Ellas Haze (Book One of Ellas story)

Part 19

 Ella

I take a deep breath filling my lungs as I feel my body changing, by the time I ex hail my four paws hit the floor.

I feel the damp warm dirt underfoot and smell the trees around me, I sprint a few steps paddling through a shallow creek, I roll over wetting my fur and shaking like a dog, this feels amazing, Nova is in charge but I am influencing her like we are working as a team I think it she does it and I can enjoy every second of it.

I jump around in the dirt spraying it rubbing against trees and paddling in the creek it feels amazing to be free and feeling the cooling water on my heated skin. Huh now I think about it I am really warm. I pant and roll in the water again before shaking off but this time im not cooling down.

"a cooling run might help" Nova says and I nod in agreement my brain beginning to get a little foggy and so off we go running into the trees.

I look up at the beautiful night sky and that's when I see it, a full moon. I remember someone said something about running on full moon, I hear howls in the distance and smile to myself wondering how many wolves thought it would be a good idea to run in the night like me, maybe I was starting to like some of this wolf stuff. Still no matter how fast I ran I still was not cooling down if anything I was getting hotter, when I sat at the base of a tree and fanned myself with my tail a sudden thought occurred to me..... this was the haze again. I sighed or at least I intended to it came out as a whine through the wolf. I hadn't really felt Haze through the wolf before now but it feels so much more intense.

A loud growl sounded to my left, then one to my right I pressed myself against a tree but the two huge wolves now approaching knew where I was based on scent nothing to do with seeing me I held my breath as they both stalked closer to me, I saw a gap and set off running I didn't even stop to look back I begged nova what to do but by now she has given into the haze and I don't think I was far behind I could feel my blood warming and my brain beginning to become even more foggy. I swerve left to avoid a few wolves I saw in the tree line, then I swerve right to avoid about five, more wolves seem to be chasing me than I had even seen in my time on the pack lands. I ran and ran but I had no idea where I was going and had to skid to a stop when a wolf appeared in front of me. I instinctively wrapped my tail around my back legs lowering my head. I tuned to run back but the two wolves had caught up with me followed by a variable army of them all on my flank fanning out and now I was surrounded and even if I did make a break for it I have no idea where I am or where home is even if I did I don't even know if I am still on pack land that was the last thing to run through my head when I was running but now I think about it it probably should have ben the first thought as now I am surrounded by wolves and I have no idea if anyone will hear me or scream enough to come help if I scream.

The wolves start to close in I crouch down and close my eyes ready for who know what is about to happen but then I smell a strange scent and hear a lot of scuffling, I slowly open my eyes to see the one wolf I was not expecting, Alpha Aiden and he is fighting off the crowd of wolves that now surround me.

"change to human and when I say so get up and run I will get you to safety." he says in my mind seeming as though he is a super hero and the bite mark on my neck starts to burn. I don't reply but he knows I understood when I change back, despite the cool chill to the air on my skin I am still warm from the inside. After a few more wolves attack him he creates an opening for us and growls run in my head, I start running but the next thing I know I am on his back gripping his fur, we are darting through the trees and then suddenly he takes a left and runs directly for a wall of stone.

"AIDEN" I screech but he dose not stop I brace myself for impact again but this time never happens either as Aiden comes to a sudden skidding stop and lifts a hidden panel from the floor.

"quickly inside!" he says holding it open and I piratically jump down the stairs hearing wolves growling in the distance, he pulls the hatch closed pulling us into complete darkness but my eyes can process more so I can just make out a hallway. I shuffle further down as Aiden follows me and guides me with a hand on the bottom of my back until we get to a room that opens up more, suddenly a light is flicked on to reveal a small room with a few beds lining the walls and a shelf with some food at the far end, no windows and the only door is the one we just walked through that Aiden closes behind us.

"safe house." he mumbles stiffly as he throws himself down on one of the beds to my left, I take the bed on the right silently.

We sit there not speaking for a while until he groans throwing a blanket from the bed over his lap and putting his leg up as though to get more comfortable again I stay silent but I look at him curiously, he is naked with smears of dirt across his chest and his cheek, I am also naked the only thing I am wearing is the necklace he had given me, I think back to earlier and wonder why I never took it off or threw it when I was, no am still so mad at him. I take the blanket next to me and fashion some sort of dress around me by wrapping the blanket and tying it the best I can.

"so why were you out here?" he says looking at me for the first time.

"I went for a run not that it is any of your business. I grumble at him crossing my arms.

"it is my business I am Alpha and you put yourself in danger coming out here in Haze when every unmated pack member are out here looking for a mate tonight."

oh so that's what he had mentioned about the full moon guess that was my bad for not actually listening properly but I was not going to let him know he was right when he was being a dick with me.

"I wasn't in Haze when I ran out here and besides I wouldn't be outside at all if you had not shouted at me for helping a poor young girl" I snap. He seems to sigh at this resigning himself to something.

"look I am sorry for earlier but you cant be taking charge in-front of my pack, and specially not other packs. It makes me look weak." he says looking at the floor. I stay silent.

"don't you understand? If I look weak then my pack looks weak and people will think they can attack us, it will put people in danger."

"you mean it will put you in danger." I grumble although I admit it is hard to stay truly mad at him since he did just save my life.

"are you stupid?" he asks and I glare at him.

"you just saw me fight off 15 of my own wolves back there without seriously hurting a single one of them and I saved your life, I would not be in danger at any point but the families of my pack, the weak and old or the young wolves that cannot fight like I can they would be easy pickings to rogues or greedy Alphas wanting to take my land as theirs, I don't do these things to protect myself I do them to protect the ones that need protecting." he growls frustrated.

I will be honest I had not thought if that I thought his arrogance gave himself inflated power and that's why he had to be the number one but now I think about it I suppose it is most important to the people who need his protection most, perhaps the respect they give him is not for him at all but perhaps it is for the protection he offers? Maybe Anna was right all along?

I look at him now as he sits there with his hands clasped into a fist pressing against his mouth as though in thought and I think now I am actually seeing him for the first time. He is not the monster I thought him to be or this big beast I had been fighting the ego off since I arrived, I think about everything from the beginning brand new, the way he treats his family, the way he looks after those young ones, the way he always listens to the needs of others and does things that will help others, like the way he bit me to claim me when I had the first haze attack on the training ground but one thing confuses me, if the members of his pack and Mori knew how truly selfless he was why does everyone seem upset that he claimed me knowing he was saving me from other wolves in that moment and why does everyone seem to get pissed off that I have not had sex with him yet?

so I do the only logical thing I can to get answers, I ask him.