“According to Daniel, the percentage of matching DNA can indicate how closely related we are, so he brought the full results. 13.3% of our DNA matches.”
I wait a bit for her to take in the info, exchanging a complicit smile with Danny.
“You’re torturing her, aren’t you?” he whispers.
I stick my tongue out. I’ve been locked up for days, I’m just having a bit of fun while I can!
“Elena, speak!”
“We are cousins, Nora,” I finally say. “First cousins! One of my birth parents was your mom’s sibling!”
I just wish I knew which! Like anything about my birth family. I envy Nora who at least knew her dad.
“Are you kidding?”
I shake my head. I asked Daniel the same thing twice, too. But he was very specific, I remember each of his words by heart.
“No, I’m not. Daniel just told me this much matching DNA can only be a first cousin! Can you imagine? Your mother is my aunt! We are cousins!”
Nora cries a lot at the other end of the phone, and it’s hard to stop my own tears. For the first time, I know someone with whom I am blood-related! My first family tie found, Nora is linked to my lost past!
Daniel shifts position to come closer to me, smiling and holding my free hand. It takes a while for Nora to calm down, so I take deep breaths too and lie down, my head on Danny’s lap.
“Elena, do you know what this means?”
I sigh.
“Yeah, I thought about it right away. That means if you turn out to be one, I would be a Royal’s child, too.”
“Could it be?”
I really doubted it, but...
“Daniel said so. I may not have as much as you, but I do have some Royal characteristics, after all... My non-Royal parent was probably less pure or something? I don’t know... But I will need to find this out now.”
Nora being a Royal means I am one of sorts too, but it complicates things. A lot. Reagan never mentioned I was relatedto the Royals. Did she try to hide it? Why? If the woman she talked about was Nora’s grandmother, and mine too, she and I shouldn’t have such a difference in our Royal blood. But Nora is the pure one, not me. She’s got perfectly white fur, sapphire-blue eyes, and a monstrous Alpha Aura. I don’t have any of that, and my aura isn’t as powerful as hers. I’m pretty sure her mind-linking is stronger too, from what she’s demonstrated so far. So what is that big difference? Was it what Reagan wanted to conceal at any cost?
“Elena? What do you mean you need to find out?”
“I know I said before it didn’t really matter for me, but…”
I sigh. Daniel caresses my hair.
“Babe, you gotta talk with Reagan again,” he whispers. “Now you’ve got all this information, plus what Sylviana told you. She can’t pretend anymore. You even know the name of your former pack, and it’s about Nora too. And there’s…”
He’s right, there’s my baby. If she has Royal blood, it changes a lot of things. The vampires from last time were targeting Nora, it might have to do with this. I mean, it’s the only reason they would target her, from what we’ve heard. But turns out, I might have Royal blood too, even though it’s weaker. Nathaniel is an alpha too, this probably makes my baby ever stronger.
Daniel points at the phone.
“You can tell Nora, Elena. She won’t tell anyone.”
“Tell me what?” she asks.
I take a deep breath.
“Nora, I need you to promise me you won’t tell anyone what I’m about to say. Especially not the brothers. Not even Tonia, or anyone else.”
“I promise. What is it?”