The Alpha and The Enforcer [TATE] (STILL EDITING)

Chapter 4

Ellie's P.O.V

You ever get that feeling where you're zoning out, but you just don't care? Like, even though you know you have something you're supposed to be doing, in that moment, nothing else matters? Yeah, that's me right now. I'm still sitting out here in the dark, cold forest, with only the faintest sliver of moonlight cutting through the trees. It's the kind of light that pulls you in, makes you curious about what lies behind it—but also, it's a little unsettling.

I don't have my phone on me, but I know it's well past midnight. I've been motionless for hours. The coldness in my bones? Unfamiliar. As a wolf, I should always feel warm, no matter the temperature. But ever since the rejection, I feel it—like a slow decay setting in. My healing is no longer automatic. It's my wolf doing what it can, but I'm losing control. I think she's healing me slower, trying to stretch out whatever life I still have left, but at this rate... what's the point?

I can barely hear Lizzy anymore. She's slipping, and I should be feeling frantic, angry, something. But instead, I just feel... numb. How did it come to this? How did I let my own wolf's pain go unnoticed for so long? I've been so wrapped up in my own grief, I forgot she was hurting too. Selfish.

I'll never lose her though. I refuse to. I can't imagine a world where I don't have Lizzy. But as I lay there in the cold, searching for a way to save her, I still don't know what's going wrong. She's been my anchor for three years. So why now? Why this sudden weakness?

When I finally get up, it feels like it's already hours too late. I make my way back to the pack house, the familiar ground underfoot doing little to comfort me. When I arrive, I see warriors everywhere—patrolling, grouping together. What the hell is going on?

I found myself asking the question before I even spotted Uncle Ted talking to a group of young warriors, preparing to send them off. He was standing tall, giving orders, but the moment he caught sight of me, his stern face softened into a look of relief.

"Uncle Ted!" I called out as I jogged toward him. He took a breath like he'd been holding it and met me halfway—but what surprised me was when he pulled me into a tight hug.

"Where were you, Ellie? You weren't responding through the mind link, and your cell phone—" he cut himself off, worry clear in his voice.

"I'm fine. I was just out in the woods," I said, pushing back from the hug, trying to give him a reassuring smile. "What's going on here?" I nodded to the warriors who were getting ready to head out.

He raised an eyebrow but didn't let go. "After I couldn't find you and no one had heard from you since the hospital, we assembled a search party. We were so worried, Ellie."

I sighed, guilt pressing in. "I didn't mean to worry you. I just... needed some time alone. I should have let you know."

He sighed in return, his frustration giving way to relief. "Next time, just tell us, okay?"

It took a minute for Uncle Ted to get everyone called back, but before I knew it, I saw Aunt Mariah sprinting out of the pack house toward us. The moment she reached me, she wrapped me in an embrace so tight I thought I might suffocate.

"Oh my God, Ellie! Where were you? What happened? Did you even eat?" she demanded, pulling me in for what I could only describe as a bone-crushing hug.

"Can't... breathe," I gasped, struggling to get air. Uncle Ted chuckled beside us.

"Mariah, let her breathe," he said, and after a few seconds, she finally loosened her grip, allowing me to suck in a deep breath.

"I just went for a run in the woods to clear my head. I lost track of time," I said, giving her a small, apologetic smile. "Sorry for worrying you."