Chapter 27

Ellie

I watched Daddy, waiting for him to decide my punishment. If it was the same as Samuel’s, it wouldn’t feel like a punishment at all.

I wanted to train, to become strong, to be a warrior. My size didn’t matter. Maybe he’d give me another time out. I didn’t like that, it stirred up too many memories.

Maybe he was worried I’d have another panic attack. I didn’t think I would. I had my wolf now. She helped me be brave. I wouldn’t have growled or even told Daddy no without her.

I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing, or if Daddy thought it was. I had a hunch that Grandpa liked it.

It felt like forever while Daddy decided. Then he stood up. He still seemed to tower over me. Suddenly, accepting the punishment didn’t seem like such a good idea.

Be brave, Ellie. Be strong. Remember who you are.

Nix’s voice echoed in my mind.

Maybe that was the problem. I didn’t know who I really was. Nix knew who she was though, and that would have to be enough.

“Ellie, you have a choice,” Daddy began, “You either apologize to Samuel or no chocolate for the rest of the day.”

I stared at Daddy in disbelief. This was supposed to be my party. When we had gone inside to get the food, there had been a huge chocolate cake. I guessed it would be cut later.

“Gabriel! That’s...” Nana started, but Daddy interrupted her by just raising a hand.

He glanced over at Nana.

“That’s my decision, Mother.”

He looked back at me. “Well, Ellie? That’s my decision, what’s yours?”

I glanced over my shoulder at Samuel, who was smirking more than ever now. ’lijah frowned at me and shook his head.

Was that a no, don’t apologize, or a no, don’t growl at him again?

I looked back at Daddy. Nix had told me to be strong.

I narrowed my eyes and clenched my fists. I wanted to let Nix take control so she could growl again, but I knew I shouldn’t.

“I guess I won’t be getting cake,” I huffed.

Daddy looked surprised. Maybe because I had chosen to accept the punishment, maybe because of the look on my face. Angry determination, I guess you would call it.

Daddy nodded and sat back down on his chair.

“Alright, Ellie. You can go and sit down.”

Go and sit down by the tree. Don’t sit down with Samuel’s.

Nix told me.

I agreed. I didn’t want to be anywhere near Samuel, although I did feel bad for not sitting back down with ’lijah.

I turned to walk towards a big oak, which was a little way away from where the blanket had been laid, and where Daddy was sitting with the others.

“Where are you going, pickle?” Daddy called out.

I turned to face him.

“My punishment is to not eat chocolate, not to watch everyone else eat what I can’t have,” I grumbled.

Daddy sighed, “This party is for you, pickle. People may want to come and say hello.”

I pouted and frowned, “Then let them say hello to me over there. If I sit with Samuel he’ll only be mean.”

I turned and headed back to the tree.

It would be a lousy party if I couldn’t even eat my own cake.

When I reached the tree, I sat down and leaned my back against it. I glared at Samuel, but he didn’t seem to care.

Give me control, Ellie.

Nix whispered.

I wasn’t sure if I should.

You promise you won’t growl at anyone?

I heard her chuckle, which made me smile.

I won’t growl. I will teach you how to use your senses. My senses. Our senses.

I wasn’t sure how I did it. Maybe I just had to think it, but I seemed to be able to either give her control or stop her from trying to take it.

I realized now, that when I growled it was really Nix, not me. Like when daddy growled. It must be his wolf.

I gave control to Nix, just like she asked. Only this time it felt different.

Close your eyes, Ellie. We’ll start with hearing. We can hear things from a lot further away. We just have to practice concentrating on one thing and blocking the others out. Use one sense at a time.

Soon you’ll be able to do this without giving me control, but for now…

I did as she asked and closed my eyes. I could suddenly hear so much, but it was all such a jumble, a mess.

Now we focus on one person. One conversation. Let's see what Daddy is saying.

She chuckled. It was a bit naughty. I knew that eavesdropping was wrong. Still, if he hadn’t barred me from chocolate cake we wouldn’t be doing this.

I felt all the other noises being blocked out, as Nix concentrated on Daddy. It wasn’t just Daddy we could hear either, it was Nana and Grandpa too.

“That was a bit harsh, Gabriel. I virtually promised her yesterday that she could have chocolate. She didn’t even cry when you cut her,” Nana complained.

Daddy sighed, “You really want her growling every time she can't get her own way. Letting her wolf take control. What about when she can shift?

“Do you want her shifting every time she gets annoyed with someone? She needs to realize that she can't just use her wolf to get her own way!”

I quickly took back control from Nix, and the sounds of the conversation faded.

What did he mean shift?

I asked Nix.

When we’re older, we can take wolf form. But you need to be stronger. Our bones need to break and reform. When they reform, we need to heal them.

I shuddered. The thought of bones breaking. I was sure it would hurt.

Nix chuckled in my head.

Of course it hurts the first few times, that’s why we have to wait until you’re bigger and stronger. But I can teach you how to use your senses.

I closed my eyes again. I was missing the chocolate cake but this was kind of fun. If daddy hadn’t punished me, we probably wouldn’t have done this.

I was on the verge of asking Nix what our next move should be when a voice reached my ears. Nix wasn’t in control and I hadn’t yet mastered the use of my heightened senses, so I knew someone was close by.

I opened my eyes to find my adversary. Samuel.

“I felt a little guilty, so I brought you some cake,” Samuel murmured.

I scrunched my eyebrows. Was this a scheme to land me in more trouble?

“Daddy said I can’t have cake,” I retorted.

Samuel crouched down beside me.

“I know,” he murmured, “but it can be our little secret. No one else has to know.”

Don’t trust him, Ellie. It’s a trap. Smell the cake.

I didn’t trust him to begin with. I wasn’t sure why Nix wanted me to smell the cake. Even without her heightened sense of smell, I knew I’d be able to detect the chocolate.

But I trusted Nix, so I sniffed it anyway.

Don’t eat it. It smells off.

I wondered if she could detect something I couldn’t. I hadn’t planned on eating it anyway. Chances were that Samuel would tell Daddy, and I’d get a harsher punishment.

Could Samuel really despise me so much that he’d poison me?

Then I heard Daddy’s voice. Maybe I was in for it now, just for being near a piece of cake.

“What’s happening here?” Daddy asked, “Why are you giving cake to Ellie, Samuel? You know she’s not allowed cake today?”

“I wasn’t going to take it, Daddy, I know I’m not allowed,” I quickly replied.

“She made me,” Samuel quickly whined, “She scared me when she growled so I did it.”

He was lying. I couldn’t believe he was standing there and lying. What if Daddy believed him and not me?

“I didn’t,” I whispered.

Daddy rolled his eyes.

“Well, one of you is lying. I don’t know which one it is.”

He glanced between the two of us. I guessed he was waiting for one of us to confess. I knew that Samuel was lying, but Samuel didn’t look like he was about to admit it.

I wondered what the punishment would be for lying to the Alpha. I guessed it would be pretty severe.

“Well,” Daddy continued, “since neither of you is going to confess, I guess you both will need to be punished. Ellie...No chocolate for the rest of the week.

Samuel...A one-hour run with Beta Murdoch before school for the rest of the week.”

Samuel shot me a glare. I just glared back. It was his fault that we were getting punished. Besides, he was getting off easy. I would happily trade punishments.

Daddy took the cake from Samuel.

“And I’ll eat this,” he smirked.

Daddy didn’t see the look of horror on Samuel’s face, but I did.

“Please Daddy, don’t eat it.” I pleaded, “Nix says there’s something bad in it.”

Daddy looked at me and frowned, then he looked at Samuel.

Samuel started to back away.

“It was just a joke,” he blurted.

Daddy’s eyes turned black and he strode purposefully towards Samuel.

“WHAT. DID. YOU. DO?” He growled.

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to stop the trembling. Daddy’s growl always scared me. Now I understood why he had punished me.

I watched as Jasmine came running over.

“Gabriel please,” she pleaded, “he’s just a pup!”

I watched as Daddy glared at Jasmine.

“He tried to poison her,” he growled through clenched teeth.

Daddy’s eyes were still black, but he had stopped growling.

Jasmine had wrapped her arms protectively around Samuel, who was now crying.

Then another woman came over. I didn’t know her, but she looked quite intimidating.

Daddy shoved the plate at her.

“Tell me? What’s in it?”

My eyes were now glued to the woman, as she examined the chocolate cake. She sniffed each part of it carefully, until she focused on the filling in the middle. Her eyes went black.

Her wolf was in control.

She’s a tracker. She specializes in scent. Her wolf will be able to identify the poison.

Nix concluded.

After a few moments, I heard the woman growl. She looked livid.

“Lobelia,” she hissed.

I didn’t know what it was, but Daddy and the woman looked furious. Jasmine looked shocked.

Daddy’s eyes returned to their normal color and he looked at the tracker woman.

“Thank you, Emma. Please dispose of it safely.”

The woman named Emma nodded and bowed. Then she looked at me and smiled.

Daddy looked at Jasmine.

“Bring him to my office in the morning. I’ll decide what to do with him then.”

I watched as Daddy walked towards me. When he was close, he crouched down in front of me.

“I’m sorry, Daddy,” I whispered.

If I hadn’t growled at Samuel, or if I had apologized, none of this would have happened.

Daddy picked me up and wrapped his arms around me.

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for, pickle. You probably just saved my life,” he whispered. “Now let's go home.”