The Alpha and The Enforcer [TATE]

Chapter 22

Ellie's P.O.V

The celebration for the new pack leaders had been unforgettable. It started with the formal rituals, the oaths, the bowing heads and proud declarations — but it ended with laughter, wild music, and the kind of chaos only a werewolf pack could call fun. Games, drinks, dancing until the moon sat high — and then some. But now it was past midnight, and the night air was thick with the scent of pine and the lingering heat of celebration.

I left the crowd behind and slipped into the trees, my footsteps soft as instinct carried me to a small clearing I'd marked earlier. Something about it had called to me — quiet, untouched, surrounded by thick woods and stars above.

I needed this moment. Alone.

The title of Enforcer felt heavier than I'd expected. I didn't wear it like a badge of honor. I wore it like armor, to protect the parts of me still trying to heal — especially the part that used to howl beneath the moon.

I stepped into the center of the clearing and took a deep breath, lowering myself to my knees. I closed my eyes and reached inward, calling out to the part of me that used to be Lizzy.

Come on, I pleaded silently. Please.

I focused on the silence, the wind brushing through the leaves, the steady beat of my heart. I tried to find that feeling again — the one you get just before a shift. The warmth in your gut. The stretch in your limbs. The whisper in your mind that says it's time.

But there was nothing. Just emptiness.

I swallowed hard and opened my eyes.

"Hey."

I jumped slightly, turning to see Jacob pushing his way through the brush like it was becoming his signature move.

"Is this a habit of yours now?" I asked, rising to my feet and brushing off my hands.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I kind of like our little getaways. I find out something new about you every time."

His smirk faded, replaced by that earnest concern he wore so well. "So... did you try it?"

I blinked, feigning confusion. "Try what?"

"Ellie." His voice was gentle, but sure. "You thought that maybe becoming Enforcer — stepping into your full power — would give your wolf the energy she needed. You thought maybe Lizzy just needed a boost. That maybe this would be enough to bring her back."

The words sank into me with an almost physical weight.

I took a step back. I hadn't said any of that aloud. Not to anyone. But I had thought it. Late at night. Quietly. Hopelessly.

Jacob noticed my reaction and lifted his hands slightly in defense. "Hey — I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I just... I don't know. We're friends now, I think. I'm learning how to read you a little."

His tone wasn't pushy or invasive. It was just Jacob. Honest. Soft around the edges.

Still, it rattled me that he could see through me so easily.

"Oh," I muttered, unsure of what else to say.

"So..." he tried again, "did it work?"

I shook my head. "No. It didn't."

"I'm sorry," he said, and when his hand landed gently on my shoulder, it wasn't pity — it was support. "I know how much you wanted that."

I gave him a weak smile. "Yeah, well. I'll figure something out."