Marking his mate - A Silver Shifter Series 2

Chapter 7 - Hunter

I cursed myself when I learned that Samara was in the nursing home this morning. I thought back wondering why I didn't smell her. Logan had called me from the station and told me everything. That she was terrorising the place again, got locked up again, and is now on a 24-hour hold. What bothered me more was that Elisa said nothing when I picked her. I asked her about her day, and she said nothing about Samara. I decided to tell her that I knew.

"I heard that Samara was there this morning," I tried to keep my voice flat. I didn't say anything until I was cooking dinner. She had showered, changed, and sat at the breakfast bar watching me. I continued to chop the meat like it was any other subject.

"Yeah, she was," Elisa said.

"You didn't want to tell me?" I asked.

"I didn't want you to worry, the police were there. She is on a 24-hour hold," she said. I had come back to the farm and continued working, feeling reassured that she was safe there, which she wasn't.

"I know you get busy and that you might not have time. But you couldn't have said something now," I said. I stopped what I was doing and looked at her.

"I don't want to fight," Elisa said. This comment was strange, we were just having a discussion. I would always talk things out with my brother and parents. If there was a problem we all needed to talk about it. Maybe Elisa wasn't that, maybe she hid things from her sister and cousin.

"We aren't fighting, I just don't know why you don't trust me enough to tell me," I said. I didn't see how this was a fight. We were just talking about it.

"I do trust you," she said.
"Then why not mention it, what do you think I'm going to do?" I asked her. Most of the town thought that my bear was crazy and unmanageable; thinking they had to watch themselves and others around me, so I didn't go off the rails. I didn't want Elisa to think that. I needed her to know that I would never lose my temper around her. Elisa shrugged, opening her mouth to say something but no words came out. I continued cooking dinner as I waited for her response, it took a while.

"I guess, I didn't want to worry you. Grace would get worried and tell me I couldn't back there. I thought you would tell me I couldn't go to work anymore. That I had to be kept under the thumb, so I was safe" Elisa finally got out as I was dishing up the food. It had taken her nearly twenty minutes to reply. I kept silent the whole time; I could see in her eyes that she was working through every response she could think of. I placed the dishes on the table as I sat down opposite her. I wanted this relationship to be open, and full of trust and respect.

"I won't do that. But I do want to protect you. I just need to know if you see her. In case there is some kind of pattern to her behaviour," I kept calm, there was no point in getting frustrated about it. I knew I would behave the same with her if someone was wrong with me. I wouldn't want to share my concerns because I didn't want her to worry.

"It is difficult, when I was kid Grace use to move us if we saw mum or child service. If anyone got wind of where we were, we left. I left school, jobs, friends because we didn't want to get found" Elisa said.

"That sounds hard," I said. I didn't really know what else to say, I wasn't the counsellor I just want to be there for her.

"The older we got the less we move, but I've had a pretty sheltered life, it was only me, grace and Sia for decades. Making our own way and keep silent because I didn't want to change school. I know it might sound silly now," Elisa said sitting down at the table.

"It doesn't sound silly. The way we are now if because of how we lived as a child. I am reserved because people thought I was a crazy animal for most of my life" I said, trying to find some common ground, "But I love you. I don't want you to feel that you can't tell me things."