Werewolves. Fine, I'd accept that. Hunters. Sure, that sound's reasonable. But my mother?

"No way. You've got to be mistaken. My mother? My mom doesn't even get off the computer long enough to grocery shop, let alone hunt mythical creatures!"

"We're not fiticious, so we can't be mythical," Luke pointed out. 

"You don't know my mom. She hates anything that has to do with the outdoors or physical effort."

"I know that it must sound crazy but it's true," Eve explained pulling out my mom's jacket and setting it on the table. "This jacket has Marie's scent and blood on it. It's the reason that Oliver and Luke attacked you in the woods. They mistook you for the hunter. When you did not retaliate as a hunter should, they grew suspicious and brought you here."

At least that explained the obsessive questioning over the jacket. "You must be confused. My blood is what's all over that jacket. Not Marie's."

Eve shook her head. "Wolves have a better sense of smell than humans. We can tell specifically whose blood is on here. It has yours, Marie's, and another's."

"And whoever the other is, their smell was all over Marie too," Like jumped it.

Something Eve had said finally hit me and I whirled to Luke. "You fucking bit me!"

Indifferent and unashamed, he shrugged. "Wolves protect our own. I would bite anyone who hurt one of us."

"You don't understand how ridiculous this all is. My mom is the most uneventful, uninteresting, unadventurous person who has ever walked on this planet. And that is not an exaggeration."

"We wouldn't lie to you about this," Eve insisted.

And I believed her. They wouldn't have spent over an hour convincing me werewolves existed only to lie to me about my mother. It would be counter-productive.

But, my mom? No way.

"You don't understand," I repeated weakly. "She can't be. She would have told me." She should have told me.

Luke shrugged. "Surprising she didn't. Hunting runs in families. Suprised your whole family didn't tell you."

My whole family was just me and my mom.

"I think we're all finished with breakfast," Eve observed rising to her feet with Alec. "Luke, you clean. Charlie, how about I run you a bath?"

"Please." The tussle outside left me covered with dirt and honestly I need some space away from folklore creatures to process everything.

"Why do I get dish duty?" Luke complained gather up the plates.

"Since you made that comment about my cooking skills this morning," Eve responded stiffly.

"Don't hate on the truth."

Eve helped me upstairs again, though this time I managed to convince her just her forearm would be enough to keep my balance. 

We reached the bathroom door before she turned and scolded Alec. "Don't you have some Alpha duties to attend to or something?"

The wolf snorted but turned and trotted away.

I raised an eyebrow. "Alpha?"

"Oh, that just means he's like the head or representative of a group of werewolves. I'll explain more later."

I had a feeling she was more done with the day then I was.

She showed me where the bath was and gathered some soap and shampoo and towels from a cabinet. "That should be everything. I'll see if I can find you a change of clothes somewhere. And some new bandages for after your bath."

Hopefully, she'd hunt for clothes in Alec's or Luke's or someone else's closet because there was no way I could fit into any of her petite clothes.

"Thank you."

She smiled and turned the leave. 

I should have let her go. I shouldn't have said anything, but I couldn't stop myself.

"What was Oliver to you?"

Oliver already had a mate, so I doubted she was another lover. But she seemed oddly intimate with him. She nicknamed him Ollie. She tried to get him to remain sane even when there was no hope. 

She didn't turn around as she spoke. "Ollie? He was my younger brother."

With that, she was gone.

****

It was a nice bath and an even nicer silence.

But it left a lot of time for thinking and I wasn't sure I wanted to do that.

Werewolves, hunters, and my mother. What a mess.

How ironic now was it that I had thought my mother was a porn writer, but instead she could possibly be a werewolf hunter? 

But, really, was she? I had been quick to believe the words of self-labeled werewolf strangers over my own knowledge and history with my mother. It was possible that I had been fooled and this was all one, big unhilarious prank or mental cult.

Still, one fact I couldn't rationalize away. I had seen Oliver turn into a wolf. I had seen him killed as a wolf.  I had seen it all.

I don't think I could ever unseen.

"I found some clothes," Eve knocked and entered and placed the stack on the sink.

Her smile dropped slightly as she looked in my direction.

"You know, I had forgotten you had that." I knew where her eyes were and what she was talking about. She had probably seen it when bandaging me up.I subtly sunk lower into the bubbles and rearranged my hair to hide the scar.

Realistically, I knew it was nothing to be ashamed of but my mom had drilled in so much self-doubt and criticism over it that I couldn't help but feel shy and ashamed.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," she corrected turn away to give me more privacy. 

No, I knew that. With its size, it was something hard to not notice or comment on.I traced the scarred skin from the shoulder all the way down to my chest.

 I had taken too long to respond.  

"It's really fine," I said lamely. 

"Do you mind--I mean--" Eve started.

"I got into a vehicle accident when I was little." Same accident that killed my dad too, but stating that seemed a bit like oversharing.

"I see. A vehicle accident," She wasn't paying attention to her words, clearly lost in thought. She drummed her fingers on the sink, glanced over at me with pursed lips, before looking thoughtfully at the wall again.

"I should go find Alec," She finally said. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Do you think I can try the phone again?" It was more vital then ever I reach my mom.

"Sure." She pulled hers out of her pocket and placed in on my stack of clothes before bolting.

Immediately I got out of the tub and dressed, not wanting to waste more time without calling.

I tried once. Twice. Three times. But the message on the other end did not change.

The number you dialed has been changed, disconnected, or is no longer in service. If you feel have reached this recording in error, please check the number and try your call again.