They all entered the house, and only two warriors remained outside. The moment the queen saw me, she rushed to me and took me in her arms:

- How big you have grown, our beloved! How are you feeling? Are you ok? Do they treat you well? If not, tell your grandmother and I will make them regret the day she was born! How about...

-Darling, I think you should let her answer! said the king laughing. Plus, I also want to hug and caress her. 

- Nope! She's only mine now! She will be yours next time!

-Don't be selfish, dear! You know we can't come here as often as we want. We would draw unwanted attention to her.

- I know, but it's so hard... I saw her so rarely, and we lost so many moments.

I looked at them in amazement. I knew that the mother was their daughter, and I expected all their attention to be directed to their reunion with her, but it seemed that I was the center of their universe.

-Your Majesty, I don't understand! Why are you fighting because of me? Shouldn't you want to make up for the years you weren't with my mother? I asked shyly.

- We had your mother with us for more than twenty years, but, although we watched over you from a distance, we couldn't caress you and hug you as many times as we wanted! So, now we are trying to recover as much as possible! said the king snatching me from the queen's arms.

-Hey! She's mine! said the queen, trying to take me back.

-Mother! Father! You can understand each other! How about sitting on the couch, with Alexis sitting between you two? So both of you will be able to be near her and caress her! my mother said smiling.

"Finally, someone who thinks!" Leya said.

"???"

"If the quarrel had continued  you would have risked being torn in two!"

"What?"

"Hold still, kiddo! You think I wouldn't have intervened! King or queen, it's my duty to protect you from anyone!"

- My queen, you said outside that Anne and Alexis are in danger! What did you mean? asked father worriedly, oblivious to what we were discussing.

- Mr. Nomi...

- Call me Tim, please!

- Well, Tim! As you already found out, Anne is our daughter, which makes Alexis our granddaughter! said the king.

- And, as everyone already knows, Anne is a hybrid, and your daughter for the moment is also a hybrid! said the queen.

-But, Alexis only has one vampire. It is not yet known if she will have a wolf or not...well, I hope she will have a wolf, but.....

- I'm sure she'll have a wolf, later, but at the moment she's also a hybrid! said the queen stifling a laugh.

-I do not get it! said father, more and more surprised.

-Darling, I think you need to tell Tim more about your convent!

- That's right, dear!

-Tim, you've heard of witches' convents, right?

 -Yes! said father, more and more surprised. But what does this have to do with...

- Be patient, Tim! said, mom.

-We are part of White Moon Convent, me and Anne. We are among the strongest, but also the most hated witches in the world. We are born with different powers - some with the gift of clairvoyance, others with the power to heal, others with the power to read and change people's minds, to influence the weather, and many other powers. This gift differs from mother to daughter and is transmitted only from mother to daughter. And given the fact that Alexis is Anne's daughter...

-She is also a witch!

-Yes! said the king.

-And why didn't she show any sign? Maybe, she...

- We don't know that either! said the queen. Two weeks ago, all the witches from our convent had a meeting and had the same question. Alexis should have shown her power as a witch, on the day she turned ten, regardless of the situation she was in! said the queen, looking sternly at my father.

-I am sorry! murmured my father, lowering his head in shame.

-But, a few days before turning ten, I received Leya! I said. Maybe this is why my strength didn't show up!

-No, dear! said the queen looking sadly at my mother.

-Mom, tell me it's not what I think! said my horrified mother.

- I'm afraid that what you think is true! She will receive her powers at twelve if the book is right! Until then, you my dear, have to train her!

- It's already too much! She is the One, but her to be .... No! No! The Goddess can't be so cruel! She can't be! said my mother, falling to her knees sobbing.

- Anne, what it is?! asked father rushing to her and taking her in his arms.

- She can't...can't...I won't allow it! She is just...ONE! A single being! She is only one being!

-That's why the Goddess, in her wisdom, will send her a mate, a hybrid, as strong as her, to help her on her way! said the king patting me on the forehead.

- But, father... my mother said between sobs.

- I know, my dear! It will not be an easy road for her, she will not recognize her mate first, and many lies will be ahead of her. It will depend on her whether or not she can discern between lies and truth! If she decides to accept the lie, or will she prefer the truth no matter how painful it will be?

-Why her? my mother continued to cry and ask the same question, while my father cradled her like a small child.

- We will help her, Anne! We will help and protect her as much as we can! I will not abandon you!

- But, you abandoned us! my mother shouted at him, pushing him.

- Anne! dad said above a whisper.

-Anne, my dear daughter! I know he hurt you! Both! But we both know it wasn't him then!

- This is not my problem! 

-Dear....

- My queen, Anne has every right to be angry at me and reject me! I should have known her better! said father.

- Yes, you should have! But what has been has been and you cannot return the past from its track! Now you have to focus, both of you, on helping Alexis!

- But, mother...

-Anne, put your grudge aside and work together for Alexis. You have to prepare her for what lies ahead! said the king.

-My dear, don't forget a single thing from our meeting...no matter what happens, know that your grandmother and grandfather will welcome you with open arms in their home. 

-But what could happen to me? Honestly, I didn't understand a thing of what you said.

- You will understand my dear! You will understand! Just don't forget: the door of our house will always be open for you! said the queen while hugging me.

-Darling, I want to hug her too! the king whined.

-OK, fine! Hug her too! answered the queen with a sigh.

After a few more minutes, in which they hugged me, caressed me, and kissed me on the cheeks, they left for the pack's house, not before telling my father:

-Tim, we leave them in your care. You disappointed us once, try not to do it again!

-Never again, my queen! Dad murmured. I'd rather die than let something bad happen to them!

-I saw this, young man! You fought some of our best warriors, and I can say that I liked what I saw. You stood your ground, no matter what! That's why we entrust them to you, you and not your Alpha!

I saw a spark of pride in my father's eyes, hearing the way the king praised him.

- I will not disappoint you, my king!

After that, the king and queen left. My mother took me in her arms and hugged me tightly to her chest, saying to me between sobs:

-Forgive me, my child! Forgive me!

-Mother?!

-Anne, I'm going out, on the porch. Stay with Alexis, inside!

She looked at him and nodded.

- Do whatever you want, Tim! But don't expect me to forgive you too easily!

-As long as there is hope....I'll wait all my life! he said smiling.

What the king and queen said about my little one puzzled me, but at the same time, scared me. Why did fate have to be so cruel to her? She was already shunned by the vast majority of the wolves in our pack, why did she have to put on her fragile shoulders the weight of saving us, all of us? Why did she have to be the one our ancient books wrote about?

"The one who will shed tears of blood and the air will seem hotter than fire, the one who will have to find out through tears who are friends and who are foes. In her, we will all be, because she will have us all! She will be the one who will save us from destruction and will be our redemption!" Duncan said slowly.

"Duncan, do you think that . . ."

At that moment I heard a soft sound, as if someone was trying to approach their house without being heard.

"Human, I think we should hide! Let him think we're not here, and attack him when he least expects it!" Duncan said with a snarl.

"I agree with you, Duncan!"

I approached their house, cautious in my wolf form. I knew that Tim, the former Beta, sat on the porch every evening and never left. I was hoping that today would be different.

"We should be careful!" said my wolf when he saw that Tim's wolf was not there. "It could be an ambush!"

"Or maybe he went home to take a shower and eat something!" I answered confidently.

"I don't know what to say; his smell is still too strong, so..."

"It's normal for it to be like this. Let's leave the package and leave quickly!" I said.

I approached the porch as quickly and swiftly as I could. I didn't want to make noise and wake them up. All I wanted was to leave the package for Alexis and leave. 

"Look what the night brought here!" I heard a muffled growl behind me.

"I told you it was an ambush!" my wolf told me.

We found ourselves bent under the weight of Tim's wolf and felt his breath close to my neck.

"Human, do something if you don't want us to die!"

"May I ask you little wolf, what are you doing here in the power of the night? You came to hurt my daughter and my mate?" he growled.

I tried to escape from his grip but I didn't succeed.

"Human, he doesn't understand us. He doesn't want to open our pack link!" Duncan said.

"Do you think he's from another pack?"

"No, but his smell is strange. He seems to have shifted recently, though I can't smell him to tell who he is. But, he's definitely from our pack!"

"So, is a new wolf!"

I changed into human form and ordered him to change. 

He shook his head that he couldn't do that.

-Then, what are your intentions? And don't you dare run away, because if you do, I'll kill you! I said in a threatening tone.

The wolf sat on his hind legs and pointed with his muzzle at the package in front of him.

-What do you have there? I asked while cautiously approaching the package.

-You want to poison them, right? I growled.

I heard how the wolf started to whine and I saw sadness in his eyes. This made me sit in front of him and ask him:

-Do you like Anne?

He nodded his head no.

-Alexis? I asked surprised.

Upon hearing her name, the wolf began to wag its tail strongly and, if you can say so, to smile.

- Do you care about her?

The wolf's tail began to move even more forcefully. I smiled and patted his head.

-Then, little wolf, this will be our little secret. You will be able to come and help me guard them. What do you say if I introduce you to them tomorrow?

I saw the sadness in his eyes, while he shook his head signing that he did not want this.

- Don't you want them to know? Why?

He whimpered slowly and lowered his muzzle.

- Ok! Then come when you can! I said.

From the depth of the forest, the yellow eyes of another wolf shone in the dark, as they stared towards Alexis' home: "One wolf on their porch wasn't enough, now there are two! But, it's nothing, it's just a little delay, nothing more! You will pay, Alexis for all the tears she shed!" he murmured while he was moving away from their house under the protection of darkness.