CHAPTER 12

Bruce and Elijah withdrew to the Alpha's private study as the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the pack grounds. Normally a haven of peace and order, the room felt tense right now. Elijah knew there must be a lot of turmoil bubbling beneath the surface, but Bruce closed the door behind them with deliberate, controlled movements.

"All right, Elijah," Bruce said, taking a seat behind his desk in the high-backed leather chair. His voice was calm and quiet. "Please tell me everything. Right from the start."

Elijah inhaled deeply as he gathered his thoughts. Since discovering this, he would play through this conversation a hundred times in his mind, but now that the time had come, he was at a loss for words.

"It began approximately one week ago," he said, indicating the duration of the study. "I was attempting to track down the ancestry of that new family who wishes to join us by looking through some of the older pack records. Do you recall the Hendersons?

Bruce nodded, maintaining a neutral expression. "Continue."

"Well, I wandered off." You are knee-deep in pack history from a century ago in no time at all—you know how those old records work." Elijah stopped and ran his fingers through his hair. "I discovered something... unexpected at that point."

Bruce bent forward and put his elbows on the desk. "Elijah, what did you find?"

Elijah said, barely raising his voice above a whisper, "It was a birth record." "From a tiny pack in Oregon, dating back more than thirty years. Bruce was able to recognize the names."

Bruce's expression flashed with understanding and was quickly replaced with a composed expression. "Who are Amelia's grandparents?"

Elijah swallowed hard and nodded. Indeed. That is not all, though. The child, Rose, who is her mother, was described in the record as a Hybrid by nature."

There was an unbearable silence for a while. Elijah knew Bruce must be shocked because the only visible indication of his shock was that his knuckles turned white as he gripped the edge of his desk.

Bruce finally said, his voice rough, "That is impossible." "Amelia is human. We've all seen it. She lacks strength, enhanced senses, and the ability to shift. She's..."

"Human in every aspect that we can witness," Elijah concluded on his behalf. "I am aware. I did not come to you right away for that reason. I needed to confirm."

Bruce's gaze grew strained. "Did you find anything else?"

Feeling suddenly overwhelmed by his discovery, Elijah slumped into one of the chairs facing Bruce's desk. "I looked into it more. Amelia's grandparents were not just any hybrids as it turns out. They belonged to a long-standing, influential family. A lineage distinguished by... extraordinary talents."

"What kind of abilities?" Bruce questioned, his voice tense.

"The capacity to entirely repress their wolf nature," Elijah remarked. to appear to other werewolves as human in every manner. It was a defensive mechanism that had been developed centuries earlier to keep their pack safe from harm. However, there was a price."

Bruce reclined in his chair, obviously thinking rapidly. "What cost?"

Elijah looked up at Bruce, his face serious. When using this ability, hybrids frequently completely lose contact with their other side. A portion of them... some of them completely forgot they were hybrids."

There was a palpable weight of implications between them. Bruce got up quickly and walked over to the window that provided a view of the pack grounds. Elijah could see Amelia walking toward the pack house in the distance, her form silhouetted against the setting sun.

Bruce slowly spoke, keeping his back to the woman, "You are saying that Amelia is a hybrid and does not know she is a hybrid?" That her parents were somehow involved? Sequestered her wolf side?"

Bruce could not see Elijah, but he nodded nonetheless. "Exactly what I am saying is that. Based on the information I have gathered, it appears that her parents were attempting to shield her. Although the specifics of the threat are unclear in the records, they were afraid enough to use this ancient power on their child."

Bruce looked back at Elijah, his expression a mixture of bewilderment and mounting rage. Did they not tell her at all? They allowed her to grow up thinking she was a person?"

"That is how it appears," Elijah murmured. To help her rediscover her other side, I believe they may have planned to tell her when she was older. However, afterwards..."

Bruce concluded, his voice hollow, "the wedding." "I do not think they could tell her the truth after the wedding."

Elijah nodded, his heart heaving for the young lady who had grown to be such a vital part of Bruce's life and their pack. "She has never known her true nature; she has lived her entire life as a human."

Bruce started to pace, looking agitated. "Elijah, this is... this alters everything. Do you get that? All of the information we believed to be true about Amelia's position within the pack..."

"Yes," Elijah replied. "I had to be positive before coming to you because of this. I have been verifying every detail and cross-referencing every piece of information for the past week. Bruce, there is no question. Amelia is a Hybrid, there is no que."

Bruce stopped pacing and looked at Elijah with such intensity that the Beta felt like backing off. "Are you certain she does not know?"

Elijah gave a headshake. "Not a single one. Consider all the occasions she has been present at full moons and the pack rituals she has observed. Would we not have seen some indication of recognition if she had even the faintest idea of who she was? Some innate reaction?"

Bruce nodded slowly as he took in this knowledge. His voice was low and tense as he said, "So now we are left with an impossible choice." "Do we give her the truth and ruin her whole world in the process? Or should we keep this a secret to shield her from a truth that she might not be prepared to face?"

Leaning forward, Elijah rested his elbows on his knees. We can not take this decision lightly. Amelia has a right, on the one hand, to know who and what she is. It is her birthright, her heritage. Who knows? Perhaps she could become even more bonded to the pack and you if her wolf side is revealed."

Bruce's expression softened a little when his relationship with Amelia was brought up. "But conversely, what?"

However, Elijah went on, "It could be disastrous for her to discover this truth. It would contradict everything she has ever believed about her parents, herself, and life in general. Furthermore, after all these years of suppression, there is no assurance that we could even assist her in discovering her wolf side. Without obvious benefits, we might be exposing her to a world of suffering and confusion."

Bruce returned to his desk and sank into his chair. His voice was hardly audible above a whisper as he said, "And then there is the question of safety." "If word spread that we have a werewolf with this kind of unusual ability among us, not just in our pack but even in other packs..."

Elijah gave a somber nod. It might turn her into a target. Some people would do anything to obtain that level of power for themselves."

Both men were silent for a long moment, weighing the implications of their choice and the weight of their knowledge.

Bruce's voice was full of emotion as he finally said, "She loves this pack." She has devoted her life to upholding our culture and way of life. She has also gone through all of this thinking that she is an outsider—a human in a world full of wolves. If she were to fully embrace her heritage and know the truth, just think of what she could accomplish."

Elijah closely observed his Alpha, observing the tension manifest in every aspect of his appearance. But Bruce, at what price? Are we prepared to jeopardize her happiness and sense of self to see what she could develop into?"

Bruce rose once more and approached a shelf brimming with antiquestion leather-bound books that held the history and accumulated wisdom of their pack. Lost in thought, he ran his fingers along the spines.

After a lengthy pause, he stated, "We need to take all factors into account." "How do we do it, if we tell her? How can we assist her in assimilating this knowledge? How can we shield her from people who might find out about her secret if we do not tell her?"

Elijah nodded, realizing how complicated their circumstances were. "We must remain unified no matter what we decide. The group will follow our example in this regard, but any semblance of uncertainty or discord could be hazardous."

Bruce's expression was determined as he turned back to face his Beta. "We require additional time to consider this. We keep this between us for now. Not a word to the council or anyone else in the pack. We must be completely confident in our plan of action before enlisting the help of others."

Elijah stood up and said, "Agreed." Bruce, though, we can not hold out for too long. The likelihood that this information will surface in ways beyond our control increases the longer we withhold it."

Bruce nodded, his expression grave. "I know. Please give me a few days to think about this, to watch Amelia, and see what I might have missed. After that, we will get together once more to decide."

Bruce called out to Elijah as he turned to go. "Elijah, I am grateful. For bringing this to my attention and for conducting exhaustive research. I am aware that you could not have found this simple."

At the door, Elijah stopped and turned to face his friend, Alpha. Bruce, Amelia is now part of this Pack. We will face whatever comes our way together, no matter what. As a pack."

Elijah then quietly left the study, leaving Bruce to think about his thoughts and the weight of a secret that might turn everything upside down.

Bruce moved to the window again as Elijah was shutting the door behind him. He caught a glimpse of Amelia coming out of the pack house, the porch lights casting a warm glow across her face. Her whole being exuded happiness and a sense of belonging as she laughed at something.

Bruce watched her, a constriction in his chest. He had underestimated the extraordinary nature of the woman he had chosen as his mate. However, that information carried a terrible cost: it revealed a fact that had the power to either destroy or strengthen their relationship.

Bruce stood watch at the window as the night grew darker, his heart heavy with the weight of the choice he had to make and his mind buzzing with potential outcomes. He was aware that nothing would ever be the same again, regardless of the course they took.

There was a risk to his mate's future, his pack's, and possibly even the wider werewolf community. It was also his duty as the Alpha to make intelligent decisions and to defend the people he loved while respecting their true selves.

Bruce sighed deeply and turned away from the window, determination taking firm hold. He needed to get work done, do some research, and make a choice. Their lives would change in ways he could not have predicted in the coming days.