Chapter Eleven

Alpha Clayton

I didn’t want to put the little pup in a control hold. It felt wrong, like a she-wolf disciplining her pup.

She’d already submitted to me back in the cell, but she needed to understand that I was her Alpha.

I had no plans to hurt her like Zagan and his lowlife beta had, but she needed to learn that attacking another pack member, even if provoked, wasn’t okay.

She needed to learn to control her anger, her temper.

She had every reason to be angry, of course. She’d lost her companion...her brother, even if he wasn’t her real brother. She’d been abused, for how long, I didn’t know. Somehow, they’d managed to escape.

I needed to know if they were the only ones, or if Zagan had more pups like them. I needed to understand the extent of Zagan’s wickedness.

The little pup needed to understand that I was in charge, that I expected honesty and answers. I wanted to know how she was immune to silver.

Had Zagan been breeding a type of silver immune werewolf? If so, why, and how?

As we reached the ground floor, she tried to wriggle out of my grasp. I tightened my hold just long enough for her to stop, then I loosened it a bit.

“You need to behave, little one. Do you understand?”

I could smell a hint of fear. I didn’t want to scare her, but she needed to learn. Maybe she was testing her limits, seeing how far she could push.

“Yes, Alpha.”

Her voice was soft.

“Good girl,” I praised.

After that, I didn’t need to tighten my hold anymore.

Once we reached the hospital, I let go of her hand and gently placed mine on her shoulder as I opened the door.

The doc was at his desk, engrossed in some paperwork. He looked up as we walked in.

“That’s not your blood I hope, little pup,” he joked.

Joseph was an excellent doctor, though his bedside manner took some getting used to.

Ellie looked at the floor.

I’d noticed she did this often. She had trouble making eye contact. I figured this was another side effect of Zagan or Dante.

“I think most of that belongs to Olivia,” I replied, “how is she?”

The doc rolled his eyes, “complaining about the injustices of life, as usual.”

I chuckled, “nothing new there then.”

Joseph stood up.

“Let's take a look then, what’s the problem?”

“Her fist had a disagreement with the wall,” I smirked.

Joseph shook his head, “over here then.”

He walked towards an examination bed.

I gently guided Ellie towards it. When we reached it, I lifted her onto it. It wasn’t that she couldn’t have climbed on herself, but she seemed a bit out of it.

Her eyes were wide, like a rabbit about to be breakfast for a wolf. I could smell her fear, stronger now, even though she was trying to hide it.

I wondered if she’d had a bad experience with a doctor. Unlikely while under Zagan’s control. From what I’d heard, if his warriors got hurt, he figured it was their own fault.

She looked at me in surprise. It seemed that any act of kindness surprised her.

“Let’s take a look,” Joseph said, grabbing her wrist.

Gently Joseph, she may not show it, but she’s a scared little pup.

I quickly mind-linked.

Joseph glanced at me, eyebrows raised, as if he didn’t believe it.

He hummed, walked over to a cabinet, and grabbed a bottle of what looked like disinfectant, some cotton wool, and a bandage.

Joseph started to clean the cuts. The disinfectant must have stung, but she didn’t cry out or complain. She just squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip.

I thought for a moment she was going to draw blood. She was such a brave little pup.

I gently placed my hand on the top of her head. That’s when I realized how small she was.

“It’s okay Ellie, he’ll be done in a minute,” I soothed, shooting a warning glare at Joseph.

I gently nudged her head towards my shoulder. I was surprised that she didn’t resist. Instead, she almost buried her head in my chest. Maybe all this pup needed was a little love and kindness.

Joseph wrapped her hand with the bandage.

“Try not to get it wet when you shower, and try not to hit any more walls. Is your wolf awake and healing you?”

She lifted her head and shook it.

“She’s resting,” Ellie mumbled.

Joseph rolled his eyes, “in that case, you better leave the bandage on for a couple of days.”

I gently lifted her down from the bed.

“Come on, let's get you a change of clothes and a shower.”

I put my hand gently on her back, guiding her towards the door.

“Don’t forget... don’t get it wet,” Joseph grumbled.

“Miserable bastard,” I muttered, as we left the room.

Ellie looked up at me, eyes wide in surprise.

I smiled down at her and winked, “perks of being the Alpha, come on let's get you out of that bloody shirt.”

Seth, can you grab some clothes for Ellie, ask Charlotte’s mom. They should be around the same size, bring them to my rooms.

I mind-linked my beta, as I guided Ellie towards my own living quarters.

The guest room was fine while she was recovering, but she couldn’t stay there forever. She would need an adult wolf to take care of her.

I didn’t think any of the others would be prepared to do that, not while she still smelled like a rogue.

I could make other arrangements once she’d been blooded into the pack. I’m sure Seth would have volunteered, but he was still young himself.

Not old enough to care for a feisty ten-year-old with anger issues. The last time he’d looked after her was evidence of that.

This wasn’t ideal, but it would have to do.

I opened the door and ushered her inside.

She looked around curiously.

I pushed open the door to the guest room. It came with its own bathroom, which meant she could have a bit of privacy when she needed to clean up. And judging by her appearance, she hadn’t done that in a while.

I gestured towards the bathroom.

“Go ahead and shower. I’ll leave some clean clothes in here for you.”

She gave me a nod, careful to keep her gaze lowered.

“Is...is this where I’m staying?” she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

I nodded. “For now. Once you’re done, come to the living room. We need to talk.”

I watched her scan the room, her gaze lingering a bit longer on the window. Then I left her alone to shower and get used to her surroundings.

This was the best solution. The Alpha and Beta’s quarters were on the third floor. I had a hunch that she’d bolt at the first chance she got. This way, she couldn’t.

The only other option was to lock her up in the cells. She’d already spent too much time in Zagan’s dungeon. Plus, the cells were no place for a pup.

As soon as I shut the bedroom door, there was a knock at the main door. I opened it to find Seth standing there, grinning.

I rolled my eyes and stepped aside to let him in.

“Beer?” I asked.

He nodded and set a stack of clothes on the couch.

“Help yourself, and grab one for me too. I’ll leave these in the bedroom for the pup.”

Seth nodded.

“There’s a mix of stuff. Charlotte’s mom was more than happy to help.”

I figured she would be. Veronica had taken Charlotte in when she was about two, after Charlotte’s parents were killed in a border skirmish.

We’d thought it was rogues at the time, but I had a feeling it was Zagan stirring up trouble. Since then, we’d doubled the border guard.

He knew better than to try anything now.

I was proud of my pack. Whenever something like that happened, someone would step up and care for the pup as if it were their own. I hoped the same could be done for Ellie.

She’d clearly been through some rough stuff in her short life. Maybe it was luck, or maybe it was fate that brought her here.

She was definitely a damaged little pup, but we’d do our best to help her heal. Who knows, maybe she’d even find her mate here when the time was right.

I hated how isolated we were from the rest of the territory, but we didn’t have a choice. The council was supposed to be the voice of reason. They weren’t.

They never had been, so we split off. We’d hoped other packs would follow our lead, but that didn’t happen.

Now, with Zagan’s territory being the only route to the other territories, we had no hope of finding our mates that way.

We could try crossing the mountains, but they were too dangerous. Even if we made it, the journey could take months, maybe even a year.

And there was no guarantee we’d find a mate on the other side.

Still, we had a strong community and plenty of mated pairs. Seth and I weren’t among them, but I’d learned to live with it.

I just hoped that one day, one of the younger females might turn out to be Seth’s mate. He deserved that.

I doubted I’d find my mate now, so Seth was my best bet for the next pack leader. But only if he found his mate, so we could continue the line through birth.

When I walked into the bedroom, I could hear the shower running in the bathroom. I quickly set the clothes on the bed and left the room.

She needed some privacy. I doubted she’d had much of that before.

Seth handed me a beer he’d grabbed from the fridge as I sat down on the couch.

Now all we could do was wait and see if the pup would give us some answers.