Greg

I should have known better than to doubt the Moon Goddess, shouldn't I?

But in my defense, I only heard about her for like 4 years now, so cut me some slack.

I could never have anticipated this reality shock. Not in a million years. Sure, I may have contemplated having a brother or sister once upon a time, but not this.

"Gregory?" The figure who looked exactly like me asked after a good while of both of us just staring at each other gobsmacked.

"Yes, River is it?" I stammered, barely able to enunciate.

He hugged me so tightly and fast, I barely had time to react. In fact, if I wasn't already standing, I think he would have hugged me while still sitting on the chair.

"My God, Gregory, I can't believe it's really you!" He chanted in my ears like he was seeing a ghost. He looked so excited to see me, beyond shocked but still very thrilled.

"I'm sorry, who are you exactly?" I was so shocked it was all I could muster. I'm staring at the boy as if I was in a funhouse mirror or something. The notorious resemblance is throwing me for an endless loop.

Though he looked skinnier than me, his body was not as muscular as mine, everything else was identical, from our height down to the nose. I simply couldn't look away from him.

"I'm your twin brother, River. Oh my God! I can't believe you're alive! Our parents are gonna freak out!" He exclaimed ecstatically. He looked very excited to see me. Everyone watched as he smiled wide, giddy and happy.

"I'm sorry, this is wicked strange to me. I didn't know I had any brother. Or who my real family was." I confessed to him, baffled. I was on the verge of tears and so was he.

"I know, Gregory. I'm so sorry for everything. You were kidnapped when we were very young, my parents moved heaven and earth to find you but never could. How can you be here?" He said with a hoarse voice, clearly emotional.

"Why don't you guys take this to the principal's office? I'm sure you two can talk more privately over there. And call your parents, of course." The teacher suggested, feeling a bit uncomfortable. We were disrupting the whole class, but the students were glued to our story unfolding like a soap opera.

"You're right, sir. I'm calling them right now." River replied, he picked up his phone from his pocket and speed dialed his mom or dad. I couldn't tell from my perspective.

At this, I hear Felix calling his mom too. We weren't allowed to use our cell phones inside the classroom, but this was as good exception as any. I walked with River to the principal's office, Felix tried to follow me but the teacher didn't allow him. He said it was a matter to be dealt with by the grown ups. Micah was also gasping at all this. He kept looking at Felix almost as if he wanted to mind link him. But we can't. Only in wolf form.

As we walked to the principal's office, everyone who passed us by stared at our uncanny resemblance. Granted, there were not many people at this time. But when the bell rings, that's gonna be another story.

When we got there, the principal gasped as he saw us together. He invited us to come into his office. He was already familiar with my back story, naturally, so he knew what was happening. The whole school realizes that by now.

Less than 15 minutes later, Alpha and Luna were here. They went straight to my side, offering me comfort and reassurance. Then, they turned to look at River who was next to me. Both of them were spooked by our family resemblance, just like everybody else.

"Hi, I'm Rosalyn Huntington, this is my husband, John Underwood. We have been taking care of your brother for the last 4 years." - She introduced herself to River, who shook their hands as he stood up from where he was seated.

"Nice to meet you both, I'm River Westbrook. I already called my parents. They're on their way now." - He informed them with a slight tremor in his voice.

The principal arranged more chairs for my foster parents and tried to make small talk. But that didn't fly. All of us were wrecked over this shocking twist. I'm trembling so much right now that Rosalyn hugged me for a moment.

"I can't believe this is happening! How old are you, River?" - Alpha Rosalyn asked him after a moment, feeling uneasy.

"I'm 17, ma'am. I'll be 18 next February." - He replied with a polite smile.

"Oh my goodness! We finally get to know your birthday!" - She gasped at the realization. I didn't even think about that...

"You didn't know your own birthday?" - River looked at me, shocked.

"I didn't know anything except for my first name!" - I unintentionally shouted at him, feeling really stressed.

"I'm so sorry, Gregory!" - He exclaimed, moving to hug me once again. He cried and so did I. This was way too much for me to handle. Even Rosalyn teared up at our emotional reunion.

My (real) parents arrived at the school. As soon as River's mom entered the principal's office, she went straight to hug me. So did his dad. I was hugged by them for a good minute. Even the principal teared up.

"My son. My Gregory. I can't believe it's really you!" - Her voice trembled as tears fell from her face. Both of them stared at me as if pinching themselves or checking if it was really me in front of them. I did the same, looking at the couple with tears in my eyes.

"I'll let you talk amongst yourselves. I'm right next door if you need me." - The principal excused himself from his office and left us 6. He closed the door on his way out.

"Hi, I'm Rosalyn Huntington and this is my husband John Underwood." - She introduced herself to the other parents. John shook their hands looking rather awkward.

"Nice to meet you, Alpha." - The mom bowed her head, respectfully. She is a werewolf like me, but not the dad - a human. He was dressed in a police officer uniform.

"Please call me Rosalyn." - She replied with a weak smile.

"How long have you cared for our Gregory?" - Officer Westbrook asked them, intrigued. Both of them are having a hard time pulling away from me. As if somehow they let me go now it's gonna tear us apart.

"Four years now, ever since my warriors found him on our territory." - Rosalyn informed, reminiscing at the first time she laid eyes on me. A wild, defiant, impolite and aggressive 13 year old boy.

"Oh my Goddess! Four years? I can't believe we could have been reunited so long ago!" - Mrs. Westbrook cried out, revolted. She looked deeply saddened. Her mate hugged her, trying to offer some comfort. Though he too looked distraught.

"I'm so very sorry. We handed him to the authorities, but they had nothing to go on except for his first name." - John explained, feeling remorseful though he's absolutely blameless.

"Of course, Luna. We know this and we don't blame you. Did the son of a bitch who took my son die?" - Mrs. Westbrook asked Rosalyn, angrily.

"Honey, now is not the time." - Mr. Westbrook said with a hand on her shoulders.

"It's okay, Greg knows the truth. Yes, he did. He attacked our warriors, they didn't have a choice. You know we can't allow rogues in our territory." - Rosalyn explained to her. She gave her a look that she understood.

"Wait? Are you a werewolf?" - River asked me, surprised. With all this happening, my brain forgot to register him as a human. I didn't even think about it, honestly.

"Yes, I am. You aren't? How can this happen?" - I gasped in complete shock.

"It can occur when one of your parents is a werewolf and the other is human. It's a lottery." - Rosalyn explained, looking at us with a sorrowful expression.

"I just can't believe I missed my son's first shift." - Mrs. Westbrook sobbed. Her mate hugged her once again. This is incredibly emotionally draining.

All the feelings and thoughts running through my brain right now. So many experiences that I should have had with my parents and got robbed of it. Especially as a young werewolf.

"We are very sorry for all this, truly. We cared for him the best way we could, he came to us severely malnourished and abused." - Rosalyn declared in a somber tone, shocking all the Westbrooks.

"Oh my Goddess! What did that man do to you?" - Mrs. Westbrook hugged me as she sobbed.

Anyone could see I was too broken to talk about anything at length in this moment. I just looked at my parents and cried in my mother's arms for a minute. Alpha and Luna teared up at the scene, so did River who was already tearful.

"I just can't believe I have a twin brother! I'm so shocked!" - I spoke after a while, visibly shaken.

"You also have a sister. She's a werewolf too. I'm so jealous." - River told me and I gasped.

"Oh my Goddess! I have a sister?" - I shouted, baffled.

"Yes, we would have brought her along but we came running straight from work as soon as River called. We didn't have time to bring her. But you'll meet her soon. She goes here. But she's only a few credits from graduating, so she doesn't come every day. She's older than River and..." - My mom explained.

"Me." - I interrupted, still shocked.

"Mrs. Westbrook, Officer Westbrook, can I invite you all to the pack house? We can talk more privately over there, plus you can get to know Greg without interruption." - Rosalyn suggested. They agreed and so we went. Of course, the principal offered no objections.

We went back to the pack house, but as soon as we arrived at the compound they marveled at the place. It's a massive land surrounded by giant walls with barbed wire. It's heavily guarded, though most of the time warriors are on patrol defending the territory. It's next to impossible to penetrate the gate, short of an army assault.

They parked the cars near the gate, at the garage. And we walked through it. Alpha Rosalyn gave them the tour throughout the land. They were shocked at the sheer size of it. It's a pity that my sister lost out.

My sister. I can't believe I have an older sister aside from a twin brother. It's still daunting to me.

We finally made our way inside the pack house and Rosalyn directed us to the playroom. She told them we could talk in private there. She said if they needed her, she'd be in her office and I knew where to reach her. She also ordered us some food from the kitchen. She was very welcoming.

We talked for hours on end. I got to know anything I wanted and they asked me tons of things. Even if I had any girlfriends. Gasp!

"Can I ask, how old was I when..." - I trailed off.

"You were 5 years old. You and River were at a park near our house playing. I swear I didn't take my eyes off you. It was just one second to tend to your sister..." - She replied with tears streaming down her face. Her mate held her. He too looked very sad at the memory.

"We looked everywhere for you. I just can't believe a werewolf kidnapped you. We didn't even know if you were gonna be one. Not at that time." - She continued. I sobbed.

"He wasn't alone, you know. There was a woman too at first. She hit me quite often, but at least she fed me. It wasn't until... you know... she caught him..." - I stammered. I was shaking so much, River moved to hold me. Both my parents cried hearing about the traumatic event.

"I'm very sorry you had to go through that, I really am. After a while, I thought maybe you were dead, but your mom never lost hope. She kept telling me: 'if he were dead, I'd feel it'." - My dad told me in tears.

"Did you give her description to the police?" - He asked me after a moment. The cop in him is already eager to investigate.

"Of course, but all I knew was her first name. I don't even know if she was a werewolf too. She wasn't there anymore when I first shifted. Only he was. But at least I had already seen him shift, so it wasn't that much of a scare for me." - I told them. - "It wasn't long after that he took me for a run and Alpha Rosalyn found me."

"I'm so glad she did. At least, you have been cared for since." - My mom spoke, feeling relieved. I could tell this was difficult for her to hear. For all three of them.

"So, can I interest you all in dinner? The cooks here are excellent." - I offered, even though it's not technically my house.

"Don't you want to go back to our house? You know, get to meet your sister?" - My dad counter offered, but I recoiled.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm not ready for it yet. I like it here. And this has all been very overwhelming for me." - I admitted, a little frightened. - "But I'm sure I'll meet her tomorrow at school."

"We understand, son. It's a lot for a day. But the invitation is open. Maybe you can come with your friends or something?" - He spoke tenderly.

"Maybe, I hope so. I just hope you will be patient with me. This is a lot." - I admitted, overwhelmed.

"Of course, Greg. Take your time. We will move at your pace. Please, take our number. You can text or call us anytime if you want." - She told me, giving me her card. My father gave me his too. River just put his number in my phone.

After that, I walked them out of the compound. I saw them drive away and still couldn't believe it. My parents found me. I cried the whole walk back to the pack house.

This has definitely been a day full of crying. After I got home, I went upstairs to shower quickly, got dressed and hurried downstairs to not miss dinner. But Alpha Rosalyn was waiting for me and nobody ate before I arrived. It was a nice gesture on her part.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" - She asked me as she served herself some steak.

"I'm fine, you know, hanging in there." - I replied with a weak smile.

"I just want you to know, this is still your house for as long as you want. Don't feel any rush to move out or anything. They have to go at your pace." - She spoke very adamantly.

"I know, Alpha. Thanks. They said they would, so I'm not worried about it." - I replied, feeling the love.

"I can't believe you have a twin brother." - Nate spoke, clearly shocked.

"Me neither." - I smirked.

"And I can't believe he is Felix's mate." - Carol chimed in. Then it hit me. Of course, it was obvious. Staring at us all this time, River is his mate.

"Carol, read the room! We don't need to talk about it now!" - Felix reprimanded her with a deathly glare.

"It's fine, Felix. It's not like you haven't dreamed about it. Right?" - I snickered. It was not fine. But it is what it is.

"I really thought you had a doppelganger or something." - He joked. I laughed.

"I do hope he doesn't reject you, by the way." - I told him with a hopeful look.

"We'll see." - He replied, not looking that positive.

Later at night, I stopped by Felix's room. I had to ask him if it was still okay for me to be with him, he told me of course it was. Nothing has changed. So we held each other close and kissed.

But I know everything will change. With a clear vision on who his mate is, it's obvious his job now is to win River over. And I wanted to wish him the best, I really did.

But I couldn't. Not if that meant giving him up. As much as I wanted to see him happy, I just couldn't relinquish my love for him. But I'm not standing in his way, of course.

Tonight we slept in each other's arms. I still had him. And I'd cherish every moment we shared, especially after the roller coaster of a day that I had.

By the way, nice to meet you, my name is Gregory Westbrook.