𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞 ✓

Chapter VIII

"Elle. Elle!" Kim called, shaking me.

"What? "

"We're here."

"Oh." I said, opening the car door and carefully stepped out.

"Elle!" Noveno ran from the house to us.

He pulled me into his arms, gripping ny tightly, his lips on my forehead.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt at all?" He asked.

I shook my head.

"Did anyone follow you?" He asked, turning to Kim.

"No. I turned the headlights off when we drove back. There were no others."

"Is Landon going to be okay?"I asked.

"Of course he is." Noveno said, reassuringly. Except I wasn't reassured.
After everything I just saw, how could I be?
The man who was holding me in his arms was probably the same kind of creature that haunted my dreams as a child.
I slowly pushed out of his grasp, remembering all the signs I should have noticed. The way he growled when he first saw me. Whenever he called me 'mate'. The rankings.

"We should get you inside." Kim said leading my by the shoulders. I moved her hands off with a quick jerk.

"Elle, are you sure your o-"

But she didn't get to finish. By then, I was running. I shot off into the surrounding woods.
I heard them call me, but I didn't look back.

I didn't get far before I was face to face with five wolves. One was wounded, blood dripping from its neck, back and front leg. It was the same wolf that Landon had turned into.
The other four growled violently at me. Within seconds, one had pounced. It pinned me to the ground and was snarling and snapping above me.
I blocked my face and neck trying to avoid getting bitten. Suddenly the presence I felt above me was gone. I slowly moved my arms away.

A massive black wolf had wrestled the one above me to the ground. It towered above the rest. I recognized it's dominant presesnce.
Noveno. He snapped his jaw at the other wolf in warning. It humbled itself, rolling on its back to expose the white fur on its belly. The white flag of surrender.
Noven let the other wolf up. I stood, dusting myself and coughing at the dirt I raised.
The wolf dipped its head in apology and the others lowered themselves as if bowing.
Noveno walked up to me. He was my height in his wolf form. I stumbled back when he attempted to nuzzle me.
I couldn't trust him.
I remembered dad had said, they welcome you untill they find out how weak you are. If you're not strong enough for them, they turn on you.
Noveno tilted his head in confusion.
He trotted over again. This time I couldn't move, my back was to a tree.
I cringed, turning my head away as he brought his face closer to mine. He nuzzled his head into my shoulder and as much as I wanted to keep my guard up, I just melted into him.
He backed away, turning around. He looked back at me, his eyes scanning over his back. Did he want me to climb on?
I moved to the side of him, pulling myself up onto his back.
He nodded towards the others and they all began to run back to the house. As they ran I layed my head down on Novenos back.
Could dad have been wrong? There I was , at my weakest. Surrounded by powerful wolves who could easily eat me alive, and I was still in one piece.
They had given me food, clothes a place to sleep. Maybe wereolves weren't as cruel as dad made them out to be.

She was terrified. Of me. For a good few minutes, she looked moratified of me. I thought at first she was just traumatized after seeing Landon get attacked. But, then she looked at me and I saw the fear in her eyes. A fear that wasn't there before. Even when we first met, she was comfortable.
Now as we all run back to the pack house, she clings onto me, but minutes before, she was running away from me.
I shook the thought out of my head. She was here now, with me. That was all that mattered.

When she was ready, I decided I'd introduce her to the pack. Barely anyone in the pack had met her yet.

We finally reached the house. Kim came inside with me and Elle, while the others took Landon to the infirmary.
By then, Elle had fallen asleep. I brought her to my bedroom, nudging the door open with my muzzle.

I leaped on to the bed carefully, letting Elle's small frame slide of of mine down on to the bed.
I stepped of, shifting. Pulling in some close, I glanced over at her sleeping form. She had managed to ball herself up, like a pup trying to get warm.

I stood, remembering all the work as well as the new rouge problem I had to deal with.
As I walked through the door, I heard a small voice behind me.

"It's not that I'm afraid of you." Elle said.
I turned. She was sitting up on the bed, staring straight into my eyes.

"What?" I asked, walking closer. Did I hear her right?

"It's just that my dad always told me werewolves could be cruel and dangerous. You're not. All you've done is protect me. Thank you." She said, all the while maintaining eye contact.

She wasn't afraid. But, one thing lingered on my mind.

"Why would you father warn you about werewolves when you're one yourself?" I asked, sittting down on the bed next to her.

"What?" She questioned. "I'm human."

"Elle, a full human can't be mated to a werewolf. You might be partly human, and that could attribute to why you don't display many wolf like traits, but we wouldn't be mates if someone in your family line wasn't a werewolf."

"So I'm-"

"A werewolf? Yes."

"Whoa."

I laughed slightly at her astonishment.

"Does that mean I can shift into a wolf too?" She asked.

"I'm sure you can. I have heard of cases like this where, after enough time spent amoung our kind, a human-werewolf hybrid tends to lean more towards their werewolf side. So I don't know if you'll shift right away since you've been away from that environment, but I'll be right there if and when you do."

She smilled at me, pulling me into a hug. I stood, surprised, before gently hugging back.

"You should get some sleep. I'm pretty sure Kim worked you to the bone with her shopping extravagance." I said, breaking the hug.

As I stood, she grabbed my arm. I looked back.

"Can you stay with me? Please?" She asked.

"I don't know, I mean, I've got alot of work to do and-" I began, but was promptly interrupted by the voice of my wolf, who had recently become more talkative.

What are you doing? Mate wants us to stay. Are you really going to pass this up for work? Just make Parker deal with it.

As much as I wanted to get my work done myself, my wolf was right.

"Well, I guess I could stay. If you really want me to." I said, mindlinking Parker to finish up for me.

No problem, he linked back.

Elle's previously downcast eyes lit up. She moved herself and pulled me down besides her.

She nuzzled into my side, her hand on my chest and her neck resting on my forearm.

"Goodnight, Noveno."

"Goodnight, Elle."