AN
Thank you to everyone who has read/followed/favorited and especially reviewed! I appreciate it and you!
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. If you recognize it, it belongs to Ryan Murphy. If not, it's mine.
There is a LOT of history in this chapter. It's kind of a heavy read so I apologize.
Also, I have loosely based Rachel and Noah's bloodline off of the Rothschild family.
Enjoy!
An hour later found Sam, Blaine, Noah and myself sitting around our kitchen table, sipping on a few beers. I took a deep breath before opening my mouth to tell them everything.
"Noah and I are shape-shifters or werewolves, though that term isn't exactly accurate for what we are. I'll come back to that in a minute. It is no secret that the first shape-shifter in existence was cursed. He belonged to the Native American Tribe Meskwaki or Fox, which Noah and I are direct descendants of. An important fact to remember, just because you carry the gene, does not mean that you will be a shape-shifter. You know on the first full moon after you turn 14. That's when the gene makes itself known, or doesn't. Keep that in mind." I told them. "When America was "discovered," several members of the Tribe were kidnapped and brought back to Europe and one, Kanti, the granddaughter of the first shape-shifter, was claimed by a Jewish man, Achim Wolff. I use the word "claimed" lightly. He knew he could do nothing to bring her home. He could not disobey direct orders but he made her life as simple and easy and comfortable as possible. Eventually, she grew to care for him the way he had cared for her and they fell in love." I paused, taking a drink of my beer.
"Kanti and Achim had 3 children. Kitchi, Lomasi, and Mayer. Kanti was the granddaughter of the first shape-shifter and therefore carried the gene and passed it to her children. Because Achim did not carry the gene and Kanti herself was unable to shift, it didn't seem likely that their children would get that ability. Turns out, Kitchi and Mayer both showed signs during puberty of shifting and on the first full moon after they turned 14, they shifted, Kitchi first and then Mayer. It caught both parents by surprise but they managed it, keeping their children out of the public eye. As the brother's grew older, they both had wives of their own and passed the gene on. Kitchi had a boy and a girl; Nadie, who was able to shift, and Keme, who was not. Mayer had only one son, Mayer II who also was able to shift. They were close growing up but then Nadie married Arik Bonham. Their son, Derek Bonham and Mayer II's son, Otmar, both with the ability to shift, did not agree on anything. Otmar found Derek to be a pretentious ass and Derek thought Otmar was useless. To prove him wrong, Otmar became one of the wealthiest people in the world." I paused again, taking a minute to catch my breath.
"Otmar Wolff was a court Jew to the German Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel in Frankfurt, Germany. He developed a huge financial house and ensured its success by placing his five sons; among them, our grandfather, Mayer III; in the five main European financial centers: Frankfurt, London, Naples, Paris, and Vienna. Our family is one of the most powerful families in the world, often tied in with many financial investments and whatnot, hence the house." I paused here to let that sink in with the two boys.
"Shape-shifters heal incredibly quickly and have immense strength. We are as quick as lightning and are able to read emotions. Our sense of smell and our hearing are incredibly high. Wolves within a pack can hear the other's thoughts in and out of wolf form. Because of these abilities, namely the healing and strength, we are able to live for a very long time as long as no vital organs are destroyed. That being said, we have to keep up with our shifts to stay alive. Once we stop changing on a regular basis, we start aging. Noah and I are almost 200 years old." Sam's jaw dropped as he stared at me as I dropped that last bit of information and I gave him a lopsided grin. "Yes, Sam. We're very old." I joked and Noah laughed.
"Anyway, Mayer and Mayer II never kept up with their shifts and therefore aged like normal men and eventually grew old and died. Otmar, the Alpha, and his brother Emmett kept up with their shifts and lived until about 70 years ago. The Bonham family, and their Alpha, Derek, came and confronted Otmar and it turned into a bloodbath. Our great Uncle Gregor, Grandfather Mayer, great Aunt Erika, her son Ross, Derek's daughter, Nadina, and her son Edward were all killed. Derek was slain by Otmar but then Derek's son, Wolfric, killed Otmar. The battle ended and we all went home and tended to our wounded and our dead."
"Wolfric Bonham became their new Alpha and our father became our Alpha. I'll come back to that in a minute. Both families regrouped and ours went into hiding. We lived in Cleveland for a long time until the Bonham's found us again about 25 years ago and we lost our mother, our uncle Ludwig and our aunt Katrina. We got them too. They lost Edward Roth and Broderick Bonham." I paused again, taking another sip of my beer.
"When your mate dies…a piece of you dies. You won't ever be whole again. It's just how it is with us. Our father was a wreck, but he met another woman, Blaine's mother, and while she could not replace our father's mate, she was a nice substitute so his life would not be spent alone. Unfortunately, Wolfric Bonham found us once more and officially defeated our father. Noah and I retaliated and injured him enough for him to tuck tail and run. Our Aunt Adrian never shifted when she turned 14 and she never chose to after that. She was left in charge of our cousins, Jake, Ryder, and Marley. They will all be turning 14 within the next year so we'll see what happens with them." I shrugged.
Sam stared at me. I couldn't blame him; I had just thrown a bunch of information at him along with about 400 years of history. "So…" He started tentatively. "There's only 2 people left in your pack?" He asked and I nodded sadly.
"Yes. At least until the other three turn 14." I answered.
"What about Blaine? He's 16 and he's your brother. Why is he not one of us?"
"I never shifted when I turned 14 so then it became my decision. I told Rachel earlier that I was ready and after hearing the full story, I'm even more ready. The Bonham's are growing in numbers and they are after Rachel and they are going to find her eventually." Blaine explained.
"Why are they after Rachel?" Sam asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
"Because she's the Alpha. They are also after Noah. They are the last of the Otmar Wolff bloodline. Or so they think. They don't know about me or Jake or Ryder or Marley." Blaine told him and Sam nodded.
"I want to join your pack." Sam said after sitting silently for almost ten minutes.
"Sam…I can't let you do that." I told him, shaking my head.
"No, Rach, listen. I got turned…which I really don't know who would have done that…" He trailed off, as if the thought just occurred to him.
"It was probably Brody or Jesse." I shrugged. "They are trying to grow numbers. Your heart is too pure. When you didn't attack any humans, they probably just left you to fend for yourself. Selfish bastards." I said angrily and Noah rubbed my back comfortingly.
"Well, anyway, I got turned and I don't have a pack. It will be nice to be with people like me. Not to mention, you're gonna need all the people you can get when the Bonham's come for you. I want to help." He said adamantly. "I felt your power when I first met you. I wanted to submit. And now I understand why." He said, honestly. I sighed.
What do you think, Noah? I asked him. He had been particularly quiet throughout my recount of our history.
Let him. We have nothing to lose and it's his decision.
But he's just a pup, Noah.
So we train him. He wants to come on with us and we can train him. It will be good for all of us involved. And we'll have Blaine too. That's already two more. And then when the other three hit 14, hopefully we'll be up to five.
I sighed. "Okay, fine. Outside." I muttered and stood, heading for the door outside. "Blaine, are you sure you want to do this?" I asked my baby brother and he nodded. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I'll do both tonight and Blaine, you should turn at the next full moon which I believe is next week." He nodded, a grin breaking across his face. "Strip, Sam, or you won't have your clothes anymore." He blinked as Noah and I began taking our clothes off. I had my shirt halfway over my head before I noticed Sam looking at us, a blush rising on his cheeks. "Come on, Sammy. Clothes off." I told him, finishing with my own clothes as he began stripping quickly.
I took off at a run and soon enough, my hands turned to paws and I hit the ground running before bounding back to find a light brown wolf and a dark brown wolf. Since Noah and I were twins, we were almost the same color. The difference was a darker strip down Noah's back, kind of like the mohawk he wore in human form.
Show him what to do, Noah. I told my brother and he trotted over to Sam, nudging him with his nose. The two approached me and Noah bowed, lowering his head to the ground as Sam did the same. I nudged Noah and then Sam with my snout and then Noah sat on his haunches, putting his head back and baring his throat. Sam's eyes looked between then two of us before he defied all instinct and bared his neck to me, a sign of submission. I let out a low howl and approached Sam, nuzzling his neck.
How do you feel, Sam? I asked him.
WOAH! This is so cool!
It sure is. Come on, Rach, you gotta change Blaine. Noah commented and I turned to look at Blaine, seeing him standing there, watching in awe. I approached him cautiously and nudged his hand with my nose. He raised his hand and pet my head and I wagged my tail happily. I gently licked his hand, looking up at his face for a moment. He was sure. I could see it and feel it and so I quickly bit into his hand, enough to draw blood. I licked his wound clean, knowing that my saliva would mix in his blood, effectively turning him.
Take Sam and show him the woods, run with him. I'll stay with Blaine. I told Noah. He yipped once and he and Sam took off as I shifted back into a human. I dressed quickly and pulled Blaine inside. "How do you feel?" I asked him.
"Fine. It's already healed." He said in amazement as he gazed at his hand. I laughed.
"I know. When I licked it after drawing blood, it transferred my healing properties."
"That's so cool." He muttered.
"How's your mom?" I asked him. He sighed.
"She's good. She knows it's getting bad. There have been more and more things going wrong. How much time do you think we have?"
"I'm hoping for a year, but I don't know if we could get that lucky. Probably by spring." I answered honestly.
"We'll be alright, Rach." He said with a warm smile. "Also, what was up in the choir room earlier?" He asked, remembering my reaction to Finn. I rolled my eyes.
"Stupid Finn." I muttered. Blaine looked confused.
"What's wrong with Finn? He's a really nice guy." Blaine asked and I scowled.
"Quinn is my mate. Finn is with her. Therefore, I hate him. No matter how nice he is. He also smells like absolute shit. And I think it's just because of Quinn, but I don't know for sure." I told him honestly.
"Oh, Rach…I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I just need to befriend Quinn and see what happens."
"I wish you luck, sis." Blaine said, giving me a sad smile.
"Mercedes is Puck's mate." I told him, changing the subject and his eyes went wide.
"I so did not see that coming." He said in disbelief.
"Me either, honestly." I told him.
"Whatever makes him happy." I snorted.
"She seemed to be interested in him so we'll see. Hopefully she doesn't care too much about the shape-shifter part."
"I'm a little worried about telling Kurt, honestly. He's just so…I don't know. It could go either way with him." Blaine said worriedly.
"You're his mate. Everything will work out." I told him, patting his hand gently. "I'm gonna order pizza. What do you want?" I asked him as I stood, fetching my phone and searching for the local pizza places phone number.
"Pepperoni is fine."
Ten minutes later, a fully dressed Sam and Noah walked in the door. "It's so cool to run like that!" Sam said excitedly and I chuckled lightly.
"Glad you're enjoying yourself, Sammy." I told him and he grinned back at me. "I ordered pizza, so I'm gonna go pick it up. Make yourselves at home." I told them, grabbing my keys and heading to the garage.
After a short drive into town to the pizza place and home, we were all digging into our dinner. "What's your family situation like, Sam?" I asked him.
"Well, my parents live in Kentucky. They let me come back to Lima at the beginning of the year and I've been staying with Finn." He said honestly. "It kinda sucks though, because they don't have a lot of room, what with Kurt and Burt there too."
"Well, there is more than enough room here and you're more than welcome to stay." I told him.
"I'll think about it, thanks, Rach." He said, grinning happily.
"And Blaine, you and your mom are welcome here anytime too."
"I appreciate that and I'll let mom know that you're back in town."
"Thank you." I told him and he flashed a smile at me. "But I am exhausted. I'm gonna go to bed. Noah are you okay to chill with the boys?" I asked him and he nodded with a smile.
"Sure am, Rach. Go ahead to bed. I've got this." He responded in kind.
"Thank you. Goodnight boys." I said, heading for the stairs and to my room. I changed into shorts and a tank top and brushed my teeth before collapsing in bed, letting sleep claim me.
