Chapter 7

Gabriel

I trailed behind Jasmine, heading back to her place. It was a cozy little flat tucked away in the pack house. I’d never given much thought to my own rooms. They were just spaces I occupied, mainly the bedroom and the office, until Ellie came along.

We stepped into the living room and I was taken aback to see Jason lounging on the sofa, cradling the pup in his arms. Jasmine seemed just as surprised, and not in a good way.

“Didn’t I tell you to put her to bed?” She snapped.

Jason looked up, his expression softening.

“She was scared, so I brought her out here,” he defended. “I found her standing outside, right in front of the house. It seemed like she was contemplating running away.”

A pang of guilt shot through me. My wolf whimpered at the pain and fear we’d inflicted on her.

Never again.

He glanced down at her.

“She’s asleep now. She told me she could only fall asleep back there if her brother was with her.”

I frowned, “She has a brother?”

Jason nodded.

“Then why the hell didn’t he protect her, stop them from...”

My words trailed off, the thought too horrific to fully form, let alone voice.

I took a seat next to Jason as Jasmine disappeared into the kitchen.

“Hand her over to me,” I whispered, careful not to wake her.

Jason hesitated, but then gently passed her to me. She looked so serene in her sleep.

I tenderly brushed the hair from her face.

“What did they do to you, little pup?” I murmured.

She stirred, and when she opened her eyes and saw me, she let out a cry and tried to wriggle free.

I held her a bit tighter, hushing her and gently stroking her arm.

“It’s okay, Ellie, I’m not going to hurt you. You’re safe now,” I reassured her.

Her cries softened to a whimper, but I could still smell the fear radiating off her.

Jasmine emerged from the kitchen with plates of food, her brow furrowed in concern.

“Is she okay?” she asked, worry etched on her face.

I nodded, “She will be. Can you find her something light to eat? The doctor said we shouldn’t overfeed her,” I added.

Jasmine nodded, a smile playing on her lips as she retreated back into the kitchen.

I looked down at the little pup. She’d stopped whimpering, but she still looked terrified.

“How about you eat something?” I suggested.

She eyed me warily, then nodded.

I smiled gently, “Jasmine’s just getting you something.”

She frowned, “Jasmine?”

Her voice was barely a whisper. If it weren’t for my werewolf hearing, I might not have heard it.

“The woman who brought you here. Her name is Jasmine. She’s my sister and Jason’s mate,”

Her brow furrowed, “Wh...what’s a mate?”

I chuckled, amused by her curiosity. I wasn’t sure how to explain it.

“Well,” I began, “werewolves have mates. The moon goddess chooses who your mate is, then they live together and have pups...like your mom and dad,” I added.

She gasped, and started to tremble.

“I...I don’t want to be a mate,” she stuttered.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“No, little pup, you’re not a mate. I’m going to take care of you, just like your mom and dad did.”

She blinked a couple of times.

“Daddy died, he couldn’t take care of me. They came and took us away.”

Her bottom lip started to tremble.

I gently stroked her forehead, “I know, little one, but that won’t happen here. I’m going to take care of you now, and when I’m not around, Jasmine and Jason will be.”

Right on cue, Jasmine returned from the kitchen.

She crouched down in front of us.

“Hey,” she greeted Ellie with a smile.

“Jas-mine,” Ellie sounded out the word.

Jasmine smiled, “That's right. Now, I brought you something to eat. If you don’t like it, just leave it and I’ll find you something else.”

Ellie looked at the plate. Jasmine had arranged a variety of fruit on it, all cut into bite-sized pieces. There was apple, orange, banana, and strawberry.

“Wh...what is it?” Ellie asked curiously.

Jasmine smiled, pointing at each type of fruit and telling Ellie what they were.

“A is for apple,” Ellie recited.

I chuckled, “Yes, that’s right. How did you know that?”

She looked up at me, fear creeping back into her eyes.

“I...I saw it, in a picture book...but I won’t look again...I promise,” she blurted out.

I frowned and looked at Jasmine, who just shrugged.

“It’s okay, Ellie. You can look at books. In fact, when you get stronger and start school, there’ll be loads of books for you to look at,” I encouraged.

She looked surprised, “School?” she questioned.

I smiled, “You’ll be able to learn lots of new things. But for now, let's get some food into you, shall we?”

Ellie nodded meekly and looked at the plate of fruit hesitantly.

I picked up a slice of apple and held it near her mouth.

She slowly opened her mouth, and I popped it in.

“Now, this might taste a bit different from the apple you ate before Jason found you. Those were starting to go bad, which is why we give them to the pigs.”

I watched as she ate the apple. She must have been starving, but she didn’t scarf it down. It was almost as though she was savoring the flavor.

It was beyond me that a twelve-year-old pup had never eaten fruit before.

“Is it good?” I asked her.

She nodded her head.

Each piece of fruit I fed her, she ate in the same manner. She didn’t turn her nose up at any of it. To be fair, it was all fruit and sweet-tasting. I wondered if it would fill her up.

I was itching to mind-link Erik or Amy for some advice, but I knew it freaked her out. Maybe I should break it down for her, maybe then she wouldn’t be so spooked.

“Ellie?”

She glanced my way and nodded.

“You get that we’re not like you, right?”

She nodded again, but her face was clouded with worry.

“You know how sometimes we do stuff that freaks you out, like when our eyes change color?” I went on.

She fixed her gaze on my face, her eyes locked on mine.

I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

She pouted and squinted her eyes at me.

“When that happens, Ellie, it’s because we’re chatting with our minds. It’s a thing we can do that humans can’t,” I explained.

She gasped and sat there, mouth agape. Then I actually heard her gulp.

“Wh...what else can you do?” she stammered.

I gently stroked her arm.

“Lots of stuff, but right now I just want you to understand that if you see our eyes change color, there’s no need to freak out,”

She nibbled on her bottom lip.

“Ok,” she murmured.

I grinned, “So Ellie, I’m going to chat with someone now. I just don’t want you to get scared, Ok?”

She nodded.

I mind-linked to Amy.

Can you give me some advice about how much Ellie should be eating? We’ve just fed her a small plate of fruit.

I heard a gasp. I looked at Ellie. She was staring at me, but this time with awe instead of fear. Whenever she made progress, it filled me with pride.

She was such a courageous little soul, considering everything she had been through.

I picked up Amy’s mind-link.

Keep her food light. Fruit is good. Nothing too rich. Let her decide when she’s had enough.

My eyes returned to normal, and I double-checked that Ellie was okay.

She was still staring at me, her eyes fixed on mine.

I couldn’t help but laugh. I realized over the last hour I had done nothing but smile and laugh. Not something that I did very often.

Maybe I needed her just as much as she needed me.

Jasmine took the empty plate that had held Ellie’s fruit, and handed me the breakfast she had prepared for me.

Ellie’s gaze shifted from my face to my plate of food.

“Are you still hungry pup?” I asked her.

She quickly shook her head. I sensed that she wasn’t being completely honest.

I put some of the scrambled eggs onto a fork and held it up.

“Do you want to try some?” I asked her.

She blinked a couple of times. I was beginning to notice she did this when she was a little unsure.

“C...can I?” she asked.

I smiled and brought the fork to her mouth. She opened up and took a bite.

Then she pulled a face.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

I put my other hand out.

“Go on, spit it out if you don’t like it,” I chuckled.

She hesitated for a few seconds, then spit the egg out in my hand. Then she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

Jasmine looked at us both and laughed.

“I’ll go get a cloth,” she chuckled, “and some juice for Ellie?” she questioned.

I nodded. Ellie was still too busy pulling faces as the flavor of the egg lingered in her mouth.

When Jasmine returned, I wiped my eggy hand on the cloth and handed Ellie the cup of juice.

She looked at it suspiciously.

Jasmine chuckled.

“It’s only orange juice, Ellie. It’ll take away the taste of the egg.”

Ellie sipped the juice, tentatively at first. Then realizing it had the same flavor as the piece of orange she had eaten, she quickly drank it.

Ellie didn’t look at my plate of food after that. I was sure it would be a little trial and error. She’d never eaten half the food that normal people eat.

This was going to be a new experience for both of us.