Evelyn

This man, who called himself my father, was tall with long black hair, dark brown eyes, and dark-tanned skin. I thought the small feather crown on his head looked silly until Clay said that he was the Chief.

Didn't Clay say that the Chief was Asher's father? Did that mean Asher was my brother?

My whole body shook as my brain tried to register everything.

"Shh, it's going to be okay." Said Father as he pulled me into his arms, hugging me tightly.

I threw my arms around his neck as I finally let go of all the pain and sorrow I held onto after losing my mom. My mother had been my whole world, my best friend, but she was gone and never coming back.

"Come here, Little Bird; I got you, baby." Ugly sobs tore through me as Clay lifted me into his strong arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he held me tight, then carried me inside.

When I pulled back, I found myself sitting on Clay's lap. I looked up as Clay wiped away my tears to find two wet trails falling down his cheeks. The sight of tears in Clay's eyes made my heart ache.

I jumped when a familiar voice came from behind me. "Eve darling, we need to talk."

I turned to find my father sitting across from us on the connected U-shaped sectional.

All the blood rushed to my face as I slid off Clay's lap.

"Let me start by telling you that I honestly had no clue you were my daughter until today. Your mother and I dated throughout high school, and I planned on proposing to her after we graduated. But not long after we graduated, my father died in a hunting accident. I was the next in line to become Chief and was forced into an arranged marriage with a woman from a local tribe. Nine months later, Asher and Shelby were born. After they were born, I spent most of my time helping take care of the twins and trying to run a tribe. I was sad when I heard your mother had left, but I never saw her again. I wanted to attend her funeral, but I knew it would be wrong for me to do so."

My father took in every inch of me, and with a confused look, he asked, "You should be sixteen this year; when is your birthday?"

"My birthday was December fourth," I replied

Clay face-palmed. Why were they acting so strange?

My father took a deep breath, then sat on the edge of his seat, leaning forward on his elbows. "What I'm about to tell you is going to sound strange, but please listen with an open mind."

I felt bewildered, but I nodded. "Okay, I'll try."

My father told me the story of the Great Spirits, who gifted the Natives with the spirits of animals to watch over the earth and its people. He said that these gifted humans are called Guardians. At 16, I should have gone through the change and become a Guardian.

I looked over at Clay, who was watching, waiting for me to run for the door screaming.

"Are you a Guardian too?" I asked

Running a hand through his hair, he nodded, "Yes."

I thought of Puck, who was way too smart to be a normal wolf. No wonder the eyes seemed so familiar.

"So what happens now? What will Asher and Shelby think? And their mother too?" I asked my father, who had been watching me silently.

"From what I gather, Asher is quite fond of you already. For Shelby and Loretta, it will take some time. After explaining everything, I would like to get to know you, but I understand that we shouldn't rush into things." Father explains

I jumped when a door banged open, followed by footsteps before Asher walked in, with Shelby following close behind.

"Everyone outside is talking about how Eve here is your hidden love child. Is this true, father?" Asked Asher, plopping down next to me on the couch.

With a sigh, father nodded. "Yes, it's true. I will explain everything later after I tell your mother. And no, I did not cheat on your mother. Eve was conceived before I married your mother. It just all happened in the same year."

"No wonder I felt like there was a connection between us when we met. This has been one crazy week,"says Asher. "And if you're our father's child. Then that means you're a Guardian. As the oldest, whoever you marry will become the next Chief when our father dies."

Shelby, who had been quiet, growled, then stormed from the room with tears in her eyes.

A little while later, I was sitting on the sidelines as the boys gathered for the game. I tried my best not to drool at the sight of a shirtless and barefoot Clay.

I stiffened when Clay's little sister Crystal sat in the empty chair beside me.

I looked over to find her nervously twisting her hair; it reminded me so much of her brother that it made me smile.

" Who's team do you think will win?" I asked her

"Asher's. Clay might be big, but Asher has Shawn on his team, and Shawn is really fast." She explained as the boys lined up to start the game.

By the end of the game, I was laughing and cheering. I watched as Shawn snatched Clay's flag ending the game. Asher's team had won, but the smile on Clay's face showed that he was having a blast and didn't care.

A few minutes later, a very sweaty Clay walked over to where I was sitting, grabbed my half-empty bottle of water, and chugged it down.

I squealed in surprise when he lifted me from the chair, then sat down with me now on his lap.

"Are you having fun?" He asked, still out of breath.

"It's been a long day, that's for sure. Within a few minutes, I went from being an orphan to learning that I had a family I never knew about." I said, laying my head back against his shoulder.

After saying goodbye and exchanging numbers with my father, I forced myself to go home and wait another day to see him again.

It was later that evening when Puck stepped out of the trees.

"Hello, Puck, or should I say, Clay? Have you come to explain to me why you never told me the truth?" I asked, " I always wondered why your eyes were so similar, and the fact that you are way too smart for a normal wolf makes sense now."

I flinched at the sound of bones snapping and watched as they reshaped into the familiar shape of the boy I would recognize anywhere. All the blood in my body rushed to my face when I realized that he was completely naked.

"Oh my God, Clay!" I squealed, covering my eyes.

The asshole dared to laugh. "Oh, Little Bird, you know you wanna look," he taunted.

"No thanks. I already have enough nightmares." I joked.

"Oh, how you wound me," he laughed.

I pulled off the hoodie I was wearing, then tossed it at him so he could cover up his junk.

Still laughing, he says, "It's safe to look now." Sounding a lot closer than before.

I peeked through my fingers, jumping in fright to find that he had moved closer and now sat cross-legged in the grass at my feet. Wasn't he worried about chiggers in odd places? My butt itches just thinking about it….

He leaned forward, crossing his arms on my knees with his chin on his arms. He looked up at me with those big puppy dog eyes.

"Little Bird, can you forgive me?"

"I'm surprised, but I promise you I'm not mad, so what is there to forgive? I'm actually kind of glad that you're Puck. It helps me understand why I felt so comfortable with you when we first met at school, even when you were being an ass at first, but I don't know if I could ever be mad at someone I realized has a heart the size of a watermelon."

"Are you saying that I'm sweet and juicy?"

"Clay!" I giggled, slapping his bare shoulder.

I ran my fingers through his hair, surprised at how soft it was. He closed his eyes with a sigh, then leaned into my touch like he did as a wolf.

When his eyes opened, he rose up on his knees to grab the back of my neck to bring my lips down to his. A low, rumbling growl rolled from his chest as he pulled me closer.

My brain barely registered when he pulled me off the chair and onto his lap. My arms wrapped around his neck as his hand found its way under my shirt, making me moan from how his big hand felt on the bare skin of my back. We were both breathing heavily when he pulled away.

"We need to stop, Little Bird. I don't know how much longer I can control myself. Your father would castrate me if I went too far." He said, then rose to his feet while still holding onto me.

After placing me in the chair, he quickly kissed me before throwing my hoodie in my face.

"Clay!" I giggled

When I pulled the hoodie out of my face, the last thing I saw was Clay's muscular ass before he entered the forest.

What the hell was I gonna do with that boy?

The next day, I had to stop by my locker to drop off my bag. When I opened the locker, hundreds of photos and newspaper articles about my mother's accident fell onto the floor.

I jumped when large hands covered my eyes. Tears fell from my eyes as horrible memories from that night flashed through my brain, making me flinch.

"How would she get these?" I asked as Clay turned me around so I couldn't see.

"Mercedes is really good with computers." He said, " I'm really sorry, Little Bird."

After a chat with the principal, who gathered all the photos and called our parents, Clay and I decided to skip school for the rest of the day. I was excited when he said he would take me to the wolf sanctuary.