Hunter: Blood Moon

Chapter Eight.

Being home, didn’t feel like being home.  Standing in front of the door, I knock and spying me on the other side Mums face lights up. Behind her, Dad quickly appears and I avoid his gaze, letting Mum hug me.

I feel like an intruder.

The air of hostility I walk into has me shrinking away and just when I am about to turn around to leave it ends as Dad takes over and hugs me too.

“I’m so glad you’re alright. Huntington called and said you’d left without a word and then nothing.” He sounds like he cares. I guess having two Bunting Hunters MIA could be bad for the family name.

“I had to go, leaving Alfie was hard and I couldn’t stay there.”

They both look at me like I have two heads so clearly their conversation went along the lines of, Elise has left and Ok.

“My Apopyth.” I try to clear up their confusion, but instead it only gets worse.

“How about I get us a cuppa and you can tell us what’s been going on?” Mum disappears into the kitchen before I can answer.

“While she is doing that, how about you go put your things away and freshen up?” Dad suggests and I shrug, dropping my bag off my shoulder.

“I’m not sure how long I’ll be staying Dad.”

He raises his eyebrow as he frowns and sighing, I pick it up and go up the stairs. “Fine.”

I want to avoid any arguments, especially after how our last one turned out. My stomach flips a little as I think of Reece and push those memories away. Better leave that out of the catch up too.

My room is how I left it, only now the window is closed. I chuck my clothes from my bag into the washing hamper and decide to take a shower. By the time I come down, it feels like home again. Only my parents don’t seem like themselves. They sit next to each other on the sofa, whispering and go quiet as I sit on the single chair beside them. Curling my legs up underneath myself, I take my cup and look at them curiously.

Dads uncomfortable. He probably wants to yell until he is hoarse and Mum has forbidden it.

Ah feel the love.

“So Elise, where would you like to begin?” Dad asks too politely. He is forcing it, and so I try and hold back my own attitude.

“When I left, I took off to the pack lands of Alpha Selene after finding out Jordan was supposed to go there, but he never made it. I wanted to see if she knew anything – mainly why he would go to her.”

“And?” Mum asks, settling into the chair she is clearly ready for story time. Like Ms. Huntington, maybe she needed to get more field work in every now and then.

“Well, that’s what started everything.” I tell them about my visit, the Apopyth and Alfie, going back to school and the shifters territory issues. Dad manages to keep quiet the whole time and all Mum does is offer a running commentary of ‘ohs and ah’s’.