Running With Wolves [On Hold]

Chapter 33, Eleanor

"Can't you go somewhere else?" I ask, rolling my eyes as I towel dry the ends of my hair.

Sena shrugs and lays on my bed with a book in hand, ignoring me completely.

It's been a week since I've met Sena, Orson's third in command, and it's exactly been a week since I've spoken to Orson, I've seen him from my window, but every time that he would turn in the direction of my bedroom window, I would hide, like a coward.

I should hate him, I feel like I should, but I hate the thought of hating him more, making it incredibly hard to talk to him, since the last time we spoke, I know I acted like a brat.

"Can we go out today?" 

I've been so stressed with how me and Orson are right now, the food that the pack brings me has become bitter, I couldn't swallow a single bite with how much has been going on right now, inside my head and my heart.

Sena puts her book down and looks up at me. 

"Go where?" She asks skeptically.

I want to say something sarcastic about running away, because at this point it's all everyone in this pack expects of me, once I mentioned it around Adan a while back, Sena said the pack members picked up on my not wanting to be here, but I decided to keep my mouth shut. "Theirs a diner.."

That gets the attention of Sena, my shadow and only friend. "Beths diner?" She perks up with a grin. 

I nod my head. "Do you think you could... ask Orson?" 

She frowns for a moment then it's as if she's completely spacing out, but I know now that she's asking her 'Alpha' for permission to take me out to the diner in town, where he took me before, the last week has been horrible, Orson hasn't allowed me to leave my bedroom, nevermind go out to eat.

"Get dressed, the Alpha said it was fine and he will meet us there shortly."

I pale. "What? Why is he coming?" 

Oh my god, I didn't want her to invite him, why would he show up now? I'm still not prepared to face him from last time, I can't even think of how to act in front of him and pretend I haven't been crying all week because of him, that's impossible!

"Luna-" She starts but I give her a look.

She sighs. "Eleanor, you need to how you humans say, 'sort your shit out'." She stands up and pauses a moment. "Don't mention to the Alpha about-"

"Yes yes, I know, my title, trust me I will be surprised if we even speak to each other, never mind share why I prefer everyone calling me my actual name and not a title." I say. 

Even though I'm mated to Orson, and his fated mate, having those in the pack call me Luna is still something I can't accept fully, it just feels weird, that and the fact nobody has really spoken to me.

Probably because they either don't want me here or don't want to speak to me.

I decide to put my hair up, knowing the fact Orson likes it down, but it's too warm to keep it down, then I grab my shoes and put them on.

"Let's go Ella." Sena grins out, calling me by the nickname she gave me as she holds the door open for me.

"Don't call me that." I groan out.

The diner is quiet, too quiet, there's only me and Sena sat inside considering how lovely the weather is outside, I expected more pack members to be roaming around, but there's none, only Beth who is currently behind the counter, making our drinks for us.

"Where is everyone?" I whisper to Sena, who is sitting next to me.

She doesn't say anything and pretends she didn't hear me, but I know it's because she has to be careful, even as third in command, werewolves have impeccable hearing and she can't be caught paying too much around me, even as 'Luna', it could get back to Orson, who is a stickler for rules.

In the week I was supposed to be spending with Orson as part of our deal, I spent it with Sena who has already taught and told me so much about her people and her culture, something I thought Orson would do, but things don't turn out the way you wanted them to.

What the hell am I going to say to him? The deal is... well, over, that means he will let me leave now, right?

Even if he said yes, could I do it? Could I just turn and leave, knowing what I now know about my parents, Orson and Sovern? 

But then again, Orson said he would try to convince me to stay, yet he hasn't even bothered to come by and talk to me, and Sena hasn't even mentioned him asking after me, so why would he not let me go? 

He got what he wanted, the key for his plan to take over the royal family, it's his main objective after all, as it was my parents, it had to be, something like the key to Alpifilas just doesn't land in your hands, even if you are the son of the Alpha King, my grandfather, Croix Carmine.

The door chimes making me and Sena turn our heads to the noise.

My stomach flutters when our eyes meet, it's been a week since we've been this close and now everything is so awkward. I watch him come inside and walk up to Beth, but I can't hear what he's saying to her.

Orson's alone, does that mean he wanted to see me?

"I'll see you later, Luna." Sena whispers in my ear before she stands up.

As I watch her walk away down the path and into the woods, I can't help but grow nervous about being left alone with Orson, I watched her leave until I couldn't see anymore, when I turn back I see Orson standing in front of me, with Beth nowhere to be seen.

It's just us now.

Orson moves from in front of me, causing my heart to jump as he takes the seat opposite me, and that's when I catch a good look at how different he looks.

Under his eyes are darker possibly from lack of sleep, yet his hair is shorter and his beard is cut back, I can't help but think he looks more lovely like this, and less intimidating when you can see his face, without it covered by all that.. hair.

"Hey." He says suddenly, breaking the silence with his deep baritone voice that sends shivers down my spine.

"Hi."

He shifts in his seat then he rolls up the sleeves of his shirt, it's so quiet inside the diner I can hear the sound of my own heartbeat.

I look around uncomfortably in hope that someone would enter the diner, or for Beth to come back with food, anything other than sitting here in this awkward silence with this stupidly attractive Alpha.

Orson growls lowly, causing his chest to rumble and startle me, when I look back at him I see that he's looking at me intensely, with an unknown look on his face.

"Is being alone with me that bad?"

What..? 

I frown and nervously shake my head. "That's not what I was doin-"

"So you still want to run then." He interrupts me. "Is that it, Eleanor?"

My chest clenches painfully tight at his words, and his face looking at me indifferently.

Why is he saying this now? After almost a week of not seeing me, this is what he wants to talk about?...

"Why did you even come here, to argue with me or do you want me to leave now?" I ask, standing up abruptly, annoyed that he's still looking at me without emotion, even with how he's speaking to me, it's like he doesn't care if I stay or go.

"Eleanor-" 

I walk away from the table and take a deep breath, if I don't I feel as though I might explode with every single thought I have argued in my head from the past week.

I hear Orson's chair scrape against the floor behind me, then I hear Orson come up behind me.

"Don't go, please... don't give up on us."