Jane |18+| ✔️

30. The time I was further Bamboozled

Jane

"You can stop side-eyeing me. I don't bite," Mira laughs while constantly focused on our surroundings. Mid-afternoon is upon us, and we're nowhere near Appleton at this point. Hell, we're deep as fuck in a wooded area not made for SUVs. The Jaguar rocks along as I try my best to prevent the paint from scratching and bottoming out. At some point soon, I've been told we'll have to ditch the beauty and go on foot the rest of the way.

"That's not what I'm worried about," I bashfully state as the fever I've been suffering from has turned into a bloody inferno. "I was admiring your freckles. I've never seen a shifter with such humanly features." I don't want to insult the high rank by saying imperfection. She's far from that.

Mira turns in her seat to gauge me as I take her nakedness in. Man, they are confident. Then again, if I had a body like hers... "I adore my freckles. I wish I had more like you. The guys love them," she winks as I smile despite our situation. She becomes serious as she really regards me. "My grandmother on my father's side," I look over for a moment, meeting her mesmerizing eyes that I've noticed have flecks of bronze. Another rarity. "She was human."

"What? No. That can't be. Humans and shifters can't procreate." She smiles a humorous grin, raising her eyebrows in amusement. "Mira, it's impossible."

"And yet here I sit." I huff with a newfound interest. "My grandparents were fated mates. They kept it a secret – like you and my Alpha." My mouth drops as my grin slides away. "It's okay, Jane. You can trust me. I know it's hard, but I felt you should know that you and Silas are not the only ones. It's sporadic, but we do exist."

"How – why'd they keep it a secret? Surely, your grandfather's pack would have known." She nods and looks away for a moment.

"When my grandfather marked my grandmother, their destinies interlocked with one another. Whatever one was feeling, the other would feel too. Happiness, sorrow, pain, pleasure—but that wasn't all," she looks back at me as we break out into a clearing. Thank fuck! Sighing, we both smile, relieved as we spot the base of the ginormous mountain not that far ahead.

"It also meant that when one died, as did the other," I finish as she nods after a moment.

"Well, needless to say, my grandmother fell pregnant with my father, and there were a bunch of complications on the day she gave birth. My grandparents lived with my grandfather's pack. It was small compared to Sweetwater, but he was the only Delta and had many privileges. He kept my grandmother hidden, stashed away in a cell. Only a few knew of their bond and that she was there." Her smile falters. "He was embarrassed that his destined mate was human. He thought he was being punished, but his wolf adored her, took her, and marked her the moment he could. The need to fornicate and produce an heir surpassed my grandfather's disgust, and as a result, my father was conceived."

"Oh, my god."

"Yep! But the delivery was too much. Grandfather let her suffer alone in the wet, dank cell. She managed to deliver her son, birthing him to perfection, but the stress and aftermath were too much, and she died soon after holding her newborn baby to her chest." I can't help the tears that trickle down my face. "As did grandfather," she looks over at me. "He was actually fucking a shifter when he collapsed on her. Rumour has it, he was crying tears of blood while they fucked." Holy shit—the bleeds!

"Because of the deception. He and your grandmother must have endured so much pain." She nods. "Mira, I'm so sorry."

"Do you know who found my grandmother?" she asks as we come to a solid rock wall. I shake my head as I put the vehicle in park. "My Alpha. He heard my father crying from miles away. He heard his distress. My father," she smiles so proudly, "is now a Beta in the town over from here. I'm so proud of him, and we don't hide the fact we are mixed breeds." She laughs as she looks around. "We don't broadcast it either," she nudges my shoulder before jumping out of the SUV and stretching.