He knew that their hand had been forced with Maia revealing herself without having a concrete plan first- and they should have had a plan in case of an accident where their true nature would be exposed, even despite Derek not wanting them to know in the first place.

"Babe."

Maia looked at her husband anxiously, momentarily distracted from his cold eyes by her father moving to cradle his wife. She was worried that he would finally be fed up with her insistent nature this time and snap with his instinct to assert his dominance, an act that could possibly end in the double murder of both Wyndhams.

However, he didn't move other than to ball his hands into fists, his eyes glowing red as he finally dropped the human charade with Maia's parents. "You are the most hardheaded woman I have ever fucking met. I should tear your throat out for this," Derek snarled, motioning to where Olivia and Henrik were on the floor. She found herself cowering underneath his gaze, slipping her arms into the robe that Erica brought her and taking a step back to put space between herself and the Alpha male. "But out of sheer respect to the breeders who put you in the world- and I do thank you for that, Henrik, despite my anger- I'm going to watch and wait and see you try your damnedest to keep them alive. Because if I have one iota that either of them are going to utter a word of what you're about to explain, I'll kill them both in front of you."

"Okay," she whispered without any argument, kneeling down to face her father and her still-unconscious mother. His eyes flickered to hers for the fraction of the second before his heartbeat quickened, Henrik starting to stand steadily. "I suppose I should get her to the couch and wake her…" Maia unceremoniously bent down and lifted Olivia into her arms with ease, leading the way into the living room.

Boyd and Erica sat down on either side of the couple, seemingly relaxed even in the tension filled room. Maia perched herself on the edge of the recliner's seat, her legs crossed femininely as Isaac moved to lean against the abandoned arm. The Alpha male was the only one still on his feet by then, sulking quietly in a corner as he listened to her speak.

"Dad, I need you to bring her around. I have to talk to both of you- preferably now," Maia said flatly, not looking at anyone in particular. Henrik, however, was practically glaring at his daughter, his voice bitter, "I'm trying to reconcile what I think I saw and heard right now with what I know is true and right in this world. And I'm wondering if this is all a sick little joke and you need a better outlet for your humor, or if you are all as sadistic as you seem."

"That's neither here nor there when it comes to the missus. Wake her up Henrik."

It was quiet as he began patting his wife's face gently, an awkward silence settling over them all as they waited. Olivia groaned after a few moments, reaching up to push his hand away as she moved to raise herself out of her lap. "Henrik, what the hell happened? Did I fall?" Erica looked up from her phone and glanced at the older woman out of the corner of her eye, smirking, "Technically."

When Olivia's eyes turned on her daughter, her memory came flooding back and she yelped, cringing away from where Maia sat. The younger woman only smiled grimly and adjusted herself in her seat, preparing to explain herself.

"Mom, I'm sorry that I… did that in front of you, but to avoid possible complications, I had to. Since you've been here, all that you have talked about is your happiness over being a grandmother. And yet, due to the lies and secrecy that comes with living the life that I do, I knew that unless I came clean with you- with both of you- it wouldn't have worked. I had to make it work, for all of our sakes and in this situation, especially yours; mom, you haven't been happy since Alexa died," she murmured, her eyes on Olivia's face as she watched all of the color leave her. Henrik looked visibly upset as well, going slightly rigid in his seat as he looked down at his clasped hands. "This isn't about her," Olivia whispered, her eyes reddening as tears began to well up in her eyes. Maia agreed and nodded her head, leaning back in her seat. "You're right, its about me."

Henrik was quick to defend her then, even though the words were her own, the man pointing an accusatory finger towards Derek, "No, this is not your fault! He did this to you!"

"In certain terms, that's true… but the woman you see sitting before you I created out of blood and toil, tears and sweat. My blood and that of many others, my hard work, all of my tears and my sweat," Maia replied as she set her mouth in a way that reminded Henrik of himself, her hands moving to link as she crossed her fingers. "Derek changed me yes, but I am exactly who and what I was meant to be: Maia Hale, werewolf."

Olivia pressed her fingers to her lips as she pondered her daughter's words, the woman exhaling before shaking her head. "That's not true- it can't be, Maia. I gave birth to you, you came from my body and I am most certainly not a werewolf! Werewolves don't... exist!" Maia sighed and moved to show her triskelion tattoo, brushing her fingers over the ink, "When Derek first explained to me the meaning behind his tattoo, I did not get it for him but for you. Mother, father, child: me. And my reason behind this tattoo upon my flesh still holds true, despite what I am. I may not exactly be human anymore, but I am your daughter. No matter what… right?" She didn't get a response from either of her parents whether or not they felt as she did, her father instead looking at her timidly and swallowing. "I'm not sure of how to ask about your… lifestyle or how it has changed you-" Isaac chuckled humorlessly as Maia cleared her throat, knowing all too well that she couldn't explain it in something as simple as words.

"Being a wolf is… highly sensory in nature. We can hear, smell, see, feel, taste everything- and I mean everything from listening to the highway from here to knowing that you're afraid of me from the scent of adrenaline rushing through you. And as you have seen, I can turn into a wolf at will… but with every good thing, there are drawbacks," Maia said as she tried to verbalize everything that being a wolf encompassed, running her fingers back through her hair. "Namely, the first is the moon. That's a bitch and a half to go through, especially now that I'm pregnant… but mom, dad, believe me when I say that the immense pain that phasing like that is completely and utterly worth it. You once told me have a dream and to become the greatest woman I could be, to do something with my life to made me feel complete-"

"And so sacrificing your humanity is what you decided to do," Olivia asked shrilly, looking at her only child in disbelief.

Maia couldn't help the growl that escaped her, narrowing her eyes before reining in her wolf, Isaac helping her with her control by reaching out to rest his hand on her shoulder. "No, becoming an Alpha is what I decided to do. I am not like anything you have ever seen or imagined," the woman said through her teeth, closing her eyes and trying to keep herself from losing her tenuous hold on control. However, it didn't seem to be working well, the woman trying to keep her face hidden as her mother began to question the others. "What's happening to my baby? Is she dying? One of you has to help her-"

"You might as well show her your face, dear. Its not like she doesn't know," Derek said scathingly, moving to jerk her head up by her hair. Both of the humans recoiled in fear of the exaggerated yet still-familiar features there, Henrik looking at his son-in-law angrily. "Don't you manhandle my daughter like that!"

Maia pulled away from Derek and while seething, managed to phase back, panting as she glared at her husband. "Another one of those drawbacks I mentioned earlier: uncontrollable and sometimes murderous bouts of rage. Wolves are very proud creatures and while none take lightly to being pushed around, disrespected or challenged… mine is much more adamant about her position in our pack," she replied forcefully, making sure to show her husband exactly how she felt about his current attitude.

"How many years has this been a secret," the oldest woman in the room questioned, the deep crease in her eyebrows for once showing her age. Derek watched his wife fidget uncomfortably for a few moments before she answered her mother, her voice barely above a whisper, "For me, it's just been three: since after the baby died. For Derek… we've been keeping his secret since his family was killed in the fire. He was born into this life."

"Jesus."

Henrik just stared unnervingly at both Maia and Derek, everyone in the room feeling the building tension about to burst as the vein in his neck began to pulse- all of the werewolves couldn't ignore the sound of blood rushing through him like a runaway freight train. However, for him it wasn't simple disbelief anymore: it had grown into an ethical problem for him to solve. "Why," he asked quietly after more than a minute of silence had passed.

"Because she would be dead had I not bit her and I'm a selfish son of a bitch- admittedly," Derek replied honestly, his arms once more folded across his chest. The quizzical looks her parents shared reminded the couple that they had not been truthful about her near-death experience, Maia sighing heavily as she launched into the entire tale of her past.

After three years' worth of truth had finally come out, both Wyndhams looked ill, Henrik's face drawn and lined as Olivia just kept shaking her head and whispering words of denial to herself. Maia had one knee drawn up to her chest, the young woman chewing on her bottom lip quietly before standing.

"I know that this is a lot to take in and that it doesn't seem real, but I have to show you everything. You have to be completely aware and hopefully, accepting of the life you're becoming a part of-"

"Or I have to kill you," Derek said bluntly, both of his in-laws looking at him, wide-eyed and in shock.

Maia touched Isaac's cheek in thanks for helping herbefore meeting the rest of her pack's eyes, jerking her chin towards the stairs, "I need all of you to go change for training. Erica, give Kali a call and tell her that we are coming. I want everyone waiting for us in the backyard when we get there."

She left and Derek sat down, his eyes shifting back and forth between Henrik and Olivia. Maia's mother spoke first, her voice meek and timid as she attempted to move as far back from his presence as she could. "Why? What did we ever do to you? Why all of the threats, Derek- we considered you family," she whispered, Henrik moving towards her and pressing into her side. The younger man only sighed and shook his head, his mouth set in a hard fashion. "I did it because I loved her. I wasn't strong enough all those years ago to protect her and so I made her just as strong as me to make sure that she could protect herself in the event of my failure to do so. And I have to threaten you so that I can make sure that she is okay. The hunters in our story no longer partake in the blood sport of killing our kind, but there are others out there… and if they knew about Maia- about how powerful she is and what she is capable of- they would kill her. I can't live as I need to for my wife and family when I'm worrying about the secret getting out because of someone who can't keep their mouth closed. This isn't some children's story: this is our reality. These are our lives." Henrik moved to cradle his wife against his chest as she began to cry, moving to smooth her hair down, "We are the only ones who know the truth about you, aren't we?"

"No, there are others but they have familial ties to the pack and they would not put any of us in harm's way. They know that they risk losing someone they love to either an arrow or our own pack vengeance in the case of a pack mate going against us," Derek murmured, thinking of how Scott's own situation with his mother mirrored in Maia's. Olivia pressed her fingers to her lips and shook her head, looking up at her husband. "Henrik, I want our daughter back. This is not right- we have to try and talk some sense into her-"

The Alpha male scoffed and looked away from them, sighing, "If only it were that easy. I tried to push her away after the first time she saw me lose control, if not to spare her the burden of loving something… like me and to keep her safe as well. But I couldn't resist my wolf; even the first time I saw her, I knew that from that day forward I couldn't not be with her. She is my mate and always has been, something that was just strengthened from when she was human to when she became a wolf. I love her."

"And I love you," Maia said as she spoke up from the doorway, having heard Derek's words. She was dressed in an oversized tee shirt and unzipped hoodie paired with leggings and tennis shoes, her hair piled on the top of her head in a bun. "It's something that you could never understand not being one of us. It's the most powerful, important thing that I have ever felt and the one thing that I can't live without. Derek has to be thankful for that, or else his constant agonizing with me would have cost him his life a long time ago. Come on, we have to leave. They are waiting for us."

"Who is waiting for us?"

The younger woman smiled and turned her back on them, her hands on her belly, "You will see. And you will be amazed…"

Derek came around the front of the truck to get Maia from the car, allowing her to use him to brace herself to get back on her feet. Just since the full moon she had been growing impressively and even with her preternatural advantages, she was still experiencing all of the normal pregnancy issues that a human would.

"God, I feel so heavy," she bemoaned as she walked towards the door, her husband not giving his actions another thought when he stepped forward and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her to the house. She was so used to his overprotectiveness she didn't even protest, rolling her eyes as Kali flung open the door.

The female Alpha took one look at the couple being accompanied by the younger wolves and shook her head, looking at Maia, "You sure you wanna open this bag of snakes?"

"Oh, they already know. They just need to see us and you and everything that we have here. Like it or not, this is the world they're going to live in and they have to be conscious of it," Maia replied, regaining her feet when Derek finally let her down on the back porch.

He kissed her forehead and she looked up at him, sighing. "I want you to take my dad and go talk to him, man to man. Discuss what we're doing and all the intricacies of it- make him want to see more. If you appeal to his intrigue, he's more likely to accept this," she said as she gestured to the assembled pack. They sat on the edge of the porch and on the grass around the slightly depressed area where they would fight and train, waiting for Maia's word to begin with the day's festivities. "And you?" Maia looked past him to where her parents were coming through the door way, "I'll deal with her."

Olivia sat down beside her daughter on the porch swing, uncomfortable as everyone moved to look at them. Maia reached out and patted her hand before standing, taking off her light jacket and smiling. "As you have all seen, we are not alone today. Due to certain… practicalities on my part, my parents have been introduced to the darker side of the world and I think they're ready to see what our kind is capable of. Now while I ask that you all be yourselves, I'm also asking you to be polite. That means a reasonable amount of bloodshed- and yes, I am talking to you Aiden- and no challenging of positions. We don't need that kind of battle with the newbies: so play nice and let's show what wolves- and Alphas- are made of," she said, receiving an enthusiastic chorus of howling and barking.

She returned to her mother's side as Ennis stepped into the ring with both Aiden and Ethan, the twins looking at each other almost mischeviously as they considered breaking the rules. "Remember what I said," Maia snapped at the two of them- knowing their thoughts exactly- hearing a chuckle before the three men began to fight.

Instead of keeping an eye on them, her gaze was fixed on her mother's face, taking in ever wince and flinch as the older woman tried to watch the fight. Olivia turned away once Ennis had clamped his hands around both of the twins' necks, Ethan roaring in defeat. "I can't imagine you doing something like that and watching them scares me," she admitted, sounding unsure of Maia's reaction. She only smiled and stood once more, shaking her head, "I'm tougher than I look. And though I will always be your baby, I'm not a kid anymore: I can hold my own quite well. Actually, I'm going to show you."

Derek looked up as Maia moved to stand in the circle, the Alphamega spreading her arms in challenge.

"Who's it going to be, huh? I'm ready to fight- who will join me here in this ring," Maia questioned, a smile on her face. The others knew that no one other than an Alpha could hold their own against her, the young woman turning to look at Kali, Ennis, Ethan, Aiden and Derek before cutting her eyes to the female Alpha. "Where in the hell is Deucalion?"

"I'm right here sweetheart," his voice came, everyone looking up to see him perched in a tree. The Alpha jumped to land on his feet, standing before Maia, "And I'll fight you. That is, of course, you are up to it."

Derek moved towards Maia, a grisly snarl emanating from his chest as he came to a full stop at his wife's side. "Take a walk Deucalion: I know you're itching for a fight… but not a completely harmless one. Don't do this in front of her parents," the slightly shorter Alpha male growling quietly to keep from alarming anyone. The older Alpha male snarled in reply but conceded, moving to climb back up the tree he had come from. "Fine, but we have unfinished business Alpha. You took my position in this fight and I want an even, fair fight with you. Just you."

"Time and place, Duke, that's all I need."

He turned on Maia then, seeing his pregnant wife stroking her belly and sighing. "You ready, love," she asked, moving to face him fully. Derek nodded and she did not hesitate to level him with a powerful right hook, the Alpha male allowing himself to be rough handled for a few moments. It wasn't until Maia moved to dropkick him that he finally responded, moving to catch her leg underneath his arm. She only arched her body backwards and lifted her other leg to kick him underneath the chin, falling into an impressive backhand spring.

Derek charged at her then, the Alphamega catching him around the neck as he attempted to drop her to the ground. She thought that she had her chokehold in before finding herself on her back, Derek's wolf standing over her almost menacingly. Maia only planted her feet firmly underneath his ribcage and dug her nails into his shoulders, moving to flip him over her head. He yelped from the massive power moving like a shockwave through his body, coming fast to face with the nightmare wolf.

They fought and allowed themselves to work out a bit of their anger from the day's earlier conflict, but Maia knew that it was harmless. Hell, fighting physically was probably one of the good things that had happened to their marriage- it gave them an outlet for their frustrations that was both fair and necessary, as it let them avoid forming too many grudges and resenting each other.

However, the fight was over when Maia phased back as Derek lunged at her, the woman bracing both feet against the hard-packed ground and roaring impressively. She only smacked him on his nose, the small gesture making Derek stop in his tracks in shock that she would pull out an actual dog training technique on him. The others roared with laughter as he moved to sit on his haunches, Maia grinning as she stood on the tips of her toes to wrap her arms around his neck and kissed the side of his muzzle. She was practically purring against his fur, reaching up to scratch behind his ear before moving to where Kali was waiting.

Maia changed into a simple track suit and rejoined her mother, breathing quickly from the exertion. The two women were silent as she tried to regain her composure, Maia's hands on her stomach as it settled from where some pretty impressive kicks had accompanied hers and Derek's friendly tussle.

"So what do you think?"

Olivia seemed disturbed just hearing the question, but answered it, refusing to look at her daughter. "Well, it wasn't as hard to watch as I first believed and you can hold your own. So I guess that I should feel… better about it then," she replied, Maia reaching out to take her hand and hold it firmly within her own. The older woman turned then and sighed, her eyes beginning to water once more. "You don't have to feel anything, mom. This is… big and I know how difficult it is to come to terms with. Der and I went through our own rough patch for a few weeks after the fire, but we worked it out. I stayed with him because I loved him and because I knew that without him, I would never be whole. And if it means anything, you and dad have both handled it well so far," the younger woman said softly, reaching up to tuck her now loose hair behind her ear.

When Olivia turned her eyes to her daughter, Maia could see it in her eyes that she was at war with herself. At war over her emotions, her innate instinct for personal safety and the love of a mother- despite whatever her daughter was- went head to head. They were quiet, Maia fearful of what conclusion her mother was seeming to head towards in her own mind. She wondered if she was about to be disowned because of the complexities of her lycanthropy, unsure if her mother would reduce her from daughter, flesh and blood, to the wolf that existed within her- something that would never hurt her, despite what Olivia may have feared.

She opened her mouth for a moment before hesitiating, seeming to gather her thoughts and her composure.

"Maia…"

The emotion in her voice was painfully acute, the young woman knowing that practically no one other than Derek had the power to undo her as her mother's voice could. Olivia had been one of her own ties to humanity after he had walked away to her, the only person she had found true solace in during her darkest days.

A warm hand touched her cheek and Olivia sniffled, catching her attention- Maia's mother wasn't a woman to cry openly. Even if she lost control over her emotions for long enough to let her eyes water, she always either regained her composure or left the room to be alone. And yet, here she was, tears streaming down her face, "I knew. When you came home after the miscarriage- well, after Joshua died- you were so different. And I know you had to hold it all in, for yours and Derek's sakes both, but you should have told me."

"Do you hate me?"

"Hate... you? Despite your secrets and lying, I could never hate you- that even sounds foreign to say. I may be a little angry and a little hurt, but I'm your mother. And even with your… claws and your eyes, and the fact that you turn into a wolf, you are my daughter. I won't abandon you to become a stranger just because something has changed- I don't care what anyone or anything thinks about you. I love you," Olivia said with loving determination, her grip tight around Maia's.

Derek joined them a few moments later with Henrik, her father seeming more relaxed despite his surroundings and current situation. His eyes were apologetic- most likely for his earlier behavior and repulsion of them- the older man standing with his hands in his pockets. "So," Maia asked, looking away from her mother finally to hear her father's judgment.

"I feel like… like I have lost another child. I lost my little Mai-pie three years ago and I didn't even know it. But you're standing right in front of me and I can see you, just as if you haven't changed at all. It is a strange feeling to feel as if I don't know you," Henrik said without an ounce of vindictiveness in his voice, his gaze resting on her. Maia had to blink away a few tears before she nodded, her lips pressed into a rather thin, hard line, "I understand that, dad, but the more you open up to us and allow us to show you our true nature, the more you will find that I am still your Mai-pie and that will never change. I'm still your daughter and I still love you and mom. In time, you'll realize that being a werewolf hasn't changed that."

"And that said, I need to know if you are both prepared to keep our secret. This is the only thing that I'll ever ask of you from this day forward," Derek said, his eyes on both of her parents. Olivia nodded and Henrik did the same, exhaling quietly. "Of course. Both of you are our children and we will protect you."

Maia stood to wrap her arms around her father, mindful of her strength, but squeezing him all the same.

"You have no idea how it makes me feel to hear that. I was so afraid to think that you and mom might never want to see me again-" Olivia stood timidly and moved to join the embrace, shaking her head. "We love you too much to ever… disown you. Its going to take time and patience for us to fully accept that you're not our little girl anymore- that you're a woman now, and you're… your own person. I'd love you even if you grew another head and ran off to join a cult."

Maia laughed tearfully and gave her a grateful squeeze, Henrik moving to embrace Derek for a moment. He stepped back and the men looked at each other, Maia's father regaining his fatherly role. "You'll keep her safe- and happy, Derek. You made a commitment to her the day you married her, the day you… changed her and I expect you to take care of her," Henrik said with a tone of authority, Derek nodding.

"Always, sir."