Chapter Three

Truths Revealed

About a half hour later, Nick, Melissa, Elliot, Javier, Zeke and Carly all sat around the dining room table, plates full of food in front of them. Melissa stood up. "Alright, now there are two rules to this special meal. Rule one, no confronting Carly about anything until everyone is finished eating. Rule two, No one slows their rate of eating to try and avoid this. Obviously, this rule is aimed more at Carly, but I'm not having that when I made dinner for everyone. I don't cook for many people and definitely not often. Now, enjo… Elliot! How the fuck?!" She screamed as Elliot had already finished eating, his plate as clean as it was before dinner started.

"What? I'm the only completely human guy here who doesn't have to know everything said here tonight, so I don't give a fuck, I don't count for your rules." Elliot stated, Nick nodding that he had a point but shied away when Melissa glared at him.

"Grr. Whatever. Enjoy the meal." Melissa sat down and Nick rubbed her shoulder.

"It's okay, Mel. Everyone else gets to enjoy your delicious meal. Elliot obviously didn't." He scolded his friend, the latter shrugging.

"I know, Nicky." She smiled at him and picked her fork up to start eating, Nick doing the same.

Another twenty minutes later, the dishes were all soaking in the sink and all six members of the group were seated in the living room. Carly took a long, deep breath and began her tale. "My real name is not Carly Negron, but everyone here already knows that I am in fact Regina Miller, exiled successor to the position of Matriarch, my mother Sandra. Around the time that Zeke was born, my mother decided she was going to choose a new Alpha for the family in case she died. Originally, that title was mine, being the oldest girl in the family. We ran on Matriarchs and had for generations. I was going to change that. Partially because I wanted to have a son that I knew would be a strong successor to me if I lasted that long," She looked at Nick, sighing. "I guess I might still get my wish fulfilled, but after certain events I decided against even having kids. But let's save that for a later time in the story.

"So, I was next in line for Matriarch. Samuel wouldn't have it. He begged my mother for weeks to make him successor, but she wouldn't change the decision. I once asked her why, and she said 'if Samuel was to be Alpha of this family, his lust for power would destroy us all'. Since I was only seventeen at the time, I wasn't sure what to make out of it. It didn't help that no matter who excelled at something in the family, I was always mom's favorite. Mom had even shown me her journals. Not only the ones she hid that Samuel is after, but the set of identical copies with my mother's personal Bestiary packed along with it. I found the Bestiary and one of the Ten, but I didn't realize mom had hidden two at the house as it was falling apart. From what I could tell, the fire in the basement is what destroyed the other set of ten, because they were always kept in mom's study in the basement, while the two I found were all aboveground.

"Samuel had known I had seen the journals, and he hated me for it. It was at this time that, in the cover of night, Samuel put gloves on, planted my fingerprints onto one of the journals and stashed it in my room. The next day, my mother interrogated all of us about it. We all said no, but she demanded room checks. And she used to literally turn your room upside down in a search. She found it in my room and, even though I pleaded I was telling the truth, demanded me to pack my stuff up and leave, exiled from the family as she used her powers to take mine away. And so I left.

"One night after I was exiled twenty two years ago, my mother came to me in secret and handed me a book, one of her journals. She told me to keep it safe for her, already suspecting that my exile may have been a false accusation against me to steal my position. A few months later, once I had settled here and already changed my name to Carly Negron, I received a letter from her stating that Samuel had run away after she had named Serena successor to Alpha of the family. She knew then that I was innocent of the crimes I was accused of and was apologizing. Unfortunately, one of the rules of exile is losing your powers, so I was unable to go back to the family. I was also scared Samuel might come after me, knowing his plans were halted already. Maybe he still will, but I'll be ready for him. He'll have to get through my claws and fangs to get to the journal.

"The night I received the letter, I looked into the journal I had with me for the first time and found out why she gave it to me: inside the journal was a ritual I would be capable of doing that would restore my powers. It was then that I realized what my mother was trying to tell me that day. When she would transfer her powers to Serena, she was going to also receive the journals, books with unlimited potential to make a werewolf the most powerful being on the planet. I was appalled that my mother wrote it all, not knowing why she would research such methods to gain power when she herself wasn't malicious. Samuel wanted to be Alpha to get the journals because he was a power-hungry little fuck who would use those spells until he could rule the whole Supernatural world.

"Unfortunately, before I could do anything about him, he caused the fire that had destroyed most of the house, killing my mother but not my three younger siblings. Zeke, you were probably with Serena for most of your young life, and I'm sorry everything happened the way it did. A year later, however, another wolf came to town, and I fell in love. I lost focus on Samuel and we got married, then I found out I was going to have my baby boy. But I didn't want his powers to manifest at all. I didn't care about the family hierarchy anymore. For me, the danger had passed.

"Then, Nick's father died when Nick was only three. Killed by another wolf, of that I was sure, but we had been so happy that Samuel didn't even come into my mind as a suspect. So, I continued going, becoming the town sheriff and if anything turned out supernatural, Javier helped me cover that evidence up. Unfortunately, that has left us with a lot of unsolved cases. Then, when these wolf killings and sightings started, I was scared to even go to Javier, just wanting it not to be the only thing that has ever given me nightmares. It got worse when Nick was bitten. Even without my powers, my senses were sharp enough to at least pick him up as a supernatural when I saw him the next day.

"I'm sorry for the lies, but it seems my time has come to help stop my brother and help the legacy of the Millers live on, even if it has to be my son." She looked at Nick as she finished her story, unable to control her own tears any longer. Nick went to his mother's side and hugged her tight.

"It's alright, mom. I get why you did it, but I deserved the truth when I was bitten. It could possibly have saved us almost getting Elliot killed last night," She pulled away and looked at him, shocked. "What? Last night, I didn't know you knew I was a werewolf, so what was I supposed to say? Hey, mom, yeah, Elliot's house just became a battleground between me and two other werewolves. I'll be home a little late.'." Nick completed his little act by miming the phone call.

"I know you did, and I'm sorry. You're right, you had every reason not to tell me the truth last night. I'm proud you were able to fight my brother, despite him biting you. But, how did you all get him to retreat?"

Zeke leaned forward. "All Nick. He channeled an Alpha's power and threw Samuel against a tree. That was when he called Nick his nephew. I honestly don't know if I'm okay with you being alive and well, and always nearby as the family was decimated by one of our own."

"Yes, you are absolutely right, Zeke, and I have no reason to ask your forgiveness. But I do ask that you help your nephew take Samuel out. I know just as much as you do about his eyes, so I'm not saying you should let Nick kill Samuel. If anyone's to do that, it's going to be me. But, only if you all want me to help you out with this."

Javier finally spoke. "I understand you had a bit of a tragic past with your family, and I completely agree with wanting Samuel to die. But, my priorities are with my daughter and Nick. And Elliot, but he's pretty useless right now."

"Fuck you, sir." Elliot laughed. "Love you, too."

"And I'm the sheriff of this city! I care about everyone in this city, and above all my son and the love of his life. If I have to protect them from my own brother, well my loyalty is to family only, not power. Now, is it agreed that I help with this?"

All the assembled people nodded, ending the conversation. Nick got up first, heading up to his room to think. Melissa looked at her father and when he nodded, she followed him, closing the door to the room before standing over the bed, where Nick laid sprawled out facing the ceiling. "Hey, you okay, baby?" Melissa asked, concerned.

"I'll be fine, Melissa." He looked up at her and reached for her hands. "Come here." He said in a somewhat whiny voice.

She smiled as she came onto the bed and cuddled up to him. "You're still my adorable dork, Nick. That's part of why I love you so much. To me, whatever may happen, you'll always be my sweet, adorable, dorky, loving, protective and pleasing Nick Negron. Just because your mom isn't really who she says she is doesn't mean you've changed too."

"Haven't I, though? Mom didn't want me to be a werewolf, and her own brother used his hatred of her inside him to bite me. I know it was to spite her, make her think he's already won. Well, his mistake was messing with my mom… No, my family. As much as I will always be Nick Negron, I am also a Miller. Family has to stop family, before it's too late." He sighed as he stroked her arm. "But, I'll always have you, whether I consider myself Negron or Miller. You'll never give up on me even though I can be one stubborn and idiotic pain in the ass," She giggled. "We're just meant to be, and I know both of us wouldn't have it any other way."

"You're right, Nicky. We are meant to be. I just want you to stay safe. I don't know what I would do if you died, I really don't."

"I know, hon, I know. If you died I know I'd go into a deep depression for at least six months. Your death, as trivial as it seems in the game of life, would break me to the point where I would probably kill myself from not eating. That's why I can't just stay safe and not confront Samuel. I need to protect you, he knows how important you are to me. That's why the one thing I want to ask you is if I come back home with some serious wounds, you'd still help patch me up?"

Melissa nodded. "Of course, Nicky. I love you, now and forever." She kissed his cheek before nuzzling her head into his neck.

"I love you the same, Melissa." He pressed his lips to her forehead as the couple just lay there.

The Next Day…

Nick was at the state park on the east side of town, meditating on one of the grassy hills. His mother had told him that morning that Zeke had told her he was having trouble with his sense of smell. She told him to go sit in a park and meditate for a while, and he'd figure it out from there. He had figured out what she meant quite easily. He realized as he sat there in the serene landscape, he could decipher each smell. He had identified everything in his proximity and realized as well that these were the smells of fresh flowers, not just older scents.

However, there was a new smell with him now. It was sweet like vanilla but had a cinnamon-like spice to it. Opening his eyes, he identified the new scent: Melissa, who had sat in front of him. "Hiya." He greeted.

"Hiya. What are you doing?" She smiled.

"Meditating and mastering my sense of smell. I identified everything in this park, including you." He smirked at her.

"Oh, really? And what did I smell like, huh?"

"I like yours. Sweet like vanilla but spicy like cinnamon. It makes you sound like my dessert."

Melissa giggled, blushing. "Well, I am. Not right now, since you're not completely in control yet. Are you?" She said, the mischievous gleam in her eye.

"God, you know every day without that sucks more than the last but I don't know yet. I don't want to risk it if there's a chance I could go crazy. Meditating is supposed to help me with keeping my heart rate down, but I have enough trouble with that just having my gorgeous, caring, loving girlfriend on top of me, teasing me. I promise you, the next time we have sex, I'm going to blow your mind. Unfortunately, you have to wait for that just a little longer, alright, hun?"

"Yeah." Melissa pouted. "So are you almost done here, or do you want me to come back in a little while and we'll go get something to eat?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm about done. What are you in the mood for?" He replied, standing up and pulling Melissa to him from the ground.

"Food. Bring me anywhere. Just something good, alright, baby?"

"Yes, babe, you got it." I love you."

"And I love you. Now, let's go. I'm hungry." Laughing, Nick nodded and took her hand as they walked out of the park.

Later That Night…

Nick was asleep, leaning back in one of the chairs in the living room. He let out a loud snore as Carly walked in, the noise startling her. Looking into the living room and seeing Nick asleep, she smiled and went over to the hall closet where she kept all the extra sheets and comforters. She grabbed one he had loved using when he was a kid and draped it over him, leaving the room to go fill out the reports she had brought home from the station.

Carly sat down at her desk in the small office space and sighed, running her fingers down the first report. Officer's husband killed! Wild animal killings starting again? Said the top of the report. Carly couldn't help but start crying as she read the rest of the report. Suddenly, the blanket she had put on Nick was around her, along with the seventeen year olds' arms. "What's wrong, mom? What are you looking at?"

"Just some old- no, the few killings that happened around the time of your father's own death. His started that certain wave of killings. I wanted to compare the reports. Maybe Samuel isn't the only wolf around that's been killing people in the area."

"Mom, don't do this to yourself. Even if Samuel wasn't the only werewolf going on killing people, there was nothing you could do to stop it."

"That's not true, Nick. I could have used that ritual in mom's journal, but I've been saving it for when I would really need it. I have to use it soon, and not only because I want to really help out with all this."

Nick sat down on the corner of the desk. "What do you mean, mom?"

"I mean that I have to use that specific ritual during a Blue moon. Unfortunately, the next Blue moon isn't until next month, so I do have to wait. And after that, there's no way I would be able to use the ritual for another so and so years, which by that time I'll probably be dead and you'll have a little family." She smiled at the thought.

"Only as long as Melissa is still alright with the fact that our kids would probably end up as wolves." Nick laughed as he shook his head. "Mom, I know that you think this is all your fight, but it's not. It's mine. Samuel bit me. It might have been because he knew what I now know, but regardless, it's my fight. You don't have to put yourself through all of this stress, not with me, Melissa, Elliot, Javier, and Zeke already handling it."

Carly sighed. "I know it's your fight, Nick. I just don't want to lose my only son, whether it be to death or you letting the power get to your head."

"What power? I can rarely channel an Alpha's power. And honestly, it didn't feel as awesome as I thought it might. Maybe that was because I wasn't in a hundred percent control, but still. I'm not letting any of this get to my head like that. Now, it is late and Doc wanted me and Elliot to work tomorrow, so I'm gonna head to bed. But, I needed to ask you about him, actually. Does Doc know anything about the Supernatural? About maybe me and our family?"

"You picked up on it, huh? Yes, he knows all about us. His family is actually one of many that are considered as something of a human relations department for the Supernatural. They live in areas where there is a high concentration of Supernaturals. Doc Grant's family settled here a while after us Millers, and they've been watching us making sure we don't do anything too serious. Doc probably just wants to keep his eye on you, that's all. There's no reason to think he's going to kill you."

"I know that, I just wanted to know if there was something there about it, that's all. Alright, I'm heading up. Night, mom."

"Night, sweetie. Have fun at work tomorrow, and if anything happens where Samuel is involved either on my end or yours, we'll be in touch." Nick nodded as he left the office, leaving Carly to her old police reports.

The Next Afternoon…

Nick and Elliot left the animal hospital with Doc Grant, the older man locking up the building. "Oh, Nick? Nice work figuring out the method werewolves have to alleviate pain from others. You helped out those kittens big time. I'm surprised they didn't back away from you."

Elliot was surprised that the animal doctor had mentioned werewolves, but Nick silenced him. "Thanks, Doc. Zeke told me about it, so I thought I'd give it a try. And I've never had a problem with cats, they love me. Its dogs that have never liked me. Remember when we got the Rottweiler in? The thing didn't even let me close to give it the sedative. But, Elliot and I gotta go. If Samuel is going to try anything tonight, we're gonna stop him. Oh, and mom said if you wanted we're having a Supernatural meeting at my house with dinner next weekend, and you were invited."

Doc Grant nodded, smiling. "Thank you, Nick. Tell Carly I'll be more than happy to stop by. Have a good night, kids, try not to get into trouble."

"Teen wolves are always in trouble." Nick winked at the veterinarian and laughed as him and Elliot left the clinic.

In Nick's car on the way back to his house, Elliot was able to speak. "What the hell was that about?"

"Don't worry about it. There are plenty of people in town that know about the Supernatural. Doc Grant just happens to be close to the family you could say. He's something like a representative for the Supernatural that make sure they stay out of trouble, or in come the Hunters."

"Oh. Alright then, this town just gets more upside down every day. I can't wait for all this stupid bullshit with Samuel to be over with."

"You and me both, El. Mom is stressing out over this hardcore. I want to make sure Samuel is finished before something happens to her. I honestly would rather my mom not get her powers back."

"Why not? She can teach you how to hunt deer in the woods?" Elliot cackled but stopped quickly as Nick slammed his foot on the brake, Elliot's head hitting the dashboard in front of him. "Ow, fuck."

"That's what you get for making the joke." Nick said as the duo continued on their way to Nick's home.

A while later, they were sitting in the living room of Nick's house, watching television. Melissa had also joined them but was, surprisingly, asleep on Nick's shoulder. Nick's ears twitched, his wolf senses hearing something very distant, distant enough where he couldn't even decipher what exactly caused the noise. Then he heard another noise, one that he couldn't do anything to stop from sounding: A howl.

He turned away from the TV, towards the front door of the house. "Elliot, there's another wolf around town. It's not Samuel, but it is still a calling signal. Since I don't know who is calling, I'd rather not be bothered. Plus, it'd wake Melissa up if I went anywhere." Nodding, Elliot turned back towards the television and Nick proceeded to tune out the howl from his mind.

Meteor Heights City Limits, Mateo Canyon…

The newly-arrived she-wolf finished her howl and brought her head down, panting as her wolfish face transformed back into her original features, gold changing to an emerald green in her eyes. "Where are you, Samuel? Come out and play." Her mouth twisted into a cocky smile.

Miller House…

Samuel's head veered sharply in the direction where the new howl had originated. "No, no! Why now? Why don't you quit hunting me?"

It's revenge. When you killed Serena, you left that girl motherless. They weren't related by blood but they were as close as any mother and daughter could be. Taunted a voice in the back of Samuel's head.

"Who the fuck asked you? Get the hell out of my head." He said.

If Nick meets her, you may have a lot more trouble than you bargained for. The voice said and left his head.

Santos Bed and Breakfast…

Zeke recognized the howl as well. He had met this she-wolf while visiting Serena. "What are you doing here, girl?" He asked to the sky as the new werewolf began making her way towards the city.

The Next Day…

Nick woke up to something jumping on his bed. Looking toward the foot of the bed, he saw a small kitten attacking a red dot all over his blanket. He followed the red dot to see that his mother was standing in the doorway, playing with the kitten like it hadn't just shown up in his room. "Mom? What's up with the kitten?" He asked groggily.

Carly smiled. "Well, remember when I told you that I would surprise you with your birthday gift this year?" Nick nodded. "Surprise! I didn't name him, so go crazy. Here's his current favorite thing in the world. I'll see you when I get home. Close all open windows with no screens so he can't get out and set the temperature." She threw the laser pointer and ran off.

"Yes, mom. Thank you. I love you!" He called as he heard her hurry out the front door. He turned towards the kitten to find it climbing up his leg toward Nick. He carefully scooped up the little critter and examined it. The Kitten wasn't a Russian breed but it had the color with a long single silver-gray stripe on its back. "Hmm… I shall name you Sephiroth! You're my adorable little Sephiroth. Or no, Sephy! It's shorter and cuter. Wait till Melissa sees you, she's gonna adore you." The kitten playfully bit his finger as he pet it with his other hand, smiling at the cute feline.

Nick's cell phone rang and, as he reached for it, he saw it was Melissa. "Hey, babe. Good morning. What's up?"

"Hey, hun. Not too much, but I wanted to know something. I was going to volunteer for being a camp counselor, and I wanted to know if you and Elliot were available. Apparently, three of their other guys quit and the kids are already here. I thought you'd wanna be here for the safety of keeping Samuel away from these kids."

"Yeah, sure I'll come. I'll pick up Elliot. Tell the people in charge we'll be there in about a half hour or so."

"Alright, thank you, Nick. Also, I think there's someone here looking for another werewolf." Her voice was hushed.

"Alright, stay safe. I'm on my way." He hung up and placed the kitten on the bed as he quickly got dressed, checked every window in the house, put out a small bowl of water and food out for Sephy and left the house, calling Elliot on his way out.

Forty Minutes Later, Meteor Heights Summer Camp…

Nick and Elliot pulled up to the camp at the same time, meeting Melissa at the gate as she rolled her eyes. "You're supposed to be role models, and you drive down the highway here at over a hundred miles per hour?"

"Hey, you said werewolf, not me. Made priority one on my list of problems. This may be the wolf I heard howl while you were asleep at my house last night before your dad called you."

"Okay. Just come on. This trip was supposed to start ten minutes ago." The three friends made their way into the camp to find three other people dressed in volunteer counselor garb and joined them, Melissa giving Nick and Elliot matching shirts to wear like the rest of them.

The head counselor brought a bullhorn to his lips. "Alright, now that everyone's here, we can go on our nature hike. Now, I urge counselors and campers alike to avoid going off the path and, unless with a counselor, campers cannot go further than the trees with the red stripes on them. I'll lead the children into camp, counselors can talk to themselves and get to know each other if they don't already." Turning the horn off, He turned and motioned for the small mob of children to walk after him, leaving the six counselors to themselves.

Nick and Elliot were the only guy counselors, something they figured when they had first seen the other teens. Two of them, a blonde and a redhead, pulled away from the others in their own conversation. The third was a girl maybe a year or two younger than Nick, Elliot and Melissa, with blonde-streaked brown hair and emerald eyes. They knew that they had never seen this girl before. She seemed to trail behind the trio as they walked towards the main camp grounds. This didn't stop Elliot from being stupid. "So, why would Samuel go after these children?"

Nick quickly jabbed him with his elbow. "Shut up. She's following us, and we don't know what she'd think of that conversation."

"Well, I'd think that you three are a little more than meets the eye then those two cheerleaders up there." The girl said, now in front of Nick, cocking her head sideways as if analyzing him.

"Whoa." Nick said, taking a step back before locking eyes with the new girl, hers shining gold and his doing his special gold to red flash. "I knew it. There's a new one in town." Nick said, cursing his luck. "And I woke up in a good mood." He slumped as Melissa comforted him.

"Aha! I knew it! You're a wolf too. My name's Nicole. Nicole Miller." She put her hand out, Nick hesitantly shaking it.

"Nick Negron. Well, also Miller but that's a long story I'd rather not tell. You're not related to any of the Millers from here, are you?"

"Well, duh! No, not by blood, but the only woman I ever trusted was my teacher and Alpha as well as my mother. Her name was Serena Miller." Nick, Elliot and Melissa all looked at her in shock.