6: Lila

When my birthday came, I was excited to know I didn't have to worry about shifting in front of my dad, thanks to Nova. I have also come to terms with being a werewolf. It is actually really nice to know I'm not alone. I have spent so much of my life feeling alone and like no one really cared about me. I mean, I've always had my dad, but that's been a weird relationship. Sometimes I feel like he hates me or like I'm just here to take care of him and make his life easier, but then there are time when I think my dad really does care. He will show up at my work and want to spend time together. I've always loved those rare times.

My dad has been checking in on me a lot lately, to the point where it's almost suffocating, and when he's checking in on me, it is like he is just waiting to catch me doing something wrong. He seems surprised when he finds me just going about my day like always. He will relax and give me a side hug or tell me I'm a good kid. All I know is it's weird, and I hope he goes back to being normal soon because Nova is also super on edge around him now. She is so strange lately. She even insisted I pack up a bag with a couple of outfits and a few essentials. She said it's just in case we need to be ready to leave in a hurry. So now I have a packed and hidden bag just in case.

I was packed and ready for the camping trip, and we headed out pretty early. My dad and I didn't talk much on the drive to the campsite. When we arrived, we each went about setting up our tents. Once everything was set up, my dad and I walked over to the lake and did a bit of fishing. He kept looking at me like he was just waiting for me to do something wrong. I think he is waiting to see if I'm going to shift, but Nova says we absolutely can't shift in front of him.

We spent the entire day relaxing. We had hotdogs for dinner and then sat at the campfire. I have tried to excuse myself to my tent a few times now to get to sleep, but my dad keeps insisting I stay out. Which is why it's now midnight and my eyes feel heavy with sleep.

He looks down at his watch and then back up at me with a laser-like intensity. "Thanks God." He says looking at me. "I thought you were going to be like her."

I stay silent, just looking at him. I don't want to give any type of reaction. I pull in a deep breath and wait for what he will say next.

"I thought I was going to have to put you down the same way I had to put your b**ch of a mother down." He says with a sneer, his dark eyes lingering on mine. They didn't look loving, but instead, he looked disappointed.

I can't believe what I just heard. I thought my mom had died during childbirth, but my dad just said he killed her, and the reason is that she was a werewolf. My entire life, I thought my dad didn't really care for me because, in a way, I had been responsible for her death, but that's not the case at all. My dad had just been planning to kill me my entire life.

My dad is still looking at me and starts to chuckle. He stands up and takes a step closer to me. He is standing in front of the chair I am sitting in. Leaning down, he takes my chin in his hand and tilts my head up to look at him.

Nova screams one word, "Run!" but I'm frozen in place.

With my chin being held and my dad looking down at me, he asks, "When did you get a wolf? This shouldn't be possible. You shouldn't have had a wolf before today."

"I... I don't know what you're talking about." I say, barely audible.

"Don't you lie to me." He says, slapping me across the face. I hold my burning cheek in disbelief.

"I see it in your eyes." He is reaching to the back of his belt. I know this is where he carries his gun.

I let my shoulders fall in defeat. I have a lump in my throat that I swallowed down. Now is not the time for me to fall apart. I relax into Nova, letting her take over as we shift. As soon as we begin shifting, a giant gray wolf knocks my dad to the ground, and beautiful blue eyes look back at us.

"Mate," says Nova.

We can't stay here, though. We need to go, and we need to go now. Nova takes off, running toward our house. I don't know how long it took to get to the house, but my dad isn't here yet, and I know he is probably on his way here and won't be far behind us. Nova shifts us back into humans so we can unlock and get into the house. I ran to my room and grabbed the pack we had gotten ready at Nova's insistence. I don't put on clothes, though, because Nova said we would need to shift again to get away. As I step onto the porch and shift, my dad's car is screeching into the driveway. He looks furious, and I can see he is injured, but he's aiming his gun at me. I look at him, making eye contact, hoping to see just a little bit of love for me in his eyes. All that looks back at me is a hatred I didn't know possible. I see his finger start to twitch on the trigger of his gun, and just like that, Nova has our bag in her mouth, and we jump more like gliding off the porch and run faster than I knew possible.

As we run my heart begins to shatter. My dad is the only family I have. I thought he loved me in his own way, but tonight I found out he was just counting down the days until he would put an end to my life. I begin sobbing as Nova consoles, telling me this is what is meant to be and that things will be okay. Right now, it doesn't feel like things will ever be okay again.