Truce and Lies

Grant: family disagreement

The pack slept the rest of the day. Full moon was exhausting for them and I dearly wished that we would have more time before my mother and my past would come back to bother us. I waited on the front porch with Aidan the following morning and he held my hand as we watched my mother's rental car pull up the drive.

"We can tell her to go away," Aidan offered.

"She'll just come back," I sighed. "It'll be fine."

My mom got out of the car and frowned at Aidan and me. I could smell her coming up the walkway and gripped Aidan's hand firmly, hoping that I would able to control myself.

"So this is the reason for the ring," she noted. "Is this why you've been insistent on staying in Montana too?"

"One of them," I replied.

She sighed. "My son is a gay vampire. I should start my own talk show."

"Mom," I complained. "This is Aidan. Aidan, this is my mother Sasha Mackey."

"Not Danube?" he inquired, as he offered his hand.

"I'm no longer married to Grant's father," she replied. "I got the impression that your pack was larger; where is everyone?"

"I'm the welcome wagon," Aidan replied.

He towered over my mother, not that I could find him threatening. My mother scoffed.

"I feel...welcomed then."

"Why are you here?" Aidan asked. "You know that Grant doesn't want to leave. He's not hurting anyone. Why the antagonism?"

"You're an immortal four legged predator so I wouldn't expect you to understand," my mom began. "But being a hunter means taking oaths to protect people. Mortal, regular people..."

"Oh, people like what I was before?" Aidan inquired. "Dumb teenagers at a frat house who got turned against their will?"

"Well..."

"Or a child like Susie Lynn who was kidnapped and turned?"

My mother folded her arms but Aidan didn't let her get a word in.

"Or maybe you mean people like Brian who were born like this? Katie who was forcibly turned by her brother? Casey after her sister was assaulted? People like that?" He leaned close. "Do you think we should be dead because you didn't or rather, couldn't save us?"

"Kitten," I whispered.

My mom seemed baffled. Aidan continued talking.

"My brother bought land up here specifically so we would stay away from humans. And we have. We do, until the humans trespass on our land, demanding that we be dead because of circumstances out of our control." He smiled. "You should know who your son has thrown with. We're not the monsters on this front porch."

"I can see why Grant likes you," my mother remarked. "You're cute."

"Mom," I complained.

"I'm just saying. You have a type, sweetie. This hulking lupine man fits the bill."

"Mom."

The door opened behind us. Mel and Ralph had bemused expressions on their faces and I bet that if I had been able to, I would have blushed.

"Ralph and Mel Becker, this is my mother, Sasha Mackey."

"Howdy," my mother said. "Well, you seem normal. Shall we talk? Grant seemed to think that I had to go through you to discuss anything further with him."