Maya knew she couldn’t put off the conversation with her mother any longer. She felt sick with nerves at the thought of it, and also at upsetting her mom at such a difficult time, but she needed to know the truth. Though it wasn’t in her nature to think badly of someone she loved, she used the fact that if what the pack’s alpha said was true, then it meant her mother had been lying to her for the past twenty-one years. Perhaps she should be angrier than she felt, but instead the idea only made her sad.

Chance had gone back to the pack to give them some space to talk. Maya found her mom at her customary position, sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a cup of hot tea, which she had always preferred to coffee. She looked up as Maya walked in and gave her a smile.

“Hi, Mom,” she said, pulling out the wooden chair opposite and sitting down. “How are you doing?”

“I’m okay, sweetheart. How are you?”

Maya nodded. “All right, but there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

Her mother gave a small nod. “I’m going to guess it has something to do with that young man of yours.”

“Yeah, in a way, it does.”

“About where he comes from and what he is?” she continued.

Maya glanced down at her hands on the table. “Kind of.” She took a breath and jumped in. “When we first met, something happened. It was as though we already knew each other. We had such a strong connection, and then Chance told me it was because I was his mate. Problem is, shifters shouldn’t be able to mate with humans, which means I might not be all human.” She paused, hoping her mother was going to step in with the truth without her having to say the words, but it didn’t seem that was going to happen. “Is there something you and Dad never told me?”

Immediately, guilt crossed her mother’s features like a shadow, but still she didn’t respond.

“I know, Mom,” Maya continued, “about what I am. Does it mean—” She couldn’t bring herself to say it, the words sticking like glue to her tongue.

Her mother put her face in her hands. “I’m so sorry, darling.” Her voice was muffled, and so Maya reached out and pulled one of her hands away, forcing her to look up. “We meant to tell you. Every year, we promised each other that this would be the year we’d tell you the truth, but then we kept putting it off. We couldn’t stand the thought of rocking your world like that, when there didn’t seem to be any point in doing it.”

“There was a point, Mom! The point was that I wouldn’t have been living a lie.”

“You were never living a lie. Your father was always your father, no matter the genes. He was the one who took me on when I was pregnant with another man’s child. He was at the bedside, holding my hand when I gave birth to you. He gave you your first cuddle, helped change your first diaper, got up with you in the night. He was there for you, every single step of your life.”

She was right, but Maya couldn’t let it rest.

Her voice was thick with tears. “The problem is, Mom, genetics do matter. Chance is from the Dark Ridge wolves, and if he says I’m his mate, then it must mean I’m half wolf, which means…”

She didn’t want to say it.

Her mother did instead. “It means the man who got me pregnant was a shifter, Maya. I won’t call him your father, because he was never that to you. We had a couple of nights together, and then he was gone.”

“He was a lone wolf.”

“Yes, he was. He wasn’t father material. I’m fairly sure he smelled my pregnancy on me, which was why he suddenly turned cold and vanished.”

“Do you know his name?”

“Of course I do. His name was Tate Martins.”

This piece of knowledge did strange things to her insides. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to process it. “Have you tried to look him up since he left?”

She shook her head. “No, why would I? I met your father not long after, and we fell in love. Tate was never my soul mate, not like you and Chance. He was just a passing fling.”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now.”

She reached out and her hand covered Maya’s. “You don’t need to do anything, sweetheart, except take this knowledge and know that you have a rightful place at Chance’s side. That man is good for you, I can see it. You’ve always been so strong for everyone else, and it’s been wonderful to see you with someone you can lean on.”

Maya sniffed and wiped a stray tear from her cheek. “Yes, I feel the same way.”

“I can’t stop you looking up the man who got me pregnant, but I’d rather you didn’t. I’d rather you forgot he ever existed, and remember your father as your real father.”

“It’s not as easy as that.”

“I know. And I’m sorry. I wish I could change things, and make your dad your biological father, but I can’t.”

“And if you could, then I wouldn’t be Chance’s mate.”

Her mother gave her a sad smile. “There is that.”

Maya gave a sigh and rubbed her hand over her eyes. It was all so much to take in. She hadn’t even grieved for her father properly yet, and now she had to somehow figure out how to come to terms with the fact he’d never been her biological father. She couldn’t stop her thoughts from going to the man who’d gotten her mother pregnant. Did she look like him? While she’d got her heart-shaped face and her mouth from her mother, she now wondered if her brown curls and blue eyes had been a gift from her real dad. No, he wasn’t her real dad. She couldn’t let herself think like that.

“I need to see Chance,” she said, getting to her feet. “He needs to know the truth, too. Some of the other shifters in his pack have been ridiculing him for finding his mate in a human. This information will at least go some way to making things right again.”

“I’m sorry we didn’t tell you sooner.”

Maya only nodded. What more could she say?

Leaving her mother still sitting at the table, she turned and left the house. Chance would be at the compound, and she needed to see him. She took the truck which belonged to the business. They’d still not opened the diner since her father had passed. The staff had all been paid, but at some point they’d need to open up again. The bills were still coming, even when the diner was shut, and they couldn’t keep hemorrhaging money. Because of her father’s long term illness, he’d not been able to get any life insurance, and they still had hospital bills that needed paying. At some point, she was going to need to get on with things.

Maya did the hour’s drive with the radio blasting, trying to use the music to drown out her thoughts and worries. She felt a pang of envy for all the other twenty-something women out there, who were just enjoying life and having a good time. Her responsibilities felt as though they were crushing her, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be able to do this.

She arrived at the compound, driving through the narrow lane leading to the meeting house at its center. Sudden nerves churned in her stomach. She needed to speak with Chance, but perhaps she should have waited until he’d come to her. If only he had a cell phone, like most other people in the country, but the shifters didn’t like technology, and preferred to rely on natural instinct to know when they were needed. His instinct appeared to have failed at this point, however, as he was nowhere to be seen.

Pulling up beside the couple of other vehicles the shifters owned, she switched off the engine. Her arrival had garnered some attention. Several people emerged from the surrounding homes, curious of the new arrival. Maya imagined they didn’t get too many visitors.

Self-conscious, she opened the door and climbed out of the truck. She lifted a hand in an awkward wave at the men and women standing around her. “Hi, I’m looking for—”

A man rushing toward her made her cut off her words. “You shouldn’t be here,” he snarled. “We don’t have humans on the compound.”

She vaguely recognized him from when Chance had brought her here on the first night, but she couldn’t put a name to him. “Actually, that’s kind of what I’m here about.”

The man moved closer, using his stocky body to intimidate her, making her step backward, toward the car. “Get back in your truck and leave. Now.”

She didn’t like how this man was acting, but she wasn’t about to be bullied. “Now, hang on a minute. I’m here to see Chance. There’s no rule saying I’m not allowed to see him.”

He barked a laugh into her face and she twisted away to avoid the breath he gusted over her. “Chance. That loser. No wonder he’s hooking up with humans.”

A part of her was tempted to snap at him that she wasn’t fully human, but she didn’t see why she had to justify herself to this man. “Just tell Chance I’m here.”

“I’m not your little bitch to order around.”

“Hey!”

The shout came from a distance away, and Maya’s heart lifted. It was Chance—she’d recognize his voice anywhere.

“Get the fuck away from her, Gavin!”

The man, Gavin, spun to face who was coming. “Make me.”

She heard a snarl, caught a glimpse of Chance’s features—still handsome, despite the fury etched across them—and then a moment later, he was on all fours. Panic flitted through her. He was going to change into a wolf, and she knew it was because of this man. Something was going on that had more to do with this man shouting at her. The two of them clearly had history.

The shift was different this time than previous times she’d witnessed them. Where before, the change had happened smoothly and almost effortlessly, this time, when he dropped to the ground, Chance’s whole body twisted. He let out a howl of pain, and her stomach lurched.

What was happening?

The reason for the difference suddenly occurred to her. He was shifting when it was no longer a full moon.

Around her, the other shifters gave little cries of surprise and shock. This clearly wasn’t done often, and she could see why. She looked on in horror as the face she loved so much peeled in chunks.  Bloodied flaps dropped to the ground like horrific leaves, revealing white fur below. The wolf’s muzzle pushed out of Chance’s mouth, even as his lips were stretching in another scream of pain. His clothes shredded as the shape of the wolf broke through his human skin, growing larger and changing shape. Though it had taken longer than normal, within a minute, Chance was no longer human, but instead took the form of a large, white wolf, whose upper lip was curled in a snarl, all the hackles along his neck and back raised in ridges.

“What the fuck,” Gavin said, staggering away from her, apparently realizing he was the target of the wolf’s fury. She wondered why he didn’t shift as well. Was he too afraid to put himself through the pain it had clearly caused Chance?

With another snarl, Chance leaped. Gavin managed to turn to run, but the wolf slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. Wolf’s saliva dripped onto Gavin’s face, and he lifted his arms, trying to ward the animal off as it snapped sharp teeth.

“Chance, stop it!” Maya cried, terrified he was going to kill the other shifter. She didn’t know what the penalty was for such a crime, but she knew it wouldn’t be good. “Please, Chance. He’s not worth it!”

Someone else came running onto the scene—the big alpha, Holton. He pushed his way through the gathered crowd, forcing his way to the front.

“What the hell is going on here? Stop this, right now. As your alpha, I command it.”

Chance gave a final snap to Gavin’s face, but finally backed off.

Maya allowed herself to breathe again.

With another grunt of pain, Chance shifted back to human. Naked, he remained, panting hard, one hand and one knee down on the ground, his head hung as he regained his composure. Even in this position, after witnessing what she had, Maya couldn’t help but admire his body, his firm ass, his long, lean thighs, his muscular back. Her eyes also skated over the scars which littered his skin. Had this other man, Gavin, had something to do with them? He still hadn’t told her the full story, and she couldn’t help wondering if that had been the case. Chance’s reaction had been extreme if he was only angry at Gavin for having a go at her.

“Stand up, Chance,” said Holton, standing above him. “You, too, Gavin.”

Gavin scrambled to his feet, holding his bloodied arms—defensive wounds slashed across both forearms. “He hurt me!” he whined.

Holton scowled. “No worse than you’ve hurt him in the past. You’ll heal.”

He turned to Chance, who stood straight, a defiant jut to his chin. “You know I can’t allow that kind of behavior here, Chance.”

“I wasn’t going to kill him,” Chance replied, “I just wanted to frighten him. Men like him are bullies, and they’ll continue to bully until someone stands up to them.”

The alpha glowered at them both. “I understand there’s resentment between the two of you, but it’s over now. Is that understood?”

Both men scowled at each other, but nodded.

“What about her?” said Gavin, jerking his chin toward Maya.

Her heart sank. She’d kind of hoped she’d been forgotten.

The men all turned toward her.

“I came with news,” she said, addressing Holton. “I spoke to my mother, and it appears you were right. My real father was a lone wolf. So I am half shifter.” She caught Chance’s eye, and a slow smile spread across his face. This was good news for him. For them both. It meant they were fated to be together.

“But, but, we can’t have a human living here,” Gavin flustered. “Where’s it going to stop? Before we know it, every other wolf is going to be bringing his human piece of ass back here.”

Chance stepped forward. “Don’t you dare speak about Maya like that. She’s not some piece of ass. She’s my mate, and you’ll treat her as such.”

He scoffed. “If she can’t shift, then, in my mind, she’s human. Trust you to be the one who mates with a god-damned human.”

“Not fully, she isn’t! And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Holton moved between them and lifted both hands. “That’s enough! Both of you. Maya isn’t fully human. She’s an exception, and she’s Chance’s mate. No one can control who they mate with, and I won’t see a member of our pack pushed out because of discrimination.”

Maya looked between them all, talking about her as though she wasn’t even there. “Hang on a minute,” she said, speaking up. “I’ve never even asked to live here. I can’t live here. I have a family and a business to run, and I can’t just throw everything in and walk away. Those things are important to me.”

She caught Chance looking at her, and saw the hurt flicker across his features. “You’re important to me, too,” she said, her voice softer, “but you can’t expect me to leave everything. My mother is alone now, and we have the diner to run, and bills to pay. Your life here looks idyllic, but it isn’t my life.”

“You’re right,” said Chance, frowning. “I’m sorry I made that assumption.”

Holton turned to Chance. “You and I need to talk, Chance.” He glanced to Maya. “Alone.”

Maya backed away, toward the truck. “It’s fine. I’ve done what I came here to do, and that was to tell you my news. I know when I’m not welcome. I’ll leave now.”

“Maya, please.” Chance reached for her, but she shook her head.

“Come and see me at home when you’re done,” she said, and before she could let him change her mind, she climbed back in the truck and drove away.