The 18th Time They Lost Me Chapter 07

The 18th Time They Lost Me Chapter 07

I walked in and saw them. 

Mom. Dad. Silas. 

I’d come to apply for financial aid at the office next 

door. 

The officer spotted me first and waved me over. “Quinn, good timing. These people say they’re related to you, but I’m not exactly convinced…” 

I stood in the doorway with my backpack on and glanced over. Dad was sitting there, drenched in 

sweat. 

Mom hovered by the counter, her bag strap sliding off her shoulder. Silas just watched me. 

I looked at the officer. “They’re distant relatives, sir. I stayed with them for a few years. That’s it.” 

The officer blinked, eyes darting between us. He dropped his voice. “Quinn, this is your business, and I don’t want to overstep. Just make sure it 

gets sorted before it starts messing with your 

classes.” 

I nodded. “I know, sir. I’ve got it.” 

Dad shot to his feet. “Quinn! That is not true! I’m 

your father! You can’t just pretend we don’t exist!” 

Mom moved closer, voice rising. “Quinn, what are you doing? We took care of you for eight years and this is how you repay us? Do you have any idea how that sounds?” 

“Prove it.” The whole room went quiet. I cut her off and the silence swallowed everything. 

I looked her straight in the eyes. “You say you’re my mother. Show me the proof.” 

I stepped forward and pulled my backpack off the chair. “Eight years. I begged you eighteen times to take me to the pack hall. Every single time, you said yes. And every single time, something came up. Maya twisted her ankle. Maya’s blood sugar dropped. A wild animal got into our backyard. Any 

excuse worked, as long as it meant you didn’t have 

to register me.” 

My voice didn’t shake. “Last winter, I went to the pack office myself. They told me it would take ten 

minutes. Ten. All I needed was a guardian and the form. I told you. You agreed. I got up at six the 

next morning and sat in the living room. I waited until nine. At eight–fifty, Maya wanted pastries. from the West End. You drove her there. I sat in 

that living room all day.” 

Dad opened his mouth. I didn’t let him speak. “I don’t have family anymore.” 

My throat locked up. I swallowed through it. “Grandma was my family. She was the only one. She raised me until I was ten, and even when she was dying, she was still worrying about me. You? You took me in because you had to.” 

A small crowd had gathered: people from the lobby. Mom’s face went red, then drained white. 

She grabbed the strap of my backpack, voice. dropping soft. “Quinn, please don’t do this… We’re family. Maya’s young. She doesn’t know any better. Don’t hold it against her…” 

“I don’t blame her.” The smile on my face felt like a crack in glass. “You raised her that way. You believed every word out of her mouth. At the 

studio, I told you I was only there for the signatures. You didn’t believe me. Silas slapped me in front of everyone. Did a single one of your ask if I was okay?” 

Dad took a step forward. “Quinn, that day…” 

“Was an accident, right?” I finished for him. 

Dad’s mouth hung open. He was staring at me like he’d never seen me before. 

I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood, then let go. “All I ever wanted was an official pack identity. A piece of paper that said I was your daughter. Even if it was just on paper. Eventually I stopped wanting even that. I just wanted to go to college and disappear quietly. But you wouldn’t even sign. your names. You thought I was lying. You thought I’d hurt Maya.” I exhaled. “So what’s left to talk 

about?” 

I grabbed my bag and headed for the door. 

Mom’s voice chased me, cracking through tears. “Quinn! Quinn, stop! Whatever happened, we’re still 

your parents! I carried you! I gave birth to you! You can’t just walk away from that! What are people. going to think?” 

“What would Grandma say if she saw this? Quinn, 

please. Come back. Let’s just sit down and talk…” 

Dad’s voice came from behind me, raw and 

hoarse. “Quinn. I know we messed up. Your dad. 

knows that. But your mom’s right, we’re your parents. Your blood. No matter how angry you are, you don’t get to erase that. Come home. We’ll get 

you registered this time. For real.” 

My hand tightened on the doorknob until my 

knuckles went white. “Now you remember.” 

I turned around. My jaw was clenched so hard my 

teeth ached. 

“You say you’re my parents. Name one 

responsibility you’ve followed through on in eight years. No registration. No enrollment. Did your even know when I was sick?” 

My voice cracked but I kept going. 

“Last winter. Hundred–and–three fever. I tried to get 

out of my room under the stairs for water, but you’d stacked boxes in front of my door. You were downstairs watching TV with Maya. Laughing. I 

called out for ten minutes. Nobody heard me.” 

Mom’s mouth opened but nothing came out. Tears. 

clung to her lashes. 

“You left me in the old territory for ten years. 

Where were you?” My nose burned and I swiped at 

1. it. “Oh, right. Silas had strong wolf blood, so you 

pulled him out for elite training. Maya was too 

delicate, so you couldn’t stand to let her suffer. 

And me? The pack was broke when I was born, so 

I got left with Grandma?” 

My voice broke. “She raised me until I was ten. 

She couldn’t teach me. She never sent me to school. But she never once let me go without. 

What did you do?” 

I stopped. My chest was heaving. “Where exactly 

did I fit in your lives?” 

I looked at them. Dad hung his head. Mom 

clutched her bag with both hands. Silas was 

leaning against the wall, face giving away nothing. 

“Grandma’s dying wish was the only reason you 

took me in, right? How long did the guilt last? A 

month? Six months?” I paused. “Three days?” 

No one answered. 

I smiled. 

I’d known for a long time.. 

This pack never had a place for me. 

Not eight years ago. Not now. 

I’d been holding onto a fantasy. Telling myself that 

if I waited long enough, they’d finally let me in. 

I stood outside those pack hall doors so many 

times, watching them close, and I still walked 

away with nothing. 

I should’ve figured it out sooner.