Chapter Thirteen

SETH

I was in my office, going over plans. I’d beefed up the warrior presence near the river crossing and scheduled more patrols. What else could I do?

My eyes wandered to the window, my thoughts drifting to Ellie.

Today was her birthday. The day she might find her mate.

Gabriel and Clayton had planned a big party for tonight. Even her grandfather had shown up at the pack house this morning.

If her mate was in the pack, she’d find him tonight.

I wasn’t sure if I should go. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel seeing her with her mate tonight, knowing it wasn’t me.

I shook off those thoughts. Everyone would be there—it was her birthday, after all. And even if she was mad at me, I was still her friend, whether she liked it or not.

I went back to the warrior lists, trying to assign duties that wouldn’t mess with their training schedules.

That’s when I felt it—the sense of loss when something happens to a pack member. But this wasn’t just any pack member—this was Ellie.

I mind-linked Gabriel right away. I tried to ignore the flood of other voices in my mind, all asking the same question.

~“Gabriel? Where’s Ellie? Did you feel it?”~

Clayton cut in before Gabriel could answer.

~“Everyone felt it. We need to find her,”~ he insisted.

I could feel Gabriel’s worry through the link.

~“She had a fight with Alexander this morning and stormed out. I don’t know where she is now.”~

I let out a heavy sigh. Damn Alexander. He’d left her here three years ago, then ran back to the mountains when she argued with him about Gabriel.

I wished that jerk had stayed where he was. I probably shouldn’t think that way about the king's Beta, but the king was gone and Alexander was trying to hold onto the past.

And he was using Ellie to do it.

~“Meet me out front, Gabriel. We need to find her,”~ I said, echoing Clayton’s words.

I headed for the pack house entrance. I could have suggested taking any of my top warriors, but most of them were on patrol or resting.

I needed someone sharp, and Gabriel was the right choice. He was Ellie’s father, after all. No one else, except me, would be more invested in finding her.

I wanted to use our best tracker too, but that was out of the question. Emma was heavily pregnant. Even if she’d wanted to go, Clayton wouldn’t let her. My next best tracker was Ellie herself, so I had to settle for my third.

~“Jade? Meet me at the front of the pack house,”~ I ordered through the link.

She responded quickly. ~“Yes, Beta Seth.”~ She probably didn’t know Ellie that well, but she would have felt the loss, just like everyone else.

When I stepped outside, Gabriel and Alexander were there, along with Clayton and Murdoch.

“Emma wanted to help, but...” Clayton started.

I raised my hand.

“It’s okay, Clayton. She needs to think about the baby.”

No sooner had I said that than the pack house doors opened and Jade appeared. She bowed her head to Clayton, then to me.

I looked between Gabriel and Alexander. “What exactly happened?” I asked.

Gabriel sighed, shooting Alexander a sharp look.

“I just told her a few home truths,” Alexander said. “She’s werewolf royalty. She needs to act like it, not like some half-assed warrior. Her role is to find her mate and bear the next generation of royalty.”

I glared at Alexander and took a step toward him, puffing out my chest.

“She’s her own person, not some puppet for you to control. If she wants to be a warrior, that's exactly what she’ll be,” I growled.

I saw Clayton look at me with raised eyebrows, and I realized I’d been guilty of the same thing as Alexander. How foolish I’d been.

After everything Ellie had been through...after every person in her life had abused and hurt her...

She’d fought. Not just physically, but with her strength of character. No one had the right to tell her what she should or shouldn't be.

“How dare you talk to me like that?” Alexander snarled.

I growled, and Clayton stepped forward to put his arm between us.

Neither I nor my wolf would hesitate to put Alexander in his place if needed. It would likely get ugly, but I’d do it for Ellie.

“Enough! Clayton snapped. “This isn't helping us find Ellie.”

He looked at Gabriel. “Do you have any idea where she might have gone?” Clayton asked.

Gabriel furrowed his brow. “We usually visit Sammy’s grave together on her birthday. She might have gone there,” he guessed.

I closed my eyes, sighing in frustration. She knew better than to go that close to the border alone.

“We need to hurry.” I huffed. “I knew we should have buried him closer to the pack house.”

I nodded at Gabriel, then at Jade. “Come on, we’ll move faster if we shift.”

“I’m coming, too,” Alexander said, stepping forward.

“The hell you are!” I exclaimed. “You’ve done enough damage already.”

Before he could respond, Clayton grabbed his shoulder.

“Leave this to my Beta,” he ordered, then turned to me. “Keep me informed, Seth.”

He turned and walked back inside, dragging Alexander with him.

***

We were all faster on four legs instead of two. Jade ran a bit ahead of me and Gabriel so she could pick up any scent.

We were near Sammy’s grave when she stopped.

~“It’s Ellie’s scent...and another wolf. Not one of ours,”~ Jade mind-linked both of us. ~“They’re both bleeding.”~

I took the lead, ready to fight if needed, as we neared the gravesite.

Gabriel shifted back almost instantly when we saw a huge wolf lying on top of Ellie.

I wanted to go to her right away, but I had to make sure the area was secure and that there was no more danger hiding nearby.

Gabriel moved toward Ellie and the large, brown male wolf.

“Elijah,” he exhaled. “You’re such a fool.”

He lifted the lifeless wolf off Ellie, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the intricate silver knife lodged in its chest. The wolf was gone—no creature could survive a silver blade.

Once I was sure the danger had passed, I shifted back and rushed to Ellie’s side.

Gabriel was already kneeling next to her, his finger pressed to her neck, searching for a pulse.

“Is she...?” I couldn’t finish my question, my voice breaking.

Gabriel nodded. “Barely, but she’s lost a lot of blood.”

I looked at the male wolf.

“You knew him?” I asked Gabriel.

He nodded.

“He was my…~used to be~ my nephew,” he murmured, “and the Alpha of the Crescent Moon pack.”

I didn’t question Gabriel’s claim. Our wolves could detect family scent, even from different packs.

I knelt next to Ellie, gently cradling her face in my hand.

“What was he doing here? And why did you have a silver knife?” I whispered to her.

She was silent, her skin pale. I shook my head, unable to comprehend. This was meant to be her day—how did it come to this?

Then I saw the claw marks. They ran from her ribs to her hips. Her wolf must have retreated before the attack, but why?

“We need to get her back to the pack house,” I decided.

I looked over at Jade, who had also shifted back and was examining the body of the brown wolf.

“Get in touch with the pack house, Jade. Let them know Ellie’s hurt and we’re bringing her in. Ask for a couple of warriors to take care of that.”

I gestured toward the dead wolf.

“And make sure they retrieve the knife—Alpha Clayton will want to know why Ellie had a silver blade.”

Jade nodded, and I turned back to Gabriel.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I know he was your family, but he was also our enemy, and he’ll be treated as such.”

Gabriel nodded, a flicker of pain in his eyes. “I understand. He stopped being my family when he attacked Ellie. She’s all the family I have now.”

He gently picked up Ellie, and we left the scene behind.

The Alpha of a council pack was dead. I should have felt relief, but how could I? I’d wanted to protect Ellie, and I’d failed.

I blamed her grandfather for this, and when we got back to the pack house, I would make sure he knew exactly how I felt.