Chapter 11

Jordan stirred in bed, and her hand came up, resting on her forehead. She had a throbbing headache; it felt like her head was about to explode. Lying on her stomach, she opened her eyes as the memories rushed back in and she instantly whipped around and sat up, all senses on high alert. Her vision was slightly blurred as she looked around the room and then down at the bed she was lying in.

Nothing looked familiar. Where the hell was she?

She raked a hand through her hair remembering the earlier events. Oh God, Jude. That man. The Kodiaks! She placed a hand over her mouth so she wouldn’t make any sounds. Swinging her legs over the bed, her feet touched the wooden plank floor. She examined the room for a second. She was in some kind of cabin. There were three windows on three of the four walls, plus a small kitchenette, living room, and the bed she was sitting on which was in the back corner.

The entire cabin looked to be the size of Lennox’s living room, maybe 800 square feet in size. Just as she was about to get up and bolt for the door, she felt a sharp pain run through her skull and her vision blurred again. She closed her eyes and ran her fingers up to her temples, quickly massaging them, trying to soothe the area. She opened her eyes again to see an older woman approaching the bed. Jordan quickly looked at the door, which was still closed and then back at the woman.

Jordan watched her pull a chair up a few feet in front of her. The woman was holding a teacup and gestured for her to take it, but she quickly slapped it away and watched the contents spill on the floor and the cup roll to the other side of the room.

“Who are you? Where am I?” Jordan snapped at her like a caged animal.

The woman stared at her with a look of empathy, then stood from her chair and walked to the kitchen area, ignoring her questions. She put the kettle on the stove, then turned on the burner and walked back to the chair to sit once again.

Jordan was growing impatient as she studied the woman. She looked to be at least eighty or ninety. She had long wiry, gray hair that was full of waves and followed the contour of each side of her face. Her eyes were large and dark chocolate like her own. The woman’s face was weathered and caramel color with deep crow’s feet at the edges of her eyes. She had deep wrinkles in her cheeks and around her mouth, but you could see that she was still very beautiful for her age and must have been even more so in her younger days.

Jordan thought she would try to approach the woman differently. In her softest voice, she asked again, “Where am I?”

She watched the old woman smile and then she said, “Where you belong, child.” The woman took a breath and placed her hands on her lap. “You have been missing for so many years.” She said in the softest voice that crackled in the slightest way.

Jordan shook her head not understanding her words. “Missing? Who are you?” She asked giving the woman a confused frown.

The woman leaned into Jordan and took her hands into her own. They were old, weathered and fragile. She finally looked up into Jordan’s eyes and said, “I’m Mamma Crone, your maternal grandmother.”

Jordan pulled her hands away from the woman abruptly like she had just been burnt and shook her head. She could feel herself become enraged at the woman’s words. “You are not my maternal grandmother. My family was slaughtered by the Kodiaks when I was a child. You are a Kodiak.” Jordan hissed the words at the woman.

The woman’s smile turned somber and then she looked at Jordan. “Humor an old woman would you?” She smiled again and said, “Lift up your shirt please so I can see the left area beside your belly button.”

“What? No!” Jordan retorted.

“We both know what is there, child.” Mamma Crone said.

“You could have looked while I was sleeping,” Jordan said arching an eyebrow.

“I don’t have to look, honey; I know it’s there because I have the same one.” The woman pulled up her shirt revealing her stomach.

Jordan’s eyes were wide as saucers when she looked at the raised scars of four small claw marks that were colored pink just like her mark. She raised her head looking at the woman confused once again. Jordan finally pulled up her shirt and looked down at her mark and then again at the woman. “I don’t understand. How is that possible?” Jordan asked.

“That, my dear, is the sign of the Kodiak.” The woman smiled again; like she had just won a chess game. “A true Kodiak is always born with the mark.”

Jordan raked her hand through her hair again and shook her head. None of this made sense to her, and she was becoming extremely agitated. She stood and started pacing the floor and then turned to the woman. “I was not born with this mark. It only just appeared a few months ago.” Jordan barked. “Are you trying to say I’m a Kodiak?”

The woman stood and walked to where Jordan was standing. She grabbed her hands in her own and said, “Yes, you are of royal blood, child. The top of the Kodiak pack. Only Kodiak bloodlines carry the mark.” The woman’s hand came up and cupped the side of Jordan’s cheek. “I understand you’re confused. You have been gone for fourteen years. We are not going to hurt you. I want you to know the truth, all of it. You need to understand what truly happened that day.” She said softly and then paused. “Give us a chance, and if you still don’t believe us— if you truly believe you are not a Kodiak— I will have Asher bring you back to Anchorage.” The woman said tilting her head right. “Does that sound fair?”

Jordan’s head was spinning, and so many thoughts were racing through her head. Nothing made any sense, and she didn’t know who to trust or what was the truth. She had no explanation as to why the woman wore the same mark on her body as she did. Jordan looked into the woman’s eyes, trying to find any deception within their depths, but all she saw was sincerity, sadness, and love. She saw nothing that indicated the woman wanted to harm her, besides, the men that had taken her would have done that already if that is what their intentions were.

“Alright. I will stay and then I want to be brought back to Anchorage in the morning.” She whispered, almost doubting her decision.

She watched the woman close her eyes and smile. When she opened them again, she said, “Come...sit down, there is much to tell.