4 - Dad's Appearance

Andrea.

In a deep calming sleep, I was forced to open my eyes when my nostrils caught the so familiar scent of sandalwood. In the middle of the night after only an hour, I had done training with Hunt and we kissed a lot, I passed out tiredly on my bed. But only an hour after, I suddenly woke up because of catching the scent.

I couldn't comprehend the feelings I had when my dad's slaughter troop got into the gate of Liberty City and moved straight to the outer camp of the Force. We were told to wake up in the middle of the night, especially the Guardians and the Salutaries because they had to tend to the wounded warriors.

The only reason dad was back as I believed because his troop didn't have Guardians and Salutaries anymore. Guardians could be anyone, but Salutaries were the ones to be needed the most as they were the key to the medicine for curing the wounded warriors.

Moreover, if the warriors were bitten by a rogue war wolf, there were only two options left. They came back as a sane war-wolf and befriend their war wolf and became stronger, or they turned into their war wolf forever as the mad wolf took humanity's side of them. The latter option was the dangerous one that left more population of war-wolf outside Liberty City.

This meant that the secret warlock named Xander Wardwell would have to work harder to create portals to manage the City's functions.

That last line was known only by the highest clans ruler of Liberty City: the Alpha Moonlight clan, the beta Gursala clan, and the Beta Nasriantra clan. It was the part where I'd accompany my dad as another member and the direct descendant of the Beta Nasriantra clan.

If my dad couldn't handle my interruption in the City's matter, I had the weapon now that I was one of the warriors and as strong as Hunt Gursala and Esmeralda the Lady General. 

Those were the things I could predict since I knew how the City's function worked. Though I had never met the secret warlock, Xander Wardwell, myself, I knew how he worked. I also needed to pay attention as only my Nasriantra clan and Xander himself knew that the Nasriantra clan was the direct descendant of the great-grandmother war wolf Aife. 

I was shocked when I finally knew that there were only eight of Nasriantra alive. They were dad, one sentinel, one scout, one hunter, and four Deltas who are my cousins. Dad lost his Betas. And since the Deltas weren't as good as the Betas because they were still young and inexperienced but forced to be able to catch up with the Betas,

I knew that Dad's slaughter troop couldn't function well without at least one Beta and a few Salutary. Sentinel, scout, and the hunter couldn't work by themselves because they need at least one partner for each of them. He must feel awful. With his strong sandalwood scent that I had been missing, I asked dad,

"What happened, dad? How many men you've lost?"  

"I don't know, Andrea. I lost count. You know there were at least more than twenty of us, but the rogue war wolves are getting stronger..."

Before he finished his story, I cut his line and threw my theory.

"They're evolving, dad. It's inevitable. Just like us today who were once humans thousands of years ago. How did you lose my cousins, the Betas?"

"As you already knew Andrea. They were bitten because they were on the front line. Anton and Brutus couldn't handle the transformation and bit the Salutaries and Guardians who were tending to their wounds, while Xerxes and Mace survived the transformation but they went berserk when there was the full moon. Again, we were attacked by our people and left only these men that you see now."

I couldn't imagine what dad felt right now. He lost his slaughter troop let alone they were his Nasriantra clan, his best people as best warriors. Moreover...

"Enough about my loss of my men. Where is your mom? and what are you doing in the Force camp? Why are you in a warrior suit?"  

There were things I predicted he would say. But before I answered him, Hunt came and interrupted us.

"Neal Nasriantra! The legendary Alpha of the Beta clan. You've finally come back!" Suddenly Hunt hugged my dad which left me frowning. Not even I, his daughter got the chance to hug him, and Hunt hugged him. And just like brothers or fellow Alphas in their small packs, dad hugged Hunt back with a firm embrace.

I saw something odd. Dad hugged Hunt like he was hugging his son, my hunch said there was something off. My dad let go of his embrace and put both of his hands on Hunt's jaw and stared at Hunt's face a little bit longer like dad was longing for something missing.

I couldn't wait to see the result of my animal instinct kept on alarming at the back of my head. Then finally came dad's line that confirmed my being suspicious.

"It is you, Hunt! It IS you!" Then dad hugged Hunt again. From being happy because the Nasriantra Alpha, my dad, had just come back which meant that Hunt was about to ask for his permission to marry me, Hunt became puzzled because it seemed like dad found someone missing.

"Wha..." Hunt was puzzled and his line wasn't finished yet when dad continued,

"Finally! Both of my children reunited..."

I shot a puzzled look at Hunt who had the same expression because we didn't know the meaning of 'My Children' said by my dad.

Dad looked at me and said,

"Andrea, met your real brother, Hunt. He was adopted by the Gursala when he was ten and just turned into his wolf because I was out to slaughter the rogue werewolves with my troops. I entrusted you to your mom, Andrea, and Hunt to the Gursala so he could learn to be a great Alpha. Hunt was a Nasriantra."

Both Hunt's and my jaw dropped because of the disaster we had. WE FELL IN LOVE. It was gross! I fell in love with my brother!    

"Impossible! How come I don't remember that I had a brother?" I almost yelled at my dad while Hunt was still frozen, couldn't accept the reality he had just heard. We're both devastated because later we had to realize that our love had to perish.

I didn't know if I had to be sad or relieved that Hunt hadn't fuck me yet. We were trying to take everything slowly and cherish everything we had. But not to find out that we were siblings.

I felt disgusted that I was attracted to my brother.

"That was the work of the secret warlock Xander Wardwell to erase your memory of having a brother. You were crying days and nights because you were separated from your brother. The same thing happened to Hunt as well. I had to do it. Your mom's hands were full already with one daughter, let alone having another son. But destiny brought you both together. That's why I felt ecstatic and now too when I gotta meet you, Hunt. And this is the clue that something happened to your mom. If she's okay, then you won't be meeting Hunt, Andrea. When did she pass away?"

Now I was sure that all the precise calculation skills I had, I got from my dad. He had calculated that this would happen.  

"A year ago, dad. I still miss her."

Dad's being ecstatic finding Hunt was gone changed into an expression of extreme sadness. I bet he felt weak in his knees because suddenly he limped and put his weight on Hunt making him immediately hold dad not fall to the ground. 

While sitting, dad opened his arms wide and welcomed us in his arms while saying,

"My children... come... both of you. At least we have each other. Though your mom isn't around anymore, we have each other and it's about time to grow our Nasriantra stronger. Where's your brother, Duncan, Hunt? The legitimate son of Gursala? I have to ask him to marry Andrea, as a promise to your stepdad to make them marry when I'm back to Liberty City..."

"WHAT???" Both Hunt and I abruptly let go of dad's embrace and jumped out of his arms.

"This is fuckin' ridiculous, I'm outta here..." I was furious and left them both to see Joe. From afar, I still could hear Hunt yelling.

"Neal Nasriantra! Are you insane? You don't know that both Andrea and I are in love which turned out to be we were attracted to each other because we're siblings. Telling that the adopted me has a father who is YOU. And now you want to make Andrea marries to Duncan??? Are you out of your mind? Give a little break for Andrea and let her breathe for a while, you old man!!!"

I would be as furious as Hunt if I were him. With that I remembered, this was how Hunt as my brother always protected me. The feeling was familiar. I hoped that I could remember more about when Hunt was a brother to me.

But now, I needed to see Joe in the Sentinel camp or he was busy being the real Salutary mending dad's troop's wound. 

I finally found Joe and ran into his arms while sobbing,

"Andrea? What happened?" Again, with his calming dark brown eyes, he soothed me from my wounded heart.

"I... I... " I couldn't say a word and kept on sobbing in his weirdly now firmer arms. It felt strange, what happened to Joe?

-to be continued-