Jacque turned on him. “Do not tell me to calm down! Everyone in this room seems to know something about my life that I don’t and frankly that just ticks me off a teeny, tiny bit, so back off!”
Fane held his hands up in surrender and took a seat across from Lilly on the loveseat. Sorin sat in the ugly winged back chair, leaving Jacque the only one standing.
She wasn’t ready to sit down so she started pacing around the room.
“I understand why you're angry and that you're hurt, but I need you to hear me out before judging me,” Lilly told her.
Jacque stopped and tried to wipe away the tears that were running freely down her cheeks. She turned to look at her mom and simply nodded her head. Her mom patted the couch for her to sit on, but Jacque took one look at Fane and knew she needed to sit by him.
“I’m sorry, love, it’s just that I see you hurting and all I want to do is comfort you. It’s MY job to comfort you. Please bear with me a little longer. Sit by me, calm the animal inside please.” Fane’s thought was so emotional that Jacque found herself walking over to the love seat and sitting next to him.
Jacque’s mom looked a little shocked, but as quick as it appeared it was gone.
“Jacque,” her mom began, “there is no easy way to explain this. There is no way that I can say it that sounds sane, so I’m just going to lay it out there, okay?”
“If you knew what my life has been like the past few days you wouldn’t even have to lead off with that. So as Jen and I like to say, slap me with it,” Jacque told her.
Lilly took a deep breath. “Your father is a Canis lupus, a werewolf.”
When Jacque didn’t respond Lilly just continued. “I knew there was something different about him when I met him. The longer we dated, the more sure I was that he wasn't normal. So one night I just asked him, ‘What are you?’ And he told me. At first, naturally, I didn’t believe him, but then he showed me his wolf and he was beautiful. Over time, he told me more and more about his culture and species. I knew one day he would leave because he would find his true mate. He was honest with me about it and I chose to stay with him anyway because I felt that whatever time I could have with him was better than none at all.”
Lilly paused for a moment and looked at Jacque, who was just sitting there staring at the table in front of her. Fane took one of her hands and looked like he was waiting for her to go into hysterics at any moment. Still, she said nothing.
Lilly continued. “Three days before he left I found out I was pregnant with you. I was going to tell him that very night, but when I got home there was a note waiting for me instead of him.” Jacque looked up at her mother when her voice wavered and saw she had tears in her eyes.
She realized then that her mom still loved her father. Even though he's a Canis Lup-whatever, she thought to herself.
“Canis lupus, meu inimă,” Fane told her.
“I wasn't thinking to you, was I? No, I was not. I was thinking to myself. So if you don’t mind, keep your nosy Romanian brain out of mine,” Jacque growled.
Fane just squeezed her hand and this angered Jacque even more because she didn’t want anyone’s comfort or understanding, she just wanted to be pissed off.
Lily pulled herself together and when Jacque still did not say anything she said, “I had no idea what would happen to you as half Canis lupus. I didn’t know if I would come in your room one day and find a wolf puppy in your crib. As time went on and you seemed to be completely normal, I decided to just let it go. When you hit puberty I was worried maybe that would trigger some change in you, but it didn’t and I thought we were home free. And then,” Lilly looked at Fane, there was no condemnation when she said, “you came along, and I knew all my hope was in vain.”
Fane looked Lilly in the eye and told her, “I am sorry to have brought your fears to pass, but I am not sorry to have found Jacquelyn. She is my mate and I will claim her, as is my right. You know she will not be complete without me, nor I without her.”
Lilly nodded. “I know this, Fane. At first I was angry and scared. However, now that I have spent some time with you, albeit not enough, I can tell you are a good man. I say 'man' because you can no longer be a boy, you have to protect my little girl.” Her voice sounded almost desperate now.
Jacque’s head snapped up when she heard her mom’s tone and saw the fear in her eyes.
“Okay,” Jacque started, taking a deep breath, “give me just a moment, ok? Let me process this…out loud.” She turned her head to look at Fane. “You, Casanova, give me some space, you’re freaking me out right now.”
Fane let go of her hand and moved away from her, though only a tiny bit. Jacque rolled her eyes.
“So my father turns all hairy once a month, is that what I hear you telling me?”
Fane and Sorin both let out a snort of laughter but pulled it together when Lilly glared at them.
“No, all the things you think you know about werewolves are false. Canis lupus can phase – they don’t call it changing – whenever they want to. They can phase their whole body into wolf form, or just their eyes, or teeth, or whatever. It has nothing to do with the moon.”
Jacque knew her mom loved interesting things, and she definitely found the whole werewolves-being-real bit interesting. She was past the whole trek down memory lane and moving right along onto the highway of the unbelievable.
“I can’t phase though, right?” Jacque asked apprehensively.
“No,” Lilly, Fane, and Sorin all said at the same time.
“Surround sound, nice,” Jacque said sarcastically.