Chapter 6

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"Allison." My name is dragged out as I feel a quick jab to my side. "Wake up." A groan escapes my lips as I groggily open my eyes. Letting my eyes adjust, it takes a moment before my eyes land on my still-a-tiny bit blurry brother. Why the hell is he waking me up?

"What?" I ask, my voice a little sharp. I hope he hears the annoyance in my voice and takes the hint to leave and let me go back to sleep.

He sits on a small space on my bed and shakes my shoulders. "How was your birthday yesterday?" He asks, not letting go of my shoulders. Why is he waking me up just to ask me this? Did Madison say something? Does everyone know about what happened last night? A sudden feeling of panic fills my body, and I feel my heart start racing slightly. The events of last night start flooding my memory.

"Can't we talk about this later?" I ask as I grab my head due to the forming headache. Is this what a bad hangover is like? Because if it is, I never want to experience it again. There's a chance he doesn't know, right? If he did, I don't think he'd be this calm. Maybe he's just trying to be annoying. My heart is still racing, and I feel like I'm going to be sick to my stomach.

"It's one o'clock in the afternoon. You should get up anyway," He sits back, getting comfortable, "so we can talk about this now." I manage to sit up next to him, groaning a little. "How was it?" He presses. I just wish I could punch his annoying face right now. I'm so frustrated that I want to scream at him to leave. There's a chance everything that happened will come out, and then everything will start changing.

"Fun." I give him a short, irritated answer. "Justin, I just want to go back to bed. I'm exhausted. Let's talk about this later when I'm up."

"You look up to me. What'd you do?" He ignores me and gently wraps his arm around my shoulders. I shrug his shoulders off, annoyed. Why is he being so pushy? I'm starting to really panic; this seems weird. Maybe I'm just being paranoid right now because I know if everything were to come out, it'd be a shitshow. The events of last night flash before my eyes, but I shake them away. There is no way I can tell him. At least not yet.

"Just went to see Evan with Madison and hung out there for a while. Then we looked through her clothes and watched a movie." I bite my lip, hoping he can't see through my lie. I hate lying to him, but I don't want him to freak out at me. Sooner or later, he's going to know the truth.

He smiles, obviously believing my story. "Did you have a good time?"

I stand up, sighing, "Yup."

I pull myself out of bed and open the door, motioning for Justin to leave, which he complies. Leaving my door cracked, I stride into my bathroom and brush through the tangles in my hair. Once I'm able to run my brush all the way through, I brush my teeth and just lean on the counter, staring at my reflection in the mirror. I try to tame the flyaways sticking out of my head, and when my appearance doesn't make it evident that I just woke up, I leave my room and head to the kitchen. I wish I could stay curled up in bed for the rest of the day watching movies, but I know I can't do that.

As I make my way through the house, the few people I encounter wish me "Happy late birthday," and I plant a smile, thanking them. Some are my friends' family members, others are my friends. Honestly, it'd be better if they didn't keep wishing me happy birthdays. Birthdays are just ordinary days that let you know you're a year older and a year closer to death, and after last night, I would rather not remember anything.

"Hey, sweetie, how was your birthday?" My mother asks as she stares at the magazine in her hands. My dad stands before the heated skillet, flipping many pancakes to feed the pack. I sneakily walk behind my dad and snatch a golden pancake from the stack. Half the pancake is shoved in my mouth as my dad glances back at me.

"Well, hello there." He chuckles as he expertly flips a pancake into the air and lets it land on the uncooked white side. My father loves to cook, and his favorite thing to do is master new recipes.

"Hi." I say, but my voice is muffled by the fluffy pancake. I give a small smile once I swallow the food in my mouth. "It was alright."

"Did anything exciting happen yesterday after your mother and I went to bed?" He questions as he absentmindedly butters the layers of pancakes.

Should I tell him about Mason? I debate the question inside of my head. This could go very wrong, or it could miraculously go right. In one possible situation, he could understand and be happy that his daughter found someone who is supposed to love her for a lifetime. Or, he could totally freak out and act out for reasons based on experiences with his pack in the past. I hope my parents won't act out like the second situation when my secret is out. Before I can bring up Mason, my brain shuts him out, and I immediately decide against it.

"Not really. Madison, Evan, and I just watched a movie and ate snacks." I lie, reaching for another pancake. I just want to take a pancake and run away, avoiding the situation.

"Hands off the pancakes!" My father exclaims, smacking my hand away.

"Why? The pack can deal without 2 pancakes." I mutter, trying to give my best puppy dog eyes.

Two stacks of nearly a dozen plates each are placed next to the topping options. I scan my eyes across the options for toppings. There are a few different types of syrups, jams, peanut butter, and chocolate chips for the little ones, but I will definitely put chocolate chips on my pancakes. On a separate counter is the tub of butter with a butter knife stabbed into it and the shaker of artificial bacon bits. I take a seat next to my mom at the end of the table after I pick up a clean plate from the stack.

"What movie did Madison-"

"What about Madison?" Madison questions as she finally walks into the dining room. She is wearing an oversized T-shirt with cotton shorts. Her hair is a mess, and dark circles are evident under her eyes. Obviously, she just woke up and probably smelt my dad's cooking.

"Allie was just telling us about how you guys watched a movie last night." My dad answers as he sits at the other end of the table.

An obviously confused expression crosses her face for a split second before it is masked with a smile. "Yeah, it was an interesting movie." I feel bad for making Madison lie, but I'm so glad she's going with it.

"What movie?" My mother finally slams her magazine about the drama in celebrity lives closed and sets it aside.

I wipe my hands on my pants and quickly come up with something. "The Visit."

"And what else happened?" Madison shoots me a smirk and sits across from me, dragging out the 'and'. I know she's taunting me right now, and I clench my jaw as I become annoyed. Why would she do this right now, knowing I don't want to have this conversation yet. I glare at her, feeling my cheeks heat up as the annoyance turns into a slight anger. I've been trying to avoid this as soon as I woke up, and it might finally come out because of her. Madison mouths "sorry" and flashes an innocent smile. Taking a deep breath, I turn away to try and calm myself down.

Once I'm a bit calmer, I look at my mom and ask, "Mom, how did you and Dad know you were mates?" A confused look crosses her face before a warm smile fills her lips as she looks at my dad, recalling the moment. I've heard this story a million times before, but I need to change the subject. I also want to hear it again because I love this story. Now she's looking at me, still with a smile.

"Well, we grew up together in this pack. We've always been friends, but we turned into best friends during middle school, even though he was always 2 grades ahead of me. We've been there for each other during all of the breakups and hard times we endured; we were there for each other during everything. When I turned 18, your father had been looking for his mate for the last two years but never found her. Your father was out with his family that day, and I was celebrating my birthday with all my friends and family." She turns her head back to my dad as he's leaning on the counter, smiling at her and staring at her with so much love in his eyes. "We didn't even know until the day after. He knocked on my door early that morning to apologize for not being there. I remember when I was about to open the door, a certain scent filled my room, and I didn't know where it was coming from. Once I opened the door and we locked eyes, I instantly knew. You just get that certain feeling filling up your body, which is the most incredible feeling. He's always been my best friend, and he still is, and he gave me my two babies." Now a tear streaming down her cheek as she thinks of it. There's so much love between the both of them. My face must have a distinct expression on it, because my mom looks at me confused. The feeling she described is exactly what I felt with Mason. I remember the scent that filled the air- his scent. Even though it's something I've never experienced before, I knew as soon as it happened.

"What happened yesterday?" My mother asks, resting her hands under her chin.

"It's really not a big deal." I shrug, sinking down in my seat.

"Then spill it." My brother demands playfully, walking in from the hall. He stops at the opening of the dining room and leans against it.

"Can we go talk in your room?" I force a smile to reassure my parents. I stand up and watch my mom stare at me with concern flooding her eyes. I stand up and head towards my parents' room with Justin and my parents trailing behind me.

I sit on the edge of my parents' king-size bed and cross my ankles. I stare at the plush, carpeted floor when Justin speaks. "We're waiting." He states with his arms crossed in front of his chest. I feel like my heart is going to explode. Do I just say it quick and hope for the best? I know it will be a rocky outcome, but I just have to rip the bandaid off.

I take in a deep breath and sigh in defeat. "So yesterday, I just hung out with Madison and Evan. We didn't see the movie, but I happened to find my mate. No big-" my mom cut me off with a gasp.

"You found your mate?" She squeals as she presses her hands together. A grin is plastered on her face before she hugs me. "I'm so happy for you! This is wonderful." She exclaims.

"Y-yeah." I stutter, staring at my socks. My throat tightens as I brace myself for what's about to happen.

"Who is he?" My dad demands with his hands on his hips. I can't bring myself to look at his face.

"Do I know him?" My brother questions before I can even reply to my father. Justin's voice is filled with a sense of surprise and irritation. I swallow the huge lump in my throat, trying to find the right words.

"Yeah," I mutter, avoiding looking at Justin's face, "you know him." Justin's arms are crossed over his chest as he stares, trying to look for answers in my facial expressions. "You know, it's not really that important." I try to laugh the topic away as I stand up.

"Who is he?" Justin repeats my father's question.

I take a deep breath before stuttering, "M-Mason Wood." I watch as my mother's grin falls into a frown. Justin furiously runs his fingers through his hair, and my father stands in shock. This is frightening; all the different emotions in the room scare me for what will come.

My mother sits beside me and rests her hand on my thigh. "Honey, this can't be right. You must have gotten it wrong." My mother states, hoping she is right. "Are you sure?"

"No, mom, I'm not wrong. It's him." I choke out.

"Mason Wood. The alpha of the-," Justin starts saying, but then my father interrupts him.

"Red Moon Pack?" His tone is raised, and the only thing I can do is nod my head. My father is seething with rage when he hisses, "That pack is the reason we lost Ralph. Mason's father is the reason my brother was slaughtered. They are why we have been to war." As he speaks, I can only stare at the floor, trying not to cry. I remember the story he used to tell us, and even though I was young, I also remember that night. Before it happened, my uncle Ralph played a game with Justin and I. Justin was 13, and I was 10. A little later, my parents put us to bed, and my uncle hugged us, which I didn't think would be the last one I would get from him. That night, my uncle was out getting fresh air and went on a run, which is something he loved doing. He must've been at mine and Red Moon Packs' border when it happened, and he never came home that night. The following day while we were eating breakfast, I remember one of the pack members coming up to my father and whispering in his ear, which caused him to abruptly stand up and leave. Justin and I tried following my mom while she immediately followed my dad, but someone stopped us.

My uncle's body was found mauled at the border. After that day, our packs have been enemies, and some wars and hatred have flown through the territory. I understand why my family hates the Red Moon Pack; hell, I do too. I will never forget that day, but Mason doesn't seem like his father. After his father died, there have been no wars between our packs.

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