The One

Chapter Ten

Elka's POV

    While I gathered my nightgown and my toothbrush and toothpaste from the trunk of the car alongside Maihra, I sighed and felt content and excited for what my future held, 'We're invited to join Maihra's pack River!' I gleefully conversed with my wolf which earned me a groggy 'yayyy, I can't wait to rest it's past our bedtime Elka.' I sighed as Maihra closed the trunk and looked across the parking lot to check that the pups were alright when I noticed Chase looked pale and like he was going to be sick, I tapped Maihra's shoulder and motioned to her son.  "Come on let's go make sure he didn't eat too much." Maihra chuckled, as we walked over to the young pup, I felt River suddenly perk up and then raise her hackles, I studied my surroundings and then froze when the smell of vampire hit my nose, I crouched and linked 'VAMPIRE!'  'NO SHIFTING, not unless provoked' came the alpha command from Clyde, me and Maihra and Jake and Riley all formed a small protective circle around Emerald and the petrified Chase.  The pups had never encountered a vamp, they wouldn't stand a chance, we never had to worry in the forest with some many rogues back home they never made it far into the forest without being killed and burned.  I stood shaking as we waited, Clyde came out of the check in office sporting 6 different room keys, which he pocketed for the time being.  "I know you can hear me you filthy vampire, either show yourself or I'll allow my wolves to shift and tear you limb from limb." Clyde said in a calm commanding whisper as not to startle the humans walking across the lot to their rooms. 
    A shadowy figure approached with his hands up in surrender, "I mean no harm." the figure whispered back.  I froze at the sound of my son's voice, I felt Emerald, Maihra, and Chase all stiffen along with me.  "This is a trick." I huffed, "I don't know how you're doing it demon, but your magic is not welcome here." I snarled.  "Mom, please." River whimpered at the sound of her cub pulling in her maternal instincts, I fought her hard not to fall for the creature's magic and stay where I was.  The figure finally made it to a street lamp and when it emerged from the darkness I fell to my knees, shaking.  'NOOOOOOO, they turned my baby into one of them.' River howled as I sobbed.  Clyde was angrily approaching him when Emerald shifted and flew in front of her father snarling and growling so hard that saliva was dripping down her fangs, a deadly look in her eyes.  "Emerald I commanded no shifting, get back to human form, now please."  Maihra scooped my gown from where I dropped it and threw it to her daughter as she shifted and as she shrugged it on the fiery red head looked her father in the eye and said, "You will not get near this one father, this is Eli."  There was no denying it, my son was here in the flesh, my poor wolfless son.  Chase unfroze after hearing his old friend's name, pushed past me and everyone else, and jogged over the the figure and pulled him into a headlock, just like they'd never been apart.  After he ruffled his hair, he let him up and dragged him over, "Mom, I'm so sorry, I couldn't get home because they would've killed me, but I saw you leave the forest and have been following you since, please forgive me." 'Forgive him! he didn't choose any of this, there is nothing to forgive!' River roared as I finally moved and shakily got to my feet, I looked up into his eyes and saw my scared boy, I broke, "Come here son, there is nothing to forgive, life is cruel and if this is nature correcting the balance, I don't care, you're here, you weren't taken from me." I grabbed the hulking figure of my teenager and held him close as a tear rolled down my eye and he sobbed gently into my shoulder. "Boss, we better get inside, we're starting to attract some attention," Jake said softly, I swiveled my head, Eli still held tightly against me to see several pairs of humans curiously peering over at the inter species reunion, unbeknownst to them.
    "Yeah, here's the keys to your rooms everyone, we're all one right next to the other, but if you guys need to talk some things out the vamp will be allowed into your room Elka." He said, I breathed a sigh of relief and nodded a thank you at the alpha as he handed me my room key.   After he passed out the rest of the keys and let Maihra know which room they were sharing, the pack wolves split away from our little group heading to bed, and we all headed to my room.  I released my son long enough to unlock my room and ushered Emerald, Chase, Maihra and him inside, we all needed answers.
    As me and Maihra and Emerald all settled on the edge of the bed in the room, Chase stood by the door and Eli sat in the lone chair in the room.  "You were dead." Emerald whispered in disbelief, "what happened Eli?" the teen asked.  "I believe we all would like to know." I chimed in as my boy bowed his head in defeat, "I don't remember a lot about when I first transitioned, but I do remember walking home from work, down an alley, I had worked overtime and was tired and took a shortcut," he took a deep breath as he shuddered at the memory.  "I didn't have Fang to help me scent them, so I didn't realize what was happening until it was too late, I remember fighting them off the first time when they tried to ambush me, but I didn't know they were vamps until I ran and they materialized around me out of nowhere, bloodlust clear on their faces.  I'd have rather faced the corrupted all over again than see the look.  I can't recall much after that except the pain from all the bites they inflicted and the feeling of losing blood, and when I was almost dead, one of the females from their group lifted my head and fed me her blood.  I blacked out after that and woke up as a monster, craving blood, I was lucky enough that an animal blood drinking coven found me before I was fully conscious and fed me some deer blood.  I've lived with them until you guys started leaving."  His eyes glazed, lost in a time we did not know, he continued.  "I used to watch Em and Maihra from the rooftops in town as they shopped, I was so ashamed of who they turned me into I couldn't face you guys."  At the end of his story he broke down, leading all of us to move from where we listened and embrace my baby in a werewolf group hug.  "Shhhhhhh, it's okay Eli, you're okay, we won't let anything else happen."  After we all calmed down and chatted a bit more with one another, the pups got up and groggily made their way to their rooms, to which Maihra got up and squeezed me in a comforting hug as she kissed my cheek, "Will you be alright old friend?" She asked, her voice so tender and full of concern, "I will once I get some sleep, this might change everything, I don't know, I'll have to ask the Goddess for guidance in my dreams tonight." I said, hugging her back.  She left me with my son and headed off to her mate, I turned to him and sighed, "Are you alright now son?" he looked at me, a tear in his amber eyes, "I will be now that I am with you, I know you've still got traveling tomorrow so rest now mother, nothing will get you tonight.  I'm here to protect you like you've done for me all these years." He said gently, with his gentle words and tears in my eyes I made my way to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and came out and climbed into the comfortable bed.  Eli took a pillow and comfortably sprawled across the floor and put on the tv in the room as I drifted to sleep peacefully for the first time in years.  My son was alive.