Chapter three

They heard the front door open and close.

"Honey, I'm home" her mother called out.

Annabelle was about to reply when her mother yelled again.

"Annabelle, get down here. I told you not to bring anybody home. You don't listen! Who the hell did you bring into the house?" She heard her mother say from the living room.

She looked at Alex and he looked back at her. She rolled her eyes and left her room. Alex followed her.

"Who did you bring into my house?" Her mother demanded.

"Your house? That's new" Anna said, rudely

"Answer me! Who the hell did you bring into this house?" Her mother yelled at her

"I have a question for you too. Who is Alexander Gerald?" Anna asked

Her mother was taken aback. That name is one she hadn't heard in a long time. 

"Where did you hear that name?" Her mother asked

Alex walked into the living room. He looked at his mother, she was just as he remembered. She still kept the same hairstyle and she looked the same. 

"Mom?" 

"Alex, is that you? My baby, how are you? How are you still alive? I thought Phillip took you from me"

"You could have come for me. You said you were going to"

"And I did" she said, trying to defend herself. "I did come looking for you but they said you were dead. They said Phillip killed you and your father. There was nothing I could do"

"And the best thing you thought you could do was to keep him a secret from me?" Anna interfered

"It was to protect you!" Her mother yelled at her

"Protect me from what? Protect me from who?" Anna yelled back at her

"The people who took your father from me"

"Who are they? You said my father left after I was born. You said he didn't want me. I spent all my life hating him and when I asked to look for him you said he was dead already. You said you went looking and you found out that he was dead and that was why he didn't come for me but that didn't change anything! I still hated him all the same! I hated the fact that he made me feel unwanted. I hated the fact that he made you responsible for an action that was carried out by the both of you!" Anna said, tears filling her eyes.

"I couldn't have you looking for him. It was what was best for you" her mother said.

"Best for me or best for you?" Anna said back.

"Best for us. It was the only way to keep you safe. I had to keep you safe. I promised your father that nothing was going to happen to you"

"Keep me? Mom, can you hear yourself? Keep me? I am not some object. You did so much to keep me that you didn't notice when you lost me" Anna said as she sped off. 

Her mother sighed. It was going to be hard to get her back and her mother knew. One thing Anna hated was being lied to. She would rather have the truth hurt her and scar her for life than to live a lie that brought her temporary happiness and in this case, the lie did nothing but break her inside. Her mom was surprised with her new ability. 

"She transformed already?" Her mom asked Alex, who had been standing in the living room, watching mother and daughter exchange words. 

Anna reminded him of his dad. He was so stubborn headed just like she was. 

"Yeah she did, to a vampire. You shouldny have kept it from her. She would have died if she hadn't transformed early" Alex said and continued. "She was lucky Damian found her early enough!"

"Damian? Damian Grey?" She asked.

"Yes, Mom. Damian Grey!"

"What was that son of a bitch doing with my daughter?" She said angrily.

"Well, that son of a bitch saved her life and apparently, they are mated to each other"

"Life just has its way of punishing me, doesn't it?" She said, sadly.

"You made this mistake Mom, not life. It is your own doing" Alex said with indifference.

"What was I supposed to do? Tell her that her dad and brother was killed?" 

"Maybe. She's going eighteen mom. She's not a child anymore. She ought to have transformed since she was sixteen. How could you put it off for so long?" He asked.

"She showed no signs. I thought the genes were dormant. I thought she was just going to be a regular wolf and that was when she activated the curse. If she never activates it, she would live a normal human life" Her mother said.

"She did show signs mom, you were just too busy to notice. She has been fighting this thing for months now and even if she didn't show any sign, she is mated to an hybrid Mom. What happens when he takes her to Cordina and they find out that she is the daughter of Darien Gerald? It's just a matter of time before Phillip comes after her. What happens then?"

"I wasn't expecting her to be mated to the son of the man who killed your father. What the hell am I saying? The man who killed your father is Damian!" She said.

"He was a five year old child. Don't blame him. If you were there, you foukd have fought him off! That is not even my point. The point is she is from a royal lineage. She is queen to the Southside pack! How can her genes be dormant mom? Her father was one of the best vampires to exist and her mother was queen to Southside. She is probably the strongest hybrid to ever exist. Well, without taking me into consideration, but you get my point"

"They would come after her and you know this!" Her mother said, worried.

"Then maybe they should. She is the strongest of our kind. If she can defend herself, the only person you would need to worry about is the person that decides to come after her"

"She would turn dark, go on a killing spree"

"I don't think she would Mom. You can't protect her forever. She has to find out who she is, what she is and I think you should let her. Keeping secrets would get you nowhere mom. You should know this by now" he said as he turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" His mother asked.

"Well, someone has to look for her" he said.

He sped off.

*****

She ran till she couldn't anymore. She felt like her heart was going to stop. She stopped to catch her breath.

"You're a fast learner" she heard.

She looked back to see who it was. Damian Grey, she scoffed.

"If I didn't know better, I would think you're stalking me" She said.

"I have no reason to stalk you. I'm just looking out for you, that's all"

"You have no reason to. I'm fine and just because you saved my life doesn't mean I forgive you for your rudeness. I don't. You are arrogant!"

"I don't need your forgiveness. I am the prince and soon to be king of Cordina. Why would I seek your forgiveness?"

"See, you're an ass and you do it so effortlessly" she said.

"That's your problem. You need my protection little one!"

"I don't need anything from you! It's your fault I'm this way!"

"You can't be serious right now. I saved your life and this is the thank you I get?" Damian said.

He was furious. Nobody had ever treated him with such contempt. He was a prince and he was used to being worshipped. This was the first time someone had ever challenged him.

"I'm sorry your royal highness. If you're looking for a thank you then you're looking in the wrong place because there's nothing to be thankful for. You should apologize for your arrogance and unreasonable pride!" She said back to him.

He grabbed her hand and his eyes glowed. She growled at him and her eyes turned blood red. He let her go.

"You are unbelievable and it disgusts me!" He said.

"You should stop following me!" She said to Damian and sped off.

She knew that she was just being nasty and unreasonable. She ought to thank him and she was going to when she felt better, she told herself but right now, she was upset as hell and she wasn't in the mood to be grateful. 

*****

Alex went back to her house and met their mother there.

"Did you find her?"

"I don't think she wants to be found. She would be okay. You should get some rest. I have a feeling that she still has something to say to you and she will. It would probably hurt but she would be fine and you will be fine too. I have to go" Alex said.

"Here" His mom said, handing over a packed bag.

"What's this for?" He asked.

"It's all the stuffs she would need for the next couple of days. I have a feeling she wouldn't be coming back here for a while and she would need space. She would come to you. Please take care of her" 

"Oh, alright. I would" He said as he collected the bag from her.

He headed out the door and went home. It was almost midnight when the doorbell rang. He got up from the sofa he was laying on and went to answer the door. He opened the door and he sound her there. 

"Hey, I'm sorry to intrude but is it okay if I stay here for a while? I don't want to go back home just yet"

"Hey, it's fine. C'mon in"

He said as he moved away from the door and she walked in. She took in the place and she wondered how he was so wealthy or how he could afford this place. She sat on a sofa and he sat beside her.

"Want to talk about it?" He asked.

"Not really. I just want it all to go away"

"I'm sorry it can't. This is the life now, this is your life now. You just have to get used to it. You would be fine and it would all make sense soon" he said, giving her a hug.

"I am so sorry to show up like this. I really don't want to be a bother"

"Hey, don't talk like that. I'd have you here anyday. You're my sister and what I have is yours. I ought to have given you a key to the place but I had to be sure that you were the person I was looking for. I needed to know that you were my sister and now I know"

"How long have you known?" She asked him

"I wasn't really sure. I did guess though for weeks. When I first walked into the school bus and sat beside you. A part of me knew that you were who I was looking for. I just wasn't totally sure until today, when I saw your scar"

Anna rubbed the scar and sighed. Her questions resurfaced.

"How can you afford this place?" She asked.

"That's dad's doing. Family wealth and stuffs like that. It's a long story. Your part of the inheritance is untouched. I didn't do anything to it but keep it till the day I met you and now I did. I can had it all over to you if you want but you have to be legal first. I can give it to mom if you want me to"

"No, hold on to it. I don't want it" she said

"Why?" Alex asked.

"It belongs to a man that I barely know. He doesn't know me neither does he know anything about me. It doesn't feel right to inherit anything from him" she said.