I ended up staying in the forest for longer than I should have. It was so dark out when I started home that I had to switch my eyesight to the animal's that lived within me. Every Werewolf had a specific eye color; a shimmering gold that they could look through when needed, such as now in the pitch-black forest.

My dad once told me when I was very little, and in order to get me to go to sleep, that every once in awhile, a Werewolf would be born with different colored wolf eyes. He explained to me that this didn't happen as often as people assumed because that particular wolf could be taken advantage of. My dad pointed out that these once in very few lifetime wolves were very special because of their ability to protect a pack unlike any average Werewolves could imagine.

"They are strong in such a way that most Werewolves will not fight them, Button. These wolves happen to have a heart that makes them... well, them," he told me.

Dad paused, pursing his mouth to the side in the middle of his story. When he met my gaze, he stared at me in a way that I didn't understand as a child at the time.

"There's a lot of bad people in the world, Gigi..." my dad said to me, raising his brows as he was pulling the covers up to my chin. "But then there are also those who are good."

Dad swiped his hand over my head to brush back my hair as I quietly asked, since Cece slept soundly next to me in her own bed, "And am I good, Daddy?"

When my father paused, I never understood why. It was a pause that was almost hesitant... like he was unsure of how to answer. But every time I asked the same question when my Dad told me this story over and over, my dad would brush my hair back and nod that I was a very good person.

"You have a way about you, Gigi, that I am so certain will make a difference one day. There's something about you that is special, my little Button." My dad stopped again, staring me down before grinning a bit. "And I can only hope you can prove yourself to be as strong as I know you are—but for the right reasons."

Then Dad stood up, bending over me to kiss my forehead as he whispered that I needed to get some sleep now. He leaned over to turn on the spinning night light carousel beside me. In a dark room, it projected the shadows of the horses spinning around on the walls and ceiling.

My eyes took in the pretty colored horses, and the porcelain decoration. I shifted my gaze to my father's face.

"Daddy...?"

He turned, leaning a shoulder against the door frame. "Yes, Button?"

I paused, now staring at the spinning carousel and softly promised, "If I was a special wolf... I would protect you, mommy, my brudder and my seester! Because here—" I patted my chest where my heart was and met his gaze. "I know how to be good."

I'd never forget the look in my dad's eyes when he stared back before walking all the back to the side of my bed and knelt beside me. Dad tilted his head, stroking my cheek with a finger and whispered through teary eyes, "I pray you never have to, my little one. For it is my job to protect you. But you're right... there is so much good in you... and I know that darkness will be too intimidated by you."

It was a memory I played in my head for years after I was able to sleep on my own. It was only when I had hit my thirteenth birthday that I sat at breakfast and felt a tingling sensation send shivers down my spine. The type of sensation that made me uncomfortable, like the start of a panic attack.

When I mentioned this, Mom tried to calm me down by having me shut my eyes and take deep breaths. As I did, Mom explained this was just a sensation every Werewolf child gets once their wolf is showing signs to reveal itself to its human. She asked me to open my eyes after making sure I felt calm enough and that pulsing in my body simmered to a humming buzz. But when I opened my eyes, my parents gasped so loudly that I startled.

My dad's chair screeched backwards and he jumped to his feet while my mom's utensils dropped onto her plate with a clang as she held a hand to her mouth. Worried, I asked what was wrong but my parents kept staring at me before finally seeing my dad slowly sit down, eyes still on me. I frowned, looking at my mom in hopes she'd tell me what was wrong, but Mom just stared at me, too. Her eyes tearing up.

I jumped up from the table, sprinting to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, my usual reflection with brown human eyes wasn't there. There wasn't even a gold hue that should have belonged to my wolf. Instead, my wolf's eyes had become an electric blue with a lighter powder blue hue around the irises.

My eyes widened as I leaned over the counter to press my nose up against the mirror. I shook my head, remembering the story dad told me all growing up about the 'special wolf' and how they were taken advantage of. How dangerous it was for them.

I gasped, chin trembling and turned to the doorway where my parents stood. The same worried looks on their face.

"Mo—Mommy?" I whimpered before rushing into her open arms and she held me tightly.

I felt her head turn and whisper, "What are we going to do, Angus?"

Her fingers stroked my hair, pulling me closer. I heard Dad breathe out a long sigh. The rustling noise of him scratching his hair reaching my ears as he replied to mom, "We keep her safe, Edith. It's all we can do."

My dad knelt down and pulled me from Mom, taking a firm hold of my shoulders and he raised his brows at me. "Gigi... I need you to listen very carefully..." The tone of his voice made me try and hold back the sniffles to hear him better. "You will tell no one about this. Do you understand? You cannot tell Eden or Molly... no one."

"Not—not even the Alpha?" I asked, hiccuping.

"Especially not the Alpha."

I widened my eyes when he said that. To not tell the Alpha something vital was going against him and the pack. And that scared me.

My mom was scared too since she swallowed out, "Angus... Are you sure about this? Keeping it from Darren is like—"

"I know. And I will deal with the consequences when the time comes. But right now my daughter matters more, and her safety is now priority. If word gets out about her, Edith, you know others will come looking for her. They will try to take her from us. Use her for bad things."

I gasped, looking between the two of them and Mom weakly smiled as she took my hand and pulled me towards her. She shook her head, tilting it to the side.

"Now you listen here, My Sweet Angel." Mom gave me a watery smile and caressed my cheek. "You are going to have to be my big, brave girl, Gianna. And you best know now and always that mommy and daddy are going to protect you from those bad people. Do you understand? Don't think for one second that we will ever let anything happen to you."

She smiled, nodding, "Okay?"

I swallowed, "But—"

"No, Gigi. I need for you to tell me that you believe me when I say that you are going to be okay."

I stared at her, my eyes watering and I tried to keep myself from blubbering while nodding through a whispered, "I believe you."

And so six years later and I still haven't spoken a word about my wolf eyes. No one other than my parents, Wade, and Cece know about me. We've decided to keep it from Cody since he unintentionally tends to speak without thinking. It was my decision to keep him out of the loop, and thankfully my parents respected my wishes.

I took my wolf side being dangerous, or in danger, very seriously which was why I managed to work on my own to hide my eye color. I'd spend hours in the bathroom concentrating in the mirror to get them to the normal gold hue.

Dad told me it was something that was not likely. So I paid my dues of staring into my bathroom mirror and trying to clear my head of anything and everything. I had read, in the very limited recordings of these special wolves in the archive of Carmel's library, that I could hide my wolf eyes with those of the natural hue if, and only if, I mastered over time the ability to clear my head and keep it that way.

For a year I would work on this, until one night, just as I gave up after so many relentless hours, I felt the familiar shivers from when I first felt my wolf trying to connect itself to me. Or I should say, tried to connect with me. It was slowly urging me to trust it, to take a deep breath, and let it in halfway. That's when I learned I had to let it be a part of my concentration. The wolf within me had to share the focus. And then it finally happened.

My wolf's blue eyes began to flicker until the slightest bit of gold began to seep from the irises and coated over my wolf's natural eyes. I widened them, stepping back with a smile and felt a rush of pride at what I accomplished. When I showed my parents the next morning, I knew that some of their worries were relieved. I'd be able to go out on wolf runs with the others and still be safe. They wouldn't have to figure out a way for me to keep hidden.

I could be normal. To an extent, anyway.

While I trudged through the dark forest, letting my wolf's natural eye color take over—the gold coating wasn't as clear for me—I thought about how maybe if Ridge knew about me then maybe he'd want me? But maybe... maybe it'd be for the wrong reasons.

A frown etched onto my face as I thought about Molly and what she did. Perhaps she was right. Molly may not know my secret but perhaps this was better for me. She'd be taking my place as Alpha female, and I wouldn't have to reveal the wolf that I really was. My alpha probably wouldn't be too pleased, anyway. He'd probably think I'd be a danger to the pack and make Ridge break it off with me.

It still hurt to know Molly took Ridge away from me before I even knew about him. But then there's also Ridge who claimed that he'd already met his True Mate when he hadn't. Someway, somehow, Molly got him wrapped around her finger as she did with every other boy.

I looked around me, a twig snapping every once in a while and leaves crunching when I stepped. As I was walking, I wasn't expecting to feel the sudden jabbing ache in the middle of my stomach. It had a power punch that knocked the breath out of me. I fell to my knees, bracing myself on one arm as the other hand clutched my stomach. My face scrunched as I cried out the more the pain dragged on. It was like someone was twisting my insides around with a jagged knife.

My scream turned into a piercing echo once the jabbing reached a breaking point. It engulfed my entire body, a burning sensation coating my skin that felt like it wouldn't ever stop... and then it started to ebb. Slowly.

I frowned, panting heavily as I looked at the ground in front of me. What the hell was that?

Groaning, I pushed my shaking body up until I could stand on my feet. I held out my arms for balance then looked around me. That pain happened so sudden. It hurt like hell, but it was so quick to come and yet it took so slow to leave. My mind tried to grasp what could have possibly happened until I remembered what Molly said earlier about her intimacy with Ridge.

I bit my lip, now realizing that I was feeling the painful repercussions of Ridge having sex with Molly. A voice in the back of my mind warned that maybe Molly seduced him on purpose. Just to prove a point to me. My wolf had recognized Ridge's. and I was now going to feel every intimate betrayal on his part. Unless I fully accept the rejection.

This was what I had to look forward to if I don't give up Ridge? Was it wrong of me to want to hold on... in hopes he'd change his mind?

But I knew the chances of that were slim to none. More none. Not after he announced Molly as his future Alpha female. And now they were making love to one another and I was having to know about it because of the Recognition process.

Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I balled my fists up and pushed off my feet, sprinting the rest of the way out of the forest. I needed to get home if that dreadful pain happened again. I was sure that once was not enough that they'd be sleeping together tonight. But I wanted to be home so that I wasn't caught out here all night. I'd be in so much trouble because I was the main one of my siblings who had a curfew.

.დ.❧

Opening the door, I stepped in and shut it as quietly as I could then squeezed my eyes shut when there were footsteps coming from the direction of the living room, and the light was flicked on. I internally groaned before turning around to see my siblings—minus Cody—with my parents.

My dad looked irritated. His brown eyes were on fire as he stood with his hands on his hips.

"Gianna Gomez, do you know what time it is?!" he growled.

I looked down shamefully, swallowing instead of answering. I heard my dad huff out an agitated breath. He questioned my whereabouts which was when I slowly looked up at him. Dad raised an eyebrow, demanding my reply before I sighed out that I was in the forest all this time.

"Alone?!"

I nodded and winced when Dad slammed his hand on the table making us all jump.

"What have I told you about being home on time? The forest is a dangerous place, Gigi! It is not safe for you!"

"Why?!" I shouted back, with my hands out to the sides. "Why isn't it safe for me?! All these years and nothing bad has happened, Dad! I'm safe! I'm here, aren't I?"

Mom tilted her head and sternly told me to mind my dad and I clenched my jaw.

Dad narrowed his eyes and paused before just giving me a heated stare. "Our job is to protect you," he spoke low. "And we can't do that if we don't know where you are at all times!"

I turned away, shaking my head with a frown. I was getting frustrated, I could tell from my blurry vision. My anger was going to get the best of me. Dad sighed, and I glanced at him as he ran his fingers through his hair. He lowered his hand to his side, closing his eyes a moment before opening them and asking if I was alright.

"I'm fine," I replied quickly.

Dad raised a brow, nodding towards Wade. "Your brother says you ran out of the meeting hall today in the middle of what was happening. That he had to chase you through the forest until he couldn't pick up your scent anymore. What happened?"

I looked at my brother who was frowning at me. There was concern on his face as he was waiting patiently for my response. My shoulder shrugged as I replied that I was just going through some emotional crap because I was due for my time of the month. I hoped that would end the discussion, but Dad didn't seem to believe me.

"You've been acting strange, Gigi. If something is going on, you know you can tell us. We're your family. You can trust us."

I frowned, thinking about how much I trusted Molly but then look how that turned out. For all I know, Eden knew all along, too. Something I never asked Molly.

I bit my lip, shaking my head before admitting that it was nothing to be concerned about and that I'd be getting to bed for the night if it was alright.

"You haven't eaten though," Mom frowned, pointing at the foil-covered plate in its place as the night before.

I shook my head that I wasn't very hungry, but that I'd eat in the morning if that was alright with them. They just stared at me, worried. I rolled eyes, sighing that I was really fine. That they didn't have to worry so much.

My dad lowered a brow after a long pregnant silence then nodded, "Alright then. Get to bed. Everyone."

I was the first to head up the stairs, marching my way to my room and shutting it closed except I wasn't able to shut it completely because of Cece. She caught the edge of the door and I caught gazes with her brown eyes. Cece frowned, her red hair that she got from Dad and had down to her shoulders, looked like her fingers had been run through it a couple of times. I'd always been jealous of her beautiful hair color since she was the only one who got the recessive gene. My brothers and I got mom's dark brown hair.

I raised my brows, leaning my head forward and shook my head. "What, Cece?"

My sister swallowed, almost thinking over the right words to say as she whispered if I needed to talk.

My face went blank at her suggestion. She has never been one to offer an ear when it came to me. Unless it had to do with her, Cece wasn't really interested. I was surprised, and suspicious, of the sudden change in my sister being... well, a sister.

I shook my head that I didn't. That there was nothing to talk about. "So, please... if you don't mind... I'd really like to get to bed."

When she said nothing else, just stepped away from the door still staring at me, I quickly shut it. Breathing out with my forehead against the wood surface, I listened to hear if she was still there. But I didn't hear anything so I assumed she was gone.

Turning away, I walked over to the middle of my room and looked down at the sweater Molly gifted me. It had gotten ruined from the murky water and the forest, but I yanked it off me and threw it across the room. I watched it land on the floor, slumped in a pile. I didn't want it. Not after what it meant to Molly and what it was supposed to symbolize for me. It was just a reminder of what she did to me and I couldn't deal with that.

I stood there in my jeans, sneakers, and bra; holding myself as my chin tucked towards my chest and I wept all over again. The fact I was rejected for someone else was still fresh and I didn't know how long it would be until it went away completely.

And then it happened again. The jab to my gut. I cried out, slapping a hand to my mouth as another tried to squeak by. The eruption of pain from the couple's lovemaking was setting me on fire. My legs gave out and dropped me to the floor as I choked on a gasp, holding back from screaming so my family wouldn't hear by biting my lip. I could taste the blood. My fingers clawed at the wood flooring, finding myself in agony from the jagged knife sensation in my stomach again.

I knew that I was expecting a loud scream sometime soon and needed something to muffle it. So I had to pull myself towards my bed, dragging my body as quick as I could in between pauses to gasp and let out a whimpered squeal from the pain. I reached up and yanked down my pillow, rolling onto my back and arched when I cried out again.

My brain wasn't comprehending to hold the pillow over my face to muffle it, but then I heard the click of a door. I couldn't figure out why. I just arched again, my hands clamping to my stomach until I rolled onto my side. Another painful gasp escaped, tears springing from my eyes until warm hands touched my skin and pulled me into their arms.

My head rested back against their shoulder as I let myself cry, arching again to cry out and the person holding me quietly went, "Shhh..." in my ear. They wrapped their arms around me, nodding that I could get through it. That I was going to be okay. They kept encouraging me that it would pass, that it'd be gone soon.

I could only hope as another wave of shocking pain shot through me and then the pain began to ebb, just as it did in the forest. My body slumped against the body behind me, my forehead resting in the crook of their neck as I whimpered, "He doesn't love me..."

My sister nodded. She held onto me, tightening her grip as she whispered, "It's okay... It's okay, baby sister." then she kissed my forehead before resting her cheek on my head. "Let it out, Gigi. I'm here for you. Like I should have always been."

I felt my eyes droop, my breathing slowing down at an easy pace. "He... he... doesn't... Molly..."

"Shhh..." Cece whispered, rocking us back and forth and even pulled a blanket off the bed to cover us. "I'm here, little sister. Just sleep."

I nodded, so tired from the painful experience that I let sleep take over after whispering, "Thank you."

.დ.❧

Scrunching my nose against the feel of something rubbing against my face, I groaned, lifting my head and peeled open an eye and had to open the other to blink a few times just to make sure that what I was seeing was real. My sister was lying on her back, head turned away with her hair out to the side and I had been lying on her. I glanced down at the amount of drool that soaked her hair and grimaced.

Thoughts of what had happened last night were coming back to me all of a sudden. I remembered the pain and then thinking I was alone but my sister held me close, encouraging me to let the moment pass. Then I fell asleep. How she managed to get me onto the bed was a miracle since she and I were short, and I wasn't the lightest person on the planet. Kudos to Cece, though.

Pulling my arm out from under the bed sheet, momentarily ignoring that I was still without a shirt, I poked my sister's cheek. When she didn't move, I poked it again, and again. "Cece..."

She grumbled, scrunching her face and raised her hand to lazily swat me away.

"Cece... pst!" I poked her face again.

My sister groaned, rolling her head to the side and peered through squinted eyes. "What? What's wrong?"

I smiled, shaking my head that nothing was wrong. Just that I wanted to thank her for the night before. My smile wilted and I looked down at my mattress.

Cece sat up, rubbing her eye with the palm of her hand then looked at me for a moment. "How do you feel...?" she asked quietly.

I sighed, raising my eyebrows, "Embarrassed."

We said nothing for another moment. Then my sister shook her head, frowning as she growled. I looked up at her and Cece cursed out that she couldn't believe that someone would reject their mate. How it was completely unheard of! She angrily criticized the man that did this to me.

Cece frowned at me, "Why would he do that?"

I swallowed, sitting up myself but felt her keep her eyes on me, awaiting an answer. With my mouth pursed to the side, I gathered the courage to tell my sister that my soulmate had chosen to reject me because he claimed to have already met his soulmate.

Cece scoffed, "That's not possible! You can't have two True Mates!" then she asked the dreaded question: "Who is he?"

I widened my eyes, turning away and shook my head that he was a tourist. That he left the night before. When I looked back at her, my sister raised her brows and nodded, "I knew you were going to lie to me and luckily I figured out that it was Ridge Beaumont when you mentioned that tramp, Molly, last night."

I turned away again, closing my eyes. With hesitation on her part, I felt my sister reach over and place a hand on my shoulder. Cece got me to look at her again and she had this sort of understanding in her eyes that I never thought she could since she'd never met her mate as I had.

Cece smiled a little, telling me about her friend, Nicole, who used to come over every now and then, but then Nicole met her mate who also rejected her for someone else.

"Is that why Nicole killed herself?" I asked, brows furrowing.

My sister sighed, nodding as she looked down at her lap. "Yeah, Gigi. That's why. She couldn't handle the pain anymore. She refused to accept the rejection with the hope that he'd come back to her. But he didn't because he ended up getting killed in a car accident, and Nicole couldn't take it anymore. So... she drowned herself."

I swallowed, my eyes widened in horror.

"But it's different with you, Gigi," my sister whispered. My sister frowned, turning herself to face me properly. She took my hands in her lap and leaned forward so our faces were close. "You have no idea how much stronger this will make you. I know you can work through this because you are not just any ordinary werewolf. You, little sister, are stronger in a way that I'll never know."

My bottom lip trembled as Cece grinned, shaking her head and placed a hand to my cheek.

"You've always been the type of person who can see so much good in everyone and because of that, I had always gotten so frustrated in wanting you to see the reality of the world. And I was determined to let you see it on your own."

She frowned, shaking her head and looked down.

"But not this way. This was unfair to you, little sister. And I know that if I was in your position I wouldn't be able to smile the way you do. But I'm happy that you are because I love you very much. Even if I hadn't proven that to you all these years."

My eyes widened as Cece laughed, shaking her head. "I know! Impossible to tell, right? But I do. I really do, Gigi, and I am going to be a better sister to you. I promise. Because right now, you need all the support you can get."

I felt the corner of my mouth tug upward and leaned forward to hug my sister. It felt so good to hug her as I closed my eyes and sighed a small thank you. She nodded silently, rubbing my back, and then I pulled back to sit again.

"Do you think we could keep the Ridge and rejection thing from the rest of the family?" I asked, squinting my eyes.

My sister frowned, tilting her head, asking why I would ever want to do that.

I rested my hand on hers, squeezing it lightly that this was what I needed right now. That I needed to deal with this on my own for as much as I can. Cece looked reluctant and I stayed quiet until she nodded that she'd respect my wishes to keep Ridge a secret.

Cece scrunched her nose, shaking her head that she never liked Molly anyway.

"That girl was fucking stuck up. Still is! And now she's going to be Alpha female? Ha! You know that title is swelling her ego as we speak!"

I nodded in agreement, looking away and sighed. "I miss him. I know I barely know him after all these years apart... but I feel like I have had a thousand lifetimes with him."

When I turned to my sister, she offered this grim stare. Cece reached over to brush her hand over my hair.

"Perhaps in the next life, he won't be so stupid."

I laughed lightly, sighing at the same time she did.

All of a sudden, Cece let out a groaned, "Ugh! Why is my hair wet?! What—Is... Is this—Is this drool?!"

My eyes widened when she turned her accusing glare my way. I laughed as Cece warned me that it wasn't funny and that now she was going to have to wash her hair about six times to get my dragon breath out of it.

Cece shoved me and I still laughed even when I tumbled off the bed. Looking up at the ceiling, I could feel a genuine smile on my face for the first time since the rejection.