Adriel pinched the bridge of his nose. "Meryn, I told you before that you do not have to raise your hand to speak."
"Then quit reminding me of my teacher." Meryn turned to Demetrio. "What's that in human years?"
Adora wiped at her eyes. "Eight to ten years old. He would have barely learned how to shift back and forth on a regular basis by then."
Ellie reached down and placed her hand on her mate's thigh. He took at deep breath at the contact, relaxing his shoulders slightly.
"Your surname is Douglas, isn't it?" Declan asked in a tight voice.
Grant looked over at his friend. "I chose Douglas as my last name after the tree. I probably would have frozen to death without the wind break those trees provided the first few years I was on my own."
Adriel sat back. "So that is why I could not find anything about your familial pack."
Grant looked surprised. "You looked?"
Adriel gave him a flat expression. "Of course I looked. You have never told us anything about your family. Not in all the centuries you have been here. By now, one would expect a story on how they died if you had lost them, but you said nothing. I expected it to be bad, just not this bad."
"What is your real last name?" Declan asked.
Grant shook his head. Ellie squeezed his leg. He looked down at her, his fear clear to see. "They can't hurt you any more, my love."
He blinked then smiled broadly. "Love?"
She blushed and nodded. "You can trust your friends."
Grant took a ragged breath. "My name is Grant Fenrirson."
Ellie had never heard the name before, but from everyone's shocked expression, her mate had revealed something important.
Meryn waved her hand in the air.
Adriel didn't even chastise her this time. "Yes, Meryn?"
"Why do y'all look like you got kicked in the nuts?"
Grant's mouth twitched. "Meryn, how do you manage to make bad situations bearable?"
She shrugged. "It's what I do. I drink coffee and be awesome."
Grant's expression softened at her declaration. "Not many shifters can trace their family line to their first. For the vampires, they are called Originators, the head of their line. Shifter groups, depending on the animal, have individualized names. My father's line has been unbroken from the beginning, one of the original wolf shifters, Fenrir. So our last name is Fenrirson, or Fenrir's sons."
Meryn tilted her head and looked at Declan. "Is that like your name?"
Declan nodded, still looking dazed at his friend's revelation. "We are descended from one of the first lion shifters, it's why we carry the word 'lion' in our name."
Meryn snorted and elbowed her mate. "Looks like you missed the whole original animal boat Mr. McKenzie." She made a face. "I'm kinda glad; I'd hate to be called Meryn Bearhart or Pooh's sons."
Aiden just stared down at his mate. He looked up at Elizabeth, who shook her head. "You're it," she smirked at the Unit Commander.
Aiden rubbed the back of his neck. "Baby, the McKenzies can trace our line back to one of the first bear shifters. There are quite a few to be honest as there are different types of bears."
Meryn's eyes narrowed. "Then why are you called McKenzie?" Aiden shrugged.
Gavriel learned his throat. "Actually, it was because of a woman."
Aiden eyed his mate. "Why am I not surprised?"
Meryn punched her mate's thigh with a tiny fist. "Go on Gavriel," she encouraged.