Running With Wolves [On Hold]

Chapter 10, Orson

I'm finally done.

Going through the pack expenses and reports from every single pack scout had taken me time, at first, it had taken me a good hour to relax, being away from Eleanor had proven difficult if not from the updates I was getting every ten minutes from Adan.

The last I heard he had her escorted to her room after the tour, I heard it went as well as expected, she had asked where the exit was, again.

I rub my face with my hands and let out a tired groan and think of how I can get her to stay with me.

This is so unlike me, I'm so used to getting rid of women I've been with, those women had no problems with wanting to stay with me but Eleanor is nothing like those girls, she's different, I can tell she doesn't see me for my title or how I look like most she-wolves do when they look at me.

Life is so different now with her in it, I'm no longer thinking of using her to get back at the Carmines, I won't let any of my pack either, I made that very clear in today's meeting, which I know is bound to get out to other packs with who my mate is.

I can try and keep it quiet for as long as possible but word gets around fast when you're pack is as big as mine, there's no way in stopping it for too long, Eleanor needs to accept me and the bond.

This brings me to getting to know her, I have no clue what this woman likes, I had a background check on her but it tells me nothing about who she is as a person.

I'm really not good at this shit. 

Talking and keeping a conversation going had always seemed pointless for me, I have no time to sit and get to know somebody for fun. Trying to talk to Eleanor leaves me speechless, not because I don't know what to say, but because when I do open my mouth, so does she, and then we clash because she's so fucking defensive.

Wolves when they find their mates are having pups within the month of meeting, but it's always been a week and I haven't even spoken much to her without it being awkward or her asking when I'm going to let her go.

The thought of losing her...

No. I can't let her go.

What if she rejects me? I had thought about it, I'm not the most suitable mate to have, I'm a bastard with no family, I have scars and history, those who know me know that I have baggage when it comes to opening up and letting people in, I learned from a young age that you should never trust people who are kind to you.

Everyone wants something, wolves take what they want without guilt, I was brought up in that environment since a pup, born into poverty, begging for scraps on the street like some rat begging for trash, I was beaten and thrown away on a daily basis, I was a slave.

I remember that life well, it often haunts me at night of the day I escaped.

But I don't want to force Eleanor as my captors did, I want us to trust each other and grow together, perhaps have a family of our own after all this shit with the royal family calms down.

A life of my very own, one I had often dreamt of, with a mate and pups.

That life was so distant to me in the past, I never thought I would get this far alive, but I did, and now I'm Alpha of a strong pack, my people would fight and die for me a thousand times over if they could, I'm no longer that weak pup on the streets, I'm a fighter.

I'm going to fight for Eleanor, even if it takes a week, a month or a year, I won't give up.

*****

I knock on her door in the hope she might be awake, when theirs no answer I start to get paranoid she might not be in the room so I open the door quietly to peek inside.

The room is dark but I can see her laid into a fetal position on the bed with her arms wrapped around a pillow tightly, I step further into the room and go to the side of the bed to be closer to her, walking quietly until I reach her, I kneel down and sit on the floor, leaning my back against the wall as I watch her chest rise and fall.

She's so beautiful.

Her soft features, plump red lips, not to mention those freckles that are growing on me, I want nothing more than to reach out and touch her hair, wondering if it's as soft as it looks, like a big fire cloud sprawled out on the bed, so long, I want to run my fingers through it.

Even in the dark, I can see every outline of her face, even the tear streaks on her cheeks from where she's been crying, it was the first thing I noticed looking at her sleeping face, she's been crying.

Was it me? Does she hate being here with me that much that she cried?

Hitting my head against the wall I let out a sigh and close my eyes. What can I do to make you stay Eleanor? What can I do to be good enough and make you happy? Tell me and I'll make it happen, just don't... just don't go.

Stay.

What am I doing? She can't hear me, she's not a wolf you idiot Orson.

Eleanor stirs in her sleep and moans out softly, I listen and watch her in awe, a sense of calm washes over me from just watching her, maybe I'll just stay and watch for a little longer? Being around her after not seeing her since morning had annoyed me more than I would like to admit, being this close to her relaxes me more than any run ever could.

I'll just close my eyes for a little, the scent of Eleanor and the sound of her breathing releases the tension in my muscles, and the thoughts in my head stop, I feel completely at ease.

Eleanor... 

The last thing I remember is thinking of how pretty her name is, before closing my eyes and falling asleep to the sound of her steady breathing.