Ellas Haze (Book One of Ellas story)

Part 17

 Aiden

we spent the entire afternoon meeting other wolves and members of my pack to hear their concerns she seemed quietly impressed and even stepped forward with a few solutions of her own, I must say she has a way with my people that puts them at ease and makes them feel important even without doing anything. She was polite and engaged in what she was doing but a few times I noticed her rub her fingers over her new pendant while looking over at me and smiling, it gave me a warm feeling in my chest, I give others gifts often but for some reason, this felt more personal and I can tell by its glowing hue she is incredibly happy with it and I cannot wait to see it change with her emotions, its while I'm watching her the brief thought of what colour it would turn while I made love to her but I quickly shook the thought from my head. My blood soon chills when her words from this morning come back to me about her haze and I must admit I just spent the entire afternoon with her without a single example of her haze or even lingering effects if that's the truth then that means

"alpha you ok?" Ella asks as I look over to see her pendant glowing that she is confused and concerned I plaster a smile on my lips and straighten my shirt edges.

"yes, I am fine sorry I just wandered into thought then," I say while walking around the room for the next person to speak to me. A little girl runs up to me and holds tightly onto my leg and a wolf I do not know walks up to retrieve the child.

"oh Alpha I am so sorry." the she-wolf says sternly while pulling at the child to let go of my leg.

"shes quite alright," I say as I lift her into my arms and she buried herself trying to hide.

"I don't know you. Are you here to petition to join the pack?" I ask addressing the woman while bouncing the child I am guessing is about 5 in my arms.

"oh no Alpha I am from Fairmont I am here to petition your aid with Analese there," she says while gesturing to the child in my arms.

"your daughter?" I ask looking at the child for resemblance.

"oh, goodness no she was abandoned on our land as a baby and she has become quite difficult to raise of late." I am taken aback as the beautiful child attempts to disappear into my chest she has chestnut hair and emerald eyes but a rather dirty and unkempt appearance.

"difficult how?" I ask the woman who looks smartly dressed and well prepared.

"well you see she is wild." the woman says

"WILD?" I ask the woman loudly my eyes going wide.

"yes, untrainable." the woman follows up in far more hushed tones and disgust rolls my stomach.

"you train a dog not a little girl," I growl in warning.

"yes alpha." the woman says shrinking back and lowering her head. I realise she barely weighs anything even against my strength.

"When is the last time you ate sweety?" I ask her brushing matted hair from her face. She opens her mouth but no voice emerges.

"oh she won't speak." the woman says abruptly.

"can't or won't?" I ask still watching the child.

"I'm not sure what difference it makes." the woman says and I instantly feel like hitting her.

"her little one would you like to go get some food with my friend here? He is called Mori and he will keep you very safe I promise." I say to the little girl who looks from me to Mori before a small nod and passes effortlessly into his confused hands.

"take her to the kitchen, anything she wants she gets," I say to Mori with a nod of respect before turning back to the woman.

"if she cannot speak she has not been taught or supported and if she will not speak she is scared or unhappy enough that she does not want to say the words she speaks so which is it?"

"I'm not too sure," she says looking at her feet.

"so what did you travel to petition for?" Ella says with Nova shining through her eyes.

"We came to petition money for the girls' upkeep Alpha." the now scared woman says to me without looking up from her feet.

"Ella spoke to you, not me," I say in a growl.

"S... Sorry Ma'am." the woman snivels and I am about to tell her to get lost and leave the child in my care but before I get chance Ella pushes in front of me Nova taking full control.

"you bring an undernourished and poorly kept child before the Alpha to petition her upkeep? You are a disgraceful human I don't even feel you deserve the title wolf so you go back to your Alpha Fairmont and tell him that we feel his treatment of her was unfair and unjust her need for safety led her to throw herself fully for the protection of our Alpha and a full investigation into your pack and the treatment of their young will be conducted if he wants to avoid any more trouble for your own pack tell him he has one week to sign over any more children such as her or we shall claim them and take over your territory," she says and the woman visibly shrinks. Alpha power waves are being thrown out of Nova so strong even our pack and shrinking back let alone the now sobbing woman before us.

As if on cue Mori comes running in and confused. Nova holds her arms out to the child who practically jumps into her arms as she walks behind me her eyes going back to Ellas but the power not fading in the slightest, Mori looks confused and Mortified at the same.

"take her away and escort her from the property, this will be the end of our consultation today and I am sorry for anyone I could not speak to, you are welcome to stay in our guesthouses on the edge of the pack and I will see you again tomorrow," I say before turning and escorting Ella from the room who is now cradling the small girl in her arms.

"is the mean lady gone?" the little girl says shocking me a little.

"yes, she is," I say with a smile I don't truly feel. She nods back at me.

"What is your name sweet girl?" Ella asks

" Analese." she quietly responds.

"would you like a bath?" I ask looking at her."

"I don't like baths they are cold," she says rubbing her nose and pushing matted hair from her forehead.

"this one is not, I promise lovely and warm with lots of bubbles," I tell her with a real smile. She thinks about it for a moment before nodding and I lead Ella down the hall to the children bathroom on the ground floor of my packhouse.

It took us a while to peel her dirty and soiled clothes from her she was even thinner underneath the clothing and I began to worry how she was still alive, I pack call our doctor and ask one of my lovely tailors to bring the girl some night things, I hadn't noticed it was getting dark but when I check my watch it is almost 8 pm by now.

Analese spends a good hour in the bath splashing and enjoying herself it was nice to see her smile. Ella spends a long time fixing her hair until it is clean and untangled.

When she was finally done it took some convincing but she agreed to go with one of our wonderful nannies who promised to keep me up to date with her until the morning, we reassured her she was safe and if she needed anything we would get it for her before she is taken to the children wing in the house.

"what you did back there, it was brave but don't you ever overshadow my authority in front of my pack or strangers again," I growl as soon as the girl is from earshot.

"excuse me?" Ella says surprised.

"you heard me, you made the right call but this is my pack, not yours," I say trying to hold back the bite in my voice.

"and just when I was thinking i liked you," she says turning and walking away.

"where are you going?" I bark.

"where you are not," she says with poison dripping from her voice as she runs from the house and suddenly I feel hollow again, I had to pull her up on her disrespect she is after a pack member and not the Luna of this pack. 

"but she is your mate and she is powerful, now she does not like us" my wolf suddenly interjects, it is unusually quiet around Ella lately.

"before I release my wolf takes over and bounds out the house and into the trees to release its agression towards me.