AT the sound of the word vampire, my heart began to race. 

How could vampires have managed to track us down? I asked myself this a million times as I slipped into an old tee-shirt I found in a nearby dresser. From there, I dashed out into the living room to find a girl and a boy, both seemingly my age. 

They had the same eyes—the same red jasper irises. At the moment, I thought of it as an odd color, but it did bring out their pale bronze skin. I also will admit they had strikingly beautiful features. 

"So," the girl said, "it's time we meet, Beatriz Wilson." The elegant lilt shined through her voice. She glanced the down at the dagger she clutched in one hand. With her other set of willowy fingers, she stroked her hair—a bob consisting of a mixture of raven and dark brown spikes—then the large, round dimple in her long chin. Her eyes flickered back to me. Her dark lips parted, revealing her razor-sharp incisors. "I hope the only use I have for this dagger is cutting the umbilical cord." 

"Excuse me?" I blinked, and my heart began to pound like stone against my chest. I glanced to the side at my husband, who held a frying pan in his firm hands. 

He shrugged, and his words crept through my brain: I don't know them. I didn't summon them. 

"Oh," the girl said with a soft laugh. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Kimbra, and—" between chuckles, she yanked the boy to her side "—this is my brother Parris." She cleared her throat and blinked. "We were sent here on request of our father." 

"Who's your father?" I asked with a step towards Kimbra. 

Kimbra met me with a stride of her long, elongated legs. "Athan," she answered.

The world felt as if it stumbled into a rock wall. "How the hell is that possible? You're the same age as him?" I asked, nearly stuttering. "I-I'm perplexed." 

"The perks of being a hybrid," Kimbra said. "My mother was a wolf. Wolf and vampire combine to bring forth twins that are half-vampire and half-wolf, accelerating the growth rate."

"Wait. Your mother is Wynne?" Rylan asked, inching forward. 

Kimbra nodded. "Yup. In human years, I should be a toddler. In actuality, I grew up to be 18 in over two years." 

"Wow," Rylan and I said at the same time. 

I cleared my throat and said, "You don't drink blood, do you?" 

"Only on holidays," Parris interjected and flashed a smile. His fangs drip with blood said otherwise. 

"I keep my vow of only drinking blood on special occasions," Kimbra said, pushing Parris away. "He, on the other hand, will fuck and snack on anyone who dares to try trusting him." 

"I'm telling Dad that you said that," Parris shot back with a pout. "Mom as well." 

"Go ahead," Kimbra retorted with a scoff. "It's the truth." 

"Little Miss Tattle Tale as always." Parris huffed. "Someday, I'll have dirt on you too; then, you won't be Miss Perfect anymore." 

"Can we not do this right now?" Kimbra asked, fire rising in her voice. "We have a purpose for being here. Dad would hate it if we lost sight of what is important." 

"You know that I can hear you discussing the child of my husband and me like perverts, right?" I inquired. 

Rylan made his way over to me and whispered, "We're not going to let them near our child, are we?" 

Kimbra turned to us with an awkward chuckle. "Sorry." She looked down at her feet, slathered in worn-out leather.  "We're not perverts or pedophiles, but your future child faces importance in the future. We were sent here because to protect the balance of life. You have no one to protect you. If you went into an actual hospital, saw a doctor, you would risk upsetting the balance of life, so our father said to come here and be the ones who help you deliver this child." 

"I still don't trust them," Rylan whispered. 

I grabbed the collar of Rylan's shirt and looked at Kimbra and Parris. "Excuse us for one moment." I dragged Rylan into the bedroom, closing the door.  "What choice do we have?" I asked him. I kept my words firm as I stared into his eyes in the dim light. "The Hybrid Twins are right. We could put our entire kind at risk and ourselves if we show our fast-paced, growing baby to a doctor in this world. We were treated like slaves in Mexico. The Americans tried to hunt us down to extinction. That was in the 1800s." 

"But, that was then," Rylan said. "Maybe we're wrong. Maybe humans will be more accepting of us." 

"Or it could be even worse," I reminded him. "Remember those feral cats we dissected in science?"

Rylan nodded his head. "Yeah." 

"We could be the next experiment," I explained. "Do you want that for us? For our child?" 

"No," he answered and took my hand. "I do not want that for our child or us." He placed his lips on my fingers. "I trust you." 

My heart fluttered softly. "Okay," I muttered and pecked Rylan on the lips, "let's welcome them." I guided him out to the living room. 

"Welcome," Rylan said, extending his hand out. "As long as you do not threaten us in any way, you're allowed in this vicinity." 

Kimbra flashed her fangs one more time with a smile. "As long as you don't threaten us in any way," she replied, "you have a deal." 

"Deal." As those words left his mouth, he shook Kimbra's hand. 

Point Beatriz, I thought with a smile. Seeing Wynne's children took me back to the days of our friendship. 

Had Wynne not hooked up with Athan, she would've remained my second-closest friend. From pre-school, Keanna, Wynne, and I made a pact for life to be us against the world come hell or high water. Of course, the Elders made it impossible for Wynne to keep her vow. 

Even as I look back on it now, I will always remember the last day of seventh grade. Wynne convinced the Alpha to let us have a dance party in the woods. The speakers throughout the town blasted Thriller. I remember the adrenaline coursing through my veins. In the end, laughter from the positive energy filled the forest. 

"Hey, how's your mother?" I asked.

Kimbra glanced at Parris, then back at me. "Our mother is great," she said. "She might visit sometime." 

"Is she—" 

Before I could finish my sentence, Kimbra cut me off. "Yes," she said, nodding her head, "our mother is still just a wolf." 

Parris nudged his sister. When she turned to him, he whispered something in her ear. I couldn't understand. It had that Athan-like accent to it.

My heart pounded as I waited to hear Kimbra's interpretation. What had he told her? 

Kimbra returned to me. "In return for our protection, we ask that you teach us how to be wolves," she said. 

"Okay," I said with a shrug. "That sounds easy."

"Lessons start first thing in the morning," Kimbra said, flashing her fangs. Again. "Don't be late." 

☾ ☾ ☾

I breathed in the summer air filled with the scent of pine and palm trees. I stretched my toes against the soft grass. The sun had barely lifted from the horizon. Faints rays of light shuddered through the leaves and scattered across patches of road and grass. 

Stretched out across the lawn, Kimbra warmed up with yoga poses. She spread her long, elongated legs across the green. I noticed the curve in her back as she leaned against her left leg. Maybe it was the sports bra that pointed it out. It hugged her small bust and shoulders. 

"What?" Kimbra asked with the brush of her bangs. "Is my confidence threatening?" 

"N-no," I stammered. After a moment, a sigh escaped my lungs. "You just, and don't take this wrong way, carry on your mother's looks so well." 

"Thanks." Kimbra contorted a weird smile. Her lips pressed together tightly and bulged out as if like a duck. "Duck-face selfie?" 

I squinted with one eye. "Duck-face? Selfie?" The words raced off my lips, and my face felt tense as if I had eaten something sour. "What are those?" 

"Duck-face is a pose you make with your face," Kimbra explained, pulling out a phone from her nearby satchel. Her finger glided across the screen until she came upon dozens of portraits that showed her making the same expression. "These are also selfies. Selfies are photographs the photographer takes with the lens of a camera facing the photographer."  She patted the grass next to her. "Come," she said. 

I made my way over to her.

On the screen of her phone, I saw my face. I saw the golden flecks in my dark eyes. They looked so shiny and glossy. 

"Do a funny face," Kimbra insisted. 

I stuck out my tongue, and a bright flash seeped through my eyes. Afterward, a low clicking sound filled the air for a moment. "Ugh," I muttered as if I had tasted something disgusting. "Why do you people damage your eyes with such shit?" 

"They're phones, you jokester," Kimbra said with a laugh, "not damaging ultraviolet radiation." 

"I'm not used to light coming from a screen," I admitted with a sigh. "Elders told us they would interfere with our brains. These phones would mess with our brains and cause addiction." 

"Then, how do you communicate?" Kimbra asked. "Don't you have any people who live outside of Howl Falls? Any relatives who stayed behind in Mexico?" 

I raised an eyebrow. "You know the story?" 

"Mom told us," Kimbra said and brushed her hair away. 

"Anyways," I explained, "we communicate through telepathic bonds. It's close; it's intimate. It's private." 

"Teach me how to create a telepathic bond." As the words left Kimbra's mouth, she patted her knees like a child.

I instructed, "Close your eyes" and closed my eyes. The world became dark shadows. After a moment, I could hear the gentle wind brushing through the forest. "Focus on the name of the person with whom you want to speak. It's like searching for their soul. It doesn't matter where they are, you'll find them." 

Beatriz Wilson—Kimbra's rich voice filtered through my brain—thank you. 

I smiled. No problem.

Footsteps grew louder and louder. 

"Someone's coming," Kimbra said, nudging me. 

The sound of paws clapping against the road followed. Louder and louder, it became. At the same time, it harmonized with the thud of the footsteps. 

"Come on. Come on." The voice belonged to Rylan. It sounded like he was sweating through each syllable. 

The sound of a whistle rang in the air.

I opened my eyes to find Rylan with damp hair. It had to have been sweat. Neither had it rained nor had he bathed before dawn. Instead, he spent the final minutes hidden under the covers finishing what started the night before—hot, sweaty intercourse. 

Hearts raced. The sheets moved like waves with each movement of our bodies. An aria of soft moans filled the room with ecstasy.

After blinking, I returned to the forest. Streaks of green appeared almost everywhere in my sight. I noticed a scattered assortment of lichen and mint, a splendid view in Howl Falls. And in the center of it all, Rylan stood. His sweat-drenched shirt billowed in the light wind. 

The way the wind brushed a lock of his hair in front of one of his eyes turned me on — it was sexy. 

Kimbra patted me on the shoulder. "Oh, learn to control yourself," she said, rolling her eyes. "You did it an hour ago." 

"I can't help it," I muttered at the side of my lips. My eyes remained on Rylan. 

As Parris came speeding past him in wolf form, Rylan let out a groan. "Show off!" He blew into the whistle. Again. 

"Well," Kimbra replied after a sigh, "you must learn to help it because you're going to have to hold back for the sake of the baby during the third trimester." 

Rylan's eyes flitted between me and the direction in which Parris took off. "I better go chase him down," he said and took off while yelling, "Parris! Stop!" 

I laughed to myself and turned to Kimbra. "How do you know all of this stuff?" 

"My nonna Minerva," Kimbra answered. "She got a doctorate and stuff." 

"Nonna," I pronounced as if it were foreign. I'd heard Athan use the term before. "What does that mean?" 

"Grandma," Kimbra replied with a smile. 

My stomach knotted at the image. This Minerva probably had the looks of Athan. She probably dressed in a white coat. She had her silky, dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. But the worst of the mental picture was of this woman feasting on bags of blood. 

Kimbra tapped me on the shoulder. The wind broke through her spiky hair. "How does this sound: we watch the greatest saga ever made tonight on my phone?" Tilting her head back, she added, "My brother and I love to watch it." 

"That sounds great," I said with a smile. "Are we watching movies by chance?" 

"With popcorn, eggplant, and pizza," Kimbra answered. "There's no other way." 

Rylan returned, dragging Parris by the ear. "You may be a speedy half-vampire," Rylan said with firm words, "but here you are a wolf." 

"Sorry," Parris replied with a groan. "I will listen to the whistle next time." 

"Good," my husband said with a gentle smile. It was as warm as the gentle sun that finally hovered above us. "I'll work with you in another hour." His eyes met mine. "Triz, ready to switch?" 

"Yes," I said and looked at Kimbra, who was already on her feet. "Good luck." 

Kimbra and Parris brushed past each other. They exchanged glances. 

☾ ☾ ☾

At night, Kimbra and Rylan prepared our little treat for the productive day we had. The smell of cheese, garlic, and something burning filled the air. Meanwhile, Parris set up the phone on the glass top of the coffee table. 

"Don't mind me," Parris said. He didn't look at me as he bent over. His butt was in my way. "Hey, Kim," he then called out to his sister, "is she coming over for movie night?"

"Maybe," Kimbra said as she made her way over to the couch with a crystalline plate of what looked like fish sticks but longer. She placed them on the top of the coffee table. "She didn't give me a definitive answer." 

"Who is this she that we're referring to?" I asked. 

Kimbra glanced at me. "My girlfriend and future fiancée." 

"Is she—"

I didn't get the chance to finish when Kimbra interjected, "No," and shook her head. "My girlfriend is human." 

"You have a human girlfriend?" The words left my mouth frantically. "How—" 

"Get ahold of yourself!" Kimbra interrupted. Again. "She's an ally. She's not like normal humans. She doesn't even like being human." 

"So, you're going to turn her into a vampire?" I asked. 

Kimbra nodded her head. "When she accepts my proposal," she answered and brushed a spiky lock behind her ear.

A vibrating sound came from Kimbra's pocket. "Is it her?" Parris and I asked. 

Kimbra yanked her phone out of the pocket of her ripped jeans. Rays of light from the screen painted her face. Her eyes moved quickly from side to side. As she let out a breath, her firm lips curled into a smile. "She's coming!" Kimbra said with a squeal. "I must change." 

Kimbra shuffled into the room across from the bedroom of Rylan and me. 

Finally, my husband came over with a tray of pizza. It emitted steam into the room. "Do you have a date, Parris?" he asked. 

Parris glanced at Rylan and sighed. "No." His dark hair brushed against the nape of his neck. "I'm asexual and aromantic." 

Curiosity seeped through my brain. "What do those words mean?" 

"It means that I don't experience any sexual or romantic attraction to anyone," Parris explained with a low growl.

My heart sped up a tad. "I'm sorry if I offended you by asking," I said and began to twiddle my thumbs. I didn't want to expose Rylan and Parris to my ability to create havoc. If I showed Rylan, he would know it was me who killed Zoelle at the apartment complex. After all, which is worse, living a lie and not even knowing, or telling a lie? 

"You didn't," Parris assured me and shifted up to the couch next to me. "I'm just not used to revealing my sexuality with other people. My sister knows, but my parents don't. I feel that if they knew, they would be heartbroken. It's not easy to accept that person is capable of living a life without romance and sex. 

"They would probably find me some form of a companion so they wouldn't have to live with the thought of me eventually dying alone. This companion probably would have desires for sex and romance, and I would have to give in one way or another. In all, they probably see asexuality and aromanticism as a disease. It's who I am." 

"Well," I said, "you never know unless you tell them. Just know that Rylan and I accept you." 

"Thank you," Parris replied and flashed a faint grin in our direction. 

Rylan placed the pizza next to the plate of eggplant. "No problem," my husband said. 

At this moment, Kimbra returned to the room. A one-shouldered jumpsuit clung to her frame. Acrylic, spiky studs embroidered the bodice in a silver hue. "She'll be here any minute," Kimbra said between a squeal. She danced around the room. "We get to watch my favorite movies, and I might have a fiancée at the end of the night." She began to sing, "Kimbra Solano-Gayoso is on a roll. Yes, I am on a roll. I can't wait to grow old with Odile 'cause I am on a roll." 

"Normally," Parris whispered, "I would look away, but this is fricking entertaining." 

Rylan nodded his head. "Same." 

"Fellow vamps," Parris said, "what we have here is a new adult hybrid excited about getting engaged. See as she waits for her Bella." 

I glanced over my shoulder. There, Parris was behind his phone, probably taking a video of this. 

Kimbra continued singing, "I'm on a roll. Yes, I'm on a roll." 

"Keep it together," I muttered. Unfortunately, my words met the rhythm of Kimbra's lyrics.

"Yes, I'm on a roll."

A knock sounded against the door. 

"She's here!" Kimbra said and let out a squeal. "I'm so fucking excited." Her breath encompassed the entire room. "Let's do this," she whispered and opened the door. 

Outside, a woman with beachy chestnut waves stood in a love-sleeved, gray sweater-dress. Dim rays of the porch light bounced off the bright red rose embedded onto the side of her neck. And below it — l'âme soeur, meaning soulmate in French. It became apparent she had the word imprinted onto where the neck met the shoulder for Kimbra. The black lettering contrasted with the red rose above it. 

Kimbra had the woman's cheeks in her hand. "Ciao bella," she said breathlessly and met her lover's lips.

One step inside, I saw the narrow, elegant calligraphy that curved in tendrils against her skin. The woman's shoulders moved up and down, making it impossible to see the l'âme soeur.

I cleared my throat. "Care to introduce your guest?" I asked. 

Kimbra pulled away and turned to me. "Oh, sorry." She let out a laugh. "Beatriz, Rylan, this is Odile King." She placed a hand on Odile's shoulder and gazed into her lover's eyes. She made swift gestures with her hand. 

In front of Odile, she first pointed at me. 

Her thumb hid behind her palm. 

Her other fingers curled into a fist. 

Swiftly, she moved her thumb to a place next to her clenched fingers. 

She squeezed her thumb between her index and middle finger. 

After this, she crossed her fingers. 

She then clenched all fingers together except for her pinky. 

Finally, she clenched her pinky and her index finger shot out, tracing a Z in the air. 

All the while, she mouthed the words, "She Beatriz." 

Odile glanced at me with a smile. She moved her hand in a slight arc next to her ear. Proceeding this, she pointed at her chest, placed her pointer finger against her ear, and moved it to her chin.  

I glanced at Kimbra, who explained, "Odile said, 'Hello, I'm deaf.'" Kimbra then introduced Odile to Rylan, mouthing, "He Rylan." 

I felt bad for Odile. She couldn't hear the beauty of the world. But then again, she still could smell the sweet aroma of eggplant and cheese and garlic, and the unfortunate scent of burning popcorn. She could still witness the sun rising from the horizon. She could still feel the air dancing against her skin. 

Kimbra ushered Odile to the couch. "She's preparing for the big moment," Parris narrated behind us. He was still recording. 

Odile pointed her finger between Rylan and me, and then tapped her neck as if it to pretend a bite. My eyes went wide when I realized what Odile asked. 

Are they vampires?

Kimbra shook her head and brought two fingers to her thumb.

In the background, Parris translated the gesture: "No." 

Kimbra pointed at Rylan and me. 

"They," Parris continued. 

With all five fingers on one hand, Kimbra slightly grazed her face.

"Wolves." 

Odile nodded and glanced at us with a smile. 

I smiled back. 

"Come on, Kimbra," Parris whispered. "You can do this."

Kimbra evidently heard and got down on one knee. From the pocket of her jumpsuit, she pulled out a velvet box. 

Odile's jaw dropped. She nodded her head and held out her hand.

Kimbra slipped the ring on her lover's finger, and the two met with a kiss. Moments later, Kimbra's moans filled the room during which they explored one another's skin. 

Rylan grabbed the pizza tray. His eyes remained on Parris. "Are they going to consummate or something?" 

"More of a mating-turning ritual," Parris explained and picked up the plate of eggplant from the glass top. 

I swept a glass bowl of white popcorn into arms and shoved a hand into the pool of buttery heaven. 

Parris came around the other side with Kimbra's phone, allowing the newly engaged couple to stumble onto the couch. Moaning intensified. 

"Let's go into the room," Parris insisted and ushered us away from the mating-turning ritual. 

┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉

♥ ♥ ♥

KIMBRA

♥ ♥ ♥

AS my brother and the two wolf-shapeshifters left the room, I snuck under the fabric of Odile's sweat-dress. With my lips, I traced her stomach, planting a gentle kiss over every inch. The ritual always started this way. 

According to my father, "Sensualization of the abdomen and the body overall gives the human stimulus enough to distract from the pain when you take a bite," those last three uttered under a whisper. 

As I made my way around the body with kisses, those words replayed again and again and again in my mind. Take. A. Bite. 

I wanted to change Odile. After all, it would've made my father proud that I chose to embrace the vampire in me and rejected my mother's wolf side. For him, there was no compromise. In the two years that gave aged me from an infant to an adult, he always talked about bringing justice to his kind. 

Oppressed. My father repeated this word over and over again. Then followed his spiel about how his kind should have dominion over the world. Humans would pay. Wolves would worship the undead. 

No longer would we lurk in the shadows. Like a phoenix, we would rise from the ashes and claim our power. Nothing could stop us. 

Or so I thought. When my father returned from his facade in Howl Falls after what he and Mom explained to be the Ceremony, he said, "Find Beatriz and Rylan. Protect their future child at all costs." 

As the words echoed in the back of my brain, my thoughts faded into a single image — my teeth in Odile's neck. Moments passed. My dream came true. Her blood filled my stomach, quenching the thirst of my vampiric half. In return, venom seeped into her veins. Based on my love's thoughts, they were infecting her body.

Because my blood contained that of both wolf and vampire, Odile would receive the capabilities of both creatures too. When she awoke, she would be able to hear and eventually speak. We would be mates for as long as we lived in return. 

┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉

☾ ☾ ☾ 

BEATRIZ

☾ ☾ ☾

SO, now that you've heard what happened, I assume, it's my time to return. Let's resume.

In the bedroom of Rylan and me, we sat on the floor. 

In the dim lighting, I could see Parris's smile. "This is going to be the best series you've ever watched," he assured us and patted his legs.

"Anything should be better than the only entertainment available in Howl Falls," Rylan replied.

I glanced at Parris with a smile. Following a unisonous inhale, we let out the lyrics: 

Because it's thriller. Thriller night. 

We glanced at Rylan who wore a frown. "Never. Ever. Do that. Again," he said. 

Kimbra entered the room with the tray of pizza. The aroma of garlic wafted to my nostrils. "Hey," she said. The word seemed to haul forward with every inch of strength inside her. 

"You're done early," Parris pointed out. "Don't the rituals take longer."

"I skipped to the fun part," Kimbra explained. She tapped her neck, and the words filtered through my brain: I bit her as quickly as possible. She came over and plopped down next to Parris. 

"But—" 

Parris barely started to say something before Kimbra firmly cut him off. "Traditions be damned." 

Suddenly, the room fell cold. It felt like every inch of my sweat turned to icy snow trailing down my skin. My heart raced. 

The tiny voice between my hips begged me to not go haywire, and instead focus on the bliss seeping through my veins. So, I did. 

Kimbra sliced the pizza with a smile. None of it, however, could efface the fire that she ignited moments prior. Still, I admired her try to lighten the mood by saying, "Let's get this party started." She then turned on the movie.

It started with a trumpet fanfare blaring as the title shot onto the screen and began to back into the distance. Meanwhile, there was a lot of pitch contrast with the brass section hitting those high notes and descending low ones. At the end of each melodic phrase, the orchestra united for the final note. Then, in the next section, strings replaced the brass and grew longer in endurance. The fanfare returned, uniting with the brass section and strings. 

Star Wars.

The entire theme captured my full and undivided attention. I couldn't close my eyes as it faded into a darker score, and the text finished providing background information. A princess with weird hair and a white dress begged a man named Obi-Wan Kanobi for help. 

As the film went on, I munched on some pizza and eggplant. A young man named Luke bought something called droids who carried the princess's cry for help, helping Luke come into contact with Obi-Wan. After the death of his guardians, Luke embarked to save the princess with Obi-Wan all the while enlisting another recruit — Han Solo. Meanwhile, a rebellion surfaced through the world called the Republic. 

The first trilogy ended with the villain, Darth Vader, being Luke and the princess's father. The princess married Han. This led to our next trilogy — the prequel that explained how Anakin Skywalker turned to the Dark Side. He did it to save his wife, Padma, who was with twins. It ended with an epic battle and a weird perception of birth. 

The next trilogy took place after the first trilogy. Rey set out to find Luke. Meanwhile, Kylo Ren rose to the dark side and eventually killed his father, Han. In the next film, Luke tried to train Rey in the ways of the Force while Kylo and Rey almost fell in love with their ability to communicate through the Force. Kylo killed Snoke and took control of the New Order, rejecting Rey's hand. In the final film, it turned out that Kylo was a puppet in a larger plan to diminish the Skywalker line. The true villain caused Kylo to go back to being Ben Solo and joining Rey's side. To save her, he gave her his life force and faded away as a result.

By the time the final film finished, it was the next night. We had eaten sparingly throughout the amazing journey. My heart raced out of excitement. Maybe it was the dark hair that I imagined my child having, but the name Kylo seemed pleasant to my ears. 

"I loved Star Wars," I blurted out with glee and glanced at Rylan. "Babe, we should name our child either Rey or Kylo." 

Odile peaked into the room and signed some words. While doing so, her eyes remained on me. It sent shivers down my spine. She now had chalky white skin and red jasper eyes. Her lips were blood red. Shadows outlined her eyes. 

"You're having a boy," Kimbra said slowly. "I can see the future." 

I glanced at Kimbra. "That's what she said?" I asked. 

Kimbra nodded. 

I turned to Rylan. "Kylo Emyr ..." Sadly, I couldn't think of a way to finish the name we would give our son. Emyr in honor of my father. In my head, it made my father proud. According to the stories that Sabia told me of my father — a spritely man of Welsh descent who introduced poker to Howl Falls — it would've made him proud. 

"Ren Odalis Castilla," Rylan finished. "Kylo Emyr Ren Odalis Castilla. A name fit for royalty." He made his way over to me. His fingers lingered near my chest. 

"Royalty?" I asked and blinked. 

"We're taking back Howl Falls," Rylan explained. Meanwhile, he caressed my cheek in a way that made my heart flutter. "We'll rule justly as Alpha and Luna." 

Memories flashed in the back of my mind. In my sophomore year, the Alpha required Rylan to spar with him for his final test in our combat course. I remember seeing him knocked onto the ground in the tight room reeking of sweat. 

And, in replaying again and again against my memory — With a growl, the Alpha lashed Rylan's face with the back of his hand. "You are not my son," the Alpha snapped.

"And you're not my father," Rylan replied with cold eyes.

"You're a bastard." The Alpha shoved Rylan onto the floor. He gazed down at us with a smirk. "Enjoy captivity before the Ceremony."

I returned to the moment. My heart began to race. "Look around," I said. Meanwhile, I gestured around the room—"We have a cozy cottage"—then at my stomach. "We have a son who is going to look up to you, who is going to need you." And finally, I placed my hand on my abdomen. "Are we not enough?"

Ever so slightly, Rylan edged his hand towards mine. Soon, his fingertips softly brushed against my hand, which rested on my waist. He then breathed against my forehead, "This is enough." 

I unfurled my fingers, letting his slip around mine. All of a sudden, I could feel the heat of his palm pressing against mine. 

This was enough. It had to suffice. 

— Shay <3