Losing Hope

Chapter 4 - High hopes

(Her - Hope) - 6 years and 8months ago...

I have been looking for my grandmother for 4 months now. The one who left her mate, Grandpa Stan and her son, Roman, when he was only 3. My father suffered a lot growing without his mom. I hope she's still alive. I want to learn more about where I can from, where my tiger is coming from. Like me she's a tiger shifter, who like me again was mates with a werewolf in the pack who hates werecats and even more tigers! See, we have a lot in common so I really want to meet her. But the thing is I only know her name: Dariya Volchitsa.

Fortunately, I found a witch that might be able to help me. We are meeting in a café and I am so impatient that I arrive an hour in advance... So now it's starting to be a long wait and she's even yet late. We spoke on the phone 2 days ago and I don't know how she's looking. She just told me that she will find me here at 3:00 today.

"You're earlier!" I hear a voice in my back. How I didn't hear how? How is it possible? My senses are sharp!

"Witch!" My tiger comments, sarcastic. I roll my eyes. Obviously Hope! It would be great if for once you're using your brain!

"So I guess you're Phoebe. I was expecting someone older. How old are you?" I ask her.

"I'm 17! And you can say you look like a baby!" She scoffs.

"I'm 17 too, so fuck off!" I reply annoyed.

"Do you know who you're speaking to? I'm Phoebe Warren, Melinda's Warren little sister!"

"Good for you... And why should I give a fuck about whom sister you're?"

"She's the most powerful witch that has never existed!" She explains.

"Good for her. But again I don't give a shit." I shrug.

"Hmm... It's the first time someone has reacted like that. I don't know if you should like you or hate you." She mutters.

"Look, I need your help to find someone. I don't care who you're or whose sister you're. I'm only interested in you "just Phoebe" not Phoebe sister of Belinda."

"Melinda." She corrects me.

"Who cares! She's not here."

She nods: " You're right. Tell me more about who you're looking for."

So I explain that I'm looking for my grandmother and that I only have her name. I don't even know how she's looking as Grandpa Stan didn't have any pictures or if he did he hide them. She proposes to use a spell with my blood and to do it in the woods not so far from here. Once we agreed on the price, we decided to meet there an hour later, the time for her to pick up the stuff she needs for the spell. That gave me the time to go for a run. The great thing is she has accepted to carry my clothes there.

When I arrive at the meeting point she's already here. She jumps, seeing me in my tiger form.

"You're beautiful!" She says, kneeling in front of me and petting my head.

"It's the first time I'm seeing a Tiger shifter. Wow!" She adds, still petting me.

I go behind a tree to turn back on and put some clothes on. As soon as I come out, we start the spell but something weird is happening.

"Something is not right." I comment.

"Not everything is normal. The spell I cast is to find your unknown relatives." She explains.

"Then why are there so many lines?"

"Because you have an uncle and two cousins."

"What? You mean my grandmother mated with someone else."

"No, you're pure blood relative. Your father has a little brother, who had two kids, a boy and a girl."

"That's impossible my father would've told me!" I say.

"Except if he didn't know. You told me your grandmother left when he was 3. Obviously she didn't leave alone."

"What the fuck!" I whisper.

"May I ask why you grandmother left?" She asks.

"Because my pack killed her brother?"

"What!?"

"They didn't know who he was... It's really complicated. I can't believe I have an uncle and cousins! Now I have even more questions to ask and more people to find... " I say, astounded.

"Do you know where I can find her?" I ask looking at her directly.

She nods: " She's in Russia but one of your cousins is pretty close. 3 hours in car from here. This city has a huge university so I think he's a student there. But I can do more than that."

"Him.. How so?"

"I can teleport you there if you want." She says.

"For what cost?" I ask suspiciously.

"Free but I want to come. It's nice for one to not be seen as Melinda's little sister." She replies.

I don't see a reason why I should refuse something free.

"Deal!" I say.

She has teleported us in the woods close to the University and as we walk toward it, I ask her some questions about her. She explained to me how she's always in the shadow of her big sister and this is why she has decided to move to Europe. Unfortunately her sister was famous here and she's still known as Melinda's sister, which sucks! Nobody should be defined by who they're relatives too. I told her she should stand more for herself. I like her. Ff she stays a bit longer with me for sure we will become great friends.

"What about you? You're part of a pack? I thought the werecats didn't have packs." She asked.

"Ex-pack, I was kicked out. And you're right, werecats don't do Pack. I was part of a werewolves' pack. My parents and my brother are werewolves."

"Then how can you be a Tiger shifter?"

"My grandmother was one but not Grandpa Stan. The tiger's gene skipped a generation, I guess."

"What pack were you from?"

"The night walker pack." I reply.

"Impossible Tiger, The night walker pack is well known for hating werecats, Tigers are even their natural enemy!" A man going out of the three. He's not alone, another man is with him. Both of them are awesome, it will be a shame to destroy their faces.

"I'm not lying! I'm just the ugly duckling of the pack." I defend myself.

"Wolf and Leopard." My tiger let me know.

"Can you take one of them if needed?" I ask Phoebe, she nods a bit wary.

"You know we can hear you." The other man says. He's the Leopard shifter.

"Obviously! You're both fucking hot but I will ruin your faces if needed."

"We don't want any trouble, we're looking for someone. A tiger shifter around our age." Phoebe says.

They exchange a look: " What do you want with him?" Wolf boy says.

"So you know him?" I ask.

"We might... Depending on what you want to do with him." Leopard boy says.

"I think he's my cousin." I explain. They are both wary but not aggressive and they can help me so why would I lie to them.

"I'm Hope Santiago and this is Phoebe Wa-" I start.

"Just Phoebe." She cuts me.

"I'm Alistair Sangpur and this is Enzo Rivalti." Wolf boy says.

"Sangpur... My pack might hate werecats but the primus pack is known to be the most close off pack. How is it possible that the son of the Alpha is melting with us mere shifters?" I comment.

He laughs: " What can I say? Not the perfect son. I like you ugly duckling/Tiger."