Chapter 44

The first year went by without a hitch and with many interesting video calls.

"Your bangs are getting longer," He pointed out.

"I know. I haven't been bothered to trim them. I somehow keep losing pins and clips, but it feels weird not having hair in my face sometimes. Notice anything else different?"

"I don't think… wait, you actually got the extra piercings?"

"Yeah."

"To be honest, I would've been surprised if you hadn't gotten them. Did you get the belly button one too?"

"Nope. I thought it'd be too much, and I'd be pushing my luck."

"Guess who?" Twilight asked.

"Who?"

"No one important."

"Really?"

"Except maybe a newly appointed Alpha."

"Since when?"

"Since I turned 19. To be honest, I think my dad just wanted to take early retirement."

"Sounds like him."

"I think it's time we come clean to your parents."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we've put it off for long enough. You can't hide the mark on your neck forever, more so when it'll no longer look like a bite mark, they'll start getting suspicious about why it won't go away. Second, every full moon I have to shift and go for a run whether I like it or not. Eventually, they'll see a pattern, and we'll run out of excuses, at some point. Third, I'll have duties to the pack and others as well, so I won't be able to come and go as I please. They'll wonder why I'm not around all the time. Fourth, there's a possibility that they'll discover my ears and tail by accident. Fifth..."

"You've made your point. When do you want to tell them?"

"ASAP. I mean, it's better to get this over with."

"That means you'll have to do it on your own."

"I know and I'll be fine. It's not as if I'm going for a job interview."

The next day...

"So, how did it go?" Takumi asked.

"At first, they thought that I was pregnant. But when I told them what I actually was, well, your mom fainted, your dad, as usual, cracked a joke about it, and Toshi and Sora kept wanting to pet me."

"Now I wish I were there to witness it."

"But it went better than I expected, and I did learn some interesting things."

"Like what?"

*Flashback*

"Come with me, there's something you should know too." Mr Rengoku said.

"Ok." She followed him to what seemed to be a study.

"What did you want to tell me?"

"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out, Empress. Or do you prefer to be called Alpha?"

"How did you..."

"I'm also a wolf. I'm surprised that you didn't find out sooner. It must be all the years of being around humans that made it hard to smell. You don't know this because it was long before you were born, but I was your father's other Beta before I stepped down to start a family."

"No wonder you two got along so well. And poor Takeshi."

"We probably should've stayed in the pack so you would've found each other sooner. But at the time, I didn't consider the possibility you'd be mates because you were supposed to be mated to an Alpha. Actually, you two have met once before. When you were around two or three, so you won't remember. He was very shy around you back then, and you'd always drag him out to play. Afterwards, I asked him what he thought about you, and he said you were nice but too much for him to handle. I was wondering when or even if you were going to tell us. You know, the second time we met, I almost didn't recognise you and mistook you for your mother. You look just like her. And before you ask my wife is human."

"So, if you're a wolf and your wife's a human then your kids should be half-breeds, right?"

"That should be the case, but they're just as human as their mother. I never marked her because she wasn't exactly comfortable with that. They're wolves but they lack the gene, so that makes them human. But I'm beginning to wonder if there's a small part of them that is."

"How come?"

"Do you remember the day we had our first encounter?"

"Yeah. It's kinda hard forgetting one of the most awkward days of your life."

"That day, I noticed the way he looked at you. I've never seen him look at anyone like that, especially a girl, and unlike most boys his age, he's never had a girlfriend. My guess is: there's a part of him that experiences a bit of the mate bond. That's the only explanation I can come up with for his sudden attraction. Not to mention that Sora wanted to marry a guy she just met, claiming it was love at first sight. At first, we thought she had lost her mind since she's... quirky. But actually, she was serious, and when Takumi developed a sudden attraction to someone, I started wondering if they had inherited some part of the wolf gene."

"Do they know?"

"Just Sora. We were planning to tell Takumi once he comes back and Toshiro once he's old enough to understand. But you should explain this to him, he'll see reason with you. I don't think he'll take it well."

*End of flashback*

"Don't worry about it. I'll explain when you get back."

"Go to sleep," Twilight said.

"How about no?"

"Don't you have to get up early tomorrow or something?"

"What if I told you it's only four in the afternoon?"

"No fair, you're keeping me up then."

"You weren't complaining before, and I know you don't mind."

"What makes you so sure of yourself?"

"You would've hung up already if you did."

"Fine, you got me."

"I miss you," Takumi said.

"How much?"

"I'll show you when I get back." He winked.

"Is that right?"

"Yeah, you could say that I'll rock more than just your world."

"By the way, I noticed that you're a little skinnier. Are you eating well? Actually, no, don't say anything. I'll make you a proper meal when you get back."

"Funny, my grandma wondered the same thing earlier. She's making me something right now and told me to slow down on the studying a bit. Oh yeah, she told me to say hi."