“What’s going on, Zoe? What is all this?” Looking at Zoe, I came to realise I didn’t know Zoe as much as I thought I did. She never really spoke much of her life with her husband. Mainly she asked about us or told us what she had planned or what she might have done that day, but nothing personal. I just assumed the memories of her life with Joe were too painful, and so I never pushed her for answers.
“I’m shocked Reid didn’t say anything.”
Looking back over to her, I said, “What? He knew all along?”
“No, only recently when I figured out he was your mate. I kind of told him to back off and leave you alone,” she mumbled.
“So, what is all this?”
“My husband used to be a Hunter. This was our weapons bunker.” Zoe got up and pressed a switch on the wall. The wall opened a hidden compartment, and the whole wall on the inside uncovered an arsenal of weapons. Standing up, I walked over, examining them carefully. There were weapons for every sort of supernatural creature plus some I had never seen before.
“What’s this,” I asked, pointing to a ground ball with a pin in it. It appeared to be a grenade but was clear with a gold liquid in it.
“It’s a wolfsbane grenade.” A shiver ran down my spine. Turning back to Zoe, I watched her carefully. She didn’t seem fazed about being in my presence. No matter who Zoe is or what her past contained, I knew I could still trust her.
“I know you have questions. If you take a seat, I want to show you something.” Sitting back at the table, Zoe walked back up the stairs and came back with a photo album. Opening it up, I saw a picture of Zoe with her husband. “I married Joe when I was 18. Joe was 19 at the time. I came from a Catholic family, so when I found out he was a Hunter, I instantly thought I married a nutter.” She giggled at the memory. “But after a little time, I came to see for myself. I never agreed with any of this, I couldn’t bring myself to stand on the sidelines either, so I was also a Hunter for a while. I helped track them down but didn’t get involved in the war, Joe preferred it that way anyway. He was a bit old fashioned, said it was too dangerous for a woman. Joe came from a family of Hunters, and when his parents died, he took over. He was raised to believe all supernatural creatures were dangerous and merciless killers and that he needed to rid the world of their evil. When he was in his early twenties, he met a man. They became best friends, but he soon discovered his friend wasn’t human.”
Zoe turned the page revealing a picture of Joe and another man. The man had black hair and a strong jawline; he was tall and strongly built, he also had orange blazing eyes. But that’s not what I found the most astonishing thing to this story; the necklace around his neck- it was my necklace. Picking up my necklace between my fingers, I looked at the wolf’s head before turning it over to see the back, which I realised had the same face as the man in the picture. It captured his features perfectly, even the eyes which were the same orange as mine now.
“That’s my father, isn’t it?” Zoe nodded sadly.
“Yes, your father was my husband’s best friend. When he found out, he was shocked but then realised his view on them was ruled by fear. They weren’t much different than us. Yeah, you have your bad eggs, but they usually keep to themselves. So, after he found out about your father, he quit. Your father was a good man, and after a while, he became family. A few years later, as you know, me and Joe couldn’t have kids, so we went and visited an orphanage, and we adopted a little girl. She was 3 at the time. She was abandoned on the side of the road when the authorities found her, and we raised her like our own.” I looked at the little girl in the picture. She reminded me of Lily.
“When she grew up and was about 10, she shifted into a wolf for the first time. Gave us quite the shock, but your father knew all along. He helped teach her to hunt, how to bond with her wolf. Your father also helped us keep her hidden. When she was 21, our daughter and your father established a relationship. They fell madly in love.” Turning the page tears sprung in my eyes. It was my mother standing with my father and a huge baby bump. “Not long after you were born, the Hunters my husband worked with found out about your father. My husband tried to get them to understand that he wasn’t like the rest of the Vampires they had come across, but they refused to listen. One day they trapped your father and Joe. They were ambushed when they were out hunting, killing them both. My husband tried to save your father, but in the end, it got him killed. Your mother was devastated, and for a while, she left. She came back a few times when you were younger but never stayed long.”
“So, you’re my grandmother? Lily’s grandmother?”
Zoe smiled sadly. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but Alpha David refused to let me be a part of your lives. So when you stopped in that day looking for a job, I knew it was my chance to be a part of your lives. Your mother used to send me photos of you growing up before she died. Alpha David was very controlling when he met your mother, and when he realised she was his mate, he kidnapped her. I thought I lost her. He forbade her from having contact with me, but after a while, the bond was too strong, and she stopped fighting to leave. A few years later she had Lily. We kept in touch secretly, but once David came into the picture when you were 7, I never saw you in person, only by photos. David forced your mother to have you hypnotised to forget about me. That’s why you have no memories of me.” Come to think about it, I haven’t got many memories from my childhood, only dribs and drabs.
I had tears running down my face. Standing up, I hugged her tightly. I still have a family; Lily and I aren’t alone anymore. I have someone to connect me to my family.