Chapter Twenty-One

Seth

The scream came first, followed by a howl. I bolted for the door, my mind racing with thoughts of another traitor. I’d left Ellie alone, and I was kicking myself for it.

Once outside, I realized it wasn’t a traitor. I caught sight of a small wolf disappearing into the distance. Ellie’s clothes were scattered on the ground, torn to shreds.

I couldn’t believe it. She was barely ten. I knew adults sometimes struggled to control their wolves when they were upset or angry, but a ten-year-old?

Clayton must have heard the commotion because he came rushing out of the pack-house.

“Where’s Ellie? What happened?” he demanded.

I held up the torn dress, shaking my head in disbelief.

“She shifted...I don’t know how...it’s not supposed to be possible.”

Clayton’s glare was icy.

“You were supposed to be watching her,” he growled.

I sighed, “She was upset, needed some air, some time to think. I thought...”

“Well, you thought wrong. Let’s just hope she doesn’t wander into Zagan’s territory.”

I started to undress.

“I’ll go after her. I can track her.”

Clayton nodded, his face lined with worry.

“Link me when you find her. I can’t imagine what state she’ll be in. Ten-year-old pups aren’t meant to shift.”

I nodded, then let the transformation take over, my bones cracking as I shifted into my wolf form. I sniffed at the torn dress, picking up her scent almost instantly, and took off after her.

She was running in a near straight line, thankfully not heading east. At least she was still in our territory. But I was worried.

Her tracks showed she was running fast. Neither of them were in top shape. If they weren’t careful, they could burn out.

If that happened, she might not be able to shift back, at least not right away. And the pain must have been intense.

Shifting was hard enough for a thirteen or fourteen-year-old pup, and they never did it alone.

I heard another howl in the distance. I was closing in on her; she seemed to be heading towards the shore. Thankfully, far enough from Zagan’s territory to not be a problem.

But why was she heading to the lake? Was it random, or was she trying to cross into human territory? She wasn’t nearly strong enough to make the swim.

The lake was at least a mile wide.

I pushed myself harder. If she was trying to swim, I had to stop her before she even tried.

I was almost at the shore when I spotted a shape in the distance. It wasn’t a wolf. It was a small body.

My heart pounded in my chest as I quickly shifted back, silently praying to the moon-goddess that she was still alive.

As I ran over, I saw her chest rising and falling, albeit shallowly. I breathed a sigh of relief but checked her pulse just to be sure.

She was alive, but she was cold. Her already pale skin was even paler.

Clayton, I’m at the shore. She’s shifted back, but she’s unconscious. We need someone here fast with something to keep her warm.

I scooped her up, holding her small body close to my chest, trying to warm her with my body heat.

“Hang in there, Ellie. You can do this,” I whispered.

I’m on my way. I’m following in the truck. How close are you to Zagan’s border?

I looked eastwards, barely making out the treeline.

We’re safe. We must be at least five miles away.

I looked south, towards the pack-house and the mountains beyond. I could just make out some lights in the distance.

I prayed they were the lights of Clayton’s truck, not another assassin. If anything happened to this little pup now, it would be on me.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I could clearly see the truck, not just the headlights. It was Clayton’s truck.

As soon as it pulled up, he climbed out, a thick blanket in his hand.

“Give her to me,” he growled, still angry with me, “there are some clothes for you in the back.”

I grabbed the clothes, keeping an eye on Ellie.

“You drive. Crank up the heater.”

I nodded, not wanting to argue. I still thought I was right to give her space while she and her wolf were grieving.

I knew how I felt when I lost my parents, but now wasn’t the time for that discussion. Right now, we had to focus on getting Ellie back to the hospital.

I floored it, driving as fast as I could. I didn’t know if she was suffering from cold or shock. All I knew was we had to get back there fast.

As soon as we pulled up in front of the pack-house, Clayton jumped out with Ellie in his arms. The front doors were held open as he rushed her to the hospital.

I followed quickly, feeling a bit useless. I had found her, but if I hadn’t left her alone, none of this would have happened.

Veronica was already prepped and waiting when Clayton brought her in. He laid her on the bed.

“Both of you...out!” she ordered, before we could even say anything.

We left the hospital like scolded kids.

“I’m sorry,” I started, “I just knew how I felt when I lost my parents. I didn’t think she would run.”

Clayton sighed, “I know, and if it’s any consolation, I don’t think she did. If she had intended to run, she wouldn’t have shifted back at the lake. I think maybe she lost control.”

I sat down on the bench in the corridor outside the hospital, running my hands through my hair.

“I’ll never forgive myself if...” I started.

Clayton put a hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t... Don’t say it, don’t even think it. Veronica’s a good doctor.”

I let out a sigh and gave a nod. It seemed like all we could do was wait.

We sat in a quiet bubble, waiting for any news. Suddenly, one of the warriors who usually stood guard at the entrance came rushing in.

“Alpha Clayton, Beta Seth,” he bowed in respect, “I hate to interrupt, but there’s a wolf at the front who insists on seeing the Alpha.”

Clayton was on his feet in an instant.

“Insists!” Clayton’s voice was a low growl, “Who the hell does he think he is?”

The guard looked down, avoiding our gaze.

“He... he claims his name is Beta Alexander... says he’s your uncle.”

Clayton and I exchanged a look. It had been at least five years since either of us had seen Clayton’s uncle.

He lived a solitary life in a cabin near the mountains. Everyone knew he’d become a hermit after his mate left him, and after the death of the Alpha King and Queen.

Clayton used to try to visit him, but he was always met with a cold shoulder. Uncle Alex never left his mountain retreat, so why now?

“Let’s go see what he wants. Veronica will let us know if there’s any news.”

I nodded and followed Clayton towards the main entrance of the pack house.

If you didn’t know Beta Alexander, you’d never guess his age. I knew he was Clayton’s father’s older brother. He was a mountain of a man.

His long blonde hair hung loose around his shoulders, except for two tight braids at the sides.

A thick beard and mustache covered most of his face, and a scar ran down his right cheek, a souvenir from a silver blade.

He glared at us as we approached.

“Uncle Alex...” Clayton started.

“Don’t you Uncle Alex me,” he growled, “where is she?”

Clayton looked confused, “What? Who?”

Alexander narrowed his eyes.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know? Did you think I wouldn’t feel it when she joined the pack? When were you planning to tell me, or were you even going to?” he growled.

Despite his title of Beta, there was an unmistakable Alpha aura radiating from him as he spoke.

“I’m sorry...” Clayton started.

But he was cut off.

“Don’t...” he hissed, “Don’t feed me your weak excuses and apologies. Take me to my granddaughter,” he growled.