Chapter 33

Natalie instantly broke into a cold sweat. Of all the luck, she had to have run into family of the one man she killed. Sure he was a piece of shit who did not deserve to breathe the same air as everyone else, but trying to convince a family member of that would be insanely difficult. Did she try and see where honesty would get her? Should she try and blame it on the monsters? Lying could work, but Nat has never had a strong poker face. Wearing your heart on your sleeve is great, until you feel a need to deceive. As Natalie internally batted back and forth her options, a loud cough sounded through the room. "Well, what happened in Waterton? Does my cat have your tongue?" Gertrude inquired pointedly. There it was, she obviously knew that there was something conflicting Natalie, and decided to bring it to the foreground. Why did old people always seem to know someone was hiding something?

Preparing herself, Nat looked Gertrude dead in the eyes. "Out of everyone in Waterton, I am the only person left who is alive. The monsters got to everyone else. However with your grandson it was different." Pausing, Nat breathed deeply to calm herself and make sure she had her facts straight. "When I came across him, he was trying to break into my house with the help of two goblins." All throughout her speech, her eyes never left Gertrude's.

Gertrude stared back into her eyes for a few seconds, before sighing and leaning back into the chair. She rubbed her forehead in thought, "So Troy was working with goblins. Do you know why? And what happened to the three of them?"

"He was probably going to try and make me his bed toy. He had talked about making me his for the past three years. This time was different. Not only was I fed up with his shit, but I was already in a shit mood and was tired from having just buried Bryden's remains when I came across him. As he tried to take me by force, me and mine killed the three of them with no mercy." As Nat finished explaining this, she already started leaning forwards, so as she could make a run for it should this get violent. Since she never got to know any good sides of Troy, she had no idea on what kind of relationship he had with his grandmother. She sensed the wolves getting ready to come out and help her fight her way out, should it be needed.

"Fucking idiot." The words that came from Gertrude's mouth surprised Natalie. "He kept saying how he found the one and was doing his best to make her happy. Turns out he still didn't know how to treat people properly. I take it none of the stories he told me were correct?" After hearing this, Natalie eased her grip on the couch and leaned back. Point by point, the two of them compared notes on what he had said versus what he had actually done. The more that they actually went through the list, the more disgusted Gertrude got with her grandson. "I am sorry you had to deal with that idiot. I had hoped that his parent had taught him better, but apparently he was spoiled and left without understanding how to interact with others properly. Turns out what Bryden had been telling me was not all made up to spite me. Tell me, why were you the one to live and everyone but my son passed on? Surely that old coot alone would not have gone quietly."

Slowly, Natalie went through the events of what had happened, with her heading off on a camping trip, seeing the smoke and rushing back. She left out the wolves, as that could be a lot to deal with for the old lady. Who in their right mind would just believe that someone has a pack of wolves in them? Or trust them after words for that fact. She went over how she had encountered a few goblins in the woods, briefly mentioned what happened with Angie before explaining how she found Bryden. Gertrude's eyes had started tearing up partway through, and she finally lost it when she heard what state he was in and what he had done for the wolves at the enclosure. The elderly woman got up and walked over to Natalie, before collapsing beside her into the chair and just hugged her, bawling. Feeling the loss of her mentor once more, Nat hugged her back and started crying with her.

Once they got all of the tears out that they could, they slightly separated again. Natalie shared how she had dug and buried both Bryden and Angie in the enclosure, trying not to leave a single detail out. As she finished explaining that, Gertrude grasped her hands. "Thank you for what you did for him. He deserved so much better than to have it all end that way, but I am glad that my friend was taken care of in the end. Now, I just have something I want to clear up. You said you were the only survivor. But you also said that you and yours took care of the goblins and my good for nothing grandson. So who were the others who have helped you along?"

Adopting a deer in headlights look, Natalie was about to respond to her when a voice resonated in her mind. 'She seems kind and understanding. Let her know.' Kali's words broke the final wall that held her back. She just did not want to expose them without checking for their opinion. It was said though that dogs could tell if a person was good or bad. The possibility that wolves could do the same was not an unfounded thought. Breathing out a breath of relief, "There were some friends I made while I was camping and back right after I found Bryden. They have helped keep me alive and even helped me give him a proper burial." Getting Maia, Kali, and Ash to come out into the office, she gestured to the wolves beside her, "These are just three of the canines that have become family to me. And they helped me find out that our world changed so much more than we initially thought."

Huge thanks to my Elder Wolves Jake, Viktor, Nikolas, Saganatsu, Lachlan, Coen, Adam, John, and Kevin for supporting me and my writing! Remember that I keep Patreon ten chapters ahead at all times.