Having Devon around was always a good distraction from the pain of her illness. They went and ate McDonalds, then decided to hit up the thrift shops to see if they could find any hidden gems. Jenna laughed until she cried when Devon dressed up in an ugly floral print dress, mismatched heels, and a ridiculous hat with frayed feathers all over it. He stuck poses like he was a high end fashion model, and even strut back and forth in front of the dressing rooms like it was his very own runway.
Of course, some people gave them dirty looks, but most onlookers either laughed or smiled. Then again, the majority of people in the store didn't pay them any attention. They continued to goof around between actual shopping, and Jenna found a couple shirts and a pair of shoes she liked. However, all good things come to an end, and that end came when Jenna began feeling the ache in her body return as her medicine wore off. She didn't want to rain on their parade, so Jenna tried hiding her growing discomfort behind smiles, but Devon was observant enough to notice the clenched jaw and tightness around her eyes.
"Jen, maybe it's time to head back to your place?" he asked, watching her pay for her thrift finds and get her receipt.
"What? No! We're having a good time," she denied, linking her arm with his as they exited the store and headed toward his car.
"Yes, but you're in pain," he said, giving her a 'don't even try and lie to me' look. "Plus, I'm hungry again anyway. I say we pick up a buffet of food, head back to your couch, and watch movies where we can both drool over hunky men."
Jenna couldn't help but laugh. Leave it to Devon to keep it real with her. He knew her better than anyone in her life, even her parents and friends from school. She loved him— like a brother, what with him being gay, and all.
"You know what? That sounds great."
The coffee table was a mess— various food containers littered the surface. Some open, some closed; some completely full, some having been eaten out of. Empty soda cans and juice pouches were also strewn about. Some comedy movie was still playing on the tv, probably about halfway through. Jenna yawned and stretched, having not realized she'd fallen asleep— most likely a food coma after stuffing herself full of pizza and shrimp fried rice. She'd woken up alone on the couch, cocooned in her blanket, which confused her. Had Devon gone home while she slept?
She extricated herself from the blanket and stood, hearing and feeling her stiff joints pop as she stretched. Her body still hurt, even with the painkillers in her system, but that's how it's been since this illness presented. Nothing really helped, except narcotics, and Jenna refused to become dependent on those. They made her feel groggy, disoriented, and sick to her stomach. She'd rather be in pain than feel so drugged, and furthermore she didn't want to open herself up to potential addiction. Those types of drugs were known for it.
Jenna gave one more stretch, and decided to grab a small trash bag to start cleaning up around the table. As she walked past the front door and into her kitchen, she heard voices just outside. Normally, Jenna is not a nosy person, and would just have shrugged it off, but she recognized one of the voices as belonging to Devon. She frowned a little, and swung open the door, needing to make sure everything was okay with her friend.
"—not the right time, I haven't told her..."
Devon's words trailed off as he turned to see Jenna standing in the open door. He was talking to an older gentleman, probably in his mid-forties if she had to guess. Her friend had a look on his face that was somewhere between "deer in the headlights" and "guilty toddler caught with his hand in the cookie jar". Jenna felt her eyes narrow in suspicion.
"Haven't told me what?" she asked, tone harsher than normal.
The younger male seemed lost for words, mouth opening and closing as he tried to think of an explanation, hands fidgeting in front of his body nervously. Instead, it was the other man that spoke, stepping forward cautiously.
"Jenna, my name is Grant. I was a friend of your mother's, and it's important than we talk," he said. His tone was firm, polite, and still friendly as he offered her a small smile.
"Was? Listen, I don't meddle in mom's business, so whatever issue you have with her, you need to take up with her," Jenna said, planting her hands on her hips, trying to sound firm and not confused. Why would a friend of her mom have anything to do with Devon?
"No, Jenna, I mean your birth mom. Your mother."
Jenna sucked in a breath. It wasn't that she didn't know she was adopted. That news came to light when her medical issues started, and doctors initially searched for a hereditary cause. She was never angry at her parents for not telling her; she knew she was loved and wanted by them. Plus, it was clear to her that whomever gave her up hadn't wanted her.
"I don't care to know her. She gave me up, she made a choice. That's on her." Jenna's words were cold, enough so that Devon flinched, even though they weren't directed at him. Grant's eyes softened with... was that sadness?
"Jenna... she died a long time ago," he said gently, his shoulders seeming to sag lightly before he righted himself. "This isn't really a good place for this conversation, may I please come inside?"
Different scenarios and outcomes raced through Jenna's head as she considered whether or not she was going to allow this stranger into her home. A hand rested gently on her forearm, the one that was gripping the doorframe. Her eyes snapped to the hand, following the arm to her best friend.
"Please, Jenna?" His eyes were so earnest, that she felt her stubbornness crumbling. Damn him and his puppy dog eyes, she thought with a twinge of irritation as she gave in, shoulders sagging in a release of tension she didn't realize she was holding.
"Fine," she bit the word out between clenched teeth, huffing an annoyed breath through pursed lips, "but I swear on all that is holy that your friend better be housebroken, or you'll be cleaning up the mess."
Jenna turned her back on them before she could see the two exchange an amused look, stomping back to the messy living room. She dropped herself on the couch and crossed her arms, switching her gaze between the two men who had followed her into the room. Her impatience was clear as her leg bounced, waiting for one of them to speak.
"Well? Which one of you is going to start explaining what I haven't been told and what it has to do with my birth mother?" Her tone was snippy and Devon's eyes lowered to the floor in guilt. The man— Grant —cleared his throat, drawing Jenna's attention.
"It has to do with who and what you are, Jenna," he said. Her response was a notion of her hand for him to continue. He sighed softly. "This is going to be a shock, unbelievable even, but I swear it's 100 percent the truth." Grant paused, rubbing a hand over the five o'clock shadow on his jaw as he seemed to mull over how to say what needed to be said. "Jenna, your parents— your birth parents —are werewolves. You are, too."
There was silence for a moment, Jenna staring at him deadpan, before she bust into raucous laughter. Devon muttered something that she didn't hear, causing Grant to give him a dry look, while she laughed herself to tears. She had to take several deep breaths to calm herself, and wiped her eyes as her laughter died down.
"Wow, so you're like, a lunatic," she said.
"I'm not a lunatic, but I am also a werewolf," Grant said, sticking his hands in his jeans pockets. Seeing the dubious look on her face, he added, "so is Devon."
"I'm supposed to just believe you?" she asked, voice dripping skepticism. "Just like-" Jenna snapped her fingers, "-that?" Before Grant could answer, she continued. "I'm supposed to believe werewolves exist, and that I am one. If I'm a werewolf, how come I've never wolf-Hulked out on a full moon?"
Her tone was slightly mocking, and she could see Devon finally find his backbone as his eyes snapped up to hers. Irritation was clear on his face, and he gave a disgusted scoff at her words.
"This isn't Harry Potter, we don't become mindless monsters on full moons," he said, his snippy tone causing Jenna to huff and cross her arms again.
"Well my question remains; if I'm a werewolf as you say, I still would have turned or shifted or whatever, right?" Jenna asked.
Devon's face changed, morphing into a combination of guilt and worry, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled to find words. The other man placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and Devon looked up at him with an expression Jenna couldn't place. It looked a lot like... love, devotion. Confusion prickled at her, because Devon usually told her everything, but it seemed like maybe he was keeping more secrets than she ever knew.
"Jenna, we think you haven't shifted because your wolf has been... suppressed," Grant told her, and she turned her eyes on him.
"Assuming I believe you, how would that happen?" she asked, starting to feel a little drained from the social interaction.
"A couple ways," he said, moving to sit by her on the couch. It didn't make her uncomfortable like she thought it would. "Emotional trauma, sometimes, but that's pretty rare. There's also ingesting wolfsbane. It's toxic to us, has a physical effect similar to ketamine. It will also essentially anesthetize your wolf, cutting off your ability to interact with it and prevent you being able to shift."
Jenna shook her head, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "That's not possible, you have to be wrong," she said. "How would I have ingested wolfsbane? Ketamine is a date rape drug, right? I've never felt like that, never had those symptoms."
"I understand," Grant nodded, looking a little troubled, "but I don't think you're the one being given the wolfsbane."
"Now you're just not making sense!" she said, standing and throwing her hands up in frustration. "I don't have emotional trauma, and I haven't been given wolfsbane, so make this make sense."
"Jenna," Grant stood in front of her, taking her hands in his, "I think it's your sister being dosed."
"No," Jenna shook her head again, "no, I don't have any siblings—"
"Yes, you do," he interrupted her denial. "Jenna, you're a twin. You have a twin sister. I'm almost certain that not only are you and your sister connected, but your wolves are connected, which is why her being poisoned by the wolfsbane is affecting your ability to shift."
It felt like her heart had stopped. Her body felt so quiet, eerily still. A twin sister? She was a twin? That seemed... surreal.
"This is some high school drama novel bullshit," she said, but tears were filling Jenna's eyes. Hurt was twisting her heart, which she realized was still beating. "Why me? Why was I the only one given away?"
It had never bothered her before, being adopted, but now? Knowing she had a twin out there in the world, and she had been the one given up? Yeah, it bothered her.
"Sit down, honey," Grant said softly, tugging her back to the couch.
If she weren't so upset, she would have had something to say about being called "honey" by this man she didn't know. Instead she just sat, pulling one of her hands free to wipe at her eyes before she could start crying. Jenna took a deep breath, sniffling softly.
"Jenna... your mother wanted to protect you. She wanted you to have the best shot at a better life, a life she couldn't give you." His voice was soft, Jenna could hear that he was trying to comfort her.
"I still don't understand why," she said, her voice quieter than normal. Devon knelt next to her, placing a comforting hand on her knee and giving it a squeeze.
"Because you weren't safe," Grant explained. "Her husband, your mother's husband..." his tone and face hardened with obvious dislike-- almost hate, "he's a dangerous, abusive man. He wanted your mother, because she was an Alpha's daughter, meaning she had powerful blood. He is an Alpha, and he wanted a strong Luna who could give him strong pups.
"There was a problem, though, because your mother... Well, she had already found her mate, and was happy with him. Alpha Tristan was enraged that such a strong she-wolf was mated to an ordinary wolf, so he killed her mate and took her, forcing her to marry him and become his Luna. There was another problem, your mother was already pregnant with her mate's pups-- you and your sister. The only reason your mother was able to save you, to keep you away from Alpha Tristan, was he didn't know she was having twins. She knew she had to bring at least one baby home, because there was no way to hide being pregnant, but she was able to save one: you."
"So, both my parents are dead, and this Alpha Tristan asshole has my sister?" Jenna asked when he paused.
"Yes, Jenna," he said. "There's one more thing. Your father, your mother's mate, was my brother. I'm your Uncle, Jenna. I'm your family."