Chapter 22

It's only when I see two chilling messages that I realize I stood Mr. Detective up. Shit. I was supposed to meet him last night. "Where the fuck are you?"

"I don't appreciate you wasting my time. This will have consequences."

Those are the two texts that he sent me. I pull up to the job and send him a quick apology. I know that won't do it for him, but at least I tried. Following my usual routine, I dropped my things off at my office and went to Jason's. Except this time, in the middle of my report to him, we get a visitor. Imagine my shock when Mr. Detective barges into Jason's office. I swear my heart drops to my ass.

"Sorry, I was working late and forgot? You seriously thought that bullshit apology was going to do anything?" I'm too stunned to say anything. How did he know where I was? How did he casually make his way up here and into Jason's office wearing biker gear? "Well?" He snaps his fingers in my face, and I'm instantly pissed. "First off, get your hand out of my fucking face. Second, no, I didn't think it would do anything, but apologizing was the decent thing to do. Why are you here?" Before he can answer me, Jason gets up from his chair and plants himself between me and Mr. Detective. "Who the hell are you?" Jason's tone is calm, which is worse than his yelling. "He's my... boyfriend. His name is," Mr. Detective quickly finishes the sentence.

"Keith. You must be Jason," Both Keith and Jason are tall dudes, but Jason beats Keith by a mere inch. Jason is clearly taken aback by my statement. "Wait, you have a boyfriend? But you were with Sebastian the other day?" I freeze up, not knowing what to say. "We weren't together then. We had a fight and took a break. We only got together again after Sebastian and I. We were supposed to go on a date to solidify it, but as you can tell, I accidentally stood him up because I was consumed with work," I quickly construe up a cover story that sounded like complete bullshit even to my ears.

If Jason notices anything wrong with my lie, he doesn't show it. "Boyfriends don't typically go to their girlfriend's workplace and start causing a fuss. I think you both made the right decision to 'take a break,' " he quotes. Since Keith didn't have the courtesy to close the door, everybody could see what was going down. Keith is clearly getting irritated, so I walk around Jason and grab Keith's arm. "I'm sorry about him. I just need to talk to him right quick. I'll be back." Jason is surprised, but I don't await a response before Keith lets me drag him out of the building. I ignore the stares and whispers. We go to the cafe by the building and take a seat. Keith and I ordered. After the waitress leaves, I furiously glare at him.

"Who the fuck do you think you are to come barging into my workplace? If we're going to do this, you have to keep yourself out of my personal life." I draw a clear line. Keith's unbothered stare lets me know that he couldn't care less. "Change of plans. I have an assignment that I need your help with. It was going to be optional, but after your little stunt, it's required if you want your information. The money is off the table. You show off for my parents and help me complete this assignment, or you get nothing." This petty fucker. "Don't act like you're doing this because I stood you up. It makes it more convenient for yourself. So cut the bullshit and tell me what this assignment is about,"

A faint amused smile appears on his face for a second. "With that sassy attitude of yours, you'll be great for the job. We're infiltrating a gang and stealing information from them. It's a biker gang. They sell drugs, steal, and are the occasional hitman. Whoever they stole from this time isn't very appreciative of it. They're paying me good money to get information to shut this gang down for good. Think of it as an act of justice. I need you to get in with the other women and find the information needed. The women have their own little group. Secrets are usually exchanged between them. Girls love their gossip. This isn't an MC. They don't have morals or rules that apply to every gang you'll meet. You're going to take a self-defense class prior to this mission of ours."

What the fuck has my life become? First, finding out about supernaturals, which leads to a series of more unbelievable shit, and then becoming a spy? Keith's bullshit words of this so-called justice were supposed to make me feel like this was a good thing to do. As If I wouldn't be literally risking my life and family. "I work around the clock and barely make time for MY family. Squeezing yours in and playing the good girlfriend was going to be hard enough as is. Infiltrating a gang is not only stupid, reckless, and dangerous, but I can imagine how time-consuming it would be. I can't do it." Keith scoffs. "You don't have a choice,"

The waitress comes back with our food. "Actually, I do. I'm not going to risk my life or my sanity for your deranged plan," I grab my bagel, sandwich, and coffee then stand up to leave. "I have Trevor Benedict's address. I'll give it to you for free. I'm pretty sure you'll come running back to me when you want more answers that he can't provide. Fair warning, though, you have until tomorrow to find out everything you can about him. After tomorrow, my offer is off the table." He eats his breakfast and doesn't speak to me anymore. I walk out of the cafe, feeling left confused, but intrigued. I walk into Jason's office.

"You have wedding plans with Saiya tomorrow, right?" Jason cocks an eyebrow. "Yeah, why?"

"Get up. We're going to find some answers about your past. Trevor Benedict, a friend of your adoptive parents. I don't know if his name rings a bell, but I have his address. I'm on a time limit here, and you don't have tomorrow."

"What the hell is going on?" Jason is shocked but starts packing up. "I told you that I have my resources. I said that I would help you find answers to all of this. We finally have something," I grin. So far, I really haven't made progress at all. Despite Delilah telling us a little bit about the mark, I still have questions. "We're taking your car. I don't feel like stopping for gas. I'll fill you in on some details in the car," Setting his confusion aside, Jason happily abides. There is no denying that he's happy about this step closer to answers.

----

Trevor was far. Very far. Eight hours away kind of far. For the first few minutes of the ride, I tell Jason what Delilah told me about werewolves. I also told him that she was half witch, half succubus. "I can't believe this is really happening." Jason lightly says. I've been looking for answers for weeks. He's been looking for answers for years. He sounded as if this was all hopeless when I first told him that I'd help him with this wild goose chase. Now, he was gleaming with excitement and anticipation. I doubt this will last the eight-hour drive. "I can't either. I really felt that I was never going to make any progress during this search. Why don't we go over some wedding details? That way, we can fill in time, and you can have an idea of what you want when you talk to Saiya tomorrow." Jason liked the idea, and for the next eight hours, we talked about dresses, suits, decorations, and venues. He had a solid concept of what he wanted the wedding to look like. He left the bigger things to Saiya, knowing her opinion would override his. We blasted music and stopped for food and bathroom breaks.

When we finally reached the small cabin in the middle of nowhere, we just sat in the car. Houses were few and in between. There were plains of fields surrounding the houses that then expanded into woods farther down. "What do we say?" Jason asks. I can't believe he is asking me. "It's your past, Jason. Ask whatever has been on your mind since your parents allegedly died. If you want to know where to start, I suggest starting with how Trevor met your parents, if he also knew about your biological ones, and what he knows about what happened to them." Jason nods his head and takes a deep breath.

"What if he sends us away?" He looks like he's about to puke. I put my hands on his. "We'll worry about it if it happens. For now, just focus on what you want to ask him." He squeezes my hands. He turns towards me and smiles. "Thank you. I seriously can't express my gratitude. You didn't have to do this," the sincerity in his words hit my heart. My heart starts to go out of control. I have to do breathing exercises to calm myself. "Yes, I did. You're family, Jason. Nobody deserves not knowing who they are. You're entitled to that right from birth," I tell him confidently even though my heart starts to do flips and summersaults. So much for my breathing exercises.

We get out of the car and walk up to the door. After a quick knock, we patiently wait. After no response, Jason knocks again, but harder this time. Three more knocks later, and our spirits were dimming. Is this what Keith was talking about? Did he purposely lead us to a dead end so that our desperation would lead me back to him? Because if so, then he's a fucking sociopath. I try the knob, but it's locked. The cabin doesn't look like it's coming down on itself, but it also doesn't look well-kept. I'm not against breaking into this house. That turns out to be unnecessary when the door opens. Instead of an old man like I was expecting, I got the barrel of a gun to my forehead.

Jason growls and pulls me behind him. I ignore the feeling I get from his protectiveness. The gun is put down, and the door widens. Trevor doesn't look like a rageddy old man. Instead, he's a tall brunette who looks about 6'2. His hazel eyes remind me of mine, except there are many more years of experience in them. He's the definition of ripped, but he looks miserable in his baggy t-shirt and sweats. His eyes hold recognition. "Jason?" Jason stops growling when he hears his name. Trevor's eyes hold something it probably hasn't in a very long time, hope.

I wasn't expecting a kind greeting from Trevor. It looks like he won't be kicking us out after all. I mean, our first interaction wasn't exactly kind, but he invited us in and offered us some food, which we kindly declined. I don't know Trevor like that. "What are you doing here?" Trevor speaks first. "And who is this fine young lady? I'm glad you've found someone. I didn't want you to be alone forever," Trevor stares at me with joy. It's a shame I'm going to have to crush the man's heart. "I'm not his girlfriend. I'm actually his future sister-in-law." God, that sounded so weird. "We're here for answers. We want to know about my parents. My adoptive and biological ones. I'm assuming you know about the werewolf situation." Jason boldly says. Trevor bursts into a hardy laugh. "Of course I know about 'the werewolf situation,' I am one," Trevor quotes. Well, shit. For some reason, I never thought that would be a possibility. Clearly, Jason didn't either. He isn't stunned for long as that emotion is replaced with astonishment.

"You're a werewolf. You're a werewolf. That means that you can help me. Relate to me," Anybody could hear the relief in Jason's words. The pain of being alone. An involuntary smile makes its way to my face. I have to admit that I'm happy to see Jason getting what he so desperately needed. Suddenly, taking down a gang and risking my life seems worth it to see him have a genuine smile on his face. Damn you, Keith. I'm playing right into his hands, but I'm not mad about it. "Indeed, I can. I was supposed to help you when your parents were still around, but plans changed. I was told to stay away from you. To stay away from your whole family and to only return if they had disappeared before you were of age. I know that you have a ton of questions, but there's one thing that I have to address. Why did you mark your future sister-in-law?"

His words make me realize that I still haven't told him my name. "I'm so sorry. I didn't even realize that I hadn't told you my name. It's Soren," we shake hands. He laughs it off. "It was an accident. We were hugging, and I smelled something sweet. My instincts took over, and I took a bite. It was a mess," he cringes at the memory. I subconsciously put my hand on my neck where the bite mark shows whenever it glows. "Ever since then, there have been a few side-effects. Intense burning and horniness to be specific." I say shamelessly. It was the truth. Trevor grins. "Of course, there are side effects. Jason had no idea what he was doing. Mate bites are supposed to be for the love of your life. Thankfully, it'll go away if it's not reinforced," his face dims at the mention of a lover. I make note of it so that I steer clear of the subject in the future.

"Reinforced?" Jason asks. "To complete the mate bond, you need to mate. You know, have sex? And since you're marrying her sister or brother, I don't judge, I highly doubt that will happen." Jason takes note of it in his head. "We were told that werewolves can also mark friends for protection," Trevor is taken aback by the statement. "I didn't expect you to know anything. But yeah, it happens. If there is no intention of romantically mating, then there won't be any side effects. You can't have more than one mate, and you can't mark a friend if you have a permanent mark with someone else."

Another thing to take into account. I'd be writing all of this down if it didn't seem like something a human shouldn't know. A blush engulfs my face at my realization. If there were side effects to the bite, then doesn't that mean that there was intent to romantically mate? No, that's not possible. Delilah said that the mark was confused. Unsure of what its purpose was. That's got to be what it is. Jason doesn't seem to notice since he and Trevor are in conversation when I tune back in. Trevor glances at me and smirks. I ignore it. "You select your mate. It's the werewolf version of marriage. But in case you find yourself unattracted to anybody, every werewolf has a fated mate. A mating bond created by the moon goddess. This ensures the continuation of our species. There's a lot you need to learn about being a werewolf and our origins, but I also know that you came here to learn about your parents. Unfortunately, I can't tell you as much about them as I can about werewolves.

I don't know who your biological parents are. Not their human forms anyway. Your adoptive parents made sure to keep their identity a secret. I can't tell you if they're dead or not in the present time, but they didn't die in that car accident. That was a cover-up. I know that for sure. Not only did our kind on earth have to go into hiding because of hunters, but there were dangerous supernaturals coming after your family. I don't know who they are, but your bio parents gave you up to protect you. Your adoptive parents, Gabriel and Jessica, were loyal protectors of your parents. They were also werewolves. They held you when you were born. I delivered you. Gabriel and Jessica did all they could to keep you hidden and protected.

But soon enough, the past had caught up to them. You were too old to be in the foster system, and you were also in danger if you stayed with me. It all started when they left the supernatural realm and came to Earth to protect you. Once your bio mom found out that she was pregnant, a witch sent her, your father, Gabriel, and Jessica here. I met them after the fact, so I never saw your bio parents' faces. Even as I delivered you, their identities were concealed with a spell. If the danger was so imminent that your parents had to travel to a different realm to protect you, I don't think that you should be digging up old skeletons. The fake deaths and disappearances were to keep them off your trail.

There was always a plan to leave you a fortune. But you were eighteen and had lost all of your family. We left your teacher, Carissa, to watch after you. If she seemed weirdly close or maybe invasive, then that's why. She never stopped watching you. Only when you made a successful life did she feel confident enough to stop. I stopped getting messages from her a long time ago. I don't know if she stopped sending messages by choice or if something happened to her." Trevor's voice is clearly pained at the mention of her disappearance.

Could she be the love of his life that made him grim a few moments ago? Trevor continued after gathering himself. "That's all I know when it comes to your parents. They never told me which pack they were a part of, but if I had to guess, judging by their wolves' coats, I'd say that they were from the Ulimina Pack. Their coats are bioluminescent and change to blend in with their environment. I had only seen their coats in action once. We were all running together with you. They were running away from danger with you at their side. I was there to check up on you as requested by Gabriel and Jessica. I know that may sound strange to you because you remember your first shift being with your adoptive parents. You were with your bio parents until the age of 10, but your memories were erased. After your memory was wiped, you started acting out. You became a different person. The first shift that you remember wasn't your first. It was a side-effect. We couldn't leave any trace-

-of your bio parents. The year of their deaths was forged, and any information about them was completely wiped clean. Your adoptive parents never left much in their record either. Hell, even I didn't, which was hard as shit considering I was in the medical field. I really wish that I could provide you with more answers about them, I do. But that's all I know. On the other hand, I can teach you a whole lot about werewolves and shifting. It'll take you a while to get used to the full moon, but you don't have to shift only on the full moon. A full moon shift is mandatory to keep your wolf active, but you can shift whenever you want. I'd be happy to help. Unless it's too much after everything you've learned."

Jason takes a few minutes to mull over everything. I-myself-didn't know how to process all of this, so I didn't even try. After a while, a sad smile creeps onto Jason's face. It isn't as bright as before, but it's something. I put my hand on his shoulder. "We never expected to figure everything out in one sitting. This is honestly more than what either of us thought we were going to get. We'll find them or die trying. That isn't figurative, by the way. We can actually die by attempting this." I smirk. It manages to pull a light laugh out of Jason. "Right," his attitude seems a little more hopeful, and that's all I can hope for.

Trevor watches the two of us. His eyes are analyzing. I take my hand off Jason's shoulder and shift my attention toward Trevor. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you leave the magic realm? You said you were here before Jason's parents were. And why stay in Jason's life instead of sending us away with the information you've given us? Is the threat not prominent anymore?" Another grin appears on Trevor's face. "I like you. I didn't voluntarily leave the magic realm. I was banished to Aremis. It's a jail in our realm. I was falsely accused of multiple murders. A warlock helped me escape. He knew the truth. He also knew that I would continue to be hunted in the magic realm, so he sent me to Earth to start anew. I guess faking our deaths seems to run in the group." He laughs. I can't help but smile.

"To answer your other question, the threat is still prominent. Whoever these people are, they're persistent. We all tried our best to cover up Jason's true identity. There is no use in protecting Jason anymore if you two are going to dive into this mess headfirst. It's going to do you both more harm than good if Jason can't control that beast. The wolf has a mind of its own. You have to let it guide you, but never allow it to completely control you. It takes time and work. We can get started today if you're up for the challenge, young man." Jason puffs out his chest and grunts. I roll my eyes at the stereotypical alpha-like behavior.

Speaking of which. "Before you guys run off into the forest to do god knows what, what rank is Jason in a wolf pack?" Trevor gets up and takes his shirt off. "Jason is an alpha, 100%. There's no doubt about it. Don't worry. I'll teach your boy all about pack hierarchy and everything having to do with werewolves. Warning, though, not every pack has the same hierarchical system and language. You're going to have a tough few days," Trevor winks. He takes off his pants, and I close my eyes. He tells Jason to strip, and judging by the shuffling of clothes, he does.

"Shifting with your clothes on is going to cost you a lot more money than necessary, pretty boy," Jason growls at the nickname. "Have fun!" I say. I feel a strong pair of arms wrap around my neck from the back of my chair. "Thank you," Jason's husky voice brushes my ears, and I feel his lips press against my cheek. My lack of vision heightens my other senses and makes his voice more sensual than usual. I pat his arm. "Of course," I smile. And with that, their footsteps fade into the distance. I open my eyes and turn my phone on. Zero bars. Of course. I think about Keith's offer. If Jason's parents disappeared through magical means, will Keith be able to track them down? Are they even on Earth? Is this offer worth it?

When howls reach my ears, I smile. My attitude changes, as I remember Jason's smile. I have to try. I at least have to know if they're still alive, and if Keith could find Trevor, who also disappeared like Jason's parents, then I'm sure that Keith can find something. Even if it is information on the humans hunting werewolves. There were so many places to start, but there was no clear end. I sigh and accept today's win. Jason is getting in touch with his roots, so that's good. I look around the small cabin. There wasn't much to it or much to do. I look out of the window and see a vegetable garden. I look into the fridge and see little to no groceries. What food was Trevor trying to offer us? I laugh at the image of his face if we had said yes to the offered dinner.

I decided to cook something else. Did they need a cooked meal if they could eat raw meat? Or did that only fill their wolves and not their human bodies? God, there was still so much I couldn't understand. Either way, I am human and sure as hell need to fill my stomach. We aren't driving another eight hours back in the middle of the night, so we are sleeping over. Hopefully, we will make it in time for Jason and Saiya's wedding planning appointment. I find some gloves in the kitchen and get to picking.