She dropped the bomb, her fingers rubbing against her forehead as if trying to soothe the weight of her confession.
I stood there, completely puzzled. My mind tried to form words, but nothing came out. I looked into her eyes—then shifted to Ms. Laura's—and neither of them looked like they were joking. There was no humor in their expressions. No trace of a prank.
"W-H-A-T do you mean?" I asked, my voice rising, shaky, and loud. My heart started pounding faster. "You think because you bailed me out, you now have the right to come here and tell me some shitty story and expect me to just… believe it?" My voice cracked. This couldn't be real. This was nonsense.
I took a step back, stumbling slightly. My confusion must've been written all over my face. Wait… Did this mean the dreams I had been having were real?
"It's not a shitty story," she said quietly. "We've been searching for you for so long."
That triggered me. I stood up abruptly. My anger boiled over.
"And what? You expect me to believe that? That I'm the granddaughter of some mighty, rich, powerful Alpha lady?" I snapped. "Look at you. Look at me. We are not from the same world! And if it's true, why are you only showing up now, huh? You dropped the child at the orphanage because you never wanted her—and now suddenly you've been looking for her?" I paced back and forth, breathing heavily. "How does that even make sense?!"
I looked her up and down, overwhelmed by disbelief. "And look at you—you look younger than me. You could pass as my boss. I could be your maid. Oh dear lord…" I gasped, rubbing my face. "Who the hell would even believe this?"
Then… something inside me shifted. A different voice echoed in my head. Calm, firm, and unfamiliar.
I am Arkin, your Sentinel. The same Sentinel that belonged to your mother. I want you to believe her. She is telling the truth. Though she hasn't told you everything… that's up to you to discover.
I blinked hard. Huh? What's happening to me?
I looked around. No one else reacted. They hadn't heard it. It seemed I was the only one who did.
"I don't care about your story," I said, my voice trembling, "but can you explain what's wrong with me? I hear voices! And—and the worst part? How did I heal so fast? How did you do that? Explain this whole bloodline thing better!"
Laura reached out and handed me a glass of water. Her voice was calm but firm. "Calm down, Hannah. We'll answer your questions. But if you still don't believe us, there's something else. There's a necklace. You've worn it since childhood. It had your name engraved on it—Hannah—and a symbol on your back that looks like a big letter H inside a heart. That necklace, and that mark, were passed from your mother to you. No matter where you went, we knew we'd find you."
Ms. Eleanor spoke up. "The voice you heard—that was your wolf. And I assume you already know about wolves, because you didn't even flinch when I mentioned the word beta earlier."
"Yeah," I replied slowly, my mind racing. "I'm aware of their existence. My adopted father was a beta too. So… you're saying I have a wolf in me?"
I couldn't breathe. I had been bullied my entire life for being wolfless. The guys that approached me when I turned eighteen said they mistook my sister's scent for mine. They all wanted her. They rejected me. But even she rejected them because she wanted someone with a higher title—an Alpha or a Beta.
Still, I was stunned. I'd never heard a voice before. Though, I did used to have strange dreams—visions of myself running through unfamiliar places, almost like a different realm. I always thought they were just dreams.
I have a wolf in me? Wow.
Then it responded again.
Let me introduce myself. I'm Ryan—your male wolf. Sorry for the late introduction. I was just… angry that I have to share you with Arkin. That's why I stayed silent.
What? My jaw dropped. This is… this is insane. And yet, it was all that mattered in that moment.
But reality pulled me back fast.
"Oh. So, uh… why are you here now?" I asked, turning to Ms. Eleanor. "It's not like I completely believe you. But I do have the mark, so—why now? After what you did?"
She took a deep breath, her voice heavy with guilt. "I made a huge mistake. I was young. I didn't think things through. I was selfish… I only cared about myself. But now—now I'm dying. And I feel like if I don't find you and reunite you with your father, I'll never be at peace."
I froze. "My… father? You mean, my father is alive? And he doesn't know I'm alive? Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
For twenty years, I believed my parents died in an accident. I grew up alone. Later, I was adopted by the Ragnar family.
"Yes," she nodded slowly. "If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I'll take you to him."
I didn't know how to feel. A part of me wanted to meet my father immediately. But I also felt irritated, skeptical. Then Arkin's voice echoed again.
Are you so easy? You're really accepting them after what they did to you?
That stung. But Ryan cut in immediately. Ignore her. She's just jealous.
Jealous? I couldn't tell which of them to trust. I didn't even know how to get used to them both. But I knew one thing…
"Meeting my father is one thing," I said firmly. "Forgiving you… is another. You were never there when I needed a family. So please, just let me be. I need time to process all of this."
I stood up and turned to leave, but she reached out and held my hand.
"You were kicked out. Where are you going to stay?"
I hesitated. Her words stung like salt on an open wound. But I straightened my back and replied coldly, "I'll pay you back for the bail. Thanks for the story. And it doesn't matter to you where I sleep or not."
Where was she when I was struggling? I scoffed and walked away.
Both of you—Ryan, Arkin—I want you to stay quiet until I say otherwise.
I hadn't even fully processed everything yet. Now the big question was… where would I sleep?
I was walking toward the motel when I remembered something… the man who splashed water on me. That place? No. I couldn't go back there.
But wait… I have two voices? Does that mean…
---
I didn't go back to the motel. Instead, I walked straight to an internet café and began my research.
I typed in the name of my supposed father and scanned through every article I could find. Apparently, he got remarried three years after my mother's death and welcomed twins—a boy and a girl.
The shock hit me like a slap.
Leah and Leon.
Those were the same twins who bullied me all through high school.
I covered my mouth, horrified. "Is this… Cinderella or what?"
I kept scrolling.
I found another article. My father had recently been rushed to the hospital. Since he was a public figure, even the smallest update about him made the news. I clicked to read more.
The cause of his illness remains unknown.
"Weird…" I whispered to myself.
I spent the rest of the day in that café. The following morning, I decided to call my supposed grandmother. For the first time, both my wolf and my Sentinel agreed on something—they wanted me to meet my father. He had done nothing wrong.
I pulled out the contact Laura had given me and dialed.
It rang once.
"Hello, this is Laura Brown. How may I help you?"
"Hey… it's Hannah."
"Hold on, let me transfer the call to Ms. Eleanor—"
"No, no. Can I talk to you instead, Aunt Laura?"
"Call me Laura. I'm sorry, your call has already been transferred to Ms.—"
The line clicked, and my grandmother's voice came on.
We spoke briefly. I told her my location.
"I'll be heading out for a business meeting in the next city," she said. "Laura will come pick you up in a few minutes."
After the call ended, I stood and got ready to leave. But I couldn't find my shoes. Then I remembered everything that happened and finally spotted them. I slipped them on and stepped out.
True to her word, Laura arrived just minutes later and picked me up.
The drive to the hospital was completely silent.