Guardian Wolf Ch. 07

James and Rachel spent a few minutes dishing Matilda the latest gossip and news that was going around. When James mentioned that his father was trying to convince his grandfather and grandmother to come during Christmas Matilda snorted loudly.

"Good luck with that. Edward is as stubborn as they come. He is even more disconnected with the human world than we are. He and Elizabeth retired to that isolated community for a good reason, and they don't like leaving the comfort of home. Robert would have an easier time convincing a mule to pull a cart out of frozen mud he would. But if miracles happen and Edward and Elizabeth do come, please do tell them to stop by and give us a kiss and a hello. It has been too many years since I have seen them. I would love to catch up before they head back home," Matilda said. James and Rachel promised they would remember to ask if they came. When they were about to leave, Matilda asked them who they were visiting.

"Just someone we both know. She came in last night with a concussion and we are just bringing her lunch and some flowers," Rachel said.

"It wouldn't be that young blonde girl up on the second floor, now would it?" Matilda asked. Little happened in the hospital that she didn't know about.

Rachel and James both nodded in the affirmative.

"I thought so. Something is off with that one. She has a right strange aura about her. She's human for sure, but there is something almost supernatural about her. It wouldn't surprise me if she is intended for one of your kind. She sure has your aunt Camille in a right fury. All day long she has been going on in a fit about that girl's mother. Something tells me there is bad blood between those two, for sure," Grandma Matilda said, falling back upon her Irish brogue. Again, she had hit the issue right on the head.

James sighed and decided to explain his suspicions about Jessica and Marcus. The more he spoke on the matter, the more Matilda's eyes widened. This was better than the best gossip; the news of this would feed her rumor mill for months. Maybe this information would ease her sister's grumbling about her grandson. Then again, it could just enflame it once more.

"Well isn't that just a pickle in a barrel full of Herring! I told you, didn't I? I knew there was something off about that girl; a strange aura she has around her. Oh Gods! If Marcus really is her mate, that will have sweet Cami climbing up the bleeding walls for sure. I sure do feel sorry for this girl's mother, even if she is a right down bitch that deserves it. I wouldn't want to be subject to your aunt's fury. She is like a sow Grizzly with her cubs when it comes to matters like this. I won't be surprised to hear that Cami kills the old cunt," Matilda swore.

James and Rachel spoke in the affirmative and then bade the matron grandmother Matilda goodbye. They were now both very fond of her. She bade them goodbye and good luck as they exited her shop and headed towards the elevator.

As they stood in the car waiting for the elevator to take them to the second floor, Rachel asked about something that was bothering her.

"How come we didn't know she was a dwarf? Shouldn't we be able to smell her or something?" Rachel asked, surprised that neither picked up on the matronly old woman.

"Dwarves and Elves are different than us or vampires. Like with mating, they give off a magical aura to identify themselves. Most, especially one as old as Matilda, become very adept at disguising this aura from others; they even learn to disguise their unique smells. It takes a lot of years and proper training to learn to overcome their ability and readily identify them. My grandparents taught my parents and they will teach us. My dad says it is an important trait for the Alphas to know," James explained. Rachel simply nodded her head in acceptance.

The elevator doors suddenly opened and allowed the couple to set foot on the second floor. Before either could react they were accosted by James's Aunt Camille. She seemed very agitated and wanted answers...now! James and Rachel looked at one another and both thought the same thing...OH SHIT!

************

As it turns out, Marcus Wolfe had already been there today. Marcus often came to see his mother at work at least once or twice a month, bringing her lunch and taking the time to catch up since she worked really odd hours at times. When he met his mother at the nurse's station, Cami was in the middle of one of her tirades about Anna Hamilton. Marcus had been witness to more than one of these hellacious monologues; it was the only time his mother actually scared him. Something or someone had definitely singed his mother's fur and it took Marcus a good ten minutes to calm his mother down so he could get some answers out of her.

"It's Jessica Hamilton. Robert Buchanan brought her in last night with a concussion she received at the concert. Apparently James and Rachel were there as well and helped Robert with Jessica. Poor girl had a bump on the back of her head the size of a golf ball and was completely out of it. Well after the doctor had seen her this morning and updated her status, I called Anna Hamilton personally to let her know where her daughter was and what her condition was. The frigid bitch did not even know her own daughter was missing since last night. Stupid cunt dismissed it like I was telling her the god damn weather forecast. She gave one of her patented excuses about being late to a spa appointment or some other bullshit and hung up on me. I swear those two parents will be the death of this girl if she doesn't go and get herself killed first! I should have ripped poor Jessica out of her mother's arms when I had the fucking chance! At least then she would have grown up knowing a source of love." Camille growled as she felt her anger rising again.

Luckily Marcus was prepared with the proper tools to disarm the bomb now ticking away inside his mother. He had stopped off at Olive Garden and picked up his mother's favorite for lunch. Camille absolutely adored the chicken alfredo and breadsticks from the Garden. The creamy noodles and grilled chicken coupled with the breadsticks were her most favorite comfort foods. Once Marcus produced the bag with the familiar logo on the side, Camille lost all of her fight. Her scowl was replaced with a happy smile as Marcus produced the culinary delights that so easily pacified the storm that was brewing inside his mother. Forgetting for the time being that she was supposed to be mad, she led her son back into the break room and together they dug into their lunch.

As Cami was practically licking the last dredges of alfredo sauce from the bottom of her container, Marcus produced one last surprise to ensure that the emotional explosive was completely and truly disarmed: tiramisu. His mother Camille squealed and clapped her hands like a child at Christmas time as she spied her favorite dessert. The creamy custard and lady fingers dipped in espresso was a surefire thing to make Camille forget her troubles. Marcus chuckled as his mother's eyes rolled back into her head with that first bite; the groan of pure decadent pleasure was only confirmation she was enjoying the dessert.

After the dishes were thrown away and everything was properly cleaned, Marcus walked hand in hand with his mother, who was noticeably more pacified since filling her stomach. Camille bade her son to at least go and say hello to Jessica and wish her well while she updated some patient charts.

Camille was happily singing to herself while she worked on updating contact information and health status for patients currently on her floor when she heard the distinctive growl come from down the hall. She immediately recognized her son and the direction it was coming from. Curious and a little concerned Camille put down the chart and walked the short distance down the hallway to where her son was standing frozen in front of Jessica Hamilton's room.

Amused, she walked over to her son to see what was going on. When she reached his side she immediately understood the gravity of the situation. Marcus was standing with his shoulders back; his body was locked rigid in concentration. Camille noticed Marcus was breathing heavily, allowing the air to pass over his sensitive nostrils. She sniffed more deeply, allowing her own senses to catalog and classify what her son was so intent upon. When Camille recognized the unique pheromones common to mates, she almost lost her footing. It couldn't be! Not fucking Jessica Hamilton! Not Marcus! OH SHIT! OH FUCKING SHIT!! She was his MATE! Damn all the fucking devils in the nine circles of hell; this was complete BULLSHIT! Camille walked unsteadily back to the nurse's station and collapsed on the office chair. Her head was spinning with the sudden realization that Jessica HAMILTON was her son's mate.

Not knowing what to do, Camille decided to call her sister and vent. She dialed the house but only received the voice mail; Camille wondered if they were out getting last minute things for their departure to Greece tomorrow. She left a terse and very heated message: 'Maggie, pick up the fucking phone! We need to talk ASAP. It concerns Marcus and a certain family that shall remain nameless. You and Robert better not have known about this shit and kept it from me. Otherwise you and I are going to have more than just a few words twin. Call me back as soon as you get this!'

After hanging up, she went back to her son who was still standing quietly in the doorway to room 208. His demeanor had changed significantly and now showed complete adoration and love as he watched Jessica sleeping peacefully in her drug induced euphoria. Marcus turned to acknowledge her for the first time. His eyes changed to a possessive stare that Camille was all too familiar with; it was the same stare she received whenever her mate Bill looked at her. Marcus squared his shoulders and faced his mother; his whole body was afire as she smelled the arousal now flowing off her son in waves. He looked her deep in the eyes and said only one word: "MINE!" Camille did not respond to her son's ultimatum of possessive authority. She simply nodded and turned away, walking slowly like a drunkard back to her desk and sank heavily once more into her office chair.

It was official now. She would have to kill Augustus and Anna Hamilton and kidnap their daughter. The murder didn't bother her so much because she had dreamt of it often over the last seventeen and one half years. Her darkest desires had grown more vivid and detailed after every social event or run in with Anna fucking Hamilton over the years. She despised that cold and callous bitch! How someone could be that frigid was beyond her. The woman treated absolutely everyone with such disdain and contempt that it was beyond comprehension. Every sneer, fake smile, and callous comment had fueled her dark fantasies until they had become an obsession. The ways she dreamt of killing those two bastards had grown in volume over the years. Today she could think of numerous ways, hundreds perhaps, on how to best dispatch two hateful and callous parents without the slightest trace of forensic evidence or remorse. Her brain ran through several scenarios as she willed her psyche to come to grips with the current situation.

Her most favorite scenarios involved kidnapping the two heinous cowards and taking them somewhere deep into a dark forest far into the country side where no one would even consider looking for their sorry corpses. There she would tie them both naked to large trees, shift into full Lycan form and proceed to rip the flesh slowly from their bodies as they shit and pissed themselves in absolute terror. Those scenarios were most satisfying.

Other scenarios involved more mundane and run of the mill methods of homicide: shooting, stabbing, burning alive (still a very appealing option), feeding them through a wood chipper, dropping them in acid, burying them alive, etc, etc. But nothing appealed to her like going o' natural on their hypocritical asses. No one should treat their children as objects, things to be used then thrown away; especially not two callous and uncaring parents who treated their only daughter as a useful Barbie doll and not their own flesh and blood. Killing them would be so satisfying and very therapeutic from her point of view; she would certainly sleep better at night knowing they were dead.

But then her rational side would kick in and divert her fantasies back to more logical terrain. Camille knew she would not knowingly kill Jessica's parents in cold blood; despite the obvious appeal she could not, in good conscious, kill the girl's parents and look Jessica in the eyes again. Especially now that she knew she was intended for Marcus. Knowing that your mother-in-law took your parent's into the woods and slowly filleted them like two pigs tied to stakes makes for a chilly Christmas.

But how did they proceed now? Jessica would eventually have to be told of her destiny and the nature of the man whom she was fated to mate. How does someone explain something like the existence of werewolves and vampires to humans? She and Maggie's had been unique circumstances, like all Alpha mating. Their families had been prepared and conditioned over centuries of interaction with the supernatural. It was inevitable and far easier to envision a world beyond the human world. It was still a shock but the moment she and Maggie saw their mates, they knew. Even then their burgeoning wolves had whispered comfort to them, willing them to accept without question or conflict. Would Jessica make the same transition, or would there be considerable consequences? A human female brought into the clan from outside the Alpha lineage was extremely rare. Would Jessica's fragile mind accept her new reality? Would she accept Marcus and the clan?

Camille continued to chew upon this dilemma until her son came up to the nurse's station to say his goodbyes. Marcus was so calm about the matter. Didn't he know of the potential consequences of being related to those two monstrous parents? Didn't he know the psychological torture those two had inflicted upon their own daughter? Camille was chewing on her bottom lip in considerable agitation, ignoring her own son until he came around the desk and wrapped his arms around her, comforting her in his strong embrace. Gods! He was so much like his father. Even a simple reassuring touch helped ease her fears.

"It will be alright mom. You'll see. I'm not going to rush into this. She needs a lot of space and preparation until she is ready to be turned. Her parents have damaged her too much and for this, I will never forgive them. If it comes to the point where they no longer serve a purpose on this earth, you and I will dispatch them without remorse or compunction. Plus, she needs to be seriously reprogrammed. There is currently too much of her parents in that girl. Besides, what she needs more than anything right now is friends; she needs people that she knows she can rely on for anything. She needs to know that she is accepted for what is inside her and not for her family status or wealth. You and I, Rachel and James, can be the friends she so desperately wants and needs. Since you have known her the longest, I believe you should make the first overture. Help her remember that there are people in this world that truly care for her," Marcus said as he kissed his mother on the cheek and bid her goodbye.

************

Camille decided to act on her son's intuition and make the first move. Normally she did not interact much with patients on a day to day basis anymore. Her responsibilities as head nurse had increased considerably over the years and she no longer was able to care for patients like she used to. Too often she was confined to a desk filling out nursing schedules, filing budget paperwork, and updating patient status registrars. Every day Camille felt her position becoming more about administration than actual nursing. A job she once adored and immersed herself in wholeheartedly had become tedious and unfulfilling. There was no longer that spark she once enjoyed all those many years ago when she first chose her profession. Sometimes she seriously considering a career change and she was old enough she may need to eventually move to a different field. But that could be a good thing; change was a necessary part of life, especially for those with exceptional life spans such as hers.

Just before entering the room Camille took a few moments to freshen up, reapply a bit of makeup, and apply a dab of her favorite jasmine perfume; a perfume she had worn everyday without fail for the last seventy-three years. The perfume was unique as it was made primarily out of the Jasmine essential oils and not the more common absolution. The traditional perfume she imported direct from Morocco was horridly expensive, but a little went a long way; it was definitely worth the additional cost. Feeling refreshed and ready to face the world once more, Cami exited the restroom and made her way to room 208.

************

The first thing Jessica Hamilton was aware of as she came out of her deep sleep aided by modern pharmaceuticals was the smell of fresh flowers...but different somehow...Jasmine perhaps? The smell sent her subconscious memory into overdrive as her brain worked to excavate a memory that was long, long forgotten. The images were still very hazy as her mind worked to bring some of her earliest memories from deep within her subconscious vault. It was like blowing the dust off a very old, but very familiar family heirloom. She blinked repeatedly trying to rid her mind of the last few cobwebs surrounding her conscious mind.

The first thing Jessica saw was a beautiful woman with flowing honey blond hair that fell well below her shoulders and warm hazel eyes that seemed to look past her hard and callous exterior to the soft and vulnerable child beneath. It was both heartwarming and confusing at the same time. Jessica was in unknown territory with this woman; she was unlike all the previous nurses congregating around her over the past twelve hours. She felt like this woman knew her personally; and even stranger, Jessica felt like she knew this woman from somewhere, from a very long time ago.

As her brain continued on its logical trail of discovery, her thoughts helped trigger a specific neural pathway that had not been used in a long, long time. Jessica could actually feel a pleasant tingling sensation as this neural pathway helped trigger an emotional memory that was buried deep within her Amygdala (the portion of the brain that is thought to contain memories of emotional significance). The response was a blurry sensation of warmth, comfort, contentment, and love...yes love. She loved this woman. Not in a romantic sense of course, but she felt a strong sense of maternal love for this woman; like a daughter would love a mother. This strange and foreign sensation was something she had never felt with Anna. Jessica refrained from referring to the woman who bore her as mother; mother was a loving matronymic used in an emotional capacity. She felt no such emotion towards Anna. Anna was nothing more than a parental egg donor, and an absolute shitty one at that.

Camille watched in silent amusement as an array of emotions washed over the young girl's face: sleepiness, confusion, acknowledgment, recognition, more confusion, and finally anger and disgust. Camille guessed correctly that these particular emotions were directed solely at her mother Anna. After a few moments allowing the young woman to acclimate to her surroundings, Cami worked to forge a new relationship with this distraught and lonely girl. Of course introductions came first.

"Hello Jessica dear, it's nice to see you finally all grown up. How are you feeling today? Still feelings of headache and nausea?" Cami asked the young woman who was still trying to return to full consciousness.