Chapter 242

“You are sterile… I can change that…” I focused my eyes on Oakley’s wrist… Grants eyes widened, when understanding was reached, she can help Grant… help us… we can… Julia’s eyes widened like her husbands. Her face slowly turning to face his, her hand unconsciously going to her abdomen and in that moment I saw the hope grow behind her eyes.  Oakley and Ben would be safe; Grant and I could have a baby… I smiled largely, when she thought of it that way. When she thought of Oakley and Ben first before what she dreamed of, wanted the most. Grant never turned his face to meet Julia’s gaze, but that’s because he was angry, I just didn’t see it. “It’s one thing to ask us to stay here and protect these children, but – but to give us – trying to give false hope when – when,” he said, voice rose, leaning towards me in anger. James growled, startling Grant, he flinched back, disappointment in his eyes as he gazed at me. At 33 years old I know – I know just – it’s not possible, we’ve made peace with that! He finished in his head. I sighed heavily, “less than 29 hours ago I was in a coma, after being shot at and hit 12 times. I had a gaping head injury, my stomach was shredded, I had four broken ribs, my jaw was dislocated and did I mention the head injury?” Oakley’s mouth dropped down. “A woman, that was nearly 150 years old – had been blind since she was 10 years old – I made her see. I removed an inoperable brain tumor, and in less than 45 – 50 minutes, without even cutting into her brain.” “Another woman was close to losing her child, I stopped contractions, reattached and healed the slight tear that would have only ended badly had I not stepped in.” “My blood alone heals… and – and do you want to know why?” The Lawson’s couldn’t blink, “I’m a white wolf… we are rare, special… hunted for what our blood can do… but it just so happens I can do more butI’m hunted for that alone, all other abilities have been hidden…” I tilted my head back, sighing, “What I can do for your isn’t the only reason I brought you specifically here…” he nodded slowly, waiting. “We’ve brought a few therapists here with us, for a reason. You were a better choice not just for Oakley and Ben, but because we have nearly thirty young men who have been abused, that you could help while you are here. It doesn’t matter to me that you are human and they are wolves, they need people like you that know their profession and can help but also support their growth. I’m not sure how long we plan to be here, but I thought helping them, as well as Oakley and Ben would be something you were interested in.” I turned to Julia next, “You like your husband would be also helpful, we’ve brought a few instructors with us, but we could use one more and you are certified to teach reading and science, well we have children here that are going on ten years old and have never even learned to read, you could do private sessions, or a groups, whatever you felt each individual child would benefit from,” I said imploringly, all what I mentioned true. “The truth of the matter really is that with so many enemies and attacks, Gabriel and I had to leave, when I learned of Oakley and Ben, within hours of knowing we were going to stage and fake our deaths, I had to decide if I wanted to help them,” I clasped my hands together on my thighs, “I – we – didn’t have time to sit down with Pat and let him in our decisions, for obvious reasons but also we don’t know who the bad guys have watching Oakley and Ben, you two passed those tests, but we just didn’t know. We had to be in and out, get them out and do that before we supposedly died,” Grant and Julia listening attentively, “If we took them after we died, I was afraid of people knowing I was in fact alive, so it had to be orchestrated before, which only left us with maybe 15 hours-” “I want to stay,” Oakley said nodding, mom painted the trees because she didn’t want us afraid of the trees… she knew what we would be one day… she thought just as another voice entered the room. “Sweetheart,” Gabriel entered the home, his eyes on me as I turned my head to look over my shoulder at him. Standing I went to Gabriel, Marlon, Leland, Jack and Mikael with him. The men stood back near James, and there was one many I hadn’t met yet standing with them, “Grant, Julia, Oakley and Ben, this is Gabriel, my mate,” I said smiling. Standing, Grant reached over to shake Gabriel’s hand, at least he has respect, I just elbow Gabriel, not that it was hard or anything. How are they taking it all? They haven’t decided yet. “What’s going on,” Gabriel said after the introduction, “Oakley said that the man who murdered Anya called her Elder Bellamy,” and if I weren’t listening to thoughts all around me, concentrating on particulars when necessary, I would’ve missed Marlon’s, Jason never told her… “Never told me what?” I asked him pointblank, all eyes glancing between us, not having heard what I had. “Chelsea, Oakley and Ben – your mother is Elder Bellamy, was Elder Bellamy…” he said, face serious. Jack, Mikael and Casey were shocked; their reaction left me relieved because this wasn’t something else that they had kept from me. I know they were doing so much to protect me by hiding certain things but I was over that. Everything just needed to be put on the table; we were missing so many pieces if there was information to be told – well it was time to tell it. To me, hearing that my mother was an Elder was both shocking and put everything into perspective, however to the Lawson’s those words meant nothing. “An Elder?” Jack, Gabriel and I said at once, “Yes, your mother was an Elder, after turning on the Elders your mother, went into hiding, Jason searched high and low until we got word that she had children and then we knew we had to find you. After everything then we really lost touch of her, of many things,” Marlon continued but I needed to sit and found a spot on the ottoman, Gabriel next to. “Like what?” Oakley asked and I realized that she had a genuine thirst for knowledge and mystery, her mind always working but the calmest when being engaged. “You have to understand the whole story,” he flicked his eyes over to the Lawson’s, can they be trusted? He asked his self but the man I didn’t know, his thoughts were a long the same line. Everyone more less felt that way as well, waiting to see if the Lawson’s were going to stay, reading our expressions Grant spoke, “Is this one of those ‘piss or get off the pot’ moments?” “Honestly yes, if you’re going to go, there’s no reason to go into explaining more than we have…” the words cold, but I was warmed inside, waiting, hoping they’d stay. Grant just looked at his wife, ‘What do you think?’ his eyes seemed ask her, and I was amazed with their relationship, they weren’t like Gabriel and I, but I could see the connection there. And with a love so strong, so carefully crafted, Julia replied in the same fashion. Granted nodded, then turned to Gabriel and I, “We will be staying,” he said seriously, a bubbly screech came from Oakley, who beamed. In her mind – in all of theirs – not one seemed overly concerned with Pat, not one had thought of the pain that he was most likely suffering, knowing that his children and brother had died. We will make him see when we go back… Grant thought, just after I had thought of Pat. We are helping Oakley and Ben, doing the right thing… One sharp nod, and Marlon spoke, “Chelsea not only was your mother an Elder, she killed three other Elders after stripping them of their abilities, and transferring them not to herself, but to three Stradivarius violins.”