Chapter 78 - A false story

**Hopes pov**

“ When I was five my parents took me and my sister, she was eight, on a trip with our sailboat..we were going to be away for two weeks..God, I loved the sea, so did my sister so we had looked forward to this trip for a long time..On the third day we got caught in a storm..the boat was lost in the sea..so were our parents. They always forced us children to wear life jackets..so we were in the water for thirty-six hours before they found us..My sister had ended up on her stomach in the water, when they found us she was barely alive. She was brain dead and on life support for two months, that’s how long it took them to find a next of kin. My grandfather decided to turn off the machines..ending my sisters life..He was not very fond of me..I was my father’s son and in his eyes, my father had taken his daughter from him...so I had to fight, I made sure I always did well in school and in the extracurricular activities he put me in..fencing..shooting, with all kinds of weapons, martial arts. Finally, when I was sixteen, he initiated me into the history of the family.” The expression on his face is hard to tell..sorrow for the memory of his departed family..pride in his achievements..shame at what he had become?..I keep quiet and wait to see if he wants to continue…but he dosn’t. The silence is getting awkward so I feel compelled to break it.
“ So, you became a hunter, and I suspect you slaughtered your way to the top?..Wolves..vampires..and you excused yourself with what?..That they are not human?”
“It’s a simplification, but yes..I was schooled in our history and in our ways, I was sent on numerous missions to map both werewolf societies and clusters of vampires. We hunt supernatural creatures, so that’s what I did. Vampires are easy to spot..they can’t hide among humans the same way wolves can. The only way to reveal a werewolf is to catch it in the act or through a blood test. Sure, there are certain signs..strength, speed and more..but this can also be found in ordinary people..I don’t want you to think I’m a cold-blooded killer..it was hard..women and children was the hardest”
“You killed wolf pups?” Luna whines and growls in my head.
“Yes, of course..when we cleaned..it was no one left..”
“ You really are a monster..children don’t have a wolf you son of a bitch!” I am ready to attack him..the camera is off..I could easily kill him.
“ I know..but they will..I had to..an order is an order..but I always had a different future in mind..”
“ Yeah..and what does it look like? I spit out the words i disgust for the man in front of me.
“After I took my grandfathers place..I started a new division in the company..A department that works exclusively with research and the mapping of the blood of the different species. We have almost succeeded in separating the two strands of DNA that form a werewolf.”
“ For what?”
“ If we can separate them complete..we can remove it.”
“ Remove what? The wolf DNA?” I can’t belive what I’m hearing, he doesn’t want to kill werewolves, he wants to exterminate them completely.
“ Yes..remove the wolf from the human..it would be even better if we can do it before it develop..Listen to me Hope..If I can help you get rid of your wolf..you can have a normal human life..we can have a real relationship and you can be my heir.” He smiled as he spoked..like he was talking about a beautiful dream he wanted to share with me, his daughter. Get rid of Luna..the thought made me sick.
“ You really are a monster..” I sign..somewhere deep inside I had hoped my father would come back some day..a loving man who would love me..this man is not him..
“ My wolfs name is Luna..she is the spirit of Aayla, the firstborn werewolf..she is a part of me..just like my arms, my legs and my heart.” I looked at him..could I change his mind? Make him realize we are not a threat to humans?..Probably not, he has been brainwashed for so long. Sure, maybe he dosen’t want to hunt and kill us but the result of his methods will be the same.
“ I know..I didn’t want to belive it at first..the stories about your bloodline goes back a long time. When I heard they had found you and when I later learned who you were..my heart broke Hope.” I swallowed my anger, My brain is frantically trying to come up with a plan.
“ Mr Bugatti..Dad..please listen to me.” I look at him with pleading eyes, trying to look like his innocent daughter and not an pissed off werewolf. He leans back in his chair and waits for me to speak.
“Werewolves are not evil..they are peaceful. Family for a werewolf goes beyond blood ties..We pose no threat to humans. Sure, we can become an animal..but that animal is peaceful. I don’t know your history..what the werewolves have done to get on your bad side..but I can assure you that today’s werewolves just want to live in harmony with humans. We don’t want to get rid of our wolves..the only thing you would accomplish is filling the mental hospitals..trust me, I’ve seen it happen.” I try to speak in a calm and persuasive voice.
“ Have you ever seen a woman raped by a wolf Hope? Have you seen a teenaged kid shift in a lockerroom filled with human kids? Or perhapes you have seen the combine forces of wolves and vampires going through a campsite?..I have seen it all, and cleaned up the mess and fabricated the coverstories so that humans is kept in the dark..so they don’t find out about the monsters lurking in the dark..” His voice was filled with contempt..he really hated both us and the vampires.
“ But that is rogue wolves you are talking about..and just a few of them. Packs are friendly..and many rogues aswell..it’s the same with humans..You can’t eradicate humans because some of them become serial killers”
“The difference is that humans is meant to be here. The monsters is a mistake in evolution..a mistake we now have the chance to correct. Please Hope, don’t you see what I want to do? I want to give you a normal life..an empire..an empire that you can take in any direction you want when this is over!”
“It wasn’t evolution..both werewolves and vampires came about because of the Gods! Yeez!..What do you really know about our history? Tell me what you have learned about our origins.” I was having a hard time hiding my frustration.
He let out a deep sigh before clearing his throat.
“ I don’t know what you learned about your history Hope..but your origin is very dark..I will tell you the story”
*“Once upon a time there was a woman..she was beautiful like an angel, all the men in her village lusted after her..but she had no interest in any of them. Her desires were more of the natural kind..she was drawn to animals..especially carnivores. It got to the point where she was out of her mind with desire, so one night she dressed in a wolf skin and went into the forest. Two young male wolves caught her scent and became interested..she gave herself to them willingly, both of them, and when her desires were satisfied she returned to her village. She probably didn’t expect to get pregnant, but she did. Nine months later, she gave birth to two twin boys. One was already big and strong at birth. The other small and pale. The woman soon noticed that when she nursed the children, the weak one bit her in the breast, he was only satisfied when the breast milk was mixed with his mother’s blood. The strong boy soon left his mother’s breast, he grew and became the pride of the village with all his perfect skills. The sickly boy clung to his mother and even at the age of ten he still demanded that she nurse him so he could receive her blood. One evening when they were thirteen years old, the mother died. The village doctor said she was suffering from severe anemia. The strong son said nothing out of love for his brother. After a week of plain milk and food, the weak brother was overcome with thirst for blood..one evening he went through the village and buried his teeth in all the women he could find. The strong brother was beside himself with grief, it felt like his heart was going to explode..it was the first time he transformed..his wolf was young and scared so it began to defend itself against threats that didn’t exist..when dawn came, the brothers together had slaughtered the entire village. The wolf boy was so angry with his brother that he swore to kill him if he ever saw him again.."* "So the war between the werewolves and the vamps began and there are more stories about people caught in the crossfire.” The look in his eyes showed he really believed in this story and I have no Idea how to show him the truth.