The Alpha and The Enforcer [TATE]

Chapter 39

Ellie's P.O.V

The metallic click of the lock echoed through the underground corridor, followed by the groan of rusted hinges. The guard beside me didn't say a word as he pulled open the heavy cell door. I stepped inside on my own.

There she was, leaning in the far corner, arms crossed, face unreadable. Still dressed in the same black pants and shirt from two days ago. She hadn't changed. In more ways than one.

The moment our eyes met, she straightened up and slowly moved to sit on the edge of the small bed bolted to the wall. "You sure took your time to visit," she said dryly.

I didn't flinch. "Well, I do have a life to live."

Her brow arched, amused, maybe even a little annoyed. "Oh, of course. Can't let a newly discovered sister interrupt your daily schedule."

I ignored the jab and lowered myself onto the lone chair placed across from her bed. The cell wasn't as bare as most. Still damp in some corners, still boxed in by wolfsbane-lined steel, but Jacob had made sure she wasn't suffering. She had a proper restroom, privacy, books. Little things that hinted this wasn't just another prisoner. Not to me. Not anymore.

"Does your life include your Alpha?" she asked, but it wasn't really a question. Her tone made it sound like a fact she had already accepted.

I stared at her, expression unchanged. "We're not here to talk about me."

She leaned back on her hands, legs crossed at the ankles. "A little sisterly advice then," she said casually, but her eyes told a different story. "It's not gonna work out. Might as well end it before it gets any further."

I blinked slowly, then tilted my head. "Trouble in paradise, sis?" I didn't mean to say it. It just came out, half a tease, half deflection. I didn't even care if she had a love interest. I barely knew her. But I noticed the way her jaw tensed.

Something struck a nerve.

She didn't answer. She just went quiet.

And now we're getting somewhere.

"There is," I said softly, watching her eyes flicker. "Someone."

She wouldn't answer. I scoffed at her defiance and got up toward the cell door before she spoke again.

"Wait."

I stopped.

"W-Where are you going?" she asked, and her voice was barely above a whisper.

I turned just enough to look at her over my shoulder. "Scared of being alone, aren't you, little sister?"

She rolled her eyes, but there was heat behind it. "I'm not scared of being alone."

I smiled faintly. "I know."

I didn't need to see her to know she was glaring at me. I could feel it.

"You just want to get to know me," I added, and her silence was all the confirmation I needed.

She scoffed again and shifted on the bed, tugging at the bottom of her shirt as she looked away. She didn't deny it. Not once.

"What's your name?" I asked as I faced her fully.

She glanced back at me with that same stubborn set to her jaw. But I could tell the question made her pause. There was a flicker of calculation in her eyes, like she was weighing something, unsure of whether to lie again.

"Tina," she said.

It sounded too easy. Too fast.

Immediately, my skin prickled with unease. Something about it didn't sit right. I narrowed my eyes, sharpening my focus. I could see the tiny beads of sweat beginning to form near her temple. Her breathing quickened. Out of curiosity, I honed my hearing to listen to her heart.