Chapter Thirty-Two

Ellie

For the next two weeks, I was practically glued to my Daddy’s side. Even when he was asleep, I was there, keeping him company. My grandfather’s grand plan for me to return and learn to socialize was completely derailed.

Veronica and Clayton had to practically drag me away from his bedside, just so I could get some sleep.

Daddy didn’t talk much about his ordeal, but I knew it must have been horrific. Two years in Zagan’s dungeon had been bad enough for me. At least I had Sammy to keep me company.

Daddy had been all alone. That’s not normal for a wolf. That’s why we live in packs.

I couldn’t shake off the guilt. If it hadn’t been for me, none of this would have happened. He wouldn’t have had to search for me, or defy the council.

Then they wouldn’t have locked him up, and starved him nearly to death. I knew he would scold me for feeling guilty, so I kept it to myself. But the guilt was slowly eating me up from the inside.

Being with Daddy helped ease some of that guilt.

I was leaving Clayton’s apartment, ready to spend another day at the hospital.

“Ellie? Why aren’t you in school? You still need to study and train.”

I stopped, closed my eyes, and sighed before turning around to face my grandfather.

“I’m going to see my daddy,” I replied.

Grandfather looked at me and scowled.

“He’s not your father. Your father died of the fever. You have responsibilities, Ellie. You’ll be Alpha Queen one day,” he scolded.

All the guilt, all the anger that had been building up inside me, suddenly erupted.

“I don’t care if he’s not my blood relative. He did more for me than anyone,” I yelled.

“My real parents! They didn’t care. They handed me over to be abused by the camp commander. They never even told me what I was. They just left me to figure it out.

“Gabriel was more of a father than both of them combined.”

I took a step forward and glared at him.

“And you... You don’t care about me. All you care about is that I’m the next Alpha queen. You never ask how I feel, spend time with me, just to be with me.

“All I am to you is heir to a throne I don’t even want,” I spat.

I was almost knocked off my feet when his hand collided with my face.

I held my hand to my face and stared at him, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall.

He narrowed his eyes, and they flashed black. His fists clenched. I could tell he was having trouble suppressing his wolf.

“Don’t you dare speak of your parents like that, or to me. You selfish little whelp. Do you realize what people have given up just to get you where you are?

“You may not like it, but you have responsibilities. I forbid you to see that alpha again. The sooner he leaves here with the mutts he brought with him, the better.”

I glared at him, still holding my stinging cheek. My heart was pounding in my chest. There was no way I was going to let him force Daddy, Murdoch, and Emma to leave.

I shook my head.

“You have no idea, do you?” I hissed. “No idea what they did to me, the humans that my so-called parents handed me over to. Alpha Gabriel... Daddy, he’s the only one who knows.”

“If you think for one minute you can stop me from seeing him, you can think again.”

I watched him as he took a step towards me.

I put my hands down by my sides and held up my face.

“Go on. Hit me again if it makes you feel any better. I won’t change my mind. You can hit me till I bleed. I’ll never abandon my daddy the way my parents abandoned me,” I declared.

He stopped and glared at me. Then I heard him growl before he turned tail and stormed off in the other direction.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. My hands were shaking.

My grandfather had never hit me before, not in anger. He’d knocked me down a couple of times when we had sparred in training.

I walked slowly towards the hospital. All the things I’d said out loud were true. The only person who really understood me was my daddy. None of the others had a clue what had happened to me.

Not even my brother Jackson.

Seven years. That’s how long it took my daddy to find me, and he never stopped looking. If he was going to leave, then I would leave with him.

I was a little calmer when I reached the hospital and was surprised to see daddy sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed.

I walked towards him and grinned.

Doctor Veronica was there as well.

Daddy smiled at me.

“I’m allowed out for a walk today.”

I grinned back and offered him my arm.

He was about to take it, then he frowned and put his hand gently on my cheek.

“What happened to your face, Ellie?” he asked, concern in his voice.

I shook my head.

“Nothing, it’s fine. It’ll soon heal, I’m half werewolf, remember,” I forced a smile.

Before he had a chance to answer, the door was flung open with a crash.

“What did you do? Why...”

Clayton began to yell, then the words died on his lips as he stared at me.

“He hit you?” he asked, shock on his face.

I looked at him and nodded.

I felt daddy’s hand on my face as he gently turned my head to look at him.

“Who hit you, Ellie? Tell me?” he demanded.

I sighed.

“My grandfather,” I whispered.

I could see the turmoil in Daddy’s face. Happy that I’d found family, angry and sad that my grandfather had hit me.

“I think,” Clayton began, “we should go to my office. There are some things you need to know, Alpha Gabriel.”

I held out my arm, and Daddy took it. Then I glanced at Clayton.

“Where is he, my grandfather?” I asked.

Clayton rolled his eyes.

“He’s gone back to the mountain. He called you an ungrateful brat,” he stated.

I gave a nod. I’d thought I’d be upset, but I wasn’t. Grandfather and Daddy were as different as night and day. When we descended from the mountain, I’d thought I needed him to stick around.

I remember him promising to stay as long as I needed him. I hadn’t anticipated our goodbye to be so bitter.

Being back with the pack, even for a short while with the other kids, I realized how much I’d missed. Life was more than just training and studying.

My grandfather hadn’t seen that, and I hadn’t either. Eat, sleep, train, study. That was all there was. No room for fun.

I hoped Daddy wouldn’t change his tune when he found out who I was by blood.

I was about to find out.

We were in Clayton’s study. Me, sitting next to Daddy on the couch. His arm was wrapped around me and I leaned into him, while Clayton leaned on the edge of his desk.

“Alpha Gabriel, you need to know who Ellie is. You must have noticed that she has a powerful wolf,” he started.

Daddy nodded, rubbing my arm.

“To be honest, Alpha Clayton,” he responded, “I don’t really care. I adopted her as my daughter, and that’s what she is to me.”

Clayton nodded.

“Her grandfather wasn’t entirely pleased about that. I doubt he intended to hit her like that.”

I rolled my eyes.

“I’m right here!” I huffed.

Clayton grinned.

“I know you are, Ellie. So, do you want to tell Alpha Gabriel who you are, or should I?”

I sighed and shrugged.

“Ellie’s grandfather was the Alpha king’s beta. His mate was a human white witch. The Alpha king also had a human mate, the princess royal,” Clayton started.

Daddy nodded.

“They both had pups. Ellie’s grandmother also had the gift of sight. She foresaw the purge.

“When the Queen became pregnant, and when she herself became pregnant, she used dark magic to purge the children’s wolves, though they would still carry the werewolf gene.

Once they were born, she took both children across the border. It turned out that the children were mates. They lived a human life and started a family,” he finished.

Daddy looked at me and smiled.

“So, pickle, you’re the granddaughter of the Alpha King and the last royal human?”

I rolled my eyes and nodded.

He kissed the top of my head, then he looked at Clayton.

“As I said before, it doesn’t change a thing for me. She’s still my daughter, even if you don’t recognize the council’s adoption process.”

I looked at Clayton.

“I won’t abandon him. He’s my daddy. Grandfather tried to forbid me to see him, and he said he was going to make him leave. If he leaves, I’m going with him.” I blurted.

Clayton rolled his eyes.

“No one’s leaving or abandoning anyone.”

He looked at Daddy and smiled.

“You’re welcome to stay here as long as you like. It seems that your pretty little tracker is my mate. I must inform you though, we plan to wage war on the council-run packs.

“The council needs to be overthrown. Zagan needs to be overthrown, and I’m sorry to say, so does your father.”

Daddy smiled and nodded.

“I’m happy for both of you, and I agree. But there might be a more urgent problem.”

Clayton frowned.

“Which is?”

Daddy let out a heavy sigh.

“The council-run packs are planning to wage war on the humans. They plan to wipe them out completely. If we don’t step in, there won’t be any humans left.

“If we don’t step in, it’s likely that a lot of wolves will fall, not from silver bullets, but from the loss of their mates.”