Born Of Ashes

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Robert’s POV

“What do you mean she’s not your daughter?” my eyes narrowed at the old man in front of me.

“I and my wife discovered her in the woods just after the birth of our daughter, Harper, She just a baby that was left in the woods in a pile of ash. So we took her back home and then to see our healer.” He started to explain. “Our healer is a witch and she explained to us that this child would change the fate of the world and that we most protect her.” he sighed deeply. “At the time no one had seen our child, Harper so we took Iris in and said that she was Harper’s twin.”

“So how does she bear the mark of the Iron wolf pack if she is not your daughter?” I asked.

“I accepted her into the pack and the witch performed a spell that trigged the pack link to connect to Iris. At the time we didn’t really understand the importance of Iris but the rogue attack has put our situation into a whole new light.”

“What do you mean?”

“Iris is a Phoenix,” he said looking me straight in the eyes.

“What do you mean? She isn’t a bird that is on fire,” I struggled to understand, running my hands through my hair.

“She is a fire sprit,” he replied.

“Does she know?” I asked.

“No,” he sighed. “I haven’t the heart to tell her,” he said with his head in his hands. “She’s grown up thinking she is a werewolf who has never transformed and I can’t tell her, I really can’t! She’s still my little girl at the end of the day.”

“Daddy you don’t have to tell me,” Iris’s voice met my eyes as the door to the office opened.  I turned to see a tear escape her flickering eyes. “I kind of guessed already,” she came in with Eliza behind her, pity filling her gaze as Alpha John hugged his daughter tightly.

“I am sorry darling for not telling you but I couldn’t!” Alpha John stroked Iris’s hair as she sobbed into his embrace.

“It’s okay,” She cried. “You were all so different to me so I kind of already knew,” she pulled back and gave a weak smile. “Just it is kind of a shock in some ways,” she gave a small laugh.

“How much did you hear?” I asked standing up.

“Not much, just enough to know that I am not the daughter of Alpha John,” she wiped her tears away from her jet black eyes.

“Iris I am going to take you to Abby the witch healer,” Alpha John smiled at his adopted daughter. “She can explain everything better that I can,” he explained. “You are welcome to come your highness,” Alpha John added as he led Iris out.

Iris’s POV

The news wasn’t much of a shock, but the tears that had escaped earlier were just a natural reaction. I was kind of glad that I knew that I wasn’t just their freakish daughter that they hide away from the world.  I didn’t blame them for not telling me, I understood!  

“Alpha John,” Abby the pack healer and local witch greeted us at the door to her old, rickety house. “How may I help you,” she smiled like she already knew.

“I think you know Abby,” my father replied.

Abby looked very young in appearance but if you looked into her blue eyes you could see her true age. She wasn’t 20 like she looked, she was much older. She was a small woman with mid-length honey-wheat hair. Her skin was creamy white with no colour in her cheeks or lips. Today she was dressed in a moss green pixie style dress with a hood.