Charles and Rebecca (3rd in werewolf series)

Chapter Two

Charles woke up shivering on the ice cold cement of the garage floor. He could hear voices coming toward the garage and stood up.

"If you two keep making me late for work I'm going to make sure you both get detention for two weeks! I am so tired of this crap every morning." Charles recognized his daughter Jordan's voice.

"It's not my fault that she can't ever find anything to wear." This sounded like a teenage boy but the voice was unfamiliar.

"Oh yeah and I guess it's my fault that you and uncle Lane sit and play video games instead of getting ready to go?" This sounded like a teenage girl but her voice too was unfamiliar.

Charles heard car doors open and close and then an engine started outside and the car drove away. He heard three more vehicles start and drive away and then there was silence. He looked around the garage then. It had changed since he'd last been in it twenty six years ago.

He had used it as a training room for he and his son to keep themselves fit and ready for hunting. Now it was just like millions of other garages he'd seen mortals have. There was an old beat up Chevy truck that he didn't recognize and Lane's '69 Camaro that he had blown a small fortune on. Greasy toolboxes and calendars of half naked woman were on the walls.

He walked over to one corner where he saw tiny handprints in paint on the concrete floor. He read the names written under the sets of hands. Kaylee, Kayleb and Laney. Charles didn't recognize the names and wondered if those could be his grandchildren's handprints. He was surprised by the emotion in his heart at that thought.

He growled and pushed the feelings away. He had turned his heart off a long time ago. It had been nearly 260 years since he had allowed himself to feel anything other then hate, rage and anger and that's the way he liked it. It made him stronger and more deadly when he came upon the immortals he hunted. They didn't feel things like love or tenderness and he couldn't let them have an advantage over him.

He stepped away from the handprints and walked out the broken door to the sunshine outside. It was cold but not nearly as cold as it had been in the night and he pulled the quilt off of him and threw it in the snow. He sniffed the air to figure out who was around.

He recognized his oldest daughter Bethany's scent. She had been the first disappointment his mate Rebecca had given him. Instead of another strong son to help him with hunting she'd birthed the first of three useless female pups.

Then there had been Lane. Charles chuckled at the thought of Lane and was shocked at the sound.. It had been a long time since he'd done something as useless as chuckling. Lane had always been capable of making Charles laugh and that was one of the reasons he had pushed his youngest son away. Laughter was another thing Charles couldn't waste his time with.

Lane was here now, Charles could smell him and he could also smell that red haired slayer mate of his. Another mortal born mate just like Jake's bitch. He couldn't believe that Jake had allowed these people into the family. As the oldest male in the house it was up to Jake to keep the family in line.

Never when Charles had been in charge would he have permitted mortal women to come into their family.

Then her scent came to him. That familiar comforting alluring scent of rose petals. He wondered what she would say if he walked in the house. He decided that since Jake wasn't here it was worth it. If nothing else he could at least get a decent meal and a change of clothes before leaving again.

He walked silent as a ghost into the house through the kitchen door. The kitchen was empty but he could hear the television playing down the hall in the living room. He was going to make himself a sandwich and then sneak up to find clothes when the sound of crying reached his ears.