Chapter Thirty-Six

Ellie

The morning arrived too quickly. I hadn’t really slept. My mind was buzzing. Today, I’d be crossing the border again. Something I never thought I’d do.

Especially after the horrors I’d experienced in the camps.

But I was doing this for a greater cause. I just hoped they wouldn’t shoot us on sight. From what I’d seen, the humans on the other side of the border weren’t exactly friendly.

Maybe they’d be different in this part of the territory. We were miles away from the place I used to call home, even though it never really felt like one.

Clayton looked taken aback when I walked into the kitchen. He was already making breakfast in the apartment.

“Couldn’t sleep?” he asked.

I shook my head.

“My mind wouldn’t shut down,” I confessed.

Clayton hummed in response.

“Are you scared, Ellie? Because if you are, you don’t need to be. Alpha Gabriel, Beta Seth, Murdoch, and two of my best warriors will be there.

“Their main job is to protect you if anything goes wrong.”

I let out a deep sigh, but before I could say anything, I heard my dad’s voice.

“Nothing’s going to happen. We’ll make the offer, wait for their response, and then come home,” he assured me.

I turned to him and managed a smile.

I knew I should trust him. He’d always do his best to protect me. But we were stepping into the unknown.

What if they had guns loaded with silver bullets? I wasn’t so much worried about myself, but more about the others who were venturing into human territory for the first time in a long while.

Seth and Murdoch joined us for breakfast in Clayton’s apartment. It was a quiet meal, with no one really in the mood for conversation. Everyone was preoccupied with the task ahead.

Once we were done, we headed to the car waiting outside.

Clayton drove, with Seth in the passenger seat. I sat in the middle row with my dad and Murdoch, while the two warriors took the back seats.

We had to drive down to the lake, where a boat was docked, ready to take us across.

It was already flying a white flag, the old symbol humans at war used to request a truce.

I’d never been on a boat before. Heck, I’d never really been near water, except for when we ran to the shore. I suddenly realized I didn’t know how to swim.

If the boat sank, I’d drown.

My face turned pale as I started to panic. Memories of the commander trying to drown me in the pool flooded back.

Suddenly, I felt an arm around my shoulder.

“Hey, pickle,” my dad comforted, giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze.

I was quickly pulled back to reality.

“I...I can’t swim,” I stammered.

“What if the boat sinks?”

My dad smiled at me and led me over to the boat. He grabbed something from inside.

“Here, put this on,” he suggested.

I frowned. It looked like a jacket.

“What is it?” I asked.

My dad chuckled.

“The humans call it a life jacket. If anything happens, you pull this cord, and it inflates and will keep you afloat.”

I furrowed my brow.

“What’s going to happen?” I asked, panic creeping into my voice.

My dad held my shoulders.

“Nothing’s going to happen. It’s just for your peace of mind. Now get in the boat.”

I nodded and climbed in. My dad, Seth, Murdoch, and the other warriors followed.

Clayton stood at the edge of the lake.

“Mind-link me if there are any problems. I’ll send more warriors if needed, but this should just be a simple conversation.”

Seth nodded.

Clayton pushed the boat into deeper water, then returned to the shore. The two warriors picked up the oars, and we started our journey across the lake.

I smelled him before we even reached the shore. Back then, I hadn’t realized that people had distinct scents. I must have just remembered it, or maybe Nix did.

I felt nauseous, but I swallowed it down.

I could hear Nix in my head.

You’ve got this. You beat Zagan, you can beat him.

Him. He didn’t have a name, just the monster who had tortured me. How many others had he hurt?

As we reached the shore, I could smell him, but I still couldn’t see him.

Two soldiers stood there, guns at the ready. They didn’t point them at us, but it was still unsettling.

My dad was the first to get out of the boat, followed by Murdoch.

“We come under a flag of truce, with an offer,” my dad started. “We need to speak to whoever is in charge,” he added.

One of the soldiers pulled out a radio and spoke into it. He spoke quietly, probably thinking we wouldn’t hear him, but we did.

“Commander, we have a delegation of werewolves here, under a flag of truce. They want to speak to whoever is in charge.”

The young soldier had an earpiece in his ear, so we didn’t hear the response.

Just hearing the word commander made my skin crawl.

After a few moments, the soldier spoke to my dad.

“Commander Agnew will be here shortly.”

My dad just nodded at the soldier, then signaled for me to get out of the boat.

The two warriors stood on either side of me. I realized then why they were here. They weren’t here to protect my dad or Murdoch. They were here to protect me.

We didn’t have to wait long. He emerged from a group of buildings in the distance. I recognized him immediately, despite the years that had passed.

He stared at me, and then he smirked.

“Well, well. If it isn’t the little hybrid runt. Come back for another lesson, have you?”

I wanted to be brave, I really did, but the memories overwhelmed me.

That was until I heard my dad’s voice over the mind-link.

That’s him, isn’t it? He’s the one who hurt you?

My dad’s eyes were black, and he looked at me when I couldn’t find my voice, not even over the mind-link.

I just looked at him and nodded.

My gaze followed my father as he approached the commander. He was a towering figure, a low growl rumbling from his chest as he let his inner wolf take control. What happened next was something none of us saw coming.

“You really are a piece of fucking shit,” my father growled.

His hand morphed into a claw, plunging into the commander’s chest. When he withdrew it, he held the commander’s heart. The commander crumpled to the floor, his soldiers stepping back in fear, their weapons forgotten.

My father’s glare was icy. “Your commander is a disgusting child abuser. Now bring me someone worth talking to,” he demanded.

The soldiers exchanged glances before fleeing.

Seth shot my father a glare as he wiped his bloody hand on the commander’s uniform. “What the hell, Alpha Gabriel? We’re under a truce, and you just killed their leader!”

I felt my blood run cold. Seth would find out. They all would find out what he had done.

My father came over to me, wrapping his arms protectively around me. He looked at Seth. “He hurt my little girl...No one hurts my little girl,” he warned.

Seth glanced at me, then back at my father, sighing. “I hope their next leader hasn’t done anything, Ellie. We’re supposed to be here helping them, not killing them off!” he scoffed.

Murdoch rolled his eyes. “We’ll wait. If that piece of shit is an example of the human population, they don’t deserve our help.”

I looked at Murdoch, wondering if my father had told him. As far as I knew, only my father and Doctor Erik knew the whole truth. I wanted it to stay that way.

My father looked at me, a comforting smile on his face. ~Don’t worry, pickle. No one else knows what he did.~

I let out a sigh of relief. My father kissed the top of my head, hugging me a bit tighter.

After a while, a young soldier returned. He seemed less nervous, glancing at my father before lowering his eyes. “Our leader will be with you shortly, he needs to travel from another sector,” he hesitated, “is that acceptable...Alpha?”

A faint smile crossed my father’s lips. “That will be acceptable,” he replied in a monotone.

The soldier nodded and moved away cautiously, standing about fifty feet away, careful not to provoke us.

While we waited, Seth handed out some food that Clayton had packed. I noticed the soldier. He was young and thin.

“Hey!” I called out to him, beckoning him over.

He approached hesitantly.

“Here,” I offered him half of my beef sandwich.

His eyes widened. I doubted he had seen any meat in his life, not if my experiences were anything to go by. He hesitated.

“Go on,” I urged, “I know you’re hungry.”

He looked around, expecting to be chastised for accepting my offer. When no one objected, he took it.

“Thanks,” he whispered nervously.

I watched as he retreated to his former position, quickly eating the food.

When I looked around, I saw my father watching me, a slight smirk on his face.

“I know what it feels like to be hungry,” I explained.

My father nodded and smiled. “I know you do, pickle, and I’m proud of you.”

I thought for a moment. “Perhaps if the leader agrees with our plan, we can send them some proper food?” I suggested.

My father looked at Seth. As the Beta of the pack, it was his place to agree.

Seth smiled and nodded. “If they agree, we can come up with an aid package.”

We were almost done eating when Murdoch pointed in the distance. A group of men were approaching. There were at least half a dozen, one of them significantly taller than the others. I frowned. Another werewolf.

“There’s another werewolf with them,” I warned.

Seth turned to the warriors. “Be prepared, it could be a trap.”

As they approached, I recognized some of the scents. But that wasn’t possible.

I looked at my father and Murdoch. They seemed to recognize the scents too. They were surprised, but they were both smiling.

As they got closer, I grinned, tears of joy welling up in my eyes.

I ran towards the group before anyone could stop me.

“Jackson!” I screamed.

Jackson gasped. “Ellie!”

He wrapped his arms around me. “Ellie, you’re alive. We thought you were dead.”

I pulled away from his embrace. “I thought you were dead too.”

I looked at the werewolf that was with them. “Doctor Erik!” I exclaimed.

Erik looked at me and chuckled. “You’ve grown, little Ellie.”

My father, Seth, and Murdoch approached the group.

Erik walked towards my father, embracing him in a manly hug. “Damn Gabriel, I thought you were dead.”

My father pulled away. “I would have been, had it not been for Murdoch and Emma.”

He turned to face my brother. “My father told me he had you killed, before he...” My father hesitated, the memory still painful.

Jackson extended his hand, and my father took it. “He would have done, if it hadn’t been for Erik,” he admitted, glancing up at the other werewolf with gratitude in his eyes.

“I knew something was wrong, as did some of the others. I heard that Ellie’s brother was in the cells and decided it would be best to spirit him away.”

My father nodded. “As pleased as I am at this reunion, we have much to discuss. I’d like to introduce you to Beta Seth, the Beta of the Western pack.”

Jackson looked at Seth and nodded in acknowledgement.

Seth stepped forward and bowed his head. “It appears we now have two Royals among us.”

Jackson frowned. “I don’t understand.”

I grinned at him.

“Our dad was the offspring of the Alpha King and a human queen. That makes you the successor to both thrones,” I told Jackson, my voice filled with excitement.

Jackson shook his head, his face a mask of disbelief.

“That can’t be, Ellie. I’m human, just like my parents were. If they were your real parents, you’d be human too.”

My heart sank. Was this Jackson’s way of saying he didn’t consider me his sister? I knew better.

Jackson reached out, taking my hands in his.

“Regardless of who your birth parents were, you’ll always be my sister, Ellie.”

My father stepped into the conversation.

“She is your sister by blood, Jackson, and like I said, we have a lot to talk about. A war is on the horizon, and both of you have crucial roles to play.”

^End of Book Two^