Up the cliff

"Why me?"

"You'll know." He smiled and went out of the car. I tried to undo my seatbelt but he told me to sit still, he was sorting something out.

He had parked the car in a clearing in front of a cliff with a rundown shed that looked or had the shape of a guardpost. He disappeared into the shadows and I locked the car.

After a short moment, he stepped back into the car and just sat there as if waiting for something.

"So are we waiting for the cliff to open?" I asked, rhetorically.

"Wow, I didn't picture you to be such an imaginative girl." He chuckled and I looked away from him.

After a while it got awkwardly quiet I couldn't bare it. "How long are we going to stay here?"

I turned to him and he was resting.

"Not long. Count to ten." He said getting up and I thought of ways I could rearrange his gorgeous face. But I felt certain he had a billion ways to stop me from doing it.

The guard post lights went on.

"She's here. Come say hi." He said and walked out of the car. I went out too and joined him in front of the car.

A middle-aged woman walked out of the house with a frown on her face, transfixed on him.

"Laurent?" she asked and ran into his arms and hugged him. I felt odd watching her do it and oddly jealous that she could do it without anything stopping her.

"Hey, Gran." He said patting her back and stopped.

"Laurent, you look..." she blinked and looked at him harder. "You haven't changed."

"Bet I'm still handsome." He smiledat her and she snarled.

"It's been a long time but you're still cold. But I'm glad to see you and you brought..." She looked at me and her face quickly changed. The very same face that Debby had, washed over her face and she looked at Laurent with the very same sadness she had and... recognition?

Her smile went back on but it wasn't as before. I could see it being forced. She softened it.

"Hello, I'm..." she took a quick peek at Laurent and she offered to shake my hand. Laurent raised and dropped his shoulders before looking away. "Layla, Laurent's grandmother. The Theta of this pack but you can call me gran-gran."

She looked middle-aged.

I looked at Laurent. She looked forty.

"She's my grandmother and... age here is a bit too confusing. So just take it with a pinch of salt."

"I'm Allison Aver," I said as she shook my hand and her hand felt smoother than mine. Like a baby's.

"I know, you look even more stunning in person. and quite honestly I am very glad to meet you and I would love to take care of you." She offered another smile. "It's not every day that Laurent brings a girl over. And a beautiful healthy one at that."

"Gran, don't start please."

"Is she pregnant?" Some guy shouted from the forest scaring me and I jumped and held Laurent's arms. "Oh no wait, is she prettier than the goddesses?"

"Jay!" Laurent growled back as he squeezed my hand and I felt my heart skip a beat. "Shut your ass up will you?"

"Oh, come on, let's be honest, no girl can melt that stone-cold heart of yours unless she was prettier than Artemis ever was."

"Jay, if you don't shut your mouth I'm gonna shove it somewhere the sun doesn't shine." He started the threat with a shout then a growl with his alpha command and I grew scared, but held tighter to him.

"Alright, I'm sorry no need for threats. Geeze. It's like you're advertising that you're her favorite grandson. I'll just watch over the gate, besides I'm just passing by." The voice shouted back. Gran gran looked at our hands and I saw her face light. I looked at them and realized Laurent had my hand in his, and I was holding his arm and almost hiding behind him.

"Good. You can leave now."

"Okay!"

"Your cousin is still being a pain in my ass," Gran-gran told Laurent and I felt uncomfortable as explicit as she was. "And here I thought a century with your parents was enough to drive me crazy, please don't be too."

"Have I ever been one?" He asked and she looked at me.

"Did you tell her when we last saw you so she can tell if we're being overbearing?"

"I'm sorry. But I promise I would visit and stay a while another time next."

"I know you will."

I looked at him wondering what was happening. Was he planning on leaving me with her?

"Have you had dinner yet?" She asked grabbing my hand.

"Yes."

"When?" She asked.

"An hour ago?" I responded not sure about when I've last eaten. But i wasnt hungry at the moment. She looked at my face and turned to Laurent.

"You don't feed her?"

"I'm still trying to figure out her wolf."

"Then feed her. How is she going to bear childen if she's all bones?" She asked and i felt like i was throwing Laurent into hot water by just opening my mouth.

"Gran, let us..." He spoke something in a different language and Gran-gran surrendered by raising her hands.

"Al," he turned to me and held my hand again. "Im going to leave you with gran for a while and you can trust her and she'll protect you."

"But... " you cant leave me alone! I wanted to say but the words couldnt come out of my mouth. He rubbed my hand a bit and let them go.

"Don't worry I'll be back." He said and went back to the car, leaving me with her.

I looked at him.

"Laurent."

"Go in Al, gran will keep you safe."

"Can't you at least kiss her goodbye?" Gran-gran asked, a wave of embarrassment and...

"No, we are not..." i tried to explain but she held my hand tight. Laurent took a peek at us and went into the car and drove off.

"You cold son of a bitch!" She shouted and waited for a reply but laurent didn't say anything but drove off.

I looked at her wondering what was going on in her head, how could she just throw an indult at her grandson.

"Hmm. Guess i was right. You're safe." She looked at me as the voice in the forest shouted once more, "Can i comment now?"

"Wanna be a smart mouth? I still have barns you can clean."

"Sorry! Geez, you guys are no fun. Is she pregnant?" He asked.

She looked at me and asked, "Are you pregnant?"

"No, I'm... I'm still unmated." I replied as the little warmth i had inside of me melted away with Laurent dissappearing behind the woods.

"No she's not, you happy?" She turned arround and asked me to follow her. Before we could go further the voice returned.

"No, i still have a question."

"What is it you asshole?"

"You still know that that son of a bitch and this asshole are still your grandsons right?"

"Say one more word you smart mouth and you won't be?" She threatened and a reply instantly returned. "Okay. Technically that's a word, so am i still your grandson?"

"Come out here and check for yourself!"

"No thank you, I've taken enough punches for the day."

"Good, and stay away from me, would you?"

"Gladly."

"If you meet him, dont mind him at all. He is just a smart mouth who lives just to piss people off."

"He seems to cares so much about you though he may seem a bit cold." She started as i looked around the whole shed. Was i going to stay here? I wondered.

"I think so." I responded and she smiled.

"He does." She walked to the wall and wrote something and the entire wall fell away and showing descending stairs and i looked at it wondering what was happening. Was she using magic?

"Come, follow me." She said and went down the stairs. I followed behind carefully tredding my way down the flight of stairs surrounded by white wall.

"Where does this lead?" I asked her after walking down a flight. The wall had jumped in place once i stepped on the stairs and there was no way back.

"These stairs lead to the Healers Compound, as most of you say, where we are going now."

"It really exist? thought that was only an urban legend."

"It does, sweetheart. So does The keepers compound."

"As the keeper of Acadia?"

"Yes. He is my grandfather. But he hasn't been feeling well lately."

"Is he really eternal?"

"No. That would be too much of a torture." As we went down another flight, she told me why everyone thinks the keepers and guardians are eternal when they really aren't. They just outlive most if not all people by thousands of years.

When we got off the base of the stairs, i realized we were on top of a hill, rather than at the bottom of one and i felt weak.

"Tired already?" She asked with a croocked smile.

"No." I lied.

"Take a look down, you won't see this view in a while." She said and i walked to her and looked down the hill. There was a small bustling town down there.

I could see the town center. A huge flat with close to ten floors surrounded by three or four floored ones. And a park? With multiple cabins. Then houses. There was a stadium, Stretched half a mile away but around them was the farmlands. All in the valley.

Was this what laurent meant by it was in the valley?

"One would think this small town is more older. But its the youngest but the strongest pack since the fall of Acadia 200 years ago." She commented.

"What pack is it?"

"It's the healers compound. Formed..." i saw tears in her eyes as she froze before she continued with a small sad smile. "It's the only pack without a clear alpha, but its still peaceful. Not like the packs out there."

"Is it the one Laurent made twenty years ago?" I asked and her face darkened.

"Unfortunately no. That one, broke apart when his mate died but we dont talk about it here."

"Why?"

"We just don't, like we dont about the Artemis pack here. Though they are the cause of everything." Lets go, I'll show you where you'll stay for the night."

We went down the hill and came upon a parking at the base of the hill. She led me to a car and drove through the empty cleared farming grounds to the clusters of the buildings at the center of town. But before we could go near the huge building she turned right to the other four floored buildings and drove to one that looked different from others. It wasn't just in its build but while most looked simple and away from the park, it looked magnificent and directly at the park. Or what that uncultivated land was.

She led me inside past two three people and went straight to the elevator. I went into it and she pressed P for penthouse. The elevator went straight up and without any stops and went it stopped at the top and opened its doors, i was greeted by a luxurious room that looked similar to laurents house without the upstair rooms.

I looked at her.

"You can use this room while you are here." This room? This wasnt a room. Maybe in a hotel. But this was an apartment. A barchelor pad and an expensive one at that. It had a kitchen, a living room. A bedroom above a... a walk in closet.

"Feel free to use anything you want."

"Isn't there any modest room i could use?"

"This room was meant for Laurent's mate, but since he doesn't want any, feel free here." She stepped back as i looked around. "Come downstairs if you're ready to meet everyone. Its Freyasday so supper would be served at the main mess hall, I'll send someone for you." She said and left.