Split in Time Ch. 05

Keira nodded and tilted her head aside, giving Crystal an unhampered view of her neck. Crystal leant forward and took three deep breaths, one after the other memorising Keira's unique scent and ingraining it her mind as Keira's.

"So where is this caravan?" Crystal asked

"Don't exactly remember how far but I moved due west from where I was released until I got to some crags then I climbed it and headed north, that's where I found the caravan, I then came back north east where I found Ghan's scent."

Crystal nodded, "We should be able to track that. We're going now while the storm is light, it'll cover our tracks."

"I'm going to help," he told Keira, "while we're gone everyone will be looking to you for leadership, if you need help talk to Maddie, she's a Beta and knows how the cave runs." He told her before he leant down and kissed her temple. "Rest as much as you can it will help."

Crystal grinned as they started to leave, "don't burn the cave down." She said before she cracked up laughing at some private joke, Ghan went red and hurried from the room, "tell you about it when we get back." She promised before she chuckled and followed a grumbling Ghan.

Keira glanced out the open door but the guard that had been on the door previously was gone. She groaned and threw back the covers, the least they could have done was close the door so that she could go back to sleep in peace. Gabby met her daughter at the door having decided to bring breakfast.

"What's for breakfast?" Keira asked as she closed the door, all thoughts of sleep gone. Gabby chuckled as she walked over to the bed with the tray of food.

"Get back in bed, keeping warm will keep your bones from aching." Gabby scolded as Keira bounced a little. Keira crawled back into bed and pulled the covers up. Her mother put the tray down across Keira's lap. "Now to answer your question, more stew, protein will get you back on your feet quickly." Gabby removed the cover which hid the food then perched on the bed to watch her daughter eat.

Keira savoured her meal, eating slowly, she chased some of the food down with tea and turned to her mother. "Ghan said the pack will look to me for leadership while he is gone."

Gabby nodded, "you are his mate, and it's what is expected of you."

"My job?" She asked her mother.

Gabby nodded, "yes, your job, you are his equal..."

"He chained me up! In what universe does that make me his equal?" Keira asked, "how can the pack trust me if he couldn't?" She added.

Gabby sighed and sat beside her daughter, wrapping an arm around her. "Do you remember what we taught you, the stories and legends, more so about those who are immortal?"

"What does that have to do with this?" Keira asked.

"Answer the question," Gabby said firmly, not to be swayed until she had her answer.

Keira thought for long moments, dredging up her teachings, "Immortals are both admired for their immortality and pitied for the same reason." Keira said out loud as that was the first thing to pop into her mind.

"Do you remember why they are pitied?" Gabby prompted.

"Admired because they live forever, pitied for the same reason, they watch those they love come and go, over and over again, each time it hurts them deeply, a wound which never completely heals." Keira answered using the same words her father had used.

"And Ghan is immortal, a very old one, I doubt that there is a Were immortal out there older than him." Gabby said firmly, "So, think about what you have just said and wonder, how many times he has loved and lost you, how many wounds have the previous incarnations of your soul left of his soul?"

Gabby got up and went to leave, picking up the forgotten meal knowing Keira wouldn't be able to finish it, "think about that when you think about him chaining you up. He has lost you so many times before, that having you then you running on him was bound to make an emotionally delicate man lose himself in fear that he would lose you again. To his mind what he did was reasonable."

Gabby turned and got to the door before she paused. "You are his equal Keira, more equal than you know."

"Ma, what moon cycle is it?" Keira asked suddenly almost at random.

"Waning moon of the tenth..." Gabby's eyes went wide as she realised what Keira mind had been thinking of. She turned to her daughter, "Oh shit!"

Keira nodded the small amount of her parents blood in her body which had made her adoption so much easier had also a few years ago changed her bleeding cycle, her heat was approaching.