Chapter 87
Francia said nothing for a while. I waited and waited, wondering what she was going to say, then her eyes drifted away from me, and her voice turned light.
“What do you know about the New Moon Pack?”
“You like literature and art.”
She chuckled. “Well, I supposed that’s a start… Francium did mention that wasn’t your forte. I told him that pursuing a relationship with you would be difficult if you were so disinterested in the arts.”
“I wasn’t interested.”
“So, he said.” Francia said. “What do you know of werewolves and how they came to be?” I wondered what to say as she smiled and tilted her head. “Or how similar they are to vampires?”
I narrowed my eyes, thinking back to the Moon Goddess book and the vampire book.
“I know… a bit. And I have theories.”
“Not surprising.” She nodded and her lips twitched. “Francium isn’t here. He’ll be back soon, I’m sure… Claire is nearby, but you can’t go there. Perhaps we might pass the time with a bit of history?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why can’t I go there?”
“Do you relish that chance of getting drained of blood?” She asked, her eyes turning blank and almost unnaturally still. It sent a chill through me as I met her gaze.
It was such an abrupt change from how lively she seemed before. Was that normal?
I clenched my jaw. “You mean… she’s turned.”
“In a sense. Or… rather mostly.” She nodded. “Yes. As for Gregory, you should know that no matter what he says, he is not Francium’s father.”
Not Francium’s father? Did Francium know that?
“Does Francium know?”
“He does now,” she said. “It’s a… recent conversation.”
“How long has he known you?”
“He would say only a few months, but I have watched over him his entire life.”
I narrowed my eyes, “Why did you leave him with Gregory then?”
She chuckled, “I don’t think I have to tell you how dangerous it would be for the truth of Francium’s parentage to come out.”
I frowned, “Why?”
“We’ll get to it. You still haven’t answered me. A bit of history?”
I frowned. Her eyes were challenging but watchful like she knew I would refuse but hoped that I wouldn’t.
“Sure.”
Her eyes brightened, “Lovely. Before that, you think you’re going to see Claire soon, you think you’re going to see Francium, and you don’t think all of this will be important. But it will be.”
I sat back and nodded. “I can’t argue with that.”
“You also don’t know that your alpha knows most of what I am about to tell you, but he does.”
“How do you know that?”
She laughed. “I have been alive a long time. I knew his mother. I know his aunt…. I knew his father. There is little that I can’t guess about his education.”
She waved her hand vaguely. “I’m sure we’ll get through all of that sometime in the future. Francium is due back soon enough; we should get you prepped. The New Moon is an original pack. I think you know that. But you don’t know that New Moon is just in between werewolves and vampires. Some of us can shapeshift, like myself, into whatever form we choose. Animal forms that is. Some of the people in this town create illusions. I’m sure you’ve noticed.”
I nodded, glancing out the window to where people milled about. “Those people are responsible for all the weird forest tricks?”
“Oh no,” she laughed. “Space shifting and manipulation of nature is something different, but yes, we are capable of that as well. All the powers that werewolves of awakened bloodlines, as you call them, are powers we have as well.” She smiled. “We also have powers that are only special to vampires.”
“Like what?”
“Changing shape into other people,” she said. “I… can only guess you have encountered one of the princes as you do not seem surprised.”
I swallowed. “At the mall… during the attack.”
Her eyes widened. Her gaze flickered over me. “You were there.”
“Why does that matter?”
She hummed and sipped her tea. “Later. Though, I must say I am beginning to understand why he is so fascinated with you. It is rare that anyone inherits powers so strongly when you only have one parent.”
My heart lurched. “… How do you know that?”
She scoffed. “There is nothing even remotely remarkable about the alpha of the Wolf Fang Pack. That evil woman he is married to and is helping him drive the pack into the ground is no better, but more than that, I know she is not your mother. You smell nothing like her.”
She tilted her head. “It is more likely to inherit when you have a mother from the bloodline, but having both parents tends to increase your chances of being quite powerful…. I can only imagine that your mother was quite the extraordinary woman.”
I swallowed thickly. “I… wouldn’t know. She died when I was born.”
Her eyes narrowed and then widened before she finished her tea. “Shall I continue with the history lesson? More or less?”
“Who is Francium’s father?” I asked. “That vampire prince you were talking about?”
She scoffed. “Not even if he were the last man in the world. My mate was a man of such….” Her gaze turned sad and bitter. She pressed a hand to her chest with a shaking hand. “Greatness… He was killed years ago, just before I realized I was pregnant with Francium. Gregory found me attractive and wanted a place of prestige. Luckily for him, I was in need of a cover, so I seduced him.”
She scoffed. “He is married to his mate, an equally unremarkable werewolf with his horrid sons and is happy for it. He has served his purpose to me.”
That was a lot to unpack, but I squinted. “Are… you saying that you’re not a real werewolf?”
“Real is relative,” she said easily. “Think of it more as a spectrum than a yes or now. Let’s say I am perfectly in the middle. My mate was as well though he was more vampire than I. Thus, Francium, the perfect melding of us is in the middle as well.” She shook her head. “You would be surprised how many vampires have simply lived pretending to be werewolves for generations because they can shapeshift.”
I swallowed. “Completely blended into society?”
She smiled, “How do you believe the awakened bloodlines have remained so strong? If I could guess… I would bet that your mother was not a werewolf at all.”
The thought chilled me.
“Though, that would make you quite a rare specimen.” She shrugged. “But who is to say?”
“Why?” I asked. “Why not just be a vampire? The New Moon have more in common with them especially now… You drink blood.”
She smiled. “And blood red wine.”
I set my jaw. “But you do drink blood, don’t you?”
She scoffed. “Doesn’t anyone who receives any manner of healing from a gold wolf? Don’t attempt to make blood drinking so monstrous because you do not require it to survive.” She gave me a cruel smile. “I assure you that if you drank any blood of quality, you would find your powers as a werewolf changed for the better.”
She sighed, “But to answer your question, the first war was fraught with issues. Who was right? Who was wrong? There were many things I would change, but we sided with werewolves as the lesser of two evils. New Moon werewolves were instrumental in pushing the vampires back in the shadows.” She said. “I won’t go into the details.”
There wasn’t a lot discussed about the war, just that we won. It had never irked me as much as it did now.
“What does all this have to do with Francium and Claire?”
“I’m explaining to you the reasons behind what I say next,” Francia said, seriously. “I’m not going to allow you to harm my son.”
I scoffed, “A history lesson to tell me not to hurt Francium?”
She smiled. “Again, you think it is not relevant to your course going forward, but that is not the case.”
I sneered. “While I would like answers about why he’s in league vampires, I’m really only here to find Claire and bring her home.”
Her eyes narrowed, “Yet you know how Claire was turned.”
“I know enough,” I said stiffly. “And she’s my best friend. I’m sure we can find a way to allow her to return to her life and family, one way or the others.”
Francia chuckled. “You think there is a cure!”
I stiffened. How had she known that was what I was thinking? She kept laughing, and I felt increasingly silly.
“Silly girl, did you hear nothing I said?” The door jiggled. Francia’s eyes didn’t even change as the door opened.
I turned around, and a taller, broader version of Francium walked into the house.
“Francium?”
