Chapter 1: Tulip P.O.V.
Tulip breathed in a heavy sigh. Only one more hour to go she chanted in her head. And then she’d be on her way. On her way from Portland where she called home to that stupid small town of Xenwood. A place you wouldn’t find on a map, because it was a werewolf town with a whole pack living in it. One of only six packs in Oregon, but luckily for Tulip they hated cities probably just as much as she hated those werewolves. She hated them for what they had done to her father.
Her parents had been high school sweethearts, engaged to be married, and had a one year old girl. Then John Westgrove showed up and ruined their happy lives by being her mom’s “mate” , something her mother happily went along with. But of course there was still little Tulip which was a problem. Many of the wolves demanded Margaret just give her daughter to her human father and go out and see her when she wished or preferably never speak of or to her again. But Margaret refused as that was her baby girl and John happily obliged his mate even asking for Tulip’s last name to be changed to his own and there was nothing Tulip’s father, Jasper, could do. But Tulip had always loved her dad more and refused to see John as anything other than her step-father and was adamant about visiting her father over the years, seeing him almost every weekend. This had gone on for years, Tulip even refused to go to the pack’s playground, go to their schools, or participate in any of their events. She would stay with either set of grandparents or her father during long events. And as soon as she could Tulip left without a backward glance living in Portland two hours away from that world.
Her father used to live here when she was younger but once she was an adult her father moved to California unable to be near the woman that had caused him so much pain. And Tulip was going to follow him even with the rest of her family in Oregon she had finally enrolled in a college down there so she could live with her father and pursue her degree in Psychology. She had attended community college for the last semester but these last months without her father had been terribly lonely. So now what was left was to inform her mother. Her grandparents of course already knew of her plans but she needed to inform her mother and John herself at the end of her three days in Xenwood. Then she would be free to move to California with or without her family’s blessing and start school. After daydreaming for a while she looked up when an oddly beautiful couple came in. No one else was serving them so she walked up and asked, “How many today?”
“Just the two of us,” said the man. He was tall and well built and he had dark brown hair and eyes and he was tan. The woman next him had brown hair as well but had paler skin and electric blue eyes that were magnetic. Tulip felt like she knew them as they looked similar to one of her half brother’s friends, but could not place them.
“Is this alright?” Tulip asked, gesturing to a booth.
“Yes sweetheart,” the woman said smiling. “What’s your name?”
“Tulip, ma’am.”
“No need to be so formal. My name’s Maria and this is my husband Alexander,” she said, smiling energetically. The man seemed put out at his wife’s friendliness, but also couldn’t seem to say no to her smile and the sparkle in her eye.
Tulip continued working until finally her shift was over. It was her last shift here as now she was moving to California. Now to go and drive and break the news.
