30.- Family

The weekend came too fast.

Lupita sat in her last class, tapping her fingers on the table not focusing on what was being said. She had stopped trying to understand the lectures a few weeks ago. It wouldn't be of any use to her in the long run and she only showed up to meet her friends. They had spent a little time together today. Mai was chipper as always and talked about a game she had played for almost the entire lunch break. Aoi was silent, which wasn't unusual for him, but he seemed more nervous than normal. Jazmyn was clingy and happy. She talked about this person she had been seeing around who she thought was cute. Valeria was silent and seemingly in a bad mood and North was just staying close by her and giving her occasional kisses. Lupita hadn't asked any of them about it and just listened to Mai and Jazmyn.

"OK, everyone. Have a good weekend," Elizabeth said earning a round of relieved sighs. "Relax and have fun, everyone."

"You ready for the weekend?" Jazmyn asked as they both picked up their stuff.

"No," Lupita said and picked up her worn-down backpack that had been John's son's. "But... nothing I can do."

"You can say no," Jazmyn stated. "You don't owe them anything."

"I know," Lupita said. She had been told that a few times by now and she just learned to agree to what they said even though she disagreed. It was necessary to do this, whether she liked it or not.

"Will you be ok today?" Elizabeth asked. Lupita looked at the woman, smiled, and nodded. "Ok. Be safe, and you can say no whenever you want. Don't feel like you need to do anything."

"Ok," Lupita said and followed them outside the classroom where MJ was waiting for her.

"You ready?" she asked with a sweet smile.

"No," Lupita said truthfully but started walking with MJ and the others. "But, I need to do this."

"I'm glad you are doing this. It could help us help you," MJ said and rubbed her arm. "I will make sure that you are comfortable. And you can say no whenever you want."

"Thank you," Lupita said as they walked out of the building and into the parking lot. The late October breeze was cold and Lupita noticed MJ shiver.

"It's getting cold," she said and smiled. "Bye Jazmyn, bye Elizabeth."

"Bye Marie," Elizabeth said and pulled Jazmyn with her to the car. "Take good care of her now."

"I promise," MJ said and took Lupita by the arm and slowly began pulling her away.

"Bye Lupi," Jazmyn said as they parted ways. Lupita waved to them as she followed MJ to an all-black car. She guessed it was Rowan's.

"Do you want to sit in the back or the front?" MJ asked as they approached the car. "Or, better question, who do you want to sit with?"

Lupita furrowed her brows and thought about it. Rowan was a clear no. But Ambrosia was mad at her and she wouldn't be comfortable. She desperately wanted to be near the vampire but knew it wouldn't be good for any of them at the moment.

"You," Lupita said and pointed at the girl.

"OK," she said and opened the back door. "Ambrosia, move to the front."

"Fine," the girl said, and got out of the car, passing Lupita quickly, not making eye contact, and moved to the front. Lupita got in the back and buckled in. She immediately began playing with her fingers and subconsciously enjoyed the feeling of the power running through the moonstone and Tor's hammer necklace on her neck. She had decided to wear them after her talk with John. It helped her get a little closer to her two favorite gods.

"Are you all buckled up?" Rowan asked as he leaned back to look at them.

"Yes my love," MJ said and kissed his cheek. "Drive carefully ok? You are the only undead one in the car."

"I always drive carefully," Rowan said as he started the car and started driving. The car jumped Lupita felt a growl in the back of her throat.

"What did I just say!" MJ said and hit him over the head.

"That bump came out of nowhere," Rowan said as he ducked away from MJ's hands.

"Asshole," MJ mumbled but smiled. "You good?" She had turned to Lupita who nodded slowly. Cars were the worst. They didn't make any sense and they were loud and shaky. She preferred to run in the forest.

The rest of the car ride was quiet. MJ tried to make conversation but no one was really in the mood to talk. Rowan was focused on the road but would occasionally chime in. Ambrosia was on her phone but would also participate in the conversation if the topic interested her. Lupita was silent, staring out the window and at the trees and houses that passed. MJ had said they would go to her home. Judging by the trees they lived out in the forest, but close to civilization as there were several small houses on the way there.

Lupita felt her heart rate pick up as the car stopped. It became scarier the closer she got to the consequences of her decision. Had she made the right choice? Was it smart to relieve that part of her life? The part of her life her entire mind and soul had suppressed. Her mind drifted, and she got cold. Her vision blurred and the sunny outside world got darker.

"Relax," a voice said in her mind. Her wolves didn't usually speak in human voices, preferring to growl and bark or influence her emotions. She understood them either way, but it was comforting to hear her voice. "We are here."

"Lupi?" MJ said and brought her out of her mind. "Do you need a minute? We can do this at your pace. Take all the time you need."

Lupita nodded and slowly got out of the car and breathed in the cold air while closing her eyes. The soft breeze felt good against her hot face and the birds chirping calmed her senses. Nature was truly medicine and it helped when she felt something run up her leg.

"Hallo," she said as she felt the tiny arms on her face. There was also something rubbing against her legs and she smiled as she opened her eyes.

"How did you get here?" Ambrosia said in disbelief as the black cat rubbed against Lupita's legs.

"Familiars," MJ said and smiled when Lupita sat down in the grass and began petting the cat and smiling when Fluffy and Tyven met each other. They were cautious at first but quickly began cuddling. "They know our innermost deepest desires. No one truly knows how they work."

"Do you have one?" Lupita asked as she kissed Fluffy's head while Tyven rested in her hair.

"The whole house is filled with them," MJ said and smiled when Lupita lit up. "You wanna go inside?" Lupita nodded and placed Fluffy in her arms before following close behind MJ as they walked into the cabin-looking house. It looked like a house from her old pack. Made mostly of dark logs, but with a roof that looked like it was made of some sort of red stone.

They entered the house and every single smell immediately hit Lupita's senses. She had to hold onto the door for support as her eyes watered at all the strong smells.

"Sorry, we haven't put up a smell-masking spell today. We are closed so we didn't expect anyone," MJ explained as she picked up some materials, and said something in a foreign language, slightly glowing before the smell disappeared. "There."

"Thank you," Lupita said and looked around the room once she had dried her tears and adjusted her grip on the struggling cat. It was breathtaking. Rows and rows of different crystals in all shapes, sizes, and colors were everywhere in the room. Different herbs were hanging from pillars, baskets or neatly tucked away in boxes behind a counter along with animal bones and various crystals. The whole room buzzed with magic, making Lupita begin to scratch her palms.

The room they were in was huge and had a small counter to their left with a shelf behind it. There was a doorway to the side of the counter and a woman walked out of it with a big smile. She was plump with a big head of dark curls. She wore a patchwork dress with a tan-white apron and belt with various crystals and other ingredients for witchcraft around her waist. A pair of half-moon glasses rested on the tip of her nose and she held a small moonstone in her hand.

"Hello you three," she said in a high-pitched voice as she pocketed the moonstone and went to hug MJ and her friends. Her hugs looked amazing. "What brings you here?"

"You remember that I needed the spell room for an important spell?" MJ said while wringing her hands. "The spell you aren't particularly fond of."

"Yes," the woman said and placed a hand on her hip. MJ pointed to Lupita who was setting down Fluffy so she could run over to her owner. The woman looked at MJ again, her eyes narrow and mouth in a thin line before she walked to Lupita. Her features softened once she reached the girl. "Welcome to our home, sweety," she said and embraced Lupita in a soft, heavenly hug. This woman smelt amazing; like wildflowers and sugar.

"Mom, this is Lupita," MJ introduced her. "The unfortunate soul I have told you about." MJ's mom pulled away from Lupita and inspected her neck. When she found the collar she threw a dirty look at Ambrosia.

"Are you hungry sweety?" MJ's mom asked with a sigh as she looked away from the trio.

"A little," Lupita managed to squeak out. Her voice was failing her.

"Well then let me give you some food. You can't do this spell while hungry," the woman said and began dragging her across the store, through the trio, and towards the back which had a small curtain. "No one should be doing this spell." Lupita smiled and gasped when she saw the other side of the curtain. A huge living room, at least double, if not triple, the size of John's living room.

Two big couches in a soft brown color with four plush chairs in one end of the room along with two coffee tables and a big TV in one end of the room, a thick, dark green carpet covering the floor. Where they currently were was the kitchen or eating area. A big round table was off to the right and of to the left was the kitchen. Lupita saw two ovens and the counter was long and wide. There were six high chairs around the island counter and there were at least twelve around the table.

"We are a big family," MJ's mom said when she saw Lupita admiring the big things and the many things in the room. "That is what happens when you have nine kids."

"Nine?" Lupita blurted out but quickly covered her mouth. She knew it wasn't good to blurt out the first thing she thought of.

"Yes," the woman laughed and rubbed her back. "That happens when you have twins almost every round of pregnancy. Plus, I love my kids."

"Love you too Mom," MJ said as they walked into the kitchen.

"You are one of my least favorites at the moment," MJ's mom said and whacked her in the head with a wooden spoon. "Now come here sweety," she said and pushed Lupita to sit in one of the chairs by the island. "I'm guessing you want some meat? Do you want it raw, cooked, cold, warm?"

"Warm, and raw," Lupita said and smiled as her voice stayed stable.

"Got it," the woman said and took out a pack of meat from the fridge. "Marie you need to prepare her for the spell and what she can expect and what you are looking for."

"Ok," MJ said as she sat down in front of Lupita with Rowan to her left and Ambrosia to her right. "So, you have heard of it before right?" MJ asked and Lupita nodded. "That makes this easier. Also, cute squirrel. But what do you know?"

Lupita smiled as she felt the squirrel move around on her head and slowly move down her arm and toward MJ. He liked her. Then he moved to Ambrosia. The vampire tried her best not to look at the animal but Fluffy gladly sniffed the creature as he approached.

"I know a little," Luita said and picked up Tyven so he wouldn't bother Ambrosia. "I was threatened with it. And I heard from others how it worked. They use a stone to reach into your mind and force you to remember something. Most likely a bad one in those cases, and they had lasting side effects. Others did it willingly to try and heal or remember."

"Basically yeah," MJ said. "We will do it more controlled. Some rouge witches do it to cause harm, but those are not controlled and are more harmful than the others you mentioned. They often do the spell wrong and that can end up causing life-lasting damage to a victim. You will be lying in a quiet room, with me, Mom, and anyone else you want there. We will use a special crystal, some magic incantation, and something that will easily put you to sleep without any discomfort. That last part is just to make it easier for the spell to work. You also have more control over the memories you go through. And what we want to see is how you got out of the collar. Nothing more and nothing less. Now, there is still a chance that something can go wrong, but we will be extremely careful. We will take every single precaution to ensure you are safe."

Lupita had almost finished her bowl of meat when MJ was done explaining to her. It was scary. But she felt comforted knowing that she would have control over what she showed them and what she wanted to see. She had heard horror stories from people in her old pack about how rouge witches had used the spell to maim them.

"Knowing all of this, do you still want to do it?" MJ's mom said and placed a hand on Lupita's shoulder. "You can still say no."

"No, she can't!" Ambrosia said and stood up. Fluffy leaped from her lap and walked over to Lupita and settled in her lap. "She said yes already! We need to get this thing off her! I could get in serious trouble if people found out that I did this!"

"This is not about you!" MJ's mom said in a harsh tone and slammed her hand on the table which caused Lupita to flinch. "Sorry sweety," she said and turned to Lupita to rub her shoulder before she moved her gaze to Ambrosia again. "I know your life has been hard Ambrosia, but that doesn't give you an excuse to be this ignorant and awful to others. Especially when that someone is your mate."

"She is not my m-"

The curtain suddenly opened and in stepped several kids. Lupita was clutching her chest. The pain rose with every second as she felt the rage and hate ooze off the vampire.

"Did we interrupt something?" the girl in the front asked as she let the kids step around her.

"Thankfully yes," MJ said. Lupita looked up and saw the witch had slapped her hand across Ambrosia's mouth and the girl in question was looking weirdly at her friend. "You can't say that!" MJ scolded and pushed her so hard she almost fell off the chair.

"Why?!" Ambrosia challenged as she regained her balance.

"Use your brain dimwitt! First, the internet is a thing! Second, we have history books and specialized books on werewolves! You asshole!" MJ shouted and Lupita involuntarily growled at the girl. "I'm sorry Lupita but she deserves it all right now! I need to cool off!!" MJ pushed herself away from the table and stomped out of the kitchen, into the living room, and out of sight.

"I'll follow her," Rowan said and slowly began walking away, hitting Ambrosia over the head as he walked away.

"What did I do wrong?!" Ambrosia asked and Lupita felt it sting in her chest at her ignorance.

"We have a big library upstairs. A whole section on werewolves. Start there," MJ's mom spat out. "You know where it is." Ambrosia gave them all a look before storming off. Fluffy pushed her head against Lupita's chin before following her owner. "What a little brat."

"She can't be that bad," the girl from before said as she sat down in front of them. "She hasn't been before at least."

"She was about to reject her mate without a second thought," MJ's mom said and Lupita shrunk in her seat.

"What!?" It wasn't just the girl that had said it, Lupita suddenly realized there were a lot more people in the room. Two identical boys looking to be in their twenties, the girl in front of her and another girl looking to be the same age and also in their twenties, and a pair of four smaller kids, three girls, and a boy, two of the girls seemed to be teens and the two others looked ten. All of them had black or dark brown hair and dark skin.

The identical boys had the same big nose and plump lips. One of them had long, braided hair and the other had short hair that looked like dreadlocks. They both had strong bone structures, but one of them was noticeably leaner than the other. The skinnier of the two was wearing a knitted sweater and brown pants with a lot of pockets and the other was wearing a suit. Both of them had dark green eyes.

The girl in front of her and the one standing beside her were not identical. The one in front had her hair up and it looked like a big ball while the other had tight braids. The one in front of her also had a lot of muscle while the other girl was thin. The girls were dressed similarly to the boys, with the girl in front of her dressed in casual clothes and the other in a pretty dress. The girl in front of her had dark green eyes and the other one had brown.

The two teen girls were identical in every way. Both the way they dressed and the way they looked. They had dark curly hair in a bun and were both wearing black pants and purple sweaters. The only difference was that one of the sweaters had a one and the other had a two. Both the girls had warm brown eyes.

The two kids had short, dark, curly hair and were wearing blue overalls with the girl having a blue sweater and the boy wearing dark green. One of them had dark brown eyes and the other had light brown.

"What an asshole," the girl in front of her said.

"Please don't," Lupita said as she felt anger rise in her. She didn't want people to insult her mate, even though she knew she deserved it.

"Sorry, my fault," the girl said and pulled out her hand. "Hi I'm Cassandra, call me Cass." Lupita slowly shook her hand. "That there is Makena," she said and pointed at the girl by the fridge. "She is my twin. We are not identical, obviously. Those two-" she pointed at the older boys - "that is Amari, the one in the sweater. And the other one is Femi. They don't usually come home since they are in university but they make time for us sometimes. And the two teens are Kendra and Guinevere. And finally, the kids are Avery and Luella."

Lupita blinked and nodded at all of them. She would not be able to remember all that.

"And I am Abeba," MJ's mom said. "I didn't get to tell you before."

"And Dad's name is Idir, but he is currently out working with something," Cass said with a small smile. "I am guessing something important is happening considering everything," she said and motioned with her hand.

"Yes, but we will see how good it will go," Abeba said as she turned around and started cooking. "We all need to calm down before we do anything. Nothing can go wrong."

"Do you need help with cooking?" Cass asked when her mother started violently cooking. Lupita felt her heart pound in her chest at everything happening. Her breathing was laboured and the room suddenly felt smaller.

"No, take her outside. She can't be in that state when we will be doing the spell," Abeba said while motioning to the other kids to come to help her.

"Will do," the girl said and saluted her mother. "Come on," she said and held out her hand for Lupita to take. Lupita took it and let herself be led out of the kitchen, out of the store, and out into nature. She took a deep breath and lay on her back in the grass. Her breathing slowly returned to her and the pain in her chest subsided. "She really did a number on you, huh?"

"Yeah," Lupita squeaked out and cringed at her voice.

"Are you hurting anywhere?" Cass asked as she sat down beside her.

"Chest, but, little," Lupita said as she rubbed her heart.

"It'll go away soon," she said and leaned on her hands to take in the little sun that was showing. "You are incredibly strong for dealing with it. Many would have given up or died at this point."

"I felt it before," Lupita whispered. "When she... died? Turned?"

"Wow," Cass said and looked down at her. "You truly are strong. I hope she comes to her senses soon." The girl smiled and lay down beside Lupita. "She is actually really kind. She has just had some... issues. Or transitions. It can be really hard. Being someone your entire life and then turning that whole thing upside down. You are both strong, you just show it in different ways."

"What happened to her?" Lupita asked and turned to her side.

"She wouldn't want me to tell you," Cass said. "She needs to tell you herself if she hasn't already. That girl truly needs to just commit already. When you have a mate you can't do what she does."

Lupita lay on her stomach and began picking at the grass. What could she be doing that was so bad? Lupita thought of one that she had heard and her stomach twisted. She didn't mind if she had sex with other people. She was a vampire and the bond worked differently for her. But it still hurt. Especially considering she was most likely still doing it.

"Don't judge her too hard on what she does in her free time. Do judge her on how she treats you though," Cass said and softly rubbed her back. "It's ok that I do this right?" Lupita nodded and felt her hand begin to trace circles on her back. "So it's true that werewolves are cuddly?"

"Yeah," Lupita laughed. "Just don't touch my hair."

"Of course," Cass said and began to scratch her back. "They will probably be cooled off soon. Are you ready for whatever they have planned?"

"Not really. But I trust them," Lupita said as she looked up at the girl. "You are nice."

"Thank you, honey," the girl said, showing her a toothy grin. "You are very nice too. And so is your familiar. I have a falcon, he is flying around." Tyven was playing with Cass's fingers as she rubbed Lupita's back.

"Cool," Lupita said. They lay in the grass for some time before Amari came out of the house.

"They are ready if you are Lupita!" he shouted at them. "Remember she has a mate Cass!"

"Fuck you!" the girl shouted before standing up and helping Lupita.

"What did he mean by that?" Lupita asked as they walked back to the house.

"Nothing. He is an ass," she said and kicked him in the shins as they walked passed him.

"Hey Lupi," MJ said when they entered the kitchen again. "Sorry for all that. I meant most of it, but still, sorry," she said and hugged the werewolf.

"Why are you apologizing to her?" Ambrosia asked. She was sat on one of the high chairs by the counter. "You said those things to me."

"I apologize, but you deserved every last word of it," MJ said and took Lupita's hand. "We are all ready if you are."

"I'm ready," Lupita said while nodding.

"Do you want anyone else besides me and mom there?" MJ asked as she began leading Lupita through the house.

Lupita looked over at Ambrosia who was silent and calmly petting Fluffy who was sitting on her lap.

"I don't know if I want her there or not," Lupita admitted as they walked into the living room and then a hallway with a few doors on either side and a staircase at the end.

"Have her there and let her leave when she wants," MJ said as they walked up the stairs. "She is being a jerk at the moment, but I really do think that she cares. She is just extremely dense."

"Cass said she had been through stuff," Lupita said. She was worried about her mate even though she had almost rejected her without a second thought.

"Yeah," MJ said as they reached the top of the stairs. "Transforming into a vampire amongst other things will take a toll on you."

"What other things?" Lupita pried. It probably wasn't her place to ask but she wanted to know what had happened to her.

"I can't say it if she hasn't said it yet. I'm sorry," MJ said as she opened a door to a big empty room. Or, it wasn't empty, just dark. On the floor lay a blanket with a few candles around it. Abeba sat beside a small basket on the ground and smiled warmly at them as they came in.

"It looks like you are going to sacrifice her," Ambrosia suddenly said as she came up behind them. For a brief second, she stared into Lupita's eyes before sighing. "I'm trans. And I'm guessing you don't know what it means. I was born a man but that -"

"Wasn't how you felt?" Lupita asked with a smile. Being trans wasn't abnormal in her pack. There were many in her pack who had their wolf another gender than their human self. And the wolf reflects your true self. They had witches and magic to help them and she was guessing that was what happened to Ambrosia.

"Yeah," the girl said with a small smile before coughing and looking away from her.

"Good, are we all ready?" Abeba said and motioned toward the blanket in front of her

"Yes," Lupita said and sat down on the blanket. Ambrosia stayed by the closed door with a hand over the knob. She wouldn't be staying.

"Good," Abeba said, making Lupita turn to her. "Now, I need you to lie down and relax as much as you can on your own." Lupita did as she was told and slowly lay down on the soft blanket. "We will give you something to relax further, and the only thing you need to worry about is controlling your mind and squeezing MJ's hand if you want out."

Lupita felt MJ's hand slip into her own and she tried to relax by taking a few deep breaths before she nodded. "Ready."

"Now, close your eyes, take a deep breath-" Lupita did, feeling a sweet scent enter her lungs and her mind drifting - "and let us do what we need to do." Magic filled the room and Lupita felt it buzz on her fingertips as she softly squeezed MJ's hand. She heard a few words spoken in a tongue she recognized but couldn't understand.

Then... she woke up?

A/N: Hey people! I'm in a writing frenzy and have some chapters ready (need editing) but I can have a somewhat posting schedule. I think every other week would be best, that way there is a little suspense, or I could do one every week for a few weeks.

Another thing, I do want to publish this physically one day, it is one of my biggest dreams, so this might not get edited in the end and just stay as a published first draft. Just so there might be a reason for people to actually want to buy the book.

Also, thoughts on the different characters? I love to see your comments and I would love to hear your thoughts.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask, and if you see any spelling mistakes it would be lovely if you pointed them out (kindly please).

Hope you are all taking care of yourselves both mentally and physically. Make sure to eat and drink something.

If no one has said it to you yet: I am incredibly proud of you!!

Hope you have a lovely day/night/evening.

Love you all and thank you for reading. Leave a vote or comment, they are very appreciated! ❤💖❤💖❤💖❤💖❤💖