Chapter four
1756 Words
Ella's POV
The snarls and growls nearly drown out my name being called. Through the chaos, I spot a woman pinned under a massive wolf, its jaws snapping inches from her throat. I moved forward to help, but something slammed into me with bone-crushing force. The crack of my arm breaking rings in my ears, followed by unbearable pain. I tried to shift, to call forth my wolf, but nothing happened.
Her scream pierces the air. I looked up just in time to see the wolf's teeth tear into her neck and shoulder, blood spraying across the ground.
"NO!" The roar rips from my throat as I scramble up, but I'm trapped. Ten wolves circle me, their green eyes gleaming with hunger to kill me. My heart pounds as I realize their strategy…they're going to attack all at once.
They strike.
I dodge the first wave, but a set of jaws clamps onto my leg. Teeth shred through muscle and tendon. I fight to stay standing, but more wolves crash into me. Claws rake across my skin from every direction. I can't track them all. My knees hit the ground hard.
Claws at my back.
Claws in my arms.
Claws at my legs.
There's no escape.
I can't save them.
I can't even save myself.
Ice-cold water jolts me awake. Looking around, I noticed that I was in the Pack's dungeon. Lola was standing in front of me with an empty bucket surrounded by her friends, their faces filled with cruel satisfaction.
"Couldn't even wait to celebrate my homecoming before trying to escape?" She spits the words like venom. "I've told them to kill you...you're worthless to us now." “After killing the people that took you in as their own, you don't deserve to live.” She spat.
They kicked me, beat me. Leaving my body trembling and tears flowing down my cheeks.
Why can't I find peace?
What did I do to deserve this?
I wipe the filthy water from my face with shaking hands. The memory isn't just a nightmare...it's real, burned into my mind forever. They died because I failed. I was their protector, and I let them down.
These thoughts hit me every living moment. Sometimes, I can push them away, but mostly, they consume me. The truth is simple: I failed to protect them.
This is my story…
Two years have passed since that day. Weeks after the incident, they locked those silver shackles around my wrists. The metal has done more than just bind me...it's locked away from my wolf side, silencing Melo completely. The emptiness in my mind where her voice used to ache felt like a missing limb. We worked so hard to become what we were, only to be reduced to nothing because I couldn't save the Alpha and Luna.
The Alpha and Luna of Redstone pack.
The ones who took in an abandoned five-year-old girl.
The only real family I'd ever known.
Luna found me at the edge of the pack land, bruised and filthy. She took me straight to the Alpha mansion, declaring she would care for me. Just like that, I had a home. They had a son, Lucas, who was seven at the time, and three years later welcomed Lola. I became part of an Alpha family, though never officially adopted. They loved me as their own.
Years passed quickly. Lucas and I fought like true siblings, and we grew into teenagers dealing with crushes and drama. But we also trained hard. While Lucas learned pack diplomacy as the future Alpha, I discovered my talent for combat. The Alpha and Luna were strict but fair, teaching us our responsibilities with both firmness and love.
At fifteen, I knew I wanted to be a warrior. Fighting came naturally to me, and I wanted to protect the pack. After a year of relentless training, I became the top-ranked fighter...and the only female one...in our pack.
Then came the greatest honour: Alpha and Luna asked me to be their protector. They recognized my dedication and rewarded me with one of the most elite positions possible. I accepted without hesitation, knowing this was my calling. If only I'd known how badly I would have failed them.
For nine months, I excelled. Most threats dissolved at the sight of me...my reputation preceded me. I was feared, respected, unstoppable.
Until I wasn't.
Just after my eighteenth birthday, the Alpha and Luna wanted a run. It should have been routine...shift forms, patrol the borders, enjoy freedom. I usually ran with them, letting Melo stretch her legs while staying alert for trouble. There had been reports of increased rogue activity, but the Alpha and Luna assured me they could handle themselves if needed.
We never made it to the run.
As we crossed the pack boundaries, my instincts failed me. Rogues burst from the trees faster than I could react. We were hopelessly outnumbered, but worse...none of us could shift. I felt Melo raging inside, desperate to break free, but something blocked her.
They took down the Alpha first, then immobilized me. I was forced to watch, helpless, as they attacked Luna.
Her final scream still haunts my dreams.
Hours later, they found me, half-dead and crawling toward Luna's body. The rogues had left me alive but shattered...covered in gashes, missing chunks of flesh, my arm snapped like kindling. Even our accelerated healing can't erase those wounds.
Lucas, now Alpha, demanded answers I couldn't give. I told him about our inability to shift, but he refused to believe me. Once I healed, I visited their graves, only to be dragged before Lucas and his Beta, Dan. They stripped my title and bound my wrists with silver...punishment for failing my duty.
Now I'm barely alive, shunned and broken. Can I even call myself a werewolf when I can't feel my wolf… Melo anymore?
That's why I'm miserable right now.
As the day passed by in endless torment. Guards visit me daily, their whips painting my back in blood and scars. One meal a day...stale bread and a single egg...keeps me barely alive. Melo remains silent, crushed by rejection and silver.
I dragged myself up from the cold floor, clutching my chest. "Please," I whispered to the Moon Goddess, "end this nightmare."
Heavy boots interrupt my prayers. Two guards enter, wearing unsettling grins. No whips today...something worse gleams in their eyes.
"Well, well, look who's awake," one sneers.
I press against the wall as they advance, their intentions clear in their mocking voices. "Relax," one says, reaching for me. "We'll take it nice and easy."
The cell bars explode inward with a thunderous crash.
The guards freeze, terror replacing their self-satisfaction mood as they face a man I have never seen before. I expect Dan or even Lucas, but instead, an enormous man fills the doorway. Power radiates from him in waves, his reddish eyes promising death.
Those eyes lock onto mine, stealing my breath. Tears stream down my face as exhaustion crushes me beneath its weight.
The man moves faster than sight. The guards crumple, their blood pooling around my feet. I scream as their bodies slump over me, the metallic stench of death filling my lungs.
"Ella Fitzgerald," the man rumbles, shoving the corpses aside like rags.
"Why did it take me so long to find you?"
He steps closer, his dark eyes burning with fury and something deeper... Concerned? His expression darkens further as he takes in my broken state.
The world spins, reality is too heavy to bear. Darkness pulls me under, and I surrender to darkness.
* * *
Harsh light forces my eyes open. I blinked, adjusting to the sterile brightness of the pack's hospital room.
"What happened?" I mumbled. The memories flood back, making me dizzy.
A heavy sigh escapes as I try to sit up. The huge man from before enters, followed by a nervous nurse clutching a needle.
"You're awake," he says, relief filling his voice. "I thought we'd need another dose to bring you back."
"Don't touch me," I whisper, shrinking away as painful memories threaten to overwhelm me.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," he soothes, stepping closer. "You're safe now. No one will harm you while I'm here."
I moved back instinctively, my heart pounding under his intense gaze.
"Are you afraid of me?" Disbelief mingles with frustration in his voice. "I just saved your life."
"Why shouldn't I be?" I challenged weakly. "I don't know you or your name. You killed five men in front of me, and now you're looming over me. Maybe I'm next."
"Alexander," he states simply. "That's my name."
I nodded uncertainly, studying him. Raw power emanates from his presence, but his motives remain a mystery. His earlier words echo...why was I so hard to find?
"I know you have questions," he says calmly. "But you need to rest. I'll explain everything when you're stronger."
"No," I pressed, finding my voice. "Tell me now. How do you know my name? Why save me? Why attack a pack for a stranger?"
"I hate being indebted," he replied curtly, rising from his chair.
"That explains nothing," I insisted. "Be clear with me. I've never seen you before in my life."
"Relax," he growls angrily.
I flinch but hold my ground.
"Stop asking questions," he snaps. "We're leaving. Now." He extends his hand.
I stare at it, hesitating. "Lucas won't let us go," I whisper fearfully.
Alexander chuckles darkly. "Your brother is nowhere to be found. Choose...come with me or stay here?"
I take his hand. He helps me up, guiding me toward the door.
A man runs toward us, calling out, "Your Highness, have you found..." He stops short at the sight of me.
Alexander's expression darkens. "Didn't I tell you to wait for instructions?"
The man bows deeply. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty."
I froze, suspicion mounting. "What did he call you?"
Alexander remained silent, avoiding my gaze.
"You're not answering, Alexander," I pressed.
The man growls. "How dare you address His Majesty by name!"
My eyes widen as I turn to Alexander, who glares at the man. His silence confirmed my growing suspicion.
"Why is he addressing you like that?" My voice trembles. "And don't tell me to relax or brush this off."
Alexander's expression softens as he meets my gaze. "It's as you heard," he admits. "I am King Alexander Miller, the Lycan King of the Bluestone Pack...the mother of all packs."
The revelation hits me like a physical blow, leaving me stunned.
"But... why me?”
- Writer
