CHAPTER EIGHT

As I move to sit down, Gavin stops me. He glances out the window behind us. It seems as if he's looking for something in the shadows. But I can't see it before he goes over and shuts the shades.

“How about we talk in your room,” he suggests. “We don't need to be interrupted. If that's okay with you.”

“My room?” I ask. “How do I already have a room here? Are you sure I do?”

“Yes, of course you do,” he says. “I’m the one who designed it. I always knew you would come. So of course, I was going to be ready for you.

“Come on, follow me. I'll show you to it. I hope you like it.”

I follow Gavin through the house, wondering what my room might look like. It's still strange to me that I'd already have a room here. This whole experience is strange to me. I don't know what to think of it. It's all far too much to even begin to process.

It all becomes even more overwhelming when we step into the next room. It's gorgeous. A white canopy bed sits in the middle of the room with gold sparkles on it, the center of a dream. The whole room is decorated in white, gold, and silver.

It looks like the kind of room that royal might have. I can't believe that it's mine.

“This is your room,” Gavin says. “Do you like it?”

“I love it,” I say. “It's beautiful. It’s the best room I've ever had.”

“I'm glad,” he says. “I want you to have the best. I want you to be happy here. This is your home.”

I feel the strange sense that it is my home. I felt it ever since I've come here, but I can't quite explain it. It feels like this place is my home but I've never been here. It feels like it’s always been my home.

“You see, this is your home in more ways than you know,” Gavin explains. “I can't go into all of this with you right now. You need your rest and time to think about it. But you do need to know that all of this is much bigger than you realize.”

“I realize that by now,” I assure him. “I guess I've known that for a while. Everyone is making a huge deal out of it. People have died. And I don't understand why. I don't understand what's going on.”

“I can see how this is all confusing to you,” Gavin says with a look of pure empathy. “That's because you haven’t been where you were meant to be. Well, right now you are. But before you weren't.

“I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your whole life is not what it seems. The pack you’ve been living in isn’t the pack you’re truly meant to be part of. Your parents... they aren't your true parents.”

They aren’t my true parents? What is he talking about? None of this makes sense. Of course, my parents are my parents. I've known them since forever. We don't always get along, but I never doubted them as my parents.

“I don't know what's going on,” I say. “You got this all wrong. I'm not sure where you're getting this from. But my parents are my parents. I'm not allowed back at my pack now for sure, but that's where I grew up. That's where I've always been.”

“Just because it's where you've always been doesn't mean that's where you belong,” Gavin counters. “You see, you were taken when you were younger from your parents and from your pack. They raised you to make you think that you belong there. But you don't. You were stolen.”

“That can't be,” I say, my hands shaking. “That's not right. There has to be some sort of mistake.”

But as I look at him I realize that it's not a mistake. He wouldn't lie to me about this. He wouldn't lie to me about anything. I trust this man. More than I should probably, but I do trust him.

“I'm sorry,” he says as he takes my hand. “I know this is all got to be a lot for you. I wish I didn't have to be the one to break this news to you. But it's true.

“The alpha of that pack took you to use you as a weapon. He wants your power for his own. Or he wants to wield it against someone. I don't know exactly why, but I know that's what he did. That's why it's so essential to have you back.”

This is a lot. It's too much. I'm not sure how anyone expects me to be able to even begin to comprehend this. How is it even possible? How is this my life?

“It seems like you might need a little bit of time to process this,” Gavin says. “So, I’m going to let you rest. Try to get some sleep. You've had a long day. We'll talk more in the morning.”

I don't want to see him go. I'm drawn to him, and I want to spend more time with him. I want to ask him more questions.

He's right though. This is all a lot. And I do need a little bit of space. I suspect we'll have plenty of time to talk tomorrow.

“Goodnight,” he says.

“Goodnight,” I say.

As soon as Gavin leaves, I try to get settled in. I look in the closet and see that there are plenty of clothes that would fit me. I want to change into pajamas, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet.

So instead, I draw out a warm bath in the gold tub. I fill it with lots of nice smelling bubbles, and I sit in there for a while. I rest and clean myself off while my mind is wandering like crazy.

Everything I know is a lie. All of my life leading up to this has been a lie. I don't know how to comprehend that. How can I exist when all my memories are lies?

I get out of the tub and notice something strange. There seems to be a lot of noise going on outside of my room. I quickly change and go to my door. I open the door and realize there are two guards in front of it.

I'm not going anywhere. At least not if they don't want me to. And they look like they don't want me to.