Chapter Six

Ellie

A whirlwind of emotions—fear, anxiety, anticipation—swirled within me as we raced back to the pack-house. I yearned to stay with Seth, but I knew this was a test. Not to see if I could pick up the scent of the different packs gathering at the border, but to see if I would obey Seth’s orders. If I failed, I’d be benched for sure. But nothing would happen until all ten packs were assembled. Then, they would cross the river.

Memories flooded my mind as we stood by the river’s edge. Fate had chosen this exact spot where Sammy and I had crossed. I still thought of him often. One of the reasons I wanted to be involved in the upcoming fight was for him. For revenge.

But not just for him. For my Dad, and for all the others the council had wronged. My greatest hope was to be the one to deliver the fatal blow to Dante.

I despised Zagan, but my hatred for Dante ran deeper. He was the one who used to beat us, torture us. The thought of ending his life brought me a twisted sense of satisfaction.

If I ever killed one person, I’d want it to be him.

Or Joel. My dad’s father. The mastermind behind it all. Sure, the council was to blame too, but without him, none of this would have happened.

Once we reached the pack-house, we shifted back to our human forms and quickly dressed in the clothes we’d left behind.

We could have mind-linked Clayton, but this was a conversation that needed to be spoken aloud.

We hurried to his office. Emma, being his mate and the Luna, didn’t bother to knock as we barged in.

Fortunately, he was alone, though he looked a bit taken aback by our sudden intrusion.

We’d run so fast back to the pack-house that we were both panting heavily by the time we reached Clayton's office.

“Border...” I gasped, “Packs...Massing.”

Clayton stood up.

“Whoa, slow down, catch your breath,”

Emma hadn’t even tried to speak and was doubled over, gasping for air.

“Are you ok?” he asked her, wrapping his arm around her.

She nodded and raised her hand.

He then turned his attention to me, his hand resting on my shoulder.

“Just take it slowly,” he urged.

I took a deep breath and swallowed.

“We’ve come from the ford...by the river,” I took another breath before continuing.

“We scented other wolves, other packs in Zagan’s territory. Seth sent us back to tell you. He's staying. He’s calling more warriors to patrol the area.”

His eyes flashed black.

I guessed he was confirming what I had told him and checking in on Seth.

My eyes snapped to the door as it burst open, and Dad came rushing in.

“Ellie... Thank the Goddess, are you okay?” he asked as he cupped my face in his hands.

I nodded and smiled.

“I’m fine. We only smelled them.”

Dad looked between me, Clayton, and Emma.

“How many? How much time do we have?” he questioned.

Emma straightened up, having caught her breath.

“Five, maybe six different packs, not close to the border, but close enough to pick up their scent. Depending on wind direction, depends how far away they are. I’m guessing they’re at Zagan’s pack house though,” Emma concluded.

Dad nodded thoughtfully, then he looked at Clayton.

“It means we don't have long. A week, maybe a fortnight.”

Emma looked over at Dad.

“Crescent Moon isn't there yet, I doubt they will make a move until your father gets there.”

Dad narrowed his eyes and scowled at the mention of his father but made no comment.

Then he looked at me.

“You should go and visit Jackson,” he suggested.

I frowned. If he thought he was going to sideline me, get me out of the way, he had another think coming. Before I could say anything, he smiled.

“We need to let him know, Ellie. Let him know what's going on. Besides, none of us knows how this will end up. You should see him before anything kicks off here.”

The frown left my face immediately. I knew what he was saying, without him having to spell it out. If things went badly, if we lost, or if I got killed. This might be our last chance to see each other.

Clayton looked at me and nodded.

“There’s another supply run due this week. We’ll just bring it forward a few days. Take a couple of warriors, Ellie. Let your brother know what's happening.”

I nodded. It had been a couple of months since I had seen Jackson. I tried to make the trip with the supplies every so often. Jackson had taken on the role of Commander-in-Chief of the humans.

He was making some big changes, and Clayton was sending regular food supplies. He had even left a few warriors there to help.

Erik, the doctor from Gabriel’s pack, was already there.

He was the one who had helped Jackson escape from the cells. Erik had realized quickly something was wrong when he no longer felt Gabriel's wolf within the pack.

He managed to get Jackson out, just before Joel’s warriors arrived to kill him.

He had stayed with Jackson ever since. Using his medical skills to help the humans. It had turned out that the illness that had killed our parents was actually quite curable.

It’s just that we had no medicine or knowledge of medicine outside the wall.

Although medicine was scarce, Erik had found some naturally growing plants that he could use. Most people thought they were weeds or poisonous. It turned out that neither was the case.

Erik had been invaluable to Jackson’s plan to stop the abuse that some of the humans had been committing. There was still a long way to go, but with the knowledge that Jackson was the lost heir to the human royals, it didn’t take long for the people to follow him.

A lot of them still didn’t trust the werewolf warriors or even Erik. But they were slowly getting there.

It was kind of a relief that the council had decided to attack us first. If they had attacked the humans, I doubted if they would have trusted us as much as they did now.

“I’m heading to the docks. If I leave now, I can be back by tomorrow,” I decided.

Dad pulled me into a tight hug, planting a kiss on the top of my head.

“Stay safe. I’ll see you soon.”

I stepped back, grinning at him.

“See you soon,” I echoed, leaving Clayton’s office behind.

Clayton must have sent word ahead to the dock. By the time I got there, the supplies were already being loaded onto the boat.

This was my first solo trip. Usually, Dad, Seth, or Murdoch would come along. I wasn’t completely alone, though. I had two of our top warriors with me. But still, it felt different.

Today was shaping up to be a day of firsts.

“We’ll be ready in about ten minutes,” the harbor master informed me.

I nodded, offering him a smile.

The dock had expanded since our first journey to the human side of the border. That was mainly because the humans were now our allies. If everything went as planned, there wouldn’t be a border anymore.

Clayton had a vision of us winning this war against the council-led packs. After that, any remaining Alphas would swear loyalty to the new Alpha king or queen. Then, the borders would disappear.

Given our heritage, the new king or queen would also rule over the humans. One ruler to unite us all.

I wasn’t sure I was the right person for the job. Jackson was older. I liked the idea of being a regular warrior, but I doubted my grandfather, Dad, or Clayton would let that happen.

First things first, though. We had to win the war.

I was about to board the boat when I heard someone call my name.

I spun around. I knew who it was before I even turned.

“I wanted to see you before you left,” Seth said, sounding tired.

This wasn’t Beta Seth, or Trainer Seth. This was my friend Seth.

His voice was gentle. I felt my cheeks warm as I remembered what Dad had said: “Ellie, you could do a lot worse than Seth for a mate.”

“I’ll only be gone a day or so,” I replied.

He walked over to me, smiling.

“I know,” he started.

Then he reached out, his hand lightly touching my face.

“I’m really proud of you, Ellie. You know that, right?”

I swallowed hard, looking into his brown eyes.

“I... I...”

Why was I stuttering? I never stuttered. I felt my cheeks heat up again.

Seth just smiled, his thumb brushing my cheek.

“Just come back soon, okay?” he whispered.

Before I could answer, he kissed me.

I should have pulled away, but I didn’t. Instead, I kissed him back, my arms winding around his neck.

His arms tightened around me, one hand on my back, the other cradling my head.

I knew this was wrong, but it felt so right. What if he wasn’t my mate? After talking with Dad and Olivia, I realized I wanted him to be. I guessed he felt the same.

We broke apart when the captain cleared his throat.

“We’re ready to go,” he said, sounding a bit embarrassed.

I looked up at Seth, smiling.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

He nodded.

“Be careful, Ellie.”

I walked towards the boat, the captain waiting with a smirk on his face.

Once I was on board, the captain raised the sail and we set off.

I watched the shore recede, my eyes fixed on the man standing there. He didn’t turn away until we were just a speck on the horizon.

The two warriors smirked at me. I didn’t need to guess what the gossip would be when we got back. I tried to push it out of my mind.

I had to focus on the task at hand: telling my brother about the upcoming war.