Night of the New Moon

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

 

James’ POV

 

It was a shock to her, I could tell. Her eyes were almost completely blank, staring at my mother. “Human?” she whispered. “That isn’t possible. Mama… she was a Shifter!” she said, voice earnest. It broke my heart, watching her. I didn’t like it when women were upset. I cleared my throat slightly. Her head swung to look at me, and I felt helpless.

 

“I know you want to believe your mother was a Shifter, Timber, but you need to face the truth. Lainey has never been able to Shift. It was why she was kicked out of her Pack. It was one of the most devastating thing any Pack had ever experienced. We loved Lainey, and it saddened all of us to see her have to leave,” he explained, trying to make her see reason.

She stood up, glaring hard at me. “You’re a liar,” she growled. “Mama was a Shifter. I read her diary. It had been right there in it,” she said, trembling. I knew she wouldn’t Shift; she was too scared of having a repeat of the episode. Yet, she was angry; She believed what she was saying with all her heart. I sighed softly.

 

“Timber-”

“No,” she cut off, voice firm. “You do not get to tell me I’m wrong, because you weren’t there. You didn’t grow up with her, not like I did. I knew her, and she was a Shifter. I saw it with my own eyes. I saw her Shift, so you don’t get to say I didn’t,” she snarled. I didn’t hear anything after that. I was too caught up on the fact that Lainey had Shifted. I lunged forward, gripping Timber’s arms in a vise-like grip.

 

“Are you sure?” I demanded. “You saw her in human form, and then saw her Shift, with your own eyes?” She squeaked, nodding quickly. I released her, pacing. My mother watched me with calm eyes. “Why did he kick her out then? What purpose did he have in sending her away?” I questioned, mostly to myself. Why had her father sent her to die, when she could Shift? Maybe she couldn’t. Maybe it had been later when she learned to Shift. Maybe…

Maybe she couldn’t Shift, and wanted to.

 

Who would make a deal like that, though? Surely not a woman who had a daughter to care for. And yet, wouldn’t she be desperate? Maybe she made a deal with someone to be able to care for her daughter. How could a human deal with a Shifter, after all? At the thought of it, I realized something. If Lainey was human, what had her lover been? And what did that make Timber?

I cleared my throat, looking at Timber. She paced, looking like she was on the edge. “Timber, I have a question. Did you ever know your father?” I asked quietly. It was barely noticeable, but I saw it. She tensed, eyes flickering. I seized on that. She knew something.

“Why?” she questioned.

 

“Call it curiosity,” I said.

 

“Curiosity killed the cat.”