The Alpha's Unwanted Claim

Evelyn's POV

The bell above the door rang just as I reached for the last box on the shelf.

I turned and found a young woman clutching her purse against her chest.

"Damn it," I muttered. "We're closed, ma'am."

"I know, but please, just one pack of diapers. I realized too late that I didn't have any." She glanced nervously toward the door. "It's for my baby."

I sighed. How could I turn her away when she was buying something for her child?

"Fine, let's get your order. But please hurry. I'm sure neither of us wants to be on the news tomorrow morning."

And neither would I.

I glanced toward the windows. The streets were already dark and nearly empty. Everyone knew it was safer to be home before nightfall, especially with the strange things happening around town lately.

Besides, I had my birthday to look forward to.

Tomorrow, I would finally turn eighteen.

A smile spread across my face. I'd officially be an adult. Maybe Dad would finally stop acting like every guy who spoke to me was a potential criminal.

Not that I'd always waited for his permission.

I grabbed the diapers and handed them to the woman. After paying, she hurried out.

A few minutes later, I locked the mall's entrance and hid the key where my manager had instructed me to leave it. He'd have my head if he couldn't find it in the morning.

I pulled my cap lower and started down the street, my headphones hanging around my neck.

Lately, I'd had the unsettling feeling that someone was following me. I'd considered telling Dad, but knowing him, he'd probably forbid me from going to work altogether.

The last time I'd mentioned it to Theo, he'd nearly lost his mind.

Maybe I was being paranoid. Still, I preferred to hear what was happening around me, so I left my headphones off.

I didn't relax until I spotted the gate to our house.

"Mom!" I called as I entered, kicking off my shoes. "I brought spinach. Apparently, it's good for your bones or something."

I stopped when I saw my parents sitting on the sofa.

Neither of them smiled.

Their expressions were so serious that I immediately wondered what I'd done wrong.

"Mom? Dad? What's going on?"

"Sit down, Evelyn," Mom said quietly.

"Can I at least freshen up and have dinner first?"

"Please," Dad said. "We need to talk to you. It won't take long."

Something about his voice made me hesitate.

I dropped into the dining chair. Our apartment wasn't big, with the sitting room and dining area sharing the same space, but it was comfortable. I'd always been happy here.

"What is this about?" I asked. "You're scaring the shit out of me."

Mom reached for Dad's hand.

"You know we love you, right?"

I frowned. "Of course I do. Why are you asking me that?"

"Tomorrow is your eighteenth birthday," she began. "And there's something we've needed to tell you for a long time."

I leaned forward, waiting.

"Evelyn, you're not one of us."

I burst out laughing.

"Obviously! I'm eighteen, and you two are ancient." I grinned at her. "You scared me for nothing."

Neither of them smiled.

My laughter faded.

"Wait. You're serious?"

Mom nodded.

"That's not what I meant, Evelyn," she said. "You're not human like us. You're a werewolf."

For a moment, I simply stared at her.

Then I laughed again, though this time the sound came out weak.

"Okay, very funny. You can stop now."

Dad didn't move. Mom's eyes were filled with a sadness I couldn't understand.

My stomach twisted.

"You're not joking, are you?"

"No, sweetheart."

I shook my head. "But you're human. Both of you are. How can I be a werewolf?"

"There's a lot you don't know about our world," Mom replied. "Werewolves are real, and they're not the only supernatural beings out there. But we can't explain everything tonight."

"Then explain this!"

I stood abruptly, my hands beginning to tremble.

"How can I be something I've never even seen? How could I have lived with you for eighteen years without knowing?"

Silence filled the room.

Then Dad spoke.

"Because we're not your biological parents, Evelyn."

The words seemed to knock the air out of me.

I stared at him, waiting for him to take them back.

"What?"

Mom's grip tightened around Dad's hand.

"Your biological mother was my sister. She died giving birth to you, and before she died, she entrusted you to me."

I shook my head slowly.

"No."

"Evelyn-"

"No!" My voice cracked. "You can't just tell me this and expect me to believe it! You've been my parents my entire life!"

Tears blurred my vision.

"Why didn't you tell me before? Why now?"

"Because we wanted to protect you," Mom whispered.

"Protect me from what? Being a werewolf?"

She looked away.

That small movement frightened me more than anything she'd said.

"Mom?"

Dad cleared his throat. "Please, let her explain."

I turned to him, desperate for him to make sense of everything.

"Tell me she's lying. Tell me I'm your daughter, Dad. Tell me none of this is true!"

His expression softened, but he didn't deny it.

"Evelyn, you are our daughter. Nothing will ever change that."

"Then why does it feel like my whole life has been a lie?"

My tears spilled over.

I couldn't understand how the people who had raised me, loved me, and watched me grow up could have kept something this enormous from me.

And now they were telling me I wasn't even human.

"I can't do this," I whispered.

"Evelyn, please," Mom pleaded.

But I couldn't bear to look at either of them.

I rushed toward the door.

"Evelyn!" Dad called after me.

I ignored him and ran outside.

The night air struck my face, but I kept going. I didn't know where I was headed, and I didn't care. I just needed to get away from the house, from their words, and from the life I'd thought I understood.

Tomorrow was my eighteenth birthday.

But instead of looking forward to it, I was running from the only home I'd ever known, wondering if anything I'd believed about myself was true.