Sins Of The Mother.

Chapter 24- He's off his meds.

ELLIOT 

I put up a block while Fen guarded Gramps and Aden in our fur last night, joking that her constant grumbling over the two vampires was too loud and I was exhausted. She knew I was lying to her but gently assured me she would keep guard over us all, knowing I needed some time alone. Since the convergence everyone, especially me, had been running on full throttle, I hadn't had any time to stop and just think. I wasn't sure I knew who the hell I was supposed to be now, Mira Peters was lost in all this madness, I was now Elliot Keller. Boss hunter. Stone cold killer. 

And that frightened me.

When that vile creature held my brother in his icy, dead grip, it was like a switch had turned off in my brain. Mira would have done what she had to do, but Elliot relished the cold satisfaction as her claws ruthlessly ripped out his heart. She's the one who stood over his burning ashes and sadistically smiled. I knew that realistically, even if I had been a normal she-wolf, the shift would have changed me in some ways but in three days I had literally become a whole new person. And I wasn't sure I liked her or the things I now knew she was capable of.

There was also a whole lotta guilt going on up in here. Fen's frustration at letting the vamp's get the jump on us like that made me feel like I had let her down. I hadn't masked my scent, I didn't sense anyone around, even with no magic, I was supposedly this kick ass hybrid with the recycled soul of an actual warrior goddess, yet I put Gramps and my brother in danger. I’d almost lost them before I'd had any time to know them. I mean let's face it, in our threading, I'm definitely the weakest link. What the hell were those Goddesses thinking when they chose me? And Fen herself for that matter. For the first time in a long time, I felt the splinters. This time though, I welcomed their pain.

*****

I woke up to find the campsite already packed away. A blanket had been tucked in around me and Aden was loading the last of the bags into the raptor as Gramps placed a bundle of clothes and my bag beside me. "Morning sweetheart, I warmed some water for you, it's sitting behind the boulder."

"You're a legend Gramps, did I miss breakfast?"

"Always with that stomach of yours." He laughed, "there's a town a few miles up the road, we'll stop and grab a bite there."

"Okay but I'm chowing down on that venison."

Aden's voice was unapologetic as he called over to me. "All gone, sorry Sis." 

He definitely heard the word I shouted into his big, fat, prize eating head. Grumpy and hungry, I went to get ready.

*****

"How are you going to pay for all this?" Aden asked Gramps. "We should enter her into those eating contests, we'd be rich!"

"Erm, well thankfully I'm quite comfortable financially," Gramps lowered his voice, "I thought she ate a lot before the shift, but man your sister can pack it away!"

"I can hear you two you know, and I ordered lunch for us all to save time on the road," I said, needing to be with Lolls after last night, I  looked up from the mountain of breakfast meats, cheese and mushroom omelettes and the blueberry pancakes I'd drowned in syrup which had originally come served on eight different plates to look at them with a smirk. "I'll take care of dinner."

Gramps shook his head. "That won't be necessary, we're going to be staying with my brother in law tonight. He's a lone wolf, but he’s no rogue. He actually used to be one of the Advocates, but after Darya's death, he was released from his duty, lives by himself in his cabin.” I'd met a few advocates when they’d visited the pack for Alpha Bensons funeral, but Fen was excited to be around another wolf.  “Rob's a fascinating wolf. I thought it would be beneficial for you and Fen met him, his mate was your Grams' sister.” “ I hmm'd now and again as he continued, not really interested. “She died a long time ago, don't bring her up unless he does." Gramps warned both of us, seriously now. We nodded and he changed the subject. "We'll reach HQ by dinner time tomorrow."