Growing up I was loved, so loved. My mom and dad showered me with affection and attention. Compared to how they grew up I knew I was lucky to have them. I knew they went through terrible things and had terrible parents, but I was blessed. The Moon Goddess must have favored me because there weren’t many around me who were as happy, nor as loved as I was. I didn’t have a sob story or have a sad background like my mom did.
My friends were jealous because of how much attention my family gave me.My mom was never late to pick me up from school and my dad made it to every event, every game. My family, my pack, my people adored me. There was no doubt in my mind that I knew everything there was to know about my life, my home, my world.
I got good grades, played sports, and attended meetings with my dad. I was heir to his throne and would one day rule over this pack. I was confident I could be the man he is, the alpha who proudly ruled. My dad is my hero and everything I do is so that I can be more like him.
Everything was perfect. I was blessed to have a great family, a strong sense of who I am, and know without a doubt what I will do when I come of age. That was until I found thee picture. If I had been an outsider I wouldn’t have seen anything wrong. I would have seen a happy couple with a good friend, a friend I’ve never seen.
I wouldn’t have done a double take and I wouldn’t have seen what was wrong with the picture, but I wasn’t an outsider. I wasn’t just some person. I was the couple’s son. My mom and my dad lay on either side of this friend. My dad looked down at this man with so much affection in his eyes, the only time I’ve seen that look in his eyes is when he looked at my mom. That wasn’t a man looking at a friend, that was a man looking at someone he loved, adored, cherished.
My mom’s hand rested on his chest, her eyes were full of love as she stared up at this man. Her body melted against his, their bodies too close as the man held the camera in his hand. His arm hung over my mom’s shoulders, his fingers held her tight. I was filled with confusion and my chest ached at what this could all mean. I turned the picture over and on the back there was something scribbled in the bottom corner.
My King and My Queen.
It was if a key had turned and a lock cracked open. Everything that hadn’t made sense started to come together. Then all of the shadowed expressions and the dark shadow that hovered over every happy occasion came to light. I looked up and rushed across the room to the full-body mirror on the wall.
I stared at my reflection and saw nothing that belonged to my dad. I didn’t see the resemblance my siblings shared with the man I’d called father. There was none of him in me, but now that I’d seen the picture, I started to look for someone else in my reflection. I started to see someone else in my features. I started to see him in me. My eyes and my dirty blonde hair, shit, even my crooked smile mirrored that of this mystery friend.
Everything I thought I knew about my life broke and started to fall apart. The ground beneath my feet cracked, splintered, and shattered. The one thing I knew for sure was that my family had lied to me.
My name is Jake, and I think… I think I’m the bastard of the Eclipse pack.