A Royal Mate
Part 4

I got up and walked back towards the apartment and I heard Val running behind me.

"What? Why?" Val said as I continued storming off to the swimming area. "Anna! Anna! Stop. Please." I stopped and turned around nearly colliding with Val as she came to a stop in front of me. "Anna what is going on? Why don't you believe in mates?" I narrowed my eyes at her as she continued walking "Why won't you talk to me?"

I sighed and said "Val just drop it. I left that life a long time ago and it's not something I want to relive. The past is in the past, remember? We agreed to not speak of it!" I turned around and started walking again.

She grabbed my arm and spun me back around. "You really hated it that much? I mean come on I would kill to be you."

I looked at her with a confused look "What do you mean be like me? You don't even know me that well. I'm no prize and I most certainly know most people would not want to be like me."

She let go of my arm and said "Are you kidding me? Who doesn't want to be royalty?" I gave her a confused look and she said "Wait! You don't know who you are? Do you? How do you explain your eyes?"

I stuttered "W-what d-do you mean? What do they have to do with anything?" I was infuriated at this point "it's just a weird genetic mutation that only occurs in 1:300,00 werewolf births. It's no big deal. It has freaked people out since I was a kid which is why I wear the contacts." I thought back to my encounters with people when I was younger. The thoughts always made me feel bad. My eyes were an eerie glowing green but I never really thought that much about them. In fact I always hated them especially when I was a child, people would take one look at me and run in horror. I always thought I looked like a freak but my parents would tell me they were beautiful and I was one of a kind. So as soon as I could, My parents got colored contacts to hide them.

"Your eyes are not a genetic mutation, Anna." She said with a smile on her face and she grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the street. "We need to go talk to Zel. She will explain everything. Come on."

"Wait who is Zel? Val where are you taking me now?" I said running behind her.

We arrived at what looked like a pawn shop. The closed sign on the door made it clear she wasn't accepting visitors but Val knocked anyway. "Val it doesn't look like anyone is here so let's go."

She said "Nonsense Zel is always here." Just then the curtain moved and an older lady with silver hair and the most alluring purple eyes peered through the window. She ushered us in quickly and closed the door locking it behind her.

"Well I'll be. Valena Maddox, is that really you?"

She pulled Val into a hug as she responded "Yes Zel it's me. And it's just Val now. Let me introduce you to my friend Anna." She said as she pushed me forward.

Zel grabbed my hands and said "Hello Anna. It is nice to finally meet you." She tilted her head and looked at me as if she was searching for something. "I thought you said..."

Val quickly cut her off "She has colored contacts in to hide them." I looked between the two of them confused and intrigued. How did Val know this woman and when did she talk to her about me?

Zel dropped my hands and shook her head and asked "Let me see your eyes child." I looked at Val who nodded her head in agreement. Hesitantly, I went to the bathroom and took my contacts out once again. I walked out into the dimly lit store to the table Zel and Val were sitting at. As soon as Zel saw my eyes she gasped with tears in her eyes and I halted. Damn it. I had done it again.

"I'm sorry Zel I didn't mean to scare you. I'll go back and put my contacts in."

I started to turn around but she said "No child I'm not frightened. But I think we should talk. Who are your parents?"

I didn't understand how my parents had anything to do with this but I answered "Beta Robert and Julie Steine of the Red Oak Pack in Oregon."

She shook her head and asked again "No. Who are your REAL parents?" What is this woman talking about. They are my real parents.

"They are my REAL parents. I'm telling you the truth." Zel and Val exchanged a concerned look and I suddenly felt my stomach drop. Maybe all those dreams I've had were real. Maybe they were just surpressed memories of something that really happened.

My head was pounding and my knees buckled. I almost fell but Val caught me and pulled me up to the stool. "Zel, what are you trying to say?" She left the table and walked to the back of her store. She returned with a huge book.

She set it down in front of me and said "I'm not sure how to tell you this so I'll just show you." She opened up the book and started flipping through the pages until she landed on the section about the moon goddess and the creation of our kind. She took a deep breath and said "Now, where do I begin?"