was not in the mood for stupid arguments and fights or to even see him. I was reading a human book for once. I found that even looking at a werewolf book annoyed me after reading all those books from the attic. I kept my head down as I heard a couple of footsteps making their way through the empty hallways, getting louder before they came to a halt right in front of me, I didn’t need to look up to know who they were.

"Izzy, why are you here and not in the cafeteria?" I heard Corey. I had not spoken to him all day, Hayley too. I had been actively avoiding them because I was not in the mood to speak to anyone.

"Yeah, and why are you ignoring our texts and calls?" Hayley asked.

I still did not look up at them as I closed the book on my lap. "You knew... You knew and you didn't tell me..." I said. Their silence confirmed that they knew exactly what I was talking about. After a while of none of us saying anything I heard Hayley’s throat clear softly.

"We didn't... We couldn't tell you, it was against pack rules." Hayley said.

I looked up at them. "Pack rules?” I asked in disbelief, “We've broken so many pack rules. This is the one you choose not to break?"

"Izzy, we didn't tell you because it's not our place. That and we did not want to upset you. You're one of us, you've always been. This doesn't change that." Corey said.

"It kinda does, Corey. Because I'm not one of you. I'm not part of your pack. No one has ever wanted me in your pack, I've never been part of your pack, and Sean has been telling me that since I can remember. He's the only one that's ever been truthful to me." I said as I got up, "You haven't. And it makes me wonder what kind of friends keep a secret this big. I thought I could trust you amongst everyone else. I thought we told each other everything, or at least the serious things. But I guess I'm wrong." My voice edged with the anger and hurt I felt and I decided to get away from them because I needed some air so I began to leave but Hayley caught my arm.

"Izzy -" She began.

"Forget about it." I looked into her eyes.

She blinked suddenly looking confused. "Um... What… what are we doing?" She mumbled looking around as if trying to get an answer to her question that way.

"What did you do?" Corey looked at me shocked.

"I did nothing, forget." I said. I knew I should not have been using my eyes on them, but I was angry, confused, hurt and tired. I did not want to keep talking about it.

"Why are we in the hall?" Corey asked.

"Needed to get my book but my dad called. I’ll talk to you later." I waved my book before I grabbed my bag and left them standing there. I was not going to stay in school for four more hours. Especially because I had both Mr Taylor and Mrs Haynes in the next three periods and I was definitely not going to see any adult wolves in the next few hours, especially not wolves that were close to my father… Ian.

"Izabella." I stopped when I heard Sean's friend, Eric. I grit my teeth together. Didn't anyone understand how pissed and tired I was?! Were his friends there to bother me because he was taking a day off? "I'm not going to hassle you... I guessed today has been some fucked up day for you so, uh... The guys and I got you something... Um... Happy birthday… Izabella."

I turned at him surprised to see him holding out a box to me. I took it slowly, almost cautiously and smiled when I could read the top. It was a box of doughnuts.

"Thank you, Eric." I smiled, genuinely thankful because I had not eaten yet.

"It's from all of us; Jason, Andrew, Matt and me. I swear we’ve done nothing to them, I haven’t opened the box since they gave it to me at the store, you can see by the sticker.” I managed a laugh as he laughed when he pointed at it, “You're welcome. See you later," He smiled before he left. I stood staring at the doughnuts. Who would have thought Sean's friends would be nice to me? Weird. I was happy for the doughnuts anyway. I believed him, because I would have smelt it had they done anything to the doughnuts and the sticker was not creased at. They were genuinely being nice. My day just kept getting weirder...

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I had left school before lunch ended and it was as I was headed home that a man stepped in my way on the sidewalk. He had come out of nowhere and I had immediately smelt that he was a werewolf which put me more on edge than just the fact that some random man had just walked up to me in the middle of the day when the streets were completely empty apart from the occasional passing car every few minutes.

"Izabella," he smiled. I sighed. I did not even want to know how this strange man knew my name, I just wanted him to leave.

"Henry." I said the first random name that came to my mind. He chuckled.

"Joe, actually. You're funny," he said, "Like your mother before Ian murdered her." He added seriously.

"He didn't." I said. I had no doubt in my mind that if my birth parents were dead, it was not because of my dad. He wasn't my biological father but he had always been my Dad and I knew he would never do that. Not to me.

The man chuckled. "Right, don't go crazy, it was just a joke." He said.

"It was a lie." I replied, "Now I'll question every single thing you say." I added frowning. It was true. He chuckled.

"You're actually more like your father." He said.

"You knew my parents?" My eyes fell to his left wrist and I gasped seeing a mark identical to mine on his wrist. He lifted his hand when he realised what I was looking at and stared at it.

"It's a symbol, every Amarelo wolf gets it a week before their eighteenth, it shows who their family is and does other things too, happy birthday by the way," he said, "I would have gotten you a gift but I figured that would be creepy because you don't know me yet." He said.

"And approaching me in a deserted street is not creepy.” I said sarcastically and he smiled, “Who are you?" I narrowed my eyes getting ready to pounce if he tried something.

"Izabella, please. These wolves raised you into a weak little Amarelo, you couldn't take me on if my arms were cut off." He said, "But, my little niece, I would not hurt family." I stared at him surprised and only then noticed his eyes and hair were the same colour as mine. He smirked. "Yes, I'm your uncle, your mother's brother. Younger," he frowned when he said 'younger' as if remembering something upsetting before he looked back at me. "Tell you what, if you want to know more about us and you, your parents; meet me at the Parker Hotel's restaurant tonight at six. I promise I won't lie. I'm not Ian, after all." He smirked and vanished. No, he did not run, he literally vanished. But wolves could not do that, we just moved very fast. Only witches could vanish... My mom could.

I sighed shaking my head. This was all so freaking confusing. I decided to go home quickly before going to meet Joe. Hey, if I had no truth at the moment I might as well listen to his truth, right? And the Parker hotel was quite a populated place, especially in the evenings so if he was right about how much stronger he was than I was, he would not try anything around so many humans and possibly other wolves.

I was reminded of the strange pulls I had been feeling all day as I got back onto pack territory. One of them was so much stronger now that I was home. My mate... He really was in my pack? Or rather, THIS pack? I looked around, my eyes landing on random guys but it was not them, I would have known immediately. I shook my head and tried to ignore the pull as I ran into my house and it seemed to fade.

"Izabella?!" I heard my dad – or Ian, I didn’t know what to refer to him as – call as soon as I had stepped into the house despite how quietly I had tried to open the door.

"I'm going out!" I yelled as I ran up to my room.

"You are not, Izabella." He was in my room in an instant. I let my bag fall onto the carpet as I sighed and looked at him.

"Is that you pretending to be my father?" I asked, I regretted it when hurt flashed across his face but I did not apologise. Pride? Probably. Something I undoubtedly got from him, Alpha.

"I am your father and you're going to listen when I say you're not going anywhere until we talk." He said.

"Why? So you can lie more? No." I spat back.

"Do not use that tone with me, Izabella. I am your father, I raised you and you are going to listen to me. You will not be going anywhere, is that clear?" He said sternly. I knew he wasn't going to budge. I didn't have a choice.

"You're not my father. You never were and you're never going to be. You’re just a liar." I mumbled, I didn't look back at him to see the emotion on his face as I walked into my bathroom and shut the door behind me.

I regretted saying those things to him. I knew I hurt him. I was just so confused and angry. I didn't understand why he didn't ever tell me. Why he still has not admitted to anything. I sighed sitting on the floor, my thoughts too much of a mess for me to make any of them out clearly. I could not think straight. I shut my eyes. Joe was willing to talk, but I wasn't going to be able to meet him. I looked at the mark on my wrist as it tingled, the pull suddenly came back, much stronger but I did not move. I did not want a mate. Especially from the Galaxy pack. Most of the guys here hated me because I was an Amarelo when I had done nothing to earn that hatred. I could not be mated to someone so prejudiced and mean. I would not.

-----

"I’ve got her," I heard Cohen. I stayed still, my eyes shut as I felt him lifting me off the floor carefully.

"Don't let her fall, Co." I heard Adan.

"Has he ever let her fall, Adan?" Gray sounded annoyed.

"Shut up, Gray." Adan said.

"Both of you be quiet. She’ll hear you and you’ll wake her." Cohen hissed softly. I felt myself being carried.

"Do you think she'll hate us too when she finds out we knew?" Adan whispered as Cohen laid me down on what smelt like my bed. I tried not to react to how pained Adan’s voice sounded. Of course I wouldn't hate them, not because I didn't want to but because I could not. They were my brothers, my best friends.

"I hope not." Cohen whispered as he pulled my blanket over me.

"Me too, let’s give her some space." Grey patted my hair softly and I heard shuffling as they left. As soon as I was sure that I was alone, I sat up sighing softly.

I had to find Joe. Dad was going to be pissed, but the thing was, except for what the books I read, I knew nothing about what I was and only Joe could explain because he was the same type of wolf… and we did look similar. I got up and grabbed my bag. I shoved my books out replacing them with two outfits, a flash light, lighter and a few other things I thought I might find useful including all the money I had ever saved. I had been saving for a car since I was ten when Cohen bought his own first car in hopes that I would too.

When I finished packing, I grabbed a pen and paper deciding I could not leave without an explanation.

'Don't think I hate you or anything. I just need some answers. I promise I won't be gone long, just a couple of days. I'm a wolf and a Webb, I'll be alright. I love you, Izabella.' I s scribbled it all down hoping my handwriting was not too messy for them to read before I placed the note on my pillow.

I slid my balcony doors open very slowly because I knew if I made a sound my dad would be the first to hear it, after a few minutes I had managed to get it open wide enough to allow myself through. It was dark out, the wind making the trees move like their branches were arms reaching for the moon and barely any light filtered through to the ground beneath them. I noticed it was almost new moon. I hoped over the balcony landing in a tiger crouch on the grass before I shot up and sprinted towards city. I ran through the trees faster than a human could but slower than I usually did as I was still trying not to be too loud.

"Izabella?" I stopped when I heard Mom's voice from the house. Shit. Why did she have to choose to check on me so soon after my brothers had left?

I heard leaves crunching nearby and looked up towards the sound but froze when my eyes met the green pair all too familiar to me, except unlike other times my heart skipped as my breath caught in my throat before I felt my wolf began trying to take control us. I stumbled back seeing his eyes widen. My wolf never spoke, so I was shocked when I heard a howl deep in my head. No. There was no way. Not him. He began to lift his hands but I turned and began sprinting away from him, father away from home.

"IZABELLA, WAIT!" I heard Sean shout but I ignored him and pushed myself to run faster than I ever had before for two reasons. One: because of whatever just happened when I met his eyes and two: because he just alerted my parents that I was gone. In seconds I stopped running when my legs were pounding and I looked around. I found myself on the other side of town, not too far from the hotel.

I was stunned. I had never run that fast before. It was almost like... Joe when he left. I felt a deep growl inside of me and tensed slightly as I lifted my hand to my head trying to calm down. My wolf was beyond angry. Why? Sean. She wasn't mad at him though. She was mad at me. Livid, in fact. I could feel it… because I just ran from our mate.